Opinion: Most Principled GOP Candidate Will Beat Obama

To the Editor:

I’m tired of being told who to vote for.

Year after year, Republican Party officials tell their registrants who they think our candidate should be. Then that candidate — because they’re rich, or have kissed their boots for years — loses. See John McCain, Bob Dole, and virtually every state Republican to emerge on the horizon in the past ten years.

Do Connecticut Republicans have any Congressional or statewide office holders today? No. Yet their Pravda-style message presses on. Romney is the “obvious nominee”... who’s still short 400 votes of the 1144 goal.

In other words, he’s only at 50 percent, according to the official count by the Republican National Committee (RNC).

Despite his “obvious nominee” status, no crowds showed up on the sidewalk outside Romney’s rally for women businesses in Hartford last week. People who passed by on their lunch break instead asked, “What’s going on with all the TV trucks?”

The message from the rally unraveled when reporters asked Romney about his stance on the equal-pay law. Instantly the Romney campaign fired back with... silence. They had to look it up. Then come up with a position. Then they were back in the campaign again. Sort of.

A vote for Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich or Ron Paul will ensure a conservative nominee is elected. Each of these candidates has spent much less in campaign advertising, while representing more than 60 percent of the votes cast in the primaries thus far.

These campaigns have also communicated with each other about how they can contribute to running our government: president, ambassador or cabinet position, and head of the Federal Reserve, perhaps. This is the unity and contrast needed to defeat President Obama in November. Take a look at their websites for an informed opinion on who you think would make the president for our nation after Obama is defeated.

On Tuesday, I urge all Republicans to vote their conscience. The only thing you have to lose is another likely loser who Barack Obama will paint as an out-of-touch rich guy who supported a healthcare mandate that made Obamacare possible. Independent and Democratic voters will be the deciding factor in November. Since most people don’t follow politics on a regular basis, they need a candidate with the best contrast to defeat Obama.

Under new rules, only 20 percent is required for a candidate to receive delegates in Connecticut, your vote in Connecticut will make a difference. I personally will vote for Santorum – Romney is still a far off from the nomination and if he falls short, Rick can be drafted at the convention.

Chris O’Brien
Wolcott
State Coordinator for Rick Santorum's campaign

Editor's Note: Mr. O'Brien held up a sign that read "Convince Me" during Mitt Romney's recent campaign stop in Hartford, one day after Santorum suspended his campaign and dropped out of the presidential race. Here's an interview that Mr. O'Brien did with CNN's Soledad O'Brien on April 13.