SmallGovTimes.com

By: Ken Marotte | Published on 07/26/07    

En route to a friend’s wedding rehearsal in mid-June, my wife and I were rear-ended while exiting the highway. Being forced to yield onto a main road, I had slowed down to survey oncoming traffic.

The gentleman behind me did not care for my caution. A surprise to all parties involved, he plowed into my vehicle going a good 25+ mph. That which I decelerated to avoid was precisely what I got – only from a different angle.

While my wife and I thankfully emerged without injury, my dear Toyota did not. Her rear bumper endured nicks, scrapes, and marks. She’s now at the “hospital” (a.k.a. insurance company’s body shop), receiving treatment of the sanding-and-repainting variety.

Moments ago, I received a call from the man responsible for inspecting my vehicle. After explaining the situation, his voice relaxed a bit. “And I found interesting your bumper sticker for that Duncan Hunter guy,” he said. “I went to his web site, and read up on him. He’s almost totally in line with what I believe.”

On the other end, a smile creased my face.

My new convert finished strong: “You just don’t see men like that running for office every day.”

No, sir, you don’t.

You see, there’s a reason I keep that bumper sticker on my car: Duncan Hunter is a fine American.

He is a solid conservative (ratings of 100% from Christian Coalition, 100% from Eagle Forum, and 92% from American Conservative Union), patriot (served in the 173rd Airborne and 75th Army Rangers in Vietnam), and respectable politician (25+ years in U.S. House, and several years as a leading committee member). Hunter is esteemed on both sides of the aisle for his vast knowledge and unchallengeable love of country.

For principled, experienced men like Duncan Hunter, the uphill battle does not involve issues; unlike the GOP’s top-tier candidates, Hunter does not strive to run from a contradictory or damning record.

Rather, his difficulty lies in name identification. Everyone has heard of Giuliani, McCain, and Romney. Finding these guys’ names in the news is so easy, a caveman could do it. (Many apologies to my Paleolithic readers.)

However, as was unfortunately proven by the call I received, not everyone has heard of Duncan Hunter. But when they do, they like what they hear and see. They like someone genuine. Someone real.

Hence the bumper sticker – name identification is where it all begins. But name identification maintains a dual, mutual relationship with money. You see, a candidate cannot possibly make money without publicizing his name; by the same token, he cannot publicize his name without sufficient funds to do so.

So I’d ask my conservative readers to please research this man, his history, his issues and positions. And consider supporting him by sending a check and accepting a bumper sticker.

"But he has no chance of winning," you say. Not true. By donating or not donating, only you can disprove or fulfill this prophecy. Again, as Hunter’s name and message gets out, he wins supporters. He has gained considerable publicity as a result of his TV and debate appearances. His momentum will continue upward if only you would be generous.

Again, I must draw a comparison between Congressman Hunter and his top-tier opponents. While their success is based on their staffs’ abilities to conceal and change their records, Hunter’s is based primarily on his supporters’ abilities to help and advertise his candidacy.

Will you?

Here we have a man who loves his country and its legacy, and who has the commitment and expertise to keep it safe -- culturally and physically, internally and externally.

Support someone you truly believe in before it's too late. It’s an opportunity that comes rarely. So give freely.

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