A Sharp Mind Meant for Today’s Challenges
As we watched the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan in our living room back in Altus, Oklahoma, we felt pain in our souls. My husband had worked as military police at the prison that we watched open up, and some of the most despicable and terrible people walked free. I spent my fair share of time in that country, time that I can never get back. The wounds of war for soldiers go deeper than the outside physical form. Those wounds were torn open and fresh in August of last year for us and many of our brothers and sisters.
We sit daily watching in horror as Russia invades Ukraine and commits war crimes against a country on false pretenses, all in the name of power. While we admire the determination of the Ukrainian people, we are heartbroken to see images of mass graves, men, women, and children bound and executed, and tales of torture and rape. Monsters do not just reside in one place on this blue marble we call home; they are all around and will aim to destroy us if not dealt with properly.
I’ve had the pleasure of sitting down with a majority of the Republican candidates for Virginia’s 10th congressional district. It was a real treat to sit with Brooke Taylor over a cup of coffee yesterday to discuss why she decided to run for office.
As a Conservative woman hoping to run for office someday myself, I have attended many training seminars from veteran candidate campaign training, Republican candidate campaign training, and most recently, a workshop explicitly geared at Republican Women candidate campaign training. One of the presenters brought up some apparent differences between male candidates and female candidates. When they decide to run for office, most men just wake up and decide it’s going to happen. On the other hand, most women will spend a lot of time thinking of how they can’t run for office before they ever even get to the point where they decide to go ahead and try. When I asked Brooke why she decided to run for office, she said something that struck me as refreshing. She said she figured the only person who could disqualify her from running was herself.
Brooke’s qualifications are impressive, to say the least. Dr. Brooke Taylor holds a Ph.D. from Regent University, is an expert in Nuclear Security, and is shaping the evolution of warfighting as an educator of military strategy and developer of tabletop wargaming. A concern for America’s interests is what motivated Brooke to join the campaign field. With credentials like hers, it’s easy to see what she offers in this fight.
It’s clear to most Americans that the foreign policy strategy that the current administration and I would personally argue plenty of past administrations has been ineffective. Vladimir Putin has not been deterred in his focus on Ukraine. Xi’s influence from China in the international community is just as strong if not stronger than before. Brooke was spot on when she told me, “Peace is maintained through strength.” She touched on one of the significant weaknesses in our foreign policy. Putin and Xi operate in an environment and mindset built on long-term strategies. America and the West, in general, work in the short term. This is how China has been able to catch up to us militarily and built influence over time. This is how Russia can remain devoted to a madman for all intents and purposes. Brooke believes she understands the interconnectivity abroad and can build long-term strategy through a policy of strength.
Before I retired from the military, I read The Kill Chain: Defending America in the Future of High-Tech Warfare by Christian Brose. It spoke to the challenges I had personally faced in the military with technology, the acquisition process, and even the decision-making process. While we are definitely a powerful military made up of some of the best the country offers, we are quickly becoming less lethal due to antiquated systems, processes, and force structures.
Brooke put it simply, “We must modernize our defense and military by challenging how we think, not dictating what we think.” We can modernize the military by harnessing private-sector innovation, bringing the warfighter what they need. Updated technology to meet our near-peer adversaries, challenge our young and competent force by training them to think about strategic deterrence, and focus on unifying the military instead of allowing it to fracture under social justice pressures felt throughout the nation.
In a field full of competent and motivated candidates, Brooke stands out with her credentials and ability to empathize with Americans. She is well acquainted with how the government works and sometimes doesn’t work. Her ability to synthesize a problem set and extrapolate definitive long-term solutions makes her a formidable opponent to any candidate, regardless of background.
While she may be a single mother, she is undoubtedly not a single-issue candidate. Every parent’s priority is their children, and Brooke is no different in this case. While the public education system has been decaying steadily over the last few decades, she believes the Biden administration weaponized the institution. She was appalled at the curriculum that was being piped into the young impressionable minds of our children. While an educator of the warfighter, she saw parallels to how we need to change educating service members in the profession of arms and educating our youth. Children should be taught how to think, not what to think.
I’ve long said we have expected the federal government to be the deliverers of our salvation for too long on too many issues. Odd given that everyone, regardless of political flavor, agrees that the federal government rarely gets most things right. I agree with Brooke that education never should’ve been federalized or centralized but is best managed at a state and local level. Thanks to parents throughout this district and Governor Youngkin, education is back at the forefront of parents’ minds and an issue that can’t be avoided any longer. However, the problem doesn’t end with public schools. We must better provide alternative paths post-high school for our youth. Just as not everyone is built or meant for the military, not everyone is made for college. Trade schools, technical schools, and concepts like lab schools elevated thanks to our Governor are all options that need to be explored and advocated.
Brooke Taylor is the last candidate that I’m meeting with for these profiles, and I am so thankful that I could sit with her and chat over a cup of joe. It’s a great time to be a Republican, and it’s a great time to be a Republican in Virginia. The 10th congressional district has quite the batch of qualified, articulate, empathetic, and driven Republican candidates. The world stage may seem bleak and something from a Shakespearean tragedy, but I have hope. I have hope because of people like Dr. Brooke Taylor, who is stepping up to say that she’s ready to serve, she has something to offer, and she believes she can do better. I have hope because of the candidates I have been blessed to sit down with and chat with.
If you are in Virginia’s 10th congressional district, I encourage you to attend the candidate events. There are snacks most of the time, and you’ll at least meet some interesting people at a minimum. I can guarantee that you won’t regret it. Get to know your candidates and let them get to know you. They want to know you and serve you. Don’t be a passive participant in your government and community. Show up, let your voice be heard, listen to what the candidates have to say, and most importantly…VOTE!
