Joe Kirkpatrick • 2010 GOP Candidate for Tennessee Governor

Political Philosophy

My political role models are Ronald Reagan, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm (X) Little, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, and a several others with the same common sense vision relative to the destiny of humanity. The concepts of liberty and freedom of expression which these Americans championed are realized through the strict implementation of the federalist system of government envisioned by the framers and maintained through free-market principles taught to us by economists such as Adam Smith and Milton Friedmann.

One irony of the philosophy of today's liberal Democrat, neo-Marxist, and/or socialist (who to varying degrees believe the same things about human nature) is this... in our school system, there is such a fight on behalf of the liberal, education establishment to indoctrinate our children with an anti-Creation, scientific mentality in the absence of any other ideas on the subject. Yet, when it comes to the application of rules for governing, they do just the opposite.

The neo-Marxist seeks to deny the fundamental drives of the human species which include but are not limited to pursuing happiness, accumulating property for themselves and their families, and individual autonomy to either save or distribute this wealth as they see fit. To deny humans these fundamental rights is to inhibit the natural order (that I personally believe God created) and to inhibit our evolution as a species (which I also believe is a manifestation of divine providence).

When one sells their soul in exchange for the security of a welfare check, free health care, or food, or some other form of dependency, they not only damage their own spirit, but they set the example for subsequent generations. Whether on purpose or by accident, when the Democrat Party argues for the centralization of the government and the redistribution of wealth, they are bringing the progress of the human race, which has been documented for the last 6000 years or so, to a screeching halt.

But I digress...

I believe that next to the Holy Bible, the United States Constitution is the greatest document ever written.

I believe that except for Jesus Christ, President Ronald Reagan had a more profoundly positive impact on humanity than any other human being to ever live. His attitude, commitment to principle, and dedication to the Constitution are important, but the facts also bear this out. 350,000,000+ human beings living as slaves to the Communist dictatorship of Soviet Russia were freed as a result of his peace through strength policy and leadership.

I fear that coming of age with Reagan as President has set the bar by which I measure the performance of politicians so high that I am compelled to seek office in my own right and in spite of my own human weakness and frailty of spirit. The alternative is to have failed to seek what I feel in my gut is true, that I was born to be a political leader. My hope is that I can be at least half the leader that Ronald Reagan was. If so, I shall have achieved success.

The price of the alternative, despite the outcome of the election, would be to ask forever of myself why I didn't try in earnest to fulfill my dream of being Governor. The second cost would be upon the rendering of my soul to God -- to have judged others when I, myself, was not willing to take the reins and lead.

I believe God is merciful and that I am saved by grace, but I have so much for which to account in my life that I wish to leave that off of the list. Finally, my four children need to learn from me that fear of the unknown is nothing more than a lack of faith.

More to come... But watch this video -- its about 6 minutes long.