Yesterday was a good day at the Republican National Convention. In short: The two main speakers did a good job, in different ways. Sandwiched in the middle were a bunch of giggly ditzes and the President of the United States.

In a speech last night to the delegates at the convention, Arnold did a great job putting into words why I am a Republican, and a conservative. In a speech he said the following:

If you believe that government should be accountable to the people, not the people to the government...then you are a Republican! If you believe a person should be treated as an individual, not as a member of an interest group... then you are a Republican! If you believe your family knows how to spend your money better than the government does... then you are a Republican! If you believe our educational system should be held accountable for the progress of our children ... then you are a Republican! If you believe this country, not the United Nations is the best hope of democracy in the world ... then you are a Republican! And, ladies and gentlemen ...if you believe we must be fierce and relentless and terminate terrorism ... then you are a Republican!

He said that just about as well as anyone could say it. I have no doubt that Arnold is a proud American. He loves this country because it gave him the ability to become something. He said in the speech that people from all over the world want to come to this country, either to escape tyranny or just to seek a better life.

The point is that the reason America is great is because of the free market system we have in place. Is it perfect? No, but it is the best system that flawed humans have come up with, or will ever come up with. The Democrats believe that it is the government that can create prosperity. They want more power in their hands. Conservatives and the Republican party believe that this country does best when government gets out of the way and allows the American Dream to grow.

Another thing that his speech showed last night is the true big tent nature of the Republican party. Sure we can disagree about some things. Sometimes those debates get heated. The way that some Republicans, myself included, have treated people like Arlen Specter and John McCain in the past can be seen as trying to silence different views. In the end tough we can all agree to disagree, and maybe even get a chance to speak at the convention.

Look who some of the speakers are during this convention. Ed Koch, Zell Miller, John McCain, and Arnold. Not exactly right wing wackos there. They are not the likes of Teddy Kennedy and Howard Dean who were prominent speakers at the DNC convention.

The point is that I believe that the tide is turning for the Republican party. The light of hope and opportunity is shining on the faces of George Bush and the Republicans. The the type of hope and optimism that is flowing from speeches such as the ones last night are the type of message the average American wants to hear. We want to hear it, and need this type of message.

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