Dave Westlake is a true conservative. He has written about it. He has spoken about it. He has been living and breathing it his whole life. Although talk radio has not taken him seriously, the regular folk of Wisconsin have not only come to know Dave, they have come to trust in his conservative voice and know he is the one to beat Feingold.

Along the way, however, he has been up against a few road blocks named Terrence Wall, Dick Leinenkugel, Ron Johnson, Tommy Thompson, as well as the old guard Republican elite. Thrown out in front of Dave, these deterrents did not slow him down. In fact, he has been blazing full force ahead, attempting to serve Wisconsin as it’s next U.S. Senator.

None the less, people are crazy for the newest announced candidate, Ron Johnson. A new excitement has risen in talk radio and the “politics as usual” Republican establishment. But has it risen in the conservative arena? I’m not so sure.

Obama and the Democrats have their “Hope and Change”. We now have the Republican equivalent—“Freedom”. This is the slogan Ron Johnson is running on and I am having a difficult time determining how exactly this is going to work in defeating Feingold.

What WAS hope and change? Like “freedom”, it really never was clearly defined. It became whatever you wanted it to be. There was no substance behind the slogan, no confirmation of a better plan. We were left with a President who got elected on the voters’ hopes for a “change” they could “believe in.”

We got a change, alright. And I don’t think people have been too happy with it. If people would have done their research, they would have realized what change was actually around the corner. Instead, they flocked to the chosen one with a blind eye and deaf ears. Granted the left winged media did their best to avoid reporting on Obama’s cohorts and his progressive agenda, but the writing really was all over the wall. And to analogize if I dare, I would say a similar thing is happening with Ron Johnson. In fact, here are some quotes taken directly off of Johnson’s wall on facebook.

“Go Ron, GO!”   Seen many times on his wall and kind of reminds me of Go, Dog, Go, or Run Forest, Run.

“We are counting on you to help save our country.”  Maybe it’s just me, but this seems rather desperate.

“He may actually have integrity unlike those in congress today.”  He MAY have integrity? And this is supposed to be reason to vote for someone to become Wisconsin’s next U.S. Senator, because he MAY have integrity?”

“I have some ideas to share with you.”  Maybe if Johnson had his own ideas, the person of this statement (or the establishment for that matter) wouldn’t have to be worried about sharing their ideas with Johnson. Maybe Johnson could actually be sharing his ideas with us.

“What a well spoken and confident guy for being new at this.”  We better be putting a well spoken, confident person up against Feingold. This should be a given, not an exception, as this person seems to imply. And, as long as he mentions it, yeah, Johnson is new at this isn’t he? In fact, so new that he was endorsed 6 (count ‘em, 6) days after his announced candidacy. Why in this political environment, with Patriot groups and Tea Parties growing all over the state, looking for Washington to replace itself with men and women who are grounded in the constitution and the principles of our Founding Fathers, the Republican elites chose to endorse someone who did not have a stance on the issues is bewildering and highly disappointing. Even more maddening, is the fact that Johnson was portrayed as the candidate with the deepest Tea Party roots. “He founded the Oshkosh Tea Party.” “He spoke at many Tea Parties across Wisconsin.” These are quotes I’ve seen time and again. A true example of the misconception of this candidate that we are, according to the establishment, supposed to be clamoring to in the name of “freedom.” Johnson, as we should all know by now, did not found any Tea Party and spoke at two(because he was asked to by republican party establishment types).

“I have no idea of your platform. However, I want Feingold out of there.”  I wonder if Johnson knew what his platform was? I don’t think he had one prior to the establishment building it for him.

“It was great to see Ron in the West Bend parade, many people did not know who he was.” Do I even need to comment here?

“Ron great job on Up Front. I agreed with everything you talked about. People are jumping on the bandwagon everyday.” And yes they are. Where it is going though, remains to be seen.

“I’ve been waiting for YEARS for a truly conservative, viable candidate to take on Mr. Feingold and send him home. I REALLY hope you are it, Mr. Johnson.”

And then in response to this comment: “I agree with Tina, I REALLY hope you are a true conservative.” Oh good gosh, help me here. I really, really, really, hope Mr. Johnson that you are the one to save the day. “Hope” and “The One” – have we not learned our lessons? For crying out loud, can we please find out who the candidate is BEFORE we endorse someone? Find out what he stands for, what his convictions are, what his plan is?

“It is time for a new direction for the school districts, local governments, state governments and federal governments. Maybe it will start in November. I do not know the positions of Mr. Johnson on many issues, but agree with what I do know.”  Well that’s comforting. We need changes galore and I don’t know where in the heck Johnson stands on anything but I’m going to back him because the party elites told me to.

“Can you post your issues on your website? I can’t find them anywhere and I keep missing interviews. If I’m looking for them others are looking as well.”

In response to this:

“@Janet I can’t find them either. Just sent an email, if I get a reply I’ll post them.”

Maybe I missed it but I looked and never found a follow up.

You can’t make this stuff up. The writing IS ON THE WALL. Please wake up!! We have a conservative ready to take on Feingold. A West Point grad that we don’t have to REALLY hope will be a true conservative. His name is, of course, Dave Westlake and there is no reason in the world why the Republican Party had to run out and lure anyone else in to the race. This love fest with Johnson has got to stop. Westlake is and always has been a viable candidate. His lack of personal millions should never have gotten in the way. Actually, it is a plus—it takes away Feingold’s ability to run as ‘the common man” protecting the public from the rich elite—which is what he’s so successfully done in the past. Feingold has yet to be defeated by big money—in fact his strength is to defeat it. Why 2010 should be any different is difficult to imagine.

When asked by Charlie Sykes why he got in to the race, Johnson answered, “I was watching Fox news, and uh Dick Morris came on. He was talking about, “uh hey Russ Feingold is really, really vulnerable. Hey if you’re a rich guy in the state of Wisconsin maybe you ought to decide to run.” This is so telling of so much. Johnson admittedly is trying to take on Feingold because he is rich. Truly, we all know this is but a stitch in the biggest tear of Feingold’s seat. Truly, we are aware of the cry out across the country to elect men and women of principle and of conservative substance. Truly, Johnson missed the boat when answering this question. And if he wins the primary, I hope he doesn’t miss the ship full of people demanding for his trust – NOT his trust accounts.

Why so many are flocking to the “hope” of conservatism instead of the proof of conservatism is beyond me. I wonder how many people are choosing to be back seat drivers – yelling out directions, crying for a change in scenery all the while stopping at the ATM, using the card with the name of the cabdriver that has been just thrown in to their car. Using the bank account of this new driver so they don’t have to use their own – taking his word that you will end up at the right destination so that they don’t have to think about it.

Will we allow the cabdriver to lead us through the muck or will we be our own driver, navigating the way with informative direction, making sure we choose the right people in our car to get to where we need to be?

Like it or not, Johnson has been thrown in to this race with the expectations of talk radio to be our only chance against Feingold. I love talk radio as much as the next conservative, but I really think they got it wrong on this one.

Westlake announced his candidacy in June of ’09. He has been all over the state, putting tens of thousands of miles on his car, all the while meeting thousands and thousands of people. He has been earning the trust of people throughout the year. His strong convictions, his unflinching determination and his commitment to duty, honor and country are only but a few of the reasons why I believe Westlake will be the one to unseat Senator Feingold.

I urge you to not simply take the word of talk radio pundits and a few Republican Party establishment delegates; make sure you are backing the right candidate and check out DaveWestlake at: www.davewestlake.org You might just find that what you’ve been looking for is right in front of you.

Politics as usual.  How many times have we heard this in recent years?  Fair to say quite a few.  How many times have we heard this throughout our lifetimes?  I wouldn’t know.  I have only recently opened my ears and eyes to politics.  I am a stay at home mom and prior to having my first child, worked as a pediatric nurse. Unfortunately, what was going on in the Capitols of Wisconsin and Washington D.C. was boring to me and a bit overwhelming.  I didn’t pay attention to what was going on.  Naively, I thought our elected officials were doing the right thing and voting in favor of their constituents’ needs.  I trusted that they would put the needs of those they represented ahead of their own.  Sadly, I woke up about 2 years ago and found this was not the case.  It took my 3rd grader coming home from school one day, telling me she wanted to be a congressman, for me to start to become politically aware.  Two years later, I am more than aware.  I am frustrated, very concerned and feeling betrayed with politics as usual.

Last summer, through an email, my husband and I heard of an unknown candidate, Dave Westlake, running for U.S. Senate in Wisconsin.  I googled his name and found his website.  I read through it.  I was impressed and moved. His West Point background and stances on the issues stood out.  I investigated his site further and found that he received an MBA from the University of Chicago Business School (a bastion of entrepreneurial American capitalism), was a small business owner, and a family man.  I went out of my comfort zone and immediately emailed him.  I let him know that I agreed with his positions on the issues and that I would support him.  We met a few weeks later and I felt a connection with him right away.  He was intelligent, personable and genuinely concerned with my questions and interests. Around that time, my husband who is an Emergency Physician was aghast with the abruptness of HR3200, and was also, for the first time, becoming politically aware. Together, we opened our eyes and began to get actively involved in the political process.

Behind the Curtain

Watching the Wisconsin Senate race unfold has been interesting to say the least.  In June of 2009, Dave Westlake was the first to enter the race when Feingold was still seen by most as unbeatable.  The second candidate (Terrence Wall) entered in January.   When word came out Tommy Thompson would not enter the race, two self-fundable opponents entered- Dick Leinenkugel on April 8th, and Ron Johnson on May 15th (after it became apparent that Leinenkugel’s ties to the Democratic Doyle Administration as his Commerce Secretary were too toxic for him to be acceptable this year) .  Curiously during his convention speech, Dick Leinenkugel dropped out.  Then Terrence Wall, who was thrown under the bus by the republican party and talk radio’s backing of Johnson, dropped out as well.  The 2 left standing are Dave Westlake and Ron Johnson, who announced his candidacy just 6 days prior to the getting the endorsement of the Republican Party.  They are both hoping to take over Senator Russ Feingold’s seat.  It doesn’t take an astute politician to know that this will not be an easy feat.  Although many people in Wisconsin and across the nation would love to see Senator Feingold go, there are many who are eager to see him serve another 6 years. And, even with evidence to the contrary, Senator Feingold has been able to portray himself as a “maverick”.  Though he has many millions in his war chest now, he has never self-financed his campaigns as his opponents have.  He ran his first campaign with a grass roots effort as the every day man, relating to the people of Wisconsin, much like Dave Westlake has been doing.  Self-funding millionaires have been unable to defeat Senator Feingold in  past elections; yet the Republican Party, as well as many laypeople, are playing politics as usual - counting on the fact that Ron Johnson (who owns a plastics company), has millions to his name and was asked to speak at two TEA Parties, is therefore the ideal candidate.

Of course there is more to Johnson than that, right?  There has to be.  I hope there is more than what I saw at the Wisconsin Republican Convention, because what I saw there appeared to be a process engineered by the Republican Party- politics as usual–the anointment of the chosen one.  The endorsement was supposed to take place after the speeches on Saturday night.  There was a hold up in the Lieutenant Governor endorsement, which I understand was delay enough for the Senate speeches to get postponed until the next day.  The convention was in Milwaukee.  Many delegates were from hours away and did not plan on staying until Sunday.  They went back home without a say in the Senate endorsement.  Sunday morning came and the environment was different.  There were significantly less people but more giddiness. Something seemed different but I couldn’t exactly put my finger on it. Dick Leinengkugel, candidate #3 gave his speech and then announced he was leaving the senate race and endorsing Ron Johnson. Although, Leinenkugel’s presence throughout the campaign was practically void, it was still seen as quite a surprise. At least it was reported this way.  I wonder how many people were truly astonished. Another unexpected turn of events was the actual number of delegates that were able to stay for Sunday’s speeches. The convention arena was moved to a smaller room. The capacity was a little over 900.  To my eye, the room was half full at best.

In a political climate in where so many people are looking to uproot Washington and re-plant it with fresh life, I do hope that Ron Johnson has more to his name than money.  Like I did Dave Westlake’s website, I visited Ron Johnson’s.  Have you seen his website?  Not only does he not state his positions on the issues, he does not even mention the issues he has a stance on.  His website does make it very clear, however, how to donate to his campaign.  At some point, I would presume, he will get a more informative website up and running, but it has been 3 weeks since his endorsement and has yet to do so. Frankly, I was surprised to see his website without substance prior to the Republican Convention.  As time went on, I was more surprised.  Now, I am completely frustrated.  Where is Ron Johnson and where is he on the issues?  I heard on the radio the other day that he did not show up for a scheduled debate with Dave Westlake last week. Clearly, it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that his positions on the issues are being formed for him.  Maybe I am naive, or, paradoxically, more aware; but it seems to me that the establishment is molding this candidate.  I can’t say for sure.  What  I CAN say for sure, is that with or without money, Westlake has been criss-crossing the state of Wisconsin for the past year meeting people at Tea Parties, Lincoln Day events, parades, living rooms, restaurants, coffee shops and a countless number of other places to find out what their concerns are, what problems they are facing and what solutions they are hoping for.

How About Real Change?

I know what I am hoping for.  I am hoping for a change in Washington.  A change back to what our Founding Fathers stood for – and many have died for.  A change to where men and women earn their seats in congress through trust, and heart and soul, and taking the harder right over the easier wrong. I mean, really, all the money in the world will not send someone to Washington to consistently do the right thing. To quote Rob LeBow (named in 2005 among the top 100 thought leaders worldwide), “When people feel trusted, they’ll do almost anything under the sun not to disappoint the person who gave them the gift of trust.” Could we not say the same for money?  Do we want our representatives to live and breathe the trust of the people, or to live and breathe money?  I want my Senator to stand in the breech and have immovable principles forged out of character, not focus groups or in vogue talking points.   Who will I trust to make the hard choice and perhaps go against the will of the party in favor of the will of the people?  Isn’t it time that the candidates are chosen by the people and not the elite–of either party.  I am saddened that the Republican Party of Wisconsin endorsed any candidate.  This should be up to the people, by the people, for the people.  There are too many men and women out there, like I was 2 years ago, that are naive to the political world around them.  Too many that will follow the establishment’s stamp of approval.  Too many who will later wake up to a country they are no longer familiar with.  I refuse to be one of them. We need to let the people choose their candidates, not the establishment elites.  It is time to return to our founding principles.  I agree with E Pluribus Unum and believe Dave Westlake is the one to do this in Wisconsin.

-”God grant that men of principle be our principal men”  ~Thomas Jefferson