Unseating John Kerry - Part 2

Candidate for the U.S. Senate, Jim Ogonowski >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>





One of the most prominent proponents of Democratic big government solutions to problems, real and perceived, Senator John Kerry, is seeking re-election to a fifth term in November. Challenging the entrenched liberal status quo in Massachusetts is, to say the least, an uphill battle, even given the historically low approval ratings currently “enjoyed” by congress. But the conservative case for dealing with such issues as illegal immigration and fiscal responsibility can be a compelling alternative to old and tired liberal answers. As was mentioned in a previous article, Massachusetts Republicans now have two viable candidates challenging Kerry. Today, we look at Dracut businessman, Jim Ogonowski.


Last fall, Republican Jim Ogonowski, waged an impressive campaign against Nicki Tsongas for U.S. Congress in the heavily Democratic Fifth Massachusetts District. In waging a campaign that came close to beating his eponymous opponent, Jim caught the attention of many in Massachusetts and across the country. Now, he has announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate.

Jim’s background as an Air Force Officer and his experience in running a small Massachusetts business helps him to understand the needs and concerns of all the citizens of Massachusetts. He notes in his January 27th press release that “Folks in Massachusetts don’t see John Kerry around here much anymore – Washington is his home. It’s been his home for a long time.” The keystone of Jim’s campaign will be to return government to the people by focusing on “real problems with real solutions.”

The task for those of us who agree with Jim and his primary opponent that change is necessary in the way the government works must recognize that the November election is not that far away. It is important to generate the interest in the Republican candidates and their refreshing ideas and broaden this interest to the moderate voter base. If we are going to send John Kerry packing, the time to start is now.

Unseating John Kerry - part 1

Candidate for the U.S. Senate, Jeff Beatty>>>>>>>>>>




John Kerry has served as the junior Senator from Massachusetts since 1984 and, if re-elected in November, will begin serving his fifth six-year term. In spite of his record of flip-flopping, his political orientation is fairly sraightforward. He is, and has been, a staunch liberal who is currently backing Barak Obama for president. Here in the bluest of blue states, where the entire Congressional delegation is made up of Democrats, such a stand has served him well. But while not always as visible as it might be, the Massachusetts Republican Party continues to carry the flag of opposition in its attemmpt at injecting a measure of political balance into the Commonwealth's affairs.

This year The Republicans are fortunate to have two excellent candidates running to unseat Kerry. This article will focus on one of those candidates, Harwich businessman, Jeff Beatty.

Jeff brings a most impressive resume to the task. His experience in the US Military, law enforcement and as the founder of TotalSecurityUS provides Beatty with an un-parraleled background to deal with the threat of radical Islam. While many on the left would like to ignore it, this threat continues to be the number one danger facing the Unites States in the minds of many respected political thinkers.

In 2006, Jeff ran against Bill Delahunt, representative from the tenth Congressional District. While that effort was unsuccesful, it has provided Beatty with an important learning experience regarding the field of modern politics. We expect that in managing his campaign for the U.S, Senate, Jeff Beatty will do a much better job of making the case for himself over the incumbent.

A future article will examine the background of the other Republican candidate. In the meantime, let us resolve to avoid intra-party destuctiveness and focus instead on making the case to the people of Massachusetts that it is time that John Kerry, and the Democrats, be replaced with a strong Republican who will help steer the public debate away from the ineffective liberal agenda.

The Case for John McCain

As the primary season unfolds, it is becoming more and more apparent that John McCain will emerge as the Republican candidate. While the intramural competition of primary elections is an integral part of the election process, it is time to begin to focus on the main event, The November election.

Of concern is the Greek chorus of complaint from conservatives whining about McCain's lack of conservative commitment. Of course this is not without cause as McCain has taken a number of relatively moderate positions during his career. At the same time, we need to keep our eye on the ball. Threats to boycott a McCain candidacy, or worse, to vote for the democrat, makes as much sense as those in my precinct who cast primary votes for candidates who had long before withdrawn from the race. And while this might yield a pyrrhic victory in a primary election, it amounts to gross futility in the big show. It is hard to accept the idea that going down to defeat with a “perfect” candidate is preferable to winning with an acceptable candidate, especially given the current alternatives. So let’s examine the case for John McCain:

First of all, John McCain is clearly the most elect able of the Republican candidates. While not advocating a retreat from conservative principles, I don't see the other candidates providing stronger conservative orthodoxy. At the same time, ideals are important benchmarks but politics lies more in the realm of the achievable. If John McCain is no Ronald Reagan, I ask, who is? I’m not even sure that Ronald Reagan measures up to his own legends. And I loved Ronald Reagan. Now that we have to take Mike Huckabee more seriously, I can see how his emphasis on rolling back the liberal assault on family values has appeal to many conservatives. Frankly, it appeals to me. But of all the conservative values, this is the one that the office of president has little or no power to promote. But fortunately there are several that it can:

John McCain is clearly the strongest candidate for Commander in Chief. I'm not sure who is in second place, but it boggles the mind to think of Hillary Clinton, with her notorious disdain for the military, filling that position. Islamic extremists continue to be a major threat to the U.S. Moreover, the war in Iraq will require experienced leadership, even as it winds down. This is a major gut-check issue.

When the new president takes office next January, six of the nine Justices of the Supreme Court will be over age 70, which means the next president may well be in position to reshape the court for years to come as he, or she, names new justices for lifetime terms. Any republican thinking seriously that somehow ceding the presidency to the liberals for four years will teach the party a lesson, had best re-consider the impact of those lifetime appointments. McCain has identified his advisors for judicial nominees as including conservatives such as Ted Olson, Sam Brownback and Jon Kyl. Ceding the presidency is pure folly. Ceding the appointment of Judges is political suicide.

Dealing with the influx of illegal immigrants begs for a solution. We don't seem to know who's crossing our borders and we aren't quite sure of who is already here, as estimates for the illegal population has been pinned down to between 12 and 20 million. Hey, what are 8 million people among friends? Ignoring for the moment the security concerns about terrorists gaining entry to the U.S., the impact of the "un-documented" upon our social infrastructure is a financial wild card that liberals try to ignore as they propose more and more social programs for "the Children". McCain has been accused of proposing an amnesty program, an approach that has been proven to be unworkable. At the same time, this problem is complex and one that will not be solved, as much as some conservatives demand it, by simply slamming our borders shut and deporting all the illegals, all 12 million (or is it 20 million?) of them. While that solution provides a marvelous rush of righteous indignation, I suspect the actual solution is going to take a great deal more work and maybe even some compromise.

So as the cavalcade of primaries slogs to its end and the approach of this summers' Conventions signal the start of this election's gun lap, it's time for Republicans to think long and hard about the choices being offered, and begin to get comfortable with the idea of backing John McCain for president. You can be sure that the Dems will be pulling together to back their candidate, whoever the poor wretch turns out to be.