Brownback Is In

Sam Brownback has announced he is running for President. This article about his entrance made him a mixture of appalling and appealing for me.

Starting with appalling, he is quoted as saying:

"Search the record of history. To walk away from the Almighty is to embrace decline for a nation," Brownback said. "To embrace Him leads to renewal, for individuals and for nations."

Does he really believe what he says? I get the sense he does. What a dumb thing to say, though. Searching the "record of history" will surely find many dominant cultures and societies who did not "embrace Him."

But then later:

He pledged never to sign a tax increase if elected president and proposed scrapping the current income tax law.

Well, this part I like. Sign me up!

It's very frustrating to have this social conservative-libertarian alliance. It's uncomfortable sometimes to have to ally yourself for certain issues with people you disagree with so strongly on other issues. (I'm sure they feel the same way). But I suppose that's the price each side pays for not having majority support for their view. They have to form coalitions if they want to achieve anything.