Who knew the guy could write?

I suppose this could fall once again into the category I alluded to last week in my odds and ends post, Sunday evening reading. But this article on RedState by U.S. Senate candidate Dan Bongino hits the subject on the head like few pundits and even fewer Beltway insiders can. (I set this link up to open in a new window, so go ahead and read it then come back here.)

Are you back? Pretty good stuff, huh?

Over the last seventeen years or so that I’ve been politically involved, I’ve heard any number of officeholders and challengers who can talk up a blue streak and sound like they have empathy for the common man. Nine times out of ten there’s at least some amount of  acting ability involved because, if you listen and see how the person acts you can tell he or she is putting on a show and telling people what they think they want to hear.

But Dan Bongino is the exception to the rule. Now I’m not going to lie to you and tell you we are best buddies but we have a professional relationship insofar as I’ve covered his campaign for about a year and spoken to him both in person and on the phone a number of times. The thing I find most strange, though, is that Dan comes from a law enforcement background so one would assume he’s a no-nonsense, by-the-book, tough as nails guy – but he’s really not. I hesitate to use the word “sensitive” because it conveys an impression that he would be wishy-washy as far as principles go – although it’s obvious that with no voting record to go by we have something of a blank slate on our hands – but he seems to have a big heart, thoughtful beliefs, and an undying love for his family. Then again, many millions of fathers have that same quality but Dan is the one in question running for office.

Even so, the most salient point made by Bongino is this:

The President’s statements are equally infuriating because he is attempting to create a fissure between Americans where there isn’t one. No Republican I am aware of is running for office on a platform of no taxes, no roads, no teachers and no military. I cite these examples because the President chose to mention the use of roads, the work of good teachers and the development of the backbone of the modern internet, through a military research initiative, as examples of how government should be the primary recipient of accolades for individual success. This is absurd and displays a backward logic which is hard to justify.

Conservatives tend to have their argument oversimplified when we say we want government out of the way. There are functions of government which practically everyone agrees are legitimate duties for the common good: as examples, local jurisdictions are charged with building and maintaining public roads and other infrastructure and providing for public safety through fire and police departments; meanwhile states handle things in areas such as the judicial system and elections, and the federal government is charged with items like national defense, coining money, and other roles spelled out in the Constitution. This isn’t meant to be an exhaustive list of all functions, but the idea seems to be that the best government is the one closest to the people.

So when President Obama made his Roanoke remarks it showed a clear misunderstanding of the proper role of government. Certainly our elected leaders can create the conditions for a businessman to succeed, but what Obama is missing is that the entrepreneur is taking the initiative that someone else more content to sit on the couch and watch old movies all day chooses not to. The Bongino example of his wife working on a project at 5 a.m. while comforting a cranky baby is something those who grew businesses can relate to in some manner.

It’s not perfect, but the ideal in America is equality of opportunity – unfortunately, it appears the modern federal government tries to put their finger on the scale more often than not in an attempt to artificially create an equality of outcome that’s not possible when those who play the game are simple human beings. If I had to make a living building things with my hands I would have a quite difficult time succeeding on my own, but if the government took an interest in my plight and decided that people had to buy my wares or use my services regardless of the quality, the country would be poorer as a whole. In a nutshell, that’s the problem with how the government tries to pick winners – they create a lot of undeserving losers.

And telling people who know perfectly well the sacrifices they made to succeed that it was only because government got involved? Yeah, I’m pissed too.

So when you consider the Bongino piece, ask yourself if you would believe the same thing coming from the pen of “our friend” Ben Cardin? Well, considering that the only thing Ben built for himself was a political career that’s spanned four and a half decades, one has to wonder which of the two really relates better to the average Maryland working family? The answer is clear once you read Dan’s post.