Michael Smith 2008

Smith to Withdraw

2008-03-08T19:23:00.000-08:00

In his own words, Michael Smith explains why he wont be running for the Republican nomination.

Campaign Updates

Well, that was fun...
OK, so this “campaign” has been on the shelf for some time. I just couldn’t justify spending my time or money on tilting at the Republican windmill.

What did I learn? The Republican Party is not what it professes to be. Although some good individuals hold to the principles of personal liberty and individual accountability, the vast majority within the Party are simply phobic conformists who want to use government to advance their views. The interests with money want to protect their money, the fearful chumps with little more than “faith” want government to embody their narrow view of righteousness, and none of them have the integrity to care whose rights they trample to achieve their goals.

Democrats want to throw your money at society’s ills. Their economics are flawed, and their interpretation of their constitutional mandate rather broad, but at least they are working toward constructive goals.

Michael Smith to New York

2007-02-11T22:30:00.001-08:00

Michael Smith is off to New York. Check out his latest blog entry here.

He is heading to a dinner in New York with Newt Gingrich and Mario Cuomo - there may be a few other people there, but it's a start.

Michael Smith on Immigration

2007-02-07T08:36:00.000-08:00

Michael Smith recently released his platform and thoughts on Immigration.

And you know what, I don't even see the word "fence" mentioned once. It's good to see a diversity of opinion in the GOP. (Tom Tancredo he isn't!)

It is worth looking at - check out the platform here.

Smith Responds to State of the Union

2007-01-25T07:57:00.000-08:00

Candidate for the Republican nomination for President, Michael Smith has responded to the State of the Union Address by President Bush on Tuesday night. After 6 years Smith said, people should ask themselves the question if they are better off and is America more prosperous.

Smith said that President Bush's view on the State of the Union "...doesn’t hold much sway around my house." He said that most of the leaders today failed to address economic, environmental and security challenges.

Read his comments here.

Hagel Right on Iraq - Smith

2007-01-21T07:16:00.000-08:00

Michael Smith has joined other Republicans in dismissing the escalation strategy in Iraq announced by President Bush.

Smith said on his blog that "Sen Chuck Hagel is absolutely correct to note that the Iraq Conflict cannot be solved by military action and additional troops are pointless. President Bush’s “new” strategy is neither new nor strategic."

Smith also recently conducted an interview with an Iowa Newspaper. It's on his website - read it here.

He also conducted an interview recently for the very good blog, Politics One http://politicsone.blogspot.com/ It's worth a read.

Can Smith make a difference?

2007-01-08T20:05:00.000-08:00

Michael Charles Smith is running for President of the United States.

Yes, its a long shot. And yes, he is hardly known outside of Oregon.

But Smith has fire. In the great spirit of America, where a regular guy can put his hand up for the most powerful job in the world, Smith is fighting to make a difference.

Smith is an employee of Hewlett Packard, he has a wife and 2 kids...and he plays the tuba.

As a moderate Republican, Smith believes that the party has shifted too far to the right, and listens too much to what he calls the "...religious conservative voices." Smith is a Republican who believes in small government and personal freedoms, values on which the party was founded, but has drifted away from in recent years.

Does Smith have a chance at winning the nomination? Well, no. But Smith himself recognises this is an uphill battle. In his own words, he is not "...delusional enough to have my bags packed and be planning on changing my address to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue."

Smith however may yet get a chance to attend the Republican National Convention, if he can secure enough votes in his home state. This in itself would be a big victory, and it would give him the opportunity to talk on the national stage about moderate Republicanism.

In a climate where the conservative forces in the GOP are taking a battering, Smith may well be able to secure enough votes for his convention goal.

At the very least though, Smith is a candidate for President. And as the race hots up over 2007, what better position to be in to have your views heard?