The quality of life often comes down to one moment, one opportunity, one roll of the dice or one decision to draw a line in the sand and scream "No more."
Will Nov. 6, 2012, be one of those moments? I believe for the welfare of our republic, it must be.
It's been estimated that upwards of four million fewer Republicans voted in 2008 than in 2004. Four million. In a nation of 315 million, does such a number make a difference?
Some would argue it made all the difference and turned an unqualified, inexperienced, pampered, wealthy and privileged barely senator from Illinois into an arrogant, over-his-head, socialist-espousing, even more wealthy president who after four years has neither a credible domestic or foreign policy.
Who paid the price for that voter apathy?
Every American who is doing worse in 2012 than in 2008 as well as all those who have tried to fight back against the crushing burden of the liberal big-government nanny-state.
Why did those voters choose to stay home?
For sure, some were just suffering from Bush and political fatigue and just opted out of the process. That said, I believe the majority of those Republicans who chose not to vote in 2008 were highly principled conservatives who felt a vote for John McCain was an affront to their values.
While I agree with that assessment, these principled conservative voters — be they Evangelical Christians, social conservatives, fiscal conservatives, or another mix of traditional values — no longer have the luxury of taking a powder on their civic responsibility to vote. They must vote on Nov. 6.
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In 2007 and 2008, most of the mainstream media did all in their power to simultaneously push Mr. Obama while masking his far-left ideology and his empty resume. Their unethical behavior (which they have doubled-down on in 2012) combined with good Americans choosing to sit out the 2008 election, gave us President Obama and deepened our nation's decline into mediocrity, insecurity and despair.
Does about 1% of the population deciding not to vote really matter? You bet. In 2008, just thousands of votes made the difference between winning or losing crucial states.
For those who have forgotten or did not know, in the 2008 election, Obama won North Carolina by only 14,000 votes. He won Indiana by only 28,000 votes. He won Florida by only 236,000 out of well over 8 million cast.
Just those three states represent 55 out of the 270 electoral votes needed for victory. Three states that Obama squeaked out by less than 280,000 votes. So, yeah: Four million principled conservatives sitting out the 2008 election was a big deal.
As a conservative, I supported — and worked around the edges for — Mitt Romney in 2008. In the Republican primary of 2012, I supported Gov. Rick Perry of Texas.
As someone who believes deeply in traditional values, I strongly support Gov. Romney in the general election.
No one candidate will ever be all things to all voters. Even the great Ronald Reagan — for whom I had the high honor to write — could not pass that unattainable threshold. Understanding that, Romney will never satisfy all conservatives or even all voters.
That said, he is an incredibly decent and moral man who not only has the best interests of our nation at heart, but will also work from day one to roll back and eliminate the ruinous Obama policies that sabotage and doom the prosperity and welfare of the American people. Most especially, the poor.
One voice does matter. One line drawn in the sand can be critical. And one vote can save a nation.
Principled conservatives must stand up and be counted on Nov. 6. We have no choice.
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