Are we looking for Labels or Leaders ?

It seems like all I keep hearing about, in regards to the 2010 and 2012 elections, is; Who will be the next great leader to emerge from the Republican Party. With Sen. "X" gone or Gov. "Y" out of the running, who will be the parties next rising star ? Or, with both parties losing face in the public eye and more and more outrage is being heard, against Republicans & Democrats, through events like the "Tea Parties", Is America looking to an Independent to rise from the ashes and rubble and steer our nation back in the right direction?

Here is my concern. As voters, what are we looking for in deciding who will be the next candidate we choose to support ? Are we saying; "Oh, I like this person because they're "pro-life" or " I don't like this person because of their position on " gay marriage" ? Maybe it's as simple as," they're a Republican, they're a Conservative, they're an Independent or they're Black, she's a Woman, so, They have my vote". With the shape our country is in, we need to be focusing on the core problems that affect everyone. The economy, National Security, Health Care and Energy Independence. To put our own personal "special interests" before the needs of our country, as a whole, is just plain selfish. We need to get behind, as a nation, the person who will best Lead us, in regards to our core issues, rather than a person who just wears the Label that most reflects our self interests.

Let me personalize this point a bit. I am a Conservative Christian, Small Business Owner. Those are my labels, it seems. I would love to have someone like a Mike Huckabee as president. He's a Christian who is for; pro-life, sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman and wants to get rid of the IRS. Unfortunately, the chances of someone like MH, with such outspoken christian morals, being elected as president are very slim. Too many dividing issues. So, if I have to get behind someone who doesn't agree with my ideology on social and moral issues, but, is strong on ( I believe ) the 4 core issues that need to be addressed, than that would be for the good of my country and not for my own personal interests. All that means to me is that the responsibility of teaching my children about; God, His will for us, morals and ethics, falls directly on me as their father. I would then hope and pray that the choices that they would make as adults, in the areas I mentioned above, would be influenced by how I raised them rather than how society might influence them. Isn't that the way it should be anyways ?

Someone I also believe would be outstanding for our country would be Sarah Palin. Now, do I believe Sarah would make a great President ? Yes! Do I believe that she is strong enough to tackle the 4 issues that are holding this great country back? Yes? Do I think that the American people will give her the chance to do the job she is more than capable of doing? I don't know. I'm afraid that because the MSM and the people on the far left had made such a fuss about her, they would refuse to see the ability of her as a Leader, and spite themselves, just to save face. It's the same thing in reverse. Us backing a candidate for the wrong reasons ( personal interests, labels ) is just as bad as not voting for the right candidate for the wrong reasons ( saving face ) when it comes to the overall good of the country.

**In my opinion ( and remember, like my blog title states, "I'm nobody special" ) The best chance the Republican Party has in 2012 is to find their front runner and put Sarah Palin on the ticket as their running mate again. With what she brings to the table, combined with the experience and respect the Republican Presidential Candidate should have ( better have), It will be a winning combination. I don't believe John McCain was that candidate. By the time 2020 rolls around, No one would be able to say anything about Sarah Palin regarding her experience. Remember, this is just my opinion. I'm not a political strategist. **

My point is this, We all desire to have some one who believes and thinks just like us ( I would say like me, you would say like you ) running our country. The problem is, there are so many different us's in the U.S.. It would be impossible to ever find that one person to match everybodies individual ideologies. All we can do is, as a country, agree on what issues are most important for the success of our nation. I named 4, maybe there's more, maybe less. Issues that affect EVERYONE, not just our special interests. Find a leader that will focus on those issues and fix what is most important right now. Then, when we, as a nation, are back to some degree of normalcy, we can then take back up the personal issues on more of local level. That's where, I believe, they should be taken care of in the first place.