GOP New Presidential Announcements

As I sit in my kitchen, looking out to sea and listening to birds chirping, I realize how lucky I am to live in this 'Land of the Free and Home of the Brave'. But I worry that we are on the brink of losing what is depicted in this phrase written in Francis Scott Key's, The Star Spangled Banner.

On a regular basis,  I watch the news on tv,  tune into CPSAN if there's an important congressional vote or speech and comb through the news as reported from a zillion different sites on the internet. The goal is to try and sift through the constant flow of breaking news and learn what I can about what's going on in our country, the government, the economy and world affairs.

As a result, it seems I come across more and more stories that lead me to believe we are headed on a slow march to destroy America by those who crave power over serving 'We the People'. But there are also tales about those who are trying to fight for what's right, whether it be a politician who struggles with a bill, a journalist who risks their life in the Middle East or recently in Baltimore, or an ordinary everyday person who speaks up against the status quo regardless of how they might be ridiculed, mocked or retaliated against.

With all of the above said, it's more important than ever to elect a president in 2016 that'll fight for America, our way of life and who'll represent 'We The People'. Here's a brief analysis of the 3 most recently announced GOP presidential candidates.

I'll start with Carly Fiorina. Her announcement was short, sweet and to the point. It interestingly started out with a clip of Hilary's also short and sweet announcement.  Fiorina  goes on to contrast herself as the anti-Hilary candidate who will stand up against the established political forces of the past and present so that ordinary citizens will have a say in government.

Ben Carson's announcement lasted about 30 minutes or so. It started out showing him holding hands with his wife of 40 years and introducing his 4 children all of whom are very accomplished. Like some of the other GOP candidates,  his speech talked about how he grew up in a poor family, but one that valued hard work and the belief that anyone, no matter their economic status or race could grow up to be whatever they wanted and prosper. He also talked about how socialism seems to be taking over and that we need to take our country back by following the Constitution. Very eloquent speech.

Mike Huckabee's announcement was similar but with a bit more bite and added humor. He made it a point to let people know he knows and understands the Clintons and how to deal with them, has worked with  Democrats as governor of Arkansas and was successful, etc. 

So now we have a total of 6 GOP presidential candidates who have announced their runs for office,  with more to come. I think this is great. The more we have to choose from, the better.

It'll be very interesting to see these candidates debate in August and how well they perform. It's one thing to give a great speech but it's something else to be able to do well in a debate where you stand side by side with the competition,  media firing off questions, camera's catching your every move and recording every word and yet remain calm, cool and collected. And if a candidate can do so without making a blunder, giving the opposition ammunition for the future or even retain a sense of humor, he or she has a chance at winning the highest office in the land. It's the way things should be. Competition is good and gives us the chance to weed out the weak or those not ready for primetime. May the best man or woman win!