It is despicable to see the state Republican Party try to invoke Rule 11 that will focus all of the party’s funds on the officially endorsed candidate, in this case Charlie Crist. It is a brazen attempt to exclude Marco Rubio from contesting the Senate seat… it is also a brazen attempt to shatter my dreams of seeing a battle between moderates and conservatives!

Right now the party needs to have a public debate about what it stands for and will stand for after the thorough thumping that we have received in the last two elections. While some Republicans lean towards “moderation,” the Democrats embrace their most liberal members, the ones that said that we lost the war, the ones that have increased the deficit to four times the previous level, the ones that knew about torture and now act like they had no clue. What the Republicans need to do is defend personal liberty, defend America, fight for smaller and smarter government, and stress fiscal responsibility. They need to strengthen the message, not moderate it… but in the spirit of fairness, I would love to hear how standing next to Obama and embracing higher spending is better for America; I would love to know how acting like a Democrat will help the Republican Party…

I feel that the moderates have not proven their case and, by the same token, neither have the conservatives. So let’s debate it, not drown it out in procedure and premature endorsements… Let Marco Rubio, the Conservative Contender, give us a fresh new look at how to move forward… we owe it to ourselves.

-AG