A Few More Words From Cary Cartter

Make A Difference - Vote For Common Sense - Write In Cary Cartter for President in 2008

Monday Campaign Notes

I received this e-mail from a close friend after he listened to the Political Pistachio Radio show from Saturday, June 2. Douglas Gibbs had invited me on as the primary guest. My friend (I'll call him "Toby") has some good points, and I will address them throughout:

Cary,

Thank you for your service to our country! I consider you a good friend and I want you to succeed!

Thank you, Toby. I'd like to succeed, also.

I agree with most everything you stand for because I'm a right-wing conservative through and through. I have, generally, just a few minor points of disagreement and they probably have to do with interpretation. I know you are serious about your concern for this country and your fellow man. But what I'm not sure about is your seriousness about being elected President in 2008. I think you enjoy the rhetoric, but not campaigning for the Presidency. And, it seems to me, you don't think or act in terms of one anticipating actually serving as the President. I hope I'm wrong.

Serious? I'm serious about getting attention paid to what We The People are trying to tell our so-called representatives. They don't seem to be listening, and if my campaign gets their attention, and they think about what they are doing to this country, then my job is finished. No, I don't enjoy campaigning - especially since I have a daughter I would rather be spending my free time with - but it is for her sake that I want this country to correct it's course back to the conservative roots it was founded on.

How does one act in anticipation of uprooting his family, living in two places, and trying to run the country when one's wife does not wish to travel? I am constantly struggling with what the future might bring. If I do end up in the Oval Office, what effect will it have on not just my family, but my church family? As you know, I'm involved in the leadership of the church - what will happen if I need to take a long break? How will the exposure affect my family and my church? Will the media dig into all the past details of everyone involved? They tend to have less compassion for past acts that have been forgiven than we as Christians do.

Let me ask a few hard questions that I think anyone who considers writing in your name on a ballot must ask-

How is voting for you not like throwing away my vote?

I can't guarantee that voting for me would not be throwing away your vote, anymore than voting for any of the candidates would be throwing away your vote. I know that voting for me would be taking votes away from career politicians, which is a good thing in the long run, but my hope is that enough dissatisfied people in both parties, the ones who have common sense, and don't like the direction the country is headed, will vote for me - and if that's enough to land me in DC, then so be it. God is in control, and places our leaders in position. Maybe this latest iteration of leadership is God's way of issuing a wake up call to this country - "See what happens when you don't pay attention?" I don't know.


Besides being a former Marine and running for President, what have you done and what are you doing that puts into action the things you stand for on a local, state or national level?

Locally - I don't use day labor. The majority of the day labor pool is in this country illegally. Yes, there are some legal residents who make themselves available through day labor, or Home Depot curb service, but I can't see taking that chance statistically. On a state level, I communicate with my representatives on the issues. On a National level, I have managed to get Ed Pastor to send me a note saying he wasn't going to respond to faxes that I have sent through a third party system - especially since he has made his position clear. So much for letting your "representatives" know how you feel. No, I didn't vote for him - but since he does "represent" my disctrict, shouldn't he know how I feel? I make my feelings known on my blog, http://www.itisobvious.blogspot.com (I'm Thinking of the "O" Word) and through comments left on other blogs.

How can you succeed when so many others (with training, experience and political clout) have failed?

Again, no guarantees. But, since I don't have the clout, I also am not subject to influence by major factors - corporations, money funds, whatever. I am an average working joe - and I think that my outlook on politics is pretty close to what the rest of the working nation is - that this country is not the first concern of the Career Politicians.

There they are. I believe when you have done a good job of answering these then you have something to offer the voting public that will cause them to hear you and consider you. I offer them only to assist you in your bid for the Presidency and not to discourage you.

Like I said before, Thank You - not only for believing in me, but for caring enough to give the feedback you have.

We all (me included) are great Monday morning quarterbacks, but the people who win games go in knowing what it takes to win. Lots of people know what's wrong (or at least think they do) - what "we the people" need is someone who not only has a plan to fix it, but can provide leadership on many levels and draw together not only friends of one's positions but enemies to them. I am unsure that it can be done without being able to understand and use politics to one's advantage - political savvy. Political savvy goes way beyond knowing the rules and the issues and certainly requires considerable experience.

You are absolutely correct - political savvy goes a long way - in the environment that is in place now. But like I asked on the program, Why don't WE THE PEOPLE know what it takes to run this country? Why the secrecy? Why the back-room dealings? Why can't the average concerned citizen step up and take part in the representative republic we call The United States of America? I think it needs to change back to being a government OF the people, BY the people, and most importantly FOR the people.

Your friend and brother in Christ,

Toby

P.S.- Concerning the radio talk show:

I'm not familiar with the general format, but I thought you weren't given enough time to make your major points.

I'll let Doug know. I'm sure he'd appreciate the feedback - but it is his show, and he loves to talk. That's why he has the show.

I also think I disagree with you on one fundamental point - once a society accepts law as having a place in that society the only thing that law can do is legislate what actions are acceptable in the legal sense - which is a form of morality. Law cannot by its very nature control one's thinking of murder or theft, but can only hope to curtail such socially unacceptable behavior by enforcement of restrictions and punishments. Crime may not necessarily be a sin, but our legal system is without a doubt based upon a view of the morality portrayed in the Bible.

Good point. There is also the philosophy of "societal legal agreement" - that is, once a set of rules has been agreed upon, with agreed upon consequences if said rules (or laws) have been breeched, then all in that society must abide by the same laws. If authority allows certain segments of the population to ignore the rules, or if a certain segment of the population does not receive the agreed upon punishment for not following the rules, then you have other segments of the population that will start testing which rules are enforced. Once this starts, then the segment of the population that has the moral backbone to continue to follow the rules in spite of them not being enforced will start to get very upset with authority - and either revolution or replacement is the next step.

Thanks for taking the time to voice your concerns, "Toby" - without feedback, I am not sure if I am leading a parade or marching to my own drum solo.

For my loyal readers, a reading assignment. I've already alluded to the topic a couple of paragraphs ago. Swing over to Bill Whittle's site and read "You Are Not Alone" (part one). Bill is a very good writer, even if he's not regular, and he has been instrumental in inspiring some of my framework.

If you feel you are Out of Voting Choices, then choose to Make a Difference - write in Cary Cartter for President in November 2008. Please help me get the word out.

If you would like to know more about my stand, please visit my blog. If you have any questions you would like to see addressed, or if you would like to help spread the word about my campaign, you can e-mail me here.

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