Stand Up for America

Shut it down.

That seemed to be the sentiment of many fellow attendees at last night’s “Stand Up for America” event at the Times Union Moran Center. The event was hosted by WOKV, a news/talk radio station located in Jacksonville, FL. WOKV “All-stars” Sean Hannity, Andy Dean, Herman Cain, and Jaime Dupree headlined the event.

The theater was packed full of patriots who feel that they lack adequate political representation. The crowd was energized from the very beginning, when asked their opinion about Ted Cruz’s recent actions on the Senate floor.  The question was answered by a loud applause and chants of “Crrrrruuuuuuzzzzz!”

Each speaker had a great stage presence as they spoke about topics like healthcare, taxes, and foreign policy. They even found time to joke around and lighten the mood in between serious topics. The panel discussed potential candidates for the 2016 republican ticket. Some of the names that came up were Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, which the crowd seemed to enjoy. A suggestion of NJ Governor Chris Christie elicited a mixture of laughter and boos. When asked if he would run for president again, Herman Cain replied, “just keep praying.” 

The timing of the event was nearly perfect, as it was taking place at the very moment that House members were considering options for a temporary spending bill, which includes a one-year delay for Obamacare. Hannity’s insiders kept him posted with real-time updates, which he gladly shared with the crowd.

We left the event hoping for an upcoming government shutdown. I know that sounds horrible, it was even difficult to type. From my perspective, there are only two options: stand on you principals or cave in. With the President and Senate officials openly admitting that they will refuse to negotiate, that leaves no other option. So, if the government is forced to shut down, even for only a short period of time, it means that our elected officials have done their job. They will have stood upon principle, not backing down, not giving in, and not succumbing to the “reach across the isle” mentality that has done nothing to help our nation. If the Democrat’s refuse to negotiate and the result is a government shutdown, that means that a group of elected officials have finally done what they were supposed to do: represent the people.