As we are witnessing primary campaigns unprecedented in American history, I feel somewhat compelled to evaluate our current posture, if only for my own sanity…

On the Republican side, front runner and bombastic businessman Donald Trump is clearly a media dream candidate, plenty of (at times caustic) sound-bites, but little in the way of substance. His current status is based solely on the anger and frustration of a citizenry betrayed by “hope and change”, and confused to say the least, about the future. That anger has morphed into an anti-establishment tone the likes of which we haven’t known in this country. Whether his business sense and personal success alone necessarily translate into true principled leadership for the betterment of said country, well that remains an open and very debatable question.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz is about as versed on the issues of our time as any politician could be. He has a firm grasp on policy, and more importantly, what’s broken in government. The problem for Cruz is he’s often unmovable in a system which requires and even relishes debate as means to an end, and at times, at least the appearance of compromise. Cruz’s Senate relationships seem to bear this out. Moreover, he clearly lacks a certain gravitas necessary to connect with most independent voters, who are primarily concerned with “Economy 101”, as opposed to what they may perceive as the static noise of social issues. Senator Cruz has likely branded himself exclusively into a political corner which may be difficult to reconcile in a general election.

Florida Senator Marco Rubio is polished but obviously unchallenged and untested. His record is micro-thin and he appears prone to establishment politics for show. Rubio’s youthful appearance, ethnicity, and humble background, may make him a formidable presidential candidate in a changing America sometime in the not so distant future, but not during what is being called “the most pivotal election in a generation”. He would need 2/3 of the remaining delegates in order to win.

John Kasich is a VP candidate… Stop…

Ben Carson would make a great Surgeon General… Stop…

As for the Democrats, there are fewer choices but no less drama. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton currently enjoys front runner status in her bid to be the Democrat nominee for president, though there are many in her own party who’d be content to see her go home and live “happily” ever after with Bill in Chappaqua. She’s also currently battling her chief rival for the new “soul of the Democrat Party” and the coveted position of “most Liberal”. Nevertheless, if you or I had done half of what it’s now pretty obvious she did as SOS, we’d be a year into a five year stretch at USP Leavenworth by now, praying for single to open up. Moreover, the deception and unanswered questions of Benghazi, should be a red flag with a “bloody hand-print” on it to any sensible person not blinded by pure ideology and partisan politics. She should be locked up, not running for higher office. Enough said.

And finally, avowed Socialist and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders is espousing a form of government not in keeping with the founding tenets of our republic for goodness sake! He should not even be flying an American Flag at his campaign rallies, as his stated political position promotes fundamentally changing our current system of government to something which our brave men and women of the United States Military certainly didn’t fight and die for. Not to mention, the man’s economic wish-list reads like an all-you-can-eat buffet menu at a sumo wrestling convention. Alas, college-age folks and the “Hippie boomer crowd” are flocking to his entitlement banner like pigeons to a highway underpass, truly a frightening sign of the times… Inevitably, he has no chance against the Clinton juggernaut, but his following cannot and should not be ignored.

So in the end my fellow Americans, and at the risk of sounding melodramatic, it’s finally come down to us, no excuses. How badly is our country broken? How little of our true history and exceptionalism are being taught to our children in the public school systems? Where do we draw the line on “interpreting” a Constitutional document not meant to be “interpreted”, and originally intended as a framework means to rein in government, not promote and enlarge it? And frankly, are we willing, for the first time in American history, to pass to our posterity a country considerably diminished from the one passed to us?

To be clear, I’m unsure of the answers to those questions at this juncture. I would tell you however, that as a parent I’m scared for my son’s future. And with an election cycle shaping up to be something our forefathers would have been horrified at, it just seems to be getting worse. Therefore I’m left with the one constant in my life besides Jesus and my family. And that is to acknowledge the God-given blessings of liberty and freedom which I know embody the founded United States of America and what it stands for, and to be ever-mindful of the enormous responsibility “We the People” bear in ensuring its survival, both for the good of our posterity, and for the good of all humanity. So join me my friends, and let us reverse our current course. Let us endeavor in the name of our children to find the national soul we’ve lost, to not be complacent, and to do our due diligence, so we may at least begin to steer the bow of this mighty ship into the proverbial winds once again…

Now go vote…