By Bruce Walker
web posted February 14, 2005
Republicans, if the 2006 midterm elections go as expected, have the chance to field an unbeatable ticket in 2008. My favorite to be the next great president is still Newt Gingrich, but more important than a great leader as president in 2009 is the election of two conservative Republicans. Why? Three reasons.
First, Democrat stonewalling on judicial appointments, particularly Supreme Court appointments, will run into the grim realities of mortality if a conservative Republican is president through at least January 2013. Consider how old each justice will be by then or within by early 2013: Ruth Bader Ginsburg (80), David Souter (73), John Paul Stephens (93), Anthony Kennedy (77), William Rehnquist (87), Sandra Day O'Connor (83), Antonin Scalia (77), Stephen Breyer (74) and Clarence Thomas (66). Several of those members will be dead in eight years. .
Actually, add another four years to those ages, because Presidents are nearly always reelected. In early 2017, Ginsburg would be 84, Stephens 97, Breyer 78, Souter 77, Rehnquist 91, Kennedy 81, O'Connor 97, Scalia 81, Breyer 78 and Thomas a relatively youthful 70. Two, three, perhaps four justices will be dead by then.
How will the American people react if Senate Democrats do not even allow a vote on Supreme Court seats vacant by the death of a Justice? Very badly, one would assume. Moreover, the President could make recess appointments and pack the court with conservative jurists who would render far-reaching decisions, and then dismiss Congress (as he has the power to do.)
Second, the longer American has continuity in its campaign to liberate the world, the more likely that campaign is to succeed. The Clinton years squandered a priceless opportunity to take advantage of the collapse of communism and to construct a system better than what President Bush inherited in 2001.
Simple continuity, with the same men and women guiding foreign and security policy, the same strategic goals, the same commitment to liberty, will wear down the bad guys much more than us. Bin Ladin will be captured or killed in the next few years. Castro will die (and Cuba live again.) The monster in Pyongyang will also die. All the "president for life" and other leaders of thuggish regimes will meet their end, and many of those will in the next eight to twelve years. Consider the opportunity now in Palestine or Zimbabwe after Mugabe dies.
Third, Leftists simply must how power to survive. If they are squeezed out of power for another eight or twelve years, even if conservatives cannot accomplish much, Leftism will wither on the vine and die.
So is there a "sure-fire" way for Republicans to win the White House in 2008? Probably. At the outset, Republicans should note that Democrats have given up on competitive fights for their nomination and gained as a consequence of that. Would the 2000 election have been close, if Bradley had hammered Gore as an "unelectable crook"? Would the 2004 election have been as close as it was, if Howard Dean and Al Gore condemned Kerry for betraying Democrat principles?
So Republicans should select a candidate who can win and rally behind that individual. In 2006, Ken Blackwell will run for Governor of Ohio and will probably win. He is a strong conservative and a proven vote getter in Ohio. He has won three consecutive races for two different statewide offices by landslides, and landslides increasing in size each time. He has served as Mayor of Cincinnati and as Ambassador to the United Nations for Human Rights, in addition to a long list of other accomplishments.
If he is the Republican nominee, Governor Blackwell - he will first have to win in the governorship in 2006, of course - will bring three great advantages to the ticket: (1) as a black American with a proven record of attracting black voters, he will be able to help the ticket by garnering perhaps a third of the black vote; (2) as a staunch social conservative and also a fiscal conservative who is an expert in government finances, he will solidify the Republican base; (3) as Governor of Ohio and a proven, popular vote getter in Ohio in the last three statewide elections, Governor Blackwell could easily carry that swing state that already leans Republican.
As his vice-presidential candidate, Governor Blackwell should choose Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida. Congressman Balart, unlike his brother Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart, can run for the Vice Presidency because he was born in America. He will be a youthful 47 in 2008 and, would be telegenic and engaging as a candidate.
Like Blackwell, Diaz-Balart is a strong social conservative and has a fairly good conservative voting record. He should appeal to the Republican base without being a red flag for Leftists to wave in front of their mobs.
Moreover, his fluency in Spanish and his Hispanic heritage would significantly increase the Hispanic vote for Republicans throughout the nation. Combined with Blackwell's appeal to black voters, this could make states like California, Illinois, New York and New Jersey very real battleground states.
As a Floridian from a family of Florida politicians, the presence of Congressman Diaz-Balart should also insure that Florida stays in the Republican column. Certain of Florida, certain of Ohio, certain of gaining significant percentages of black and Hispanic voters, certain of rallying social conservatives, would these two be certain to win? In life, nothing is certain, but this looks about as certain as it gets in politics.
Twelve more years of conservative Republicans in the White House would be plenty of time to solve almost every foreign and domestic problem our nation faces. Republicans should put their egos to one side and unite behind the candidates who can give this blessing to our children. Ken Blackwood and Mario Diaz-Balart look just the "ticket." 
Bruce Walker is a contributing editor with Enter Stage Right. He is also a frequent contributor to The Pragmatist and The Common Conservative.
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