Whirled Views with Dan Burrell

Dr. Ben Carson, world-renown African-American Pediatric Neurologist Surgeon and Professor at Johns Hopkins University is the latest victim of radical leftist fascism.  Read about what happened HERE.

This just reminds us that liberals have no interest in “Free Speech” in spite of their rhetoric. They only want “approved speech”. Don’t burden their straw houses of thought and their extremist agenda with counter arguments or other perspectives. “Tolerance” is only a demand they hurl at their enemies which is code, for “Shut Up if you disagree.” These people are far more hateful, narrow-minded, fascist and tyrannical than the imaginary caricatures they create for enemies. What is sadder still is that uniformed and uneducated low information people are just letting them destroy legitimate dialogue for fear that someone might call them “intolerant” or “bigoted” or some other 2-cent epithet that perverts that historic lexicon of civilization. Political correctness is destroying our character, our morality, our intellectual integrity and our Liberty. Orwell predicted all of this — and yet, most people have never read 1984 or Animal Farm. We will be damned by our laziness and lack of courage.

Perhaps THIS professor or THIS one would pass the political perspective of Johns Hopkins liberals.

I learned a very important and personally insightful principle not long ago at at a session I was having with a friend who gives me leadership coaching and I thought I might share it with you in hopes that it might be an encouragement to someone.

We were discussing disappointments, failures, setbacks and mistakes.  As part of helping me form a correct perspective, the coach told me that many people have difficulty distinguishing between “Desires” and “Goals” and thus invite discouragement, depression and even a desire to withdraw or quit. Many times people merge “desires” and “goals” into one word. Thus their desires feel like goals and when they aren’t met, they feel like they failed and if they have a tendency to place strong psychological ownership on significance and success and reputation, an unmet “goal” (even if it was in reality a “desire) can be devastating.

The difference between a “desire” and a “goal” is that a “goal” is something that you have all of almost all of the control regarding the outcome. A “desire” is something you want very badly, but you can’t always control the outcome. Goals would include: losing weight, earning a degree, finishing a book, becoming debt free. Conversely, a Desire might be wanting a fulfilling marriage, wanting to see a church or business grow or succeed, wanting to see a child turnout right or wanting to see a student achieve. In the case of those desires, ultimately there are multiple other people who have the ability to prevent you from gaining what you desire. Therefore, they cannot be goals.

I think…no, make that, I KNOW, many people who walk with sensations of failure over things like a broken marriage, a business that went into bankruptcy, a church that split, a wayward child, a broken friendship. But they had no control over how the other person(s) responded. Unless they personally instigated the problem through unBiblical behavior, they should not bear responsibility for the outcome when the other person refused or neglected their role in meeting your desire for them or for you and them.

In closing that session, he reminded me that we need to preach the Gospel to ourselves every single day. Our salvation is a product and work of Grace. God does not love us one bit more because we “succeed” or one bit less because we “fail”. If Grace was what saves us, then Grace is what keeps us. Too often, we don’t accept the Grace that God extends from Salvation and beyond.

I hope this helps you the next time you face unmet expectations or disappointment.  I know it has helped me.

Over the last 10 years, I’ve had a wonderful and exciting ministry in Cuba where I’ve been able to assist national pastors with their ministries.  For security reasons, I am never really able to share everything I’d like to share in my public reports, but the work of the Lord is happening all over Cuba and in the midst of difficult economic times, I always come back from my visits inspired by the faith, sacrifice and dedication of those with whom I partner there.  The needs are HUGE and life is simply a daily struggle due to the embargo situation.  A large percentage of what I do there is humanitarian in its orientation as we assist these national pastors with the basic necessities for living that they might be able to do the other work to which God has called them.  We have HIGH accountability, careful screening and regular visits to make sure good stewardship is performed.

I just returned with a fresh list of things I am needing to send or take over there in the coming weeks.  I’m regularly blown away by how people step up to assist me in obtaining these items.  I use a portion of my second income with Liberty University to fund this ministry and am joined by two wonderful Cuban American ladies who have given so sacrificially over the years, that I’m humbled to think of it.   Then I have Cuban-American friends, Blog Readers, Facebook Friends, former students and sometimes just anonymous benefactors who have also helped.  I’ve learned to just put the need “out there” and let God take care of the rest.

So with that in mind, I share my current list of significant needs.  Some might seem silly and trivial, but believe me, for them — it can be a big deal.  An example is shoes.  They have very limited sizes.  One of our pastors wears a size 12EEE.  IMPOSSIBLE to get there.  One of the pastor’s sons wears a size 29/36 pair of jeans.  Again, impossible.  So by bringing simple items like these with me, it changes lives.  The list follows — I am putting the item with all specifics down and the estimated price.  If the Lord leads you to assist, you can either send the item to me or the funds and I will get the item.  I’ll explain how to get things or funds to me at the end.

Items for Ministry and Pastoral Education

• 10 More Kindles to provide a theological library for each pastor — $69 each
• Funds to purchase the 80 theological texts on the Kindles — $500
• 4 Bicycles for Pastor transportation -$200 each
• 20 used digital cameras w/chargers and memory cards (for ministry reports)
• $400 for a bicycle repair fund
• $100 per month for fuel for the ministry car which serves the entire country from Santiago de Cuba to Havana
• Used iPods and mini-speakers for music in the house churches
• Funds for plastic stackable stools for seating in house churches — $12 USD each.  (Approximately 100 needed)
• Musical instruments — New or Used — tambourines, maracas, bongos, guitar strings, latin rhythm instruments,
• Spoons and Forks (non-disposable, at least 70 - for training conferences)
• Plastic Tumblers (at least 70 — for training conferences)

 Items for Individuals and Families
(Some of these are very specific for individuals that I identified on my trip)

• 2 pairs of 12eee (extra-wide) shoes (running/walking)  — $80 each
• Shoes (Various Needs — $40 per pair)
• Umbrellas for Women (20 — need to be compact, but full size due to heavy tropical rains.)
• Watches for Pastor’s Wives (20)
• Eye drops
• Work Gloves (12 pair - heavy duty)
• Irrigation supplies for micro-business project — $300
• Rubber Boots (size 10) 2 Pair ($30 each)
• Wire fencing pliers w/side snips
• Men’s Hankerchiefs
• Portable Sewing Machine (Used is fine)
• New/Used Portable/Rechargeable Drill w/Bits
• New/Used Plug-in Drill w/Bits
• New/Used Small power hand saw with extra blades
• Small (1-gal) garden sprayer ($30)
• Women’s clothes — Size 0
• Clothing for teens and children — (I have the sizes/needs) — $200
• 34 inch boy’s belt
• Light blanket — 3 for single beds, 1 for double bed (Think Tropical)

If you’d like to mail a donation (item or check) — the address is Dan Burrell, Life Fellowship Church, 16507 Northcross Drive, Suite B, Huntersville, NC — Mark it to my attention.  Do not write Cuba on the check, but just let me know what it is for in separate correspondence.  All checks should be made payable to Life Fellowship Church.

If you’d like to give online, click HERE. It’s easy to register and simply click on “MISSIONS” and type in “Burrell-Cuba” and it will get to me.  Your gift is tax deductible.

Or if you have a question: Drop me a line at DBurrell@lifecharlotte.com!

Thanks in advance for responding as the Lord leads you!  These guys are amazing and you are making a huge difference in their lives.

If you are for traditional marriage and like your dollars to follow your values, HERE’s something to thing about the next time you want the Venti Latte….  How’s that tolerance working for you, Starbucks?  Oh, I see….it’s only for leftists.  smh

A week ago today, I listed two open positions we have at our church for which I am recruiting.  Over the last week, I’ve received several hundred resumes from folks looking for employment in the ministry.  As a professor for Liberty University in their graduate program, I‘ve learned that during this time of difficult economy, there are many who are engaging in advanced degree programs wanting to change the over-all qualifications they possess with an eye toward going into ministry and this has produced a large number of “older” students who are trying to “break-in” to ministry work.. Add to that the number of churches which are declining in attendance or experiencing financial difficulties and are cutting back which results in dismissals and layoffs, there is just an unusually large number of people looking for ministry openings and also a smaller than normal pool of opportunities.

I’m in a position where I can only afford to give each resume and cover letter maybe 2-3 minutes of review if I have any hope of staying ahead of the tsunami of applicants.  I’ve learned, from personal experience, that it is very frustrating to be on the applicant end and to send someone your carefully-worded cover letter and meticulously-dcveloped resume only to have it disappeared into some cyberspace abyss with nary any indication that it was received, considered or anything else.  Therefore, I send a very brief acknowledgement when I receive a resume that gives our timeline for making a decision and a second email whenever they are no longer in consideration.  I have found that folks are very appreciative of any communication at all and I think it’s just courteous to do something so that they don’t feel locked in limbo.

Quite a few will then write me back upon learning they are no longer under consideration and ask for advice on how they can get further in a process with their next effort.  I think this is a legitimate question and as a result, I’ve developed a template reply for those requests as well as I think it is important to help those who are sincerely asking.

Here’s some of what I’ve been telling them and I share it here in hopes that it might help others:

Here are some pointers and tips that are important for me, if not others…

• Use email and a file attachment.  Paper resumes are SO yesterday.  I hate shuffling the paperwork.  When I print one out, that’s a good sign — that means someone has made the first-round cut.
  
• I expect very few, if any, typographical errors.  You never get a second chance to make a good first impression.
• I enjoy a professional and warm cover letter without being overly familiar or casual.  I don’t need hip vernacular, easy complements about our amazing website, a real long history, etc…  At this stage of the process, I just focus on facts.  Concise, bullet-pointed, facts.  Gushy add-ons about having the most beautiful spouse in the world and the smartest children in the world, etc… seem rather out of place.
• Photographs invariably catch my attention and I ALWAYS look at them, but they should be careful.  I look for discernment in the photos.  Give me a picture of your wife or your older daughters in plunging necklines or short-shorts and I’m concerned about what I might have to deal with as you become a ministry leader of serious grown-ups and believers.  It’s not about legalism, it’s about propriety, modesty, dignity and wisdom.
• This may sound superficial and even discriminatory, but I’m going to tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear.  If you are sending me a picture, remember that appearance DOES count.  If you are 27 years old and pushing the scales at 300 pounds, I’ve gotta’ tell you that I’m thinking about diabetes, heart disease, insurance rates and a whole lot of other negative things.  If you dress like you’re still in high school and you are 40 or if you dress like a mortician and you’re 22, that doesn’t just slide by unnoticed.  I don’t want to see pictures of you at a birthday party.  I do like seeing pictures of you in the midst of ministry as long as they don’t look staged or cheesy.  And yep, if you have cute kids, a dalmation and a lovely wife, those pictures leave good impressions as well.  However, if your kids are into goth, your wife dress like she’s Amish and you own a pet boa constrictor — I’d leave those lovely photos for some other time.
• Concise – Anything more than 2 – rarely 3 – pages doesn’t get fully read.  I don’t care where you went to High School or that someone once worked at Taco Bell.  Edit, condense, repeat.
  
• Professional Achievements – Anything published, awards, recognitions, unusual opportunities give me a reason to remember you.
• Anything Extraordinary – Did you start something from scratch, have you done ‘extreme’ ministry somewhere, have you worked in multi-cultural settings, are you related to D. L. Moody, do you speak multiple languages, have you had the Virgin Mary appear on a honeybun at breakfast, etc…?
• Transparency – I love that.  Brutal honesty always catches my attention.  If you have a wonderful testimony of God’s redemptive grace in your life — I want to know that.  If you’ve had a couple of really horrific ministry experiences and are hurting — you’ll find a sympathetic ear from me if it isn’t presented in a way that is manipulative or indicates you are still carrying tons of baggage.  But no one is perfect.  I already know that.  So help me not to go have to search for the issues.
• Something I just learned – I’d put my “Letter of Introduction/Cover Letter” in the text of the email to which you attach your resume.  I found it laborious to open more than one file attachment per applicant.
• I liked when applicants gave me a click-through link to their blog or a vimeo link to a sermon or lesson.  It’s not part of the first-level screening, but definitely will be later on.
• I’m generally suspicious if there is NO internet footprint at all when I google a name of someone.  It either says that they’ve scrubbed their available information from the internet or that they are really young/bland or maybe both.
• Please don’t nag me.  It’s OK to ask once for an update if you haven’t heard anything, but PLEASE don’t call me, don’t email me every day and DO NOT SHOW UP at my office or church saying you were “just in the area.”  That’s almost always an automatic, “no thanks” from me.

None of those are “deal-breakers” – but let’s be honest, when you receive hundreds of applications, the “little things” can be the difference between moving ahead and staying behind.  Obviously, ultimately this is a spiritual exercise rife with human judgments.  We all clearly want the Lord’s will, but at the end of the process – there are some very subjective criteria involved as well.  My wife and I once had a birth mother select us to adopt her child over another couple because we had a picture of our toy poodle with us in our introduction packet.  Go figure.

So I leave those thoughts and observations with you in an effort to sharpen you and encourage you.  As one who works with tons of young people breaking into the ministry and as one who has hired literally hundreds and hundreds of Christian school teachers, pastors, support staff, etc… over the years – I hope these observations will be helpful to you.

The Gun Control hue is increasing rapidly.

Some are now specifically calling for confiscation.

If you say this can’t happen or it can’t happen quickly– I have one word for you: Obamacare.

They keep saying, “Hunter’s don’t need ‘assault’ rifles.” That’s like saying, “Writer’s don’t need to be able to draw political cartoons.”

That is not the point of the 1st Amendment and hunting is not the point of the 2nd Amendment. The 2nd Amendment is not about our right to hunt. It is about our right to protect ourselves from Tyranny. If the 1st Amendment can be construed to protect pornography and lying about your military service awards (both upheld by the SCOTUS), then the 2nd Amendment must be interpreted to protect types of guns that some might find “offensive”.

The NRA needs to step back out of the shadows and get front and center about this NOW. This is not a time for weakness or fear of being unpopular. What if Obama/Holder decide to do by Executive Order what they may not be able to do legislatively with gun control? With each power grab, this President looks more and more like Hugo Chavez and remember, he has been popularly elected by the poor and ignorant over and over again.

Obama is polarizing this country so deeply and quickly that conversations about secession and even the potential for Civil War are now being held in previously polite circles. If the American public thought that what happened on December 14th was a massacre, how much more of a massacre should be expected should they try to take the guns of 60 million determined and ticked-off gun owners by force? But in the words of Rahm Emmanuel, this administration is not going to “waste a good crisis” in order to advance their agenda at the expense of our liberties. They keep drawing the line deeper, clearer and more deeply on OUR side of the Constitution. These are dangerous days of shocking change. We must be vigilant in educating others.

Never under-estimate the tenacity with which extremist liberals and socialists and their media machine are prepared to exercise their power in order to get their way.

So what does everyone think about how the world would respond if Prince William and Kate announced tomorrow that due to health issues caused by morning sickness that they have decided to terminate her pregnancy and hope that the next try would be easier on her? (Or perhaps they discovered it was a girl and they really, really wanted a boy as heir?) Would everyone shrug their shoulders and say, “Her body, her choice?” Would they say, “It’s just a clump of cells anyone — you know…a “fetus”.” Would some publicly praise her courage and independence in reaching this decision? Would the “right to choose” remain a solemn declaration of the Pro-Abortion values set?

Nope. Nope. Nope.

There would be outrage! Disgust! Popularity would plummet. You see….everyone sees her “product of conception” as a BABY. Brits have attached their hopes, dreams and aspirations of a future monarch to this “non-person” who is less than three months beyond conception. Countless others await the royal pregnancy from baby bump to the first time he/she is held up to adoring crowds thronging the street in front of Buckingham Palace. While liberals and democrats and misogynists and racists and feminists want the world to think a pre-born child is not a human, not worthy of personhood, not filled with potential, not important enough to be nurtured and loved — thinking people, when faced with the realities of how they would respond should such a scenario transpire, must admit that it is.

Indeed. A. Baby.

I resent the fact that I am being told that I must give healthcare, education, food stamps and welfare to people and that if I raise an objection on logical, empirical grounds, I am labeled as lacking in compassion, “unChristian” and selfish. I do not buy lottery tickets. I do not buy alcoholic beverages. I do not buy lottery tickets or gamble. I do not buy tobacco products. I do not buy $150 tennis shoes. I do not buy drugs. I do not wear designer clothes. I do not wear flashy jewelry and gold chains. I do not drive new cars. I do avoid credit card debt. I do save for my retirement beyond Social Security. I do save for my child’s education. I do give over 10% of my income to others. I do pay my taxes. I do choose to buy used cars and then drive them until they die. I do occasionally shop at second-hand stores. I frequently purchase major items from Craig’s List. I do not visit vacation at resorts and visit Disney World annually. I do shop at discount stores. I buy meat at the reduced counter at my grocery store. I do work a second job. I have experienced a substantial pay cut in the last 6 years. I do sacrifice to plan for my future, care for my family and in order to give to those in need on my own. I did NOT drop out of school. I DID go back to school for additional education so that I could earn more and care for my family better and to leave something behind for my children and the Lord’s work.

And yet…

I stand behind people on government assistance who separate their groceries from their liquor and cigarettes and pay for the groceries with a food stamp card and the booze and cigarettes with a hundred dollar bill. I do wait to pay for the 1/2 tank of gas which is all I can afford until the next pay day while an individual I know is on government assistance or who works here illegally buys $50 worth of scratch-off tickets. I have been turned down for scholarships and certain government loans when my kids were in college because I had saved ahead for a portion of their tuition bill while others who did not save were ushered to the assistance programs. I closed down a churches’ food bank when I was the pastor because people would arrive in brand new cars an hour or more in advance of it opening and leave them running while they smoked cigarettes and flicked the butts in the parking lot while most of the teachers in our school were driving cars that were much older. I did fix a bag lunch for someone who said they were hungry and watch him throw it in the bushes as he walked away disgusted because I would not give him cash. I have offered to pay panhandlers to do yard work only to have them smile at me like I was a fool and walk away.

And yet….

I’m the bad guy if I object to the government taking my hard-earned money and giving it to those who will not work. I’m the bad guy if I say there should be drug screening in place before someone gets government assistance. I’m the bad guy who says that people on welfare should have to perform civic chores. I’m the bad guy who protests at the suggestion that my social security checks should be reduced or eliminated and the money given to someone else simply because I sacrificed and saved ahead and they did not. I’m the bad guy when I say someone should have to show some form of a picture ID before they vote for someone who will have the power to take my money away from me and give it to him. I’m the bad guy for saying, “I’d like to give my own money personally and directly and not have someone else take it and give it to others and then act all “benevolent and compassionate”. I’m the bad guy for asking that my taxes be reduced so I don’t have to work a second job so that my wife doesn’t have to leave our kids and work outside the home also.

Something is really screwed up in the way we are thinking in this country….

[End Rant]

I’ve got tons of people asking me for my thoughts and predictions — such as they are which isn’t much — as we face Election Day tomorrow.  Without any sense of order, decorum or priority, here I go….

1. I am absolutely baffled as to how this is going to turn out.  I used to like to tell myself that I have a ’sixth sense’ for how these things are going and I have routinely correctly predicted the outcome of elections going back to the 1980’s with a few exceptions.  But this one I can’t just get my finger on.  I see two very real and possible scenarios:  The first one is that it REALLY IS this close.  I suspect it might be this situation.  If it is truly this within-a-couple-of-percentage-points horse race the polls are predicting, watch Ohio.  (Unless Romney loses Virginia or Florida.  If he loses one of those states, go to bed early and dream of Obamacare.) Ohio will likely decide the next President.  The other scenario is that the pollsters have overly estimated the number of Democrats who will vote.  (I almost said who are alive and voting, but….nevermind.)  If they have, then a 4-6 point Romney win is quite likely.  However, it will be potentially hard on the country.  Millions of people who favor Obama will be shocked….SHOCKED.  The shock will then turn to outrage.  The outrage will turn to accusations of voter fraud.  I’ll not describe a worst-case scenario as to what “could” happen, but it isn’t pretty.

2. If it is super close, ties usually go to the incumbents or the political party which controls the election process in that state/city.  But there’s also the potential that multiple states may be too close to call until days or weeks after this Tuesday.  The Democrats are not going to tolerate another Election 2000.  Expect everything from prolonged recounts, to legal challenges, to street protests.  It. Will Be. Ugly.

3. If it is a squeaker,  expect the Dems to hold the Senate.  If the spread is 5-6 points for Romney, expect a 51-49 or 50-50 (VP casts the deciding vote) Republican majority.  On the House side — regardless, I think the Republicans will strengthen their majority by 3-5 seats.

4. Unless the Republicans win the White House and the Senate, expect 4 more years of deadlock.  Every other plausible scenario = deadlock, except for a Republican sweep.

5.  The biggest outcome to this election is not about who sits in the White House or Congress.  It is about who will be appointed/approved to sit on the Supreme Court.

6. If Obama prevails tomorrow, I believe we have seen the last conservative elected to the White House.  Ever.  The numbers simply are not there.  No matter who wins, we are a DEEPLY DIVIDED nation and that doesn’t bode well for the future.

7. By and large, I have great confidence that the majority of the American population votes on matters of style and personal pocketbook (in that order), than on philosophy and principle.  Yep, that’s a cynical perspective and I own it.

8. You can like it, lump it, hate me, love me, de-friend me or ignore me, but I cannot, for the life of me, understand how an evangelical Christian, Catholic or anyone with two cents worth of compassion can vote for a party or person who is as coldly pro-abortion as the Democrat party and its leadership.  Tell me I’m narrow-minded, a sheeple, a one-issue stooge, a litmus test holder and anything else — for me, THIS ONE ISSUE, impacts my vote more than any other.  I will never, not ever, vote for anyone for an office that has the power to impact the Right to Life, who is not Pro-Life.  Anyone who knows me, knows what my first four reasons for that position are.

9. I will miss all the political adds exactly zero.

10. The actual voting process is broken and we need to fix it.  It is ridiculous to have some states voting a month in advance and others with no early voting.  These long voting periods are rife with the potential for fraud, mistakes, lost ballots and more.  In addition, this business of not having to register or prove identity is just wrong and ridiculous and any honest liberal should admit it.  I’m constantly having to show ID to do the most mundane tasks.  It is not a hardship.  It’s just life.  Why would we treat something as sacred as voting for our leadership less seriously than buying cold medication, a beer or get on an airplane?  We need a reasonable voter identity law and let’s do a Friday/Saturday election for 36 hours.  People who are out of town should get an absentee ballot just like they did for a dozen decades.  Make it uniform across the country lest something happen and we lose confidence in the process.

11. While I’m at it — the Electoral College is a good idea and wee shouldn’t tinker with it.  I will say that on Wednesday even if Obama loses the popular vote while winning the electoral vote.  There is HUGE wisdom in it and we shouldn’t think ourselves smarter than the Founders on this.  It ain’t broke.  Don’t fix it.

12. I lay much of the blame of this country’s toxic political dialogue at the feet of MSNBC and FNC.  It is a constant frustration for me to find some outlet that actually DOES let me decide without the shrill demagoguery of the Hannity’s and Matthew’s and O’Reilly’s and Maddow’s of this world.  It is uncivil and unreasonably partisan and it is contagious.  I love sarcasm, rhetorical feints and parlays and strong opinions with a side of irony.  A lot.  But when it impacts our ability to interact with reasonableness with our neighbors and colleagues because we parrot the same attitude in our real lives as we see demonstrated in the out-of-perspective world of those in the kleiglights of the Mainstream Media (and oh yeah, when will we stop calling NBC/ABC/CBS “mainstream”?  Fox now controls almost half of the cable news audience — that makes them pretty mainstream), we need to step back, draw a few deep breaths and calm down.  We’re better than this.  I hope.

13. As I posted on my Facebook wall last night: “May each of us have such a spiritual mind and high view of the sovereignty of God that we have not one bit more or one bit less joy, peace or hope Wednesday than we do right now.”  I really mean that.  I am at perfect peace already at how this election will conclude even though I have no earthly idea what that will look like.  Wednesday is going to be a great day.  I’m already looking forward to it.  I will not be irrationally optimistic if the candidate who was my third-to-the-last choice for President happens to win and I will not be devastated if the current administration is given another four years.  It’s just politics.  None of us will give one care about it in 100 years.  My confidence is not in this political system or its rulers.  My citizenship is in heaven.  So, I’ll not let a silly political election steal one second of my joy or peace come Wednesday.

Of course, I will still have strong opinions and will voice them regularly and at times shamefully obnoxiously.  I will continue to follow politics, because for me it like following my favorite sport.  It’s truly interesting to me — but it does not define me and I’d make a horrible “player” if given the chance.  I’m quite content sitting up in the stands with my coke and hotdog yelling at the coaches down on the field.

So until Wednesday…….

As always, the views in this post are mine and mine alone and should not reflect on anyone else from my momma to my future grandchild.

I’m getting texts and messages asking what I think of the selection of Paul Ryan by Mitt Romney to be his running mate.  So here are my condensed thoughts.  (Well, as condensed as I ever get, which isn’t very condensed.)

I like Ryan in general.  He obviously a family guy, talks the conservative talk, understands sound economic policy, is extremely smart and will be able to eviscerate Biden in the debates on a level that has the potential to as epic as it will be historic.

That said, in typical establishment Republican fashion, Romney blew a great opportunity in his selection.  Here’s why I think so…

1. Could you find two MORE stereotypical Republicans to run in a country that is teeming with diversity?  As some predicted, Romney played it safe and picked a boring white guy.  No real risk, not even a nod toward minorities, not one step out of his whitebread box.

2. Can you think of anyone, ANYONE who is more likely to vote for Romney because he selected Ryan to run with him?  Face it, he brings nothing to the ticket except he won’t be an embarrassment and he’s smart.  But so are a lot of other of the front-runners he was allegedly considering (except for Christie who is a loose cannon.)

3. Ryan is not going to be of any significant help in any of the swing states and he’s likely to impact the Florida race negatively as the scorched-earth, thuggery of Obama’s campaign paint him as dumping Senior Citizens over the cliff (they already have the commercial.)  The retired condo commandos of South Florida are going to be so worked up by the rhetoric that they will be waiting in line for the polls to open like junior high girls at a Justin Beiber concert.  Republicans cannot win the White House unless they carry Florida, Ohio and Virginia –Romney is behind in all three states and Ryan’s name on the ticket isn’t going to move the meter forward and likely down in Florida.

4. Ryan would be misplaced in the Vice-Presidency.  What do VP’s do?  Mostly go to funerals, make speeches and stay in the shadows (unless your name is Joe Biden, then you got to strut around in full pomposity saying things so stupid that the only thing preventing the main-stream media from turning him into Dan Quayle’s younger brother is the sheer weight of their pro-Obama bias.)  Ryan would have been an EXCELLENT choice for Budget Director or Secretary of the Treasury or Chief of Staff or Secretary of Commerce.  He will be wasted in the VP’s office.

There are a few more minor reasons I would add if I had more time, but that is enough to explain my lack of enthusiasm.  For months I’ve been handicapping the race at 60/40 Obama wins reelection.  Ryan does nothing to chain that number in MY mind.

Who would I have chosen?  Marco Rubio.  At least he’s likely to be the Republican nominee is 2016 if my prediction is correct and Romney loses.  But by then, there may not be a country left.  (Yep, Obama’s THAT bad.)