Some notes and observations from the campaign trail:
We often drove several hours for a candidate forum whereupon we were allotted 2-3 minutes to sway the audience. Those time constraints required that we develop something memorable to catch the attention of the audience. Here are a few of our attempts to impress the people.
- “There are three reasons that you should vote for me—I’m old, I’m crazy and I’m angry!”
The “old” description was used to flashback to my previous service in the Legislature, adding how many of the people that I served with remain in politics, and emphasizing that things haven’t gotten better in the last quarter century.
The “crazy” descriptor was my justification for running statewide as a third/minor party candidate who believes that principle trumps party.
Finally, the “angry” highlighted my passion for cleaning the stable and restoring Constitutional government to Ohio.
- “Hi, I’m Charlie Earl, and I’m a radical extremist!”
I am radically ticked off that our career politicians, so-called public servants, have allowed the fiscal structure of our country and our state to drift and slide towards bankruptcy.
I am extremely angry that they have spent the wealth of future generations while expanding the Nanny State in an attempt to control our lives.
- (Usually a closer) “Remember, if you’re angry with career politicians, E.A.R.L., Earl is a four-letter word!”
We cherished the opportunity to travel our amazing state “all at once.” Like many of you, I have, over my lifetime been to many venues in our remarkable state, but to see all of it in 9 months was an eye-opener for me. While the Cinci-Dayton corridor and the Columbus-Delaware County areas appear to be doing quite well, the remainder of Ohio is hurting. I can recall driving along SR 104 and observing several rural homes “for sale.” Many of these were of modular construction, with a small shed or barn, and sitting on a 2-acre plot. They represented someone’s dream—a little country home with some room for the kids to roam. A dream that had gone sour.
As an advocate of free markets, I do not embrace the “bailout/debt-forgiveness” strategies of the left. I firmly believe that one of our greatest freedoms is the freedom to fail—to learn and to try again. In order for us to have ample opportunities to recover from our lapses, government must get out of the way, and stay out of the way.
Maybe I’m a Neanderthal, but it seems to me that the more helpful that government is, the less self-reliant the people become. As we observe the monstrous fiscal crisis that is on our doorstep, we wonder if three generations of government intervention have weakened the will, and the ability, of the people to fail, to learn and to try again.
It is my goal to continue my efforts to be an “Evangelist for Liberty” in the months ahead. If any of you need a speaker for your Tea Party, 912, Liberty or Patriot groups, Rotary, Kiwanis, Lions or Chamber of Commerce, please contact me. I promise you a stirring and uplifting message. Although I generally prefer to concentrate on Ohio, I will travel to Indiana, Michigan, Kentucky, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Illinois. I will, in fact, be addressing the Conclave of the Michigan Libertarian Party on February 5th.
You can respond to this blog or schedule a speaking date by emailing:
Earl4sos@gmail.com
cnpearl@woh.rr.com
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Friday, November 5, 2010
Longtime Loving
One of my all-time favorite songs is George Jones’ “He Stopped Loving Her Today.” It’s a poignant lament about a lifetime committed to unrequited devotion. Only through the finality of death did the old gent stop his longing for his lost love. Country music is often heralded as the genre’ that most reflects the real-life experience of the average low-brow American. Trains, trucks, guns, booze and heartbreak seem to be the dominant themes on my XM Country stations. While my musical talents are limited, my tastes are eclectic, and I find myself becoming more attracted to Country as the years go by. It represents, in my view, a metaphor for the state of the nation and our state of mind.
Like many citizens of the United States, I spent my early years taking Liberty, Freedom and Opportunity for granted. I accepted the premise that my goals and dreams were limited only by my vision, my energy and my determination. Sometime during the past fifty years, that formula for self-fulfillment was seriously altered, and I failed to note the change. The rules were changed, and without a clue, I was clinging to the old ways. Liberty was no longer considered a God-given natural right, but was a precious commodity to be parceled out in tiny increments by a kind and generous government.
Many jurists, legislators, administrators and citizens had twisted the “pursuit of happiness” into a justification for government oversight and intervention into nearly every aspect of our daily lives. In addition, the “general welfare” clause was expanded to the point of becoming an all-inclusive justification for governmental intrusion and involvement. So, how can a mindless, heartless, soulless entity like our leviathan government insure the general welfare and promote the pursuit of happiness for 312million people? Do we share the same dreams? Do we have similar talents and abilities? Are our ambitions and desires equally distributed? To me, the answers to these questions are self-revealing, and demonstrate clearly the impotence and unresponsiveness of too-big government.
Admittedly, my view springs from the individualist perspective. Big government advocates accept the collectivist point-of-view. These world views are incompatible, and no meaningful compromise is acceptable for either group of advocates. These two mindsets are diametrically opposed to one another and cannot co-exist in any meaningful way. For several decades the collectivist mentality has controlled the agenda while individualists meekly succumbed to the usurpation of natural Law. As one individual who believes that God granted me the spark of life and the free will to make my own decisions, I apologize for my silence in years gone by. Just as God has granted me the power to choose Him…or reject Him (and face the consequences), I also have the individual power to yield or to reject the smothering oppressive big government intervention into every aspect of my life.
Henceforth, I will battle, confound, resist and undermine the mindless, heartless and soulless state. Liberty is a gift from God, and I shall not squander it willingly.
Comments are welcome: cnpearl@woh.rr.com
earl4sos@gmail.com
Like many citizens of the United States, I spent my early years taking Liberty, Freedom and Opportunity for granted. I accepted the premise that my goals and dreams were limited only by my vision, my energy and my determination. Sometime during the past fifty years, that formula for self-fulfillment was seriously altered, and I failed to note the change. The rules were changed, and without a clue, I was clinging to the old ways. Liberty was no longer considered a God-given natural right, but was a precious commodity to be parceled out in tiny increments by a kind and generous government.
Many jurists, legislators, administrators and citizens had twisted the “pursuit of happiness” into a justification for government oversight and intervention into nearly every aspect of our daily lives. In addition, the “general welfare” clause was expanded to the point of becoming an all-inclusive justification for governmental intrusion and involvement. So, how can a mindless, heartless, soulless entity like our leviathan government insure the general welfare and promote the pursuit of happiness for 312million people? Do we share the same dreams? Do we have similar talents and abilities? Are our ambitions and desires equally distributed? To me, the answers to these questions are self-revealing, and demonstrate clearly the impotence and unresponsiveness of too-big government.
Admittedly, my view springs from the individualist perspective. Big government advocates accept the collectivist point-of-view. These world views are incompatible, and no meaningful compromise is acceptable for either group of advocates. These two mindsets are diametrically opposed to one another and cannot co-exist in any meaningful way. For several decades the collectivist mentality has controlled the agenda while individualists meekly succumbed to the usurpation of natural Law. As one individual who believes that God granted me the spark of life and the free will to make my own decisions, I apologize for my silence in years gone by. Just as God has granted me the power to choose Him…or reject Him (and face the consequences), I also have the individual power to yield or to reject the smothering oppressive big government intervention into every aspect of my life.
Henceforth, I will battle, confound, resist and undermine the mindless, heartless and soulless state. Liberty is a gift from God, and I shall not squander it willingly.
Comments are welcome: cnpearl@woh.rr.com
earl4sos@gmail.com
Thursday, November 4, 2010
A Short Glance Back
Hey, it's over. I'm snorkeling now as I swim under the weight of the GOP tsunami. Also, in addition to catching up with the errands at home, I'm trying to analylize the previous year--it's successes and failures, and I'm preparing a game plan for the next two years. In other words...no rest for the old guy.
Candidly, I expected to lose, but Holy Insignificance, Batman, less than 5 per cent? Is it my hair, my breath, my message, or my perceived Constitutional radicalism? It was probably my anonimity. Although I was the Libertarian candidate for Ohio's Secretary of State, I was merely another nameless face, faceless name in the grand scope of Ohio's power politics. I spoke with thousands of people, but it required hundreds of thousands to penetrate the "membrane of silence." It was vital that I speak directly with many thousands to escape the "also running" pigeonhole constructed by many of the mass media.
To lay the blame for my anemic totals at the clay feet of the mass media is not productive and not accurate. There were two glaring errors in my campaign for which I, alone, am responsible. The first was my failure to engage a campaign manager who would be responsible for organizing and deploying our volunteers. We made an early attempt to do so, but when that situation did not work out, I continued to forge on without taking the time to fill the gap. That weakness was deadly because our ground game was haphazard at best and nonexistent generally.
The second major chink in my candidacy's armour was my reluctance to solicit funds. A couple of my supporters offered to have fundraisers for me, and I waited for them to go forward rather than doing the planning and scheduling myself. As a result, when we got to the final days, we had insufficient financing for mass media purchases. I'm not certain if its pride or stupidity that drives my unwillingness to plead, cajole....and beg for bucks.
While there are numerous other contributing factors for my tiny total of votes, I believe those two are the most obvious. Let me be clear. I have no regrets. Sharing the message of Liberty and Constitutional government is a mission that I have and will embrace. If I had worked smarter, then the cause could have been advanced somewhat farther.
Candidly, I expected to lose, but Holy Insignificance, Batman, less than 5 per cent? Is it my hair, my breath, my message, or my perceived Constitutional radicalism? It was probably my anonimity. Although I was the Libertarian candidate for Ohio's Secretary of State, I was merely another nameless face, faceless name in the grand scope of Ohio's power politics. I spoke with thousands of people, but it required hundreds of thousands to penetrate the "membrane of silence." It was vital that I speak directly with many thousands to escape the "also running" pigeonhole constructed by many of the mass media.
To lay the blame for my anemic totals at the clay feet of the mass media is not productive and not accurate. There were two glaring errors in my campaign for which I, alone, am responsible. The first was my failure to engage a campaign manager who would be responsible for organizing and deploying our volunteers. We made an early attempt to do so, but when that situation did not work out, I continued to forge on without taking the time to fill the gap. That weakness was deadly because our ground game was haphazard at best and nonexistent generally.
The second major chink in my candidacy's armour was my reluctance to solicit funds. A couple of my supporters offered to have fundraisers for me, and I waited for them to go forward rather than doing the planning and scheduling myself. As a result, when we got to the final days, we had insufficient financing for mass media purchases. I'm not certain if its pride or stupidity that drives my unwillingness to plead, cajole....and beg for bucks.
While there are numerous other contributing factors for my tiny total of votes, I believe those two are the most obvious. Let me be clear. I have no regrets. Sharing the message of Liberty and Constitutional government is a mission that I have and will embrace. If I had worked smarter, then the cause could have been advanced somewhat farther.
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