I am an enthusiastic Mitt Romney guy!

Christie, I, and the boys attended our first Iowa Caucus a few Tuesdays back.  I got pretty excited about getting involved in our nation's political process.   Attendance at our caucus was like being at a poorly run church meeting where you don't know people as well.  

 

We accomplished the following in our meeting.

 

• Elected people to various positions.  Since noboby really knew each other, it was a little slow at first.  Basically they went with whomever volunteered.  Guess what I did?  I volunteered and consequently was elected to be a County Delegate.  I'll let you know later if that was a smart choice or not.
  
• Allowed for each of the candidate's surragates to give a 5 minute speech.  Regrettably, noboby spoke but the young person for Ron Paul.  Though I respected the young man from Missouri getting up to give an impassioned plea for his candidate, I was somewhat put off that he wasn't from our community.  It felt to me like it was contrary to the neighborhood process of the caucus.
• We presented resolutions to be considered for the Republican Platform.  Each of these was recorded, discussed, and voted upon.  Not a bad process.  I was kind of an odd ball.  It's not that I disagreed with anything that was presented in principle, but rather the intensity and inflexibility in which they were presented.  Life, politics, running our country is a complicated process.  I'm looking for good sound principles that can be entrusted to reliable and trustworthy individuals to be reflected in our legislative and executive branches of government.  Though I believe in the concept of the balanced budget, I don't necessarily agree with how most are crafted.  In good years, we should be saving money for a rainy day and in bad days, we should be spending that money we saved.  That to me is what a balanced budget approach looks like.  It's sad that there seems to be a sentiment that we can no longer trust our elected leaders for such an approach and instead have to pass hard and fast rules.
• We adjourned the meeting.

An interesting experience I would like to get more involved wth in the future.  One good outcome, we met another of our neighbors.  He was a dear 84 year-old man who has lived his entire life in Newton, IA.  He had walked to the Caucus and didn't seem to know where to go.  We adopted him and ended up giving him a ride home.

So are you interested in who I caucused for?  Well since I am no longer pastoring a church, I will let you know and explain my reasoning.  Let me first begin by establishing some of my assumptions and observations.

• There is not much difference between the positions and views of the Republican candidates.  I just don't get into this "true conservative" argument.  I do allow, and even appreciate, those whose positions evolve.  Mine do.  Why shouldn't other's positions.  I do like it when they admit it and don't merely try to reframe it.
• There were three primary factors I considered when looking at each of the candidate

1)  Alignment with my world and government views.

2)  Demonstrated leadership; someone who knows and has led others; excutive leadership

3)  Ability to work with others.  I openly and willingly admit not everyone sees things as I do.  I want someone who truly can work with both Democrats and Republicans.  I want some who shares my perspectives but at the same is able to lead, inspire, and speak to all of America.

4)  Someone who I believe is trustworthy.  I am looking for a leader who not merely shares my perspective but can be trusted to lead, appropriately compromise, and collaborate with all of the diversity that makes up our country.  His or her life should demonstrate such trustworthiness.

Therefore, after much thought, I finally decided to caucus for Gov. Mitt Romney.  I believe he is the best person to lead our country forward.  He is not my concession.  He is my choice.  That is not to say I can't be furthered swayed.  But it is my perspective from where I sit today.