What We Are Looking For in a Candidate for 2016

by Shery

Seeing that the first debates have been scheduled for August of this year, I thought it was not too early to start elaborating the character traits we are looking for in a candidate for president, as well as any other political offices we'll be voting for this cycle. It is just as important to remember that taking more seats in each state's legislature helps conservatism to grow. I will start the list with a few ideals and you can add. Maybe I can rewrite the list in a couple weeks or so and we can examine the comments others have made in regard to our "list" and have some conversations about them.
1. Does not support the current climate theories that man-made products are over-heating earth's climate and will destroy the earth as we know it.
2. Free market advocate
3. Small government advocate. Supports states determining what is best for them, returning to states the power to run welfare, healthcare, education, etc. in a manner that suits their constituency....Welfare reform, if still carried by the federal government, returning to the reforms set out in the early 1990s, requiring able-bodied men and women to prove that they had tried to get work, but nothing in their skill level was available.
4. Supports abolition of the 17th amendment, giving back to the states' legislatures the right to elect the 2 senators who will represent them. Supports (enthusiastically) term limits for all elected officials.
5. Abolish the IRS and establish a fair tax or flat tax with a possible tax on luxury items. States will still decide how they want to get their own revenue.
6. Abolish the EPA and other federal agencies that have powers outside Congressional prevue and have become unnecessary. Return the regulatory power of every federal agency to Congress. No regulations can be made without the approval of Congress.
7. Securing our borders, limiting immigration, with established periods (years) that would limit further immigration, giving time for those who have recently come to assimilate. Will enforce the immigration laws n the books already.
8. A return to the founding ideals that God gives us our freedoms, which the government cannot take away. Put God back into the public domain, which would include free speech about God and worship of Hm freely without fear of being sued, and the freedom to refuse business or action that would breach your Conscience. In other words, a return to sanity and throwing out political correctness.
9. No special classes of interest groups that have rights over any other group.
10. Marriage is between a man and a woman. Civil unions could be given for others. Marriage, by definition is for a man and woman to pro-create, something that gay couples cannot do.
11. Suports the Article V process fully so that when the federal government refuses to act in behalf of its citizens, they have the freedom to act as delegated. In other words, they will not act against the states rights to address grievances or the overreach of the federal government.
12. Will only use the "executive pen" for emergencies or things that truly require prompt action...or when Congress has turned a deaf ear to the Constitutionally provided civil liberties of the electorate, and not to make fiat law.
ALSO...this is a little different, but for the national forums and debates to have conservative (not conservative-leaning) questioners and moderators. The left should not have total control, nor should they get to set the narrative exclusively.
These are a few things I could think of just off the cuff. I'm sure there are plenty of others. For once, I'd like for us to establish the narrative, so to speak, for the qualities we are looking for in a candidate. It would probably help if we held our own surveys and polls monthly and put the results in to Reince Priebus' hands. Another thing for Reince Priebus is this. IF we, the people, are ever going to trust the republicans again, then they cannot refuse to give funds to conservative candidates to squeeze them out. Enough of this political control game to control the establishment's hold over the party. If they refuse support of conservative candidates (political blackmail), then we will continue to refuse to support the national party and give our support ONLY to those candidates who are conservative. We want more transparency in the GOP and its dealings with all GOP candidates.