A Candidate for Consistency | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's note: BCN welcomes Contributor Austin Goss, who, along with BCN Contributor Ryan Case, publishes a growing journal, The Liberty Fix, already steeped in information of a growing wisdom.

    The Trump phenomenon, and the aftermath of one of the most tumultuous elections in American history, has shown that hypocrisy runs wild not only on the left side of the aisle like we already knew, but the right as well.

    The best example of this to me since the election was and is, former Texas governor Rick Perry. As a disclaimer, I must say that I consider myself to be in favor of Rick Perry in many almost every other way. He was one of the most successful governors in the history of the state of Texas in many different regards, whether it be on energy, his implementation of fiscal and social conservatism, amongst other things. Throughout the primary, Governor Perry was a Ted Cruz supporter, a not so surprising choice for the native Texan and Constitutional Conservative. Furthermore, Governor Perry was a vocal and common critic of Donald Trump as the primary rolled along, after he had dropped out of the race.

    Fast forward to essentially any point after the Indiana primary. Governor Perry, has been a vocal supporter for Donald Trump. For Perry, it became more than just a tweet or two. It was a regular appearance on Fox, or whatever network should present him with the opportunity to appear. For Perry, it was more than the common and easily comprehensible "Trump is better than Hillary so I will vote for him." This was a shill job.

    Governor Perry's behaviors moving forward since that point have made it clear to me what he and many other politicians who I often find myself agreeing with are - career politicians who are just looking for that opening. America is electing celebrities now? There is Rick Perry on Dancing with The Stars. Trump needs a Secretary for the Department of Energy? There is Rick Perry, accepting an offer for a job, in a department which in previous presidential campaigns, he had promised to abolish.

    This is not a hit piece on Rick Perry. This is only an example to show that someone who seems as a good a man as Rick Perry, are prone to fall into the trap of bureaucratic politicking, if we, as Americans, do not hold them accountable. The same has happened just in this election to the likes of Mitt Romney, another seemingly good man, who interviewed with a job in the cabinet of President Trump, the same man he delivered fiery rebuttal speech of mere months ago.

    The Trump phenomenon has brought out the worst of this, from Ryan to Carson to Christie to Priebus to Pence, much of the Republican Party has abandoned its core tenets for what has won the day. Time and time again, we have seen politician after politician abandoned a principle which often seems to go unsaid; consistency. Of course, consistency in politics is in large part started on the merit of voting record, legislation supported, amongst other things. There are some things that the official yes or no column, or legislative record will not catch, that we as citizens of a free country should take responsibility for.

    It is our job, as American citizens, to draw attention to Rick Perry becoming the head of a department he once called to be abolished. It is our job to call out Mike Pence for moving away from his support of free trade in order to win an election. It is our job to call out Mitt Romney for nearly accepting a position of a cabinet for a man whom he claimed to be "temperamentally unfit" for the presidency.

    Moving forward, it is in our best interests and the interest of our Republic, whatever the political party is, to seek out candidates who are consistent, and to call out those who are not. If we fall into the trap of electing officials who will simply follow the guide of the majority, or of the coattails of the politician who furthers their political careers, than our elections become nothing more than a pick your poison, surface level choice.

poll#99

With the Democrats losing the presidency, after winning the popular vote by over 2 million votes more than the victor, Donald J. Trump: Should the constitutional provision of the Electoral College be scrapped?

  Yes, the votes for president should be concentrated in the population centers.

  No, the Electoral College provides for better representation from the less populated states.

  I rarely vote because I have little knowledge of the issues.

116 total vote(s)     What's your Opinion?