(Continued)

I have to admit, this summer was one wild ride on the rollercoaster we call “life.”

I went from believing that I was at the lowest of lows, to flying high and just trying to hang on through the numerous twists, turns, corkscrews, and darkened tunnels. Half the time I didn’t know which way was up…nor did I have time to even think about it; I was the kid riding in the front seat with his hair on fire, doing his best not to lose his lunch along the way.

There were campaign staff meetings, fundraisers, a video series for YouTube, and a host of other events where our team worked hard to get our guy elected. On Tuesday, all of that hard work will be put to the test, as Charlotte will hold the Primary Election. Tariq has to finish in the top-4 (of 7) within the Republican Primary to advance on to the General Election in November.

I’m optimistic, and I really like our chances. I’m not saying that we have an arrogant swagger, or that we’re taking anything for granted, but I think we have a great shot. After all, I’m the Campaign Manager…I’m supposed to feel this way.

Tuesday night we’ll know for sure where we stand.

One event in particular that stands out was a Healthcare Town Hall Forum that we hosted along with another candidate, Matthew Ridenhour. This summer, healthcare events held across the country seemed to shake the hornet’s nest within the collective conscience of many conservatives to a raging fury. Our particular event, which was quite tame compared to those featured on the national news and the internet, still equated to a “standing room only” crowd that was overly eager to make sure their voices were heard. We assembled a panel of doctors and nurses to facilitate our discussion, and to answer specific questions regarding the true nature of the proposed healthcare bill.

In the midst of all of this, the national stage was set afire with the tug-o’-war shoving and shouting matches as Congressional representatives were shaken to the core by their constituents who showed up and demanded answers. All the while, the liberal left and mainstream media continued to denounce and belittle what they deemed as “astro-turf” (meaning an “artificial” grassroots movement by ‘We The People’).

Led by Nancy Pelosi, Conservative protestors were called a myriad of degrading names, and branded with deplorable comparisons, all in an attempt to squander the resounding echoes of Conservative voices from every state in our beloved Union.

“Nazis,” “Brown Shirts,” “Extremists,” “Lunatics,” “Swastika Carriers,” “Racists,” “The Mob,” and “Crazy,” were some of the more colorful expressions used by our very own Madame Speaker of the House, and others, to describe their fellow countrymen.

Yet, the one that stood out to me the most was when Nancy Pelosi labeled those who opposed President Obama’s plan for socialized healthcare as “un-American.”

Wow…

Let’s follow Nancy Pelosi’s logic here.

In her esteemed opinion, those who made the effort to attend the healthcare forums to voice their displeasure with the proposed bill could be nothing more than frivolous protestors who were turning their back on their country and their fellow man.

Their protests were disrupting the process of progression, and were hindering one of the most important legislative acts of our lifetime.

Their acts were impeding America from moving forward, and thus, were essentially bringing Congress to a grinding halt, which in turn was denying healthcare to the countless millions who were without suitable coverage.

Their protests were debilitating to an American program aimed at “change,” and so, anyone standing in the way of that “change” (or speaking against it) was therefore “un-American.”

Raising one’s voice and speaking one’s personal opinion over a controversial issue that would cost trillions in taxpayer dollars is “un-American,” eh?

I’m confused.

Wasn’t it Pelosi and the liberal lefties who argued time and time again when people spoke out against the Iraq War and President George W. Bush, that they were simply exercising ‘the most sacred’ of American rights?

I learned a lot this summer. I learned a lot about myself, but even more so about this nation that I love so much.

I was a Conservative activist, I was a protester, I was an antagonist against big government (REGARDLESS of party), I was a participant in the political process, and I was putting those rights afforded to me by OUR Constitution to use on a daily basis.

We (“The Mob”) were mad as hell, and we wanted…no, we DEMANDED…to be heard.

In the end, I think Washington got the message loud and clear.

This past Saturday, things started to come to a close…or, was it really just the beginning?

Hundreds of thousands of concerned Americans took to the streets of Washington, DC to protest government intrusion and wasteful spending. Likewise, millions more participated in smaller “satellite” events across the country.

And no matter where these events took place, the message is being echoed with a resounding chorus from sea to shining sea: No one is safe in their seat of power right now. Republicans and Democrats alike have been put on notice that WE THE PEOPLE have had enough of what they (collectively) have done to the system.

So, was it an “All-American” summer for me, or should I succumb to the defined label of “un-American” so graciously bestowed by Speaker Pelosi?

As I reflect back upon the past 3 months of my life, it becomes more and more obvious that I really had an “All-American” summer. I stepped up and I spoke up, and whether by choice or by selection, I became part of the solution…despite the best efforts of those in power who wanted to label me as part of the problem.

And so, as I await the Primary Election returns to roll in tonight with Tariq and our team, I’ll take a minute to look back on this past summer, and I’ll give pause and smile. Because win or lose tonight, I now realize that the tide in America is shifting…

Not to the right, not to the left…but rather, in a new direction, one that was intended all along…back in the direction of ‘We The People’…

And no one, no figurehead, no political party, no media outlet, can ever tell us which way we’re headed, ever again.