Politics

I serve on the board of the National Association of Evangelicals–the largest leadership consortium of churches and Christian leaders in the United States.

Nine months ago the organization sent a questionnaire to its members asking us which person we favored for president of the United States. At that time there were twelve different candidates in the race–plenty of good people to choose from.

This may surprise some of you, but without hesitation I voted for Mitt Romney.

It looks like the people of Florida agree with me. Because of their decisive vote, and what will follow in the month of February, it is time for people that care about America’s future to unite behind Mitt Romney and propel him to the White House. Here’s why.

First of all, let’s mention the qualities that are crucial for a US president or any elected leader.  I believe that two areas are paramount:

• Good Character–including experience, competence, elect ability, judgment and associations. A person’s character includes faith, but it is not the defining issue. We are not electing a pastor. We are electing a leader who is proven, trustworthy, and competent in the area of governing.
• Right Policies– on economics, foreign affairs, and moral/social issues. This is the leader’s worldview which flows from their faith and character. These policy principles should be based on the biblical understanding of God-given rights, faith and morality, free enterprise, hard work, personal responsibility, compassion for the needy, and a strong national defense.

Now let’s look at the three major candidates that have risen to the top of the Republican field. I have met one of them personally, have carefully followed the career of another, and have grown to appreciate the candidacy of the third.

Rick Santorum

I met Rick Santorum in the mid-1990s when he was a young senator from Pennsylvania. We worked on some projects together and I enjoyed spending time with him in his office on Capitol Hill. I admire his strong faith (Catholic) and firm commitment to family values. His own personal family is both a model of grace and good example to the nation.

In policy areas, Rick is a steady conservative on most issues–probably the most principled of the three. He has his weaknesses which include a penchant for earmarks, his support of labor unions (Pennsylvania is not a Right to Work state), and tendency to some big government solutions.

His biggest weakness is his lack of executive experience and national stature. He lost his last senatorial election by double digits. And until recently, he was nationally unknown–which is one of the reasons for his lack of a credible organization and fund-raising prowess.

Rick Santorum’s day will come. But he hasn’t paid his dues yet to claim the prize of president of the United States.

Newt Gingrich

I’ve never had the privilege of meeting Newt Gingrich but I have followed his career and love his boldness, big ideas and clarity on issues. But his volatile personality and marriage failures are a major weakness. He was involved in a number of affairs, two failed marriages, and was forced to leave his House leadership due to character issues and poor leadership style. He paid a $300,000 fine for one charge of ethics violations.

Newt is a gunslinger that left some collateral damage from his years as House Speaker. To his credit, he now purports to have experienced salvation through his Catholic faith and I have no reason to doubt him. We Americans believe in redemption.

But forgiveness and trustworthiness are two different things. One is immediate and the other is earned. Newt may have found his way back to national popularity, but his potential violatility is a gamble for all who vote for him. Time will tell whether he has truly matured or is just doing a good job of covering his weaknesses.

His experience in government is vast. The Contract with America, the four budgets he helped balance as Speaker of the House, and his championing conservative principles are laudable. But he has no real executive experience. Well–he has a qualified version as House Speaker, but his record there was mixed at best and destructive at worst.  And his judgment should be questioned for things like working with Fannie Mae, supporting global warming, giving lip service to Cap and Trade and a healthcare mandate, and numerous other political indiscretions.

Elect ability is the biggest issue. I believe he could beat Barack Obama under the right circumstances, but his unfavorable rating of 57% is a potential albatross. Even if he made it to the White House, would an unpredictable President Gingrich make some mistakes that would discredit conservatives for decades? It’s a big risk. Don’t forget this fact:  He is the ultimate Washington insider. Is that who we need in the White House in 2012?

On the other hand, Newt would probably be the boldest president of all with a consistent conservative agenda. He’d fire the czars, dismantle Obamacare, change the tax code, and go after big government entitlements. He’d be tough on Iran and move the Israeli embassy to Jerusalem. He would also lead the charge against anti-Christiian bigotry in the nation.

He would probably make a great president–if he didn’t make a disastrous one.

Mitt Romney

That brings us to the man I am growing to appreciate and believe is our best choice for president. He is probably not my natural pick, but I believe he is right for America at this crucial time in our history.

First of all, let’s mention the negatives. His Mormon faith is not as “clear” as evangelical faith, but it’s God-fearing and family-centered. Mormonism is outside the Christian mainstream, but it often produces hard-working, moral, and family-oriented people who make good leaders. He should not be rejected for his faith.

Mitt Romney also has past moderate views. But to be fair, that’s also true of Newt Gingrich who began his career as a “Rockefeller Republican.” He changed–and Mitt Romney did too (so did Ronald Reagan). It is no small feat that Governor Romney was elected governor in one of the bluest states in America and led that state in a variety of conservative successes.

Today, Mitt Romney stands squarely behind the Judeo-Chrisian principles of life, liberty, marriage, economic freedom, and national security.

“Romneycare” is a problem. It takes away a big issue from the debate with Obama. But I agree with the governor that state choices are different than national ones. Mitt Romney has promised to give waivers on Obamacare to all fifty states his first day in office and work to repeal it. There are enough differences here with Barack Obama to give Governor Romney an edge–but not a pass.

So what are the main reasons to vote for Mitt Romney?

1. His national stature. Romney has earned the right to represent the Republicans this year. He came in second to John McCain in 2008, and has used his time since then to build a national organization and campaign that is without equal on the Republican side.

The other campaigns can complain about the inequality of money and organization. But that’s the same argument as Barack Obama’s class warfare rhetoric. Mitt Romney has the money and professional team because he earned it--he built it from the ground up and attracted the support. National stature is earned, not inherited. He’s the only R that has it.

2. His business experience and background. This election will ultimately hinge on the dismal economy. Mitt Romney is the only man in the race who is sharp on economics, was immensely successful in the private sphere, and will have the authority to speak and lead on these issues. In the economic debate, he will clean Barack Obama’s clock because our current president has never had a real job nor knows how to generate them. Mitt Romney is a wise and successful businessman who can turn around an Olympics and hopefully do the same for a nation.

3. He is the only Washington outsider in the race. Think about that. Rick Santorum has spent most of his adult life among Washington elites. Newt Gingrich is the poster child of a Washington insider. Barack Obama knows nothing but government service–and community organizing.

Mitt Romney is a business leader and governor who will come to a city he has never lived in to take on the powers that be. Yeah, he may not be a pit-bull like Newt, but despite his wealth, he is one of us. He has never resided within the Beltway.

4. His elect ability. The polls have consistently shown that Mitt Romney has the best chance of beating Barack Obama. And that is the number one goal. I have nothing personally against the president. He seems to be a nice man with a good family and he excels behind the teleprompter and on the stump.

But President Obama lacks executive skills and his quasi-socialist policies are killing this nation. The Democratic Party, in control of the US Senate, has not produced a budget for over 1000 days. The president has no idea what to do about creating jobs, he’s tearing down the Christian fabric of the nation at many turns, and he’s emboldened our enemies around the world.

Barack Obama is a great politician but an incompetent leader. Mitt Romney has the best chance of stopping the damage.

5. And for fun, let’s throw in one more: Romney looks presidential. Hey, in the age of 24-7 media, that ‘s a pretty big deal. Can you imagine Mitt Romney, his family, and his policies representing the United States around the world? I can–and that image will benefit our nation.

Now that Romney has decisively won Florida, it’s possible that he may run the table in the coming month. Key primaries and caususes include Nevada, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Colorado and Arizona. After that, he is the only Republican candidate with the money and organization to compete on Super Tuesday, March 6.

We must get behind him and stop the in-fighting. We also need a Republican (conservative) House and Senate to complete the change in direction. We need to focus like a laser beam on building a movement that can bring some hope to a nation that is running out of time.

There are no perfect candidates. But we have a good one in Washington outsider, successful businessman and governor Mitt Romney.

It’s time to unite behind Mitt Romney for president.

sin·is·ter [sin-uh-ster], adjective

1. Threatening or portending evil, harm, or trouble; ominous: a sinister remark. 2. Bad, evil, base, or wicked; his sinister purposes. 3. Unfortunate; disastrous; unfavorable: a sinister accident. 4. Of or on the left side; left. (Dictionary.com)

The theme for Barack Obama’s re-election campaign is now clear. He can’t run on “hope and change” because though he is trying to change America into a European social democracy he’s decreasing hope at home. He can’t campaign on his economic achievements–unemployment is 8.6% and federal deficits are exploding.

He can’t run on his foreign policy successes. Despite the one positive of killing Osama bin Laden, it is the premature removal of troops from Iraq, his waffling on Iran, and thumbing his nose at Israel have made the world a far more dangerous place.

So here’s the campaign theme that the president and his media allies will trumpet throughout 2012: We have a “Do Nothing Congress” headed by the House Republicans that is preventing America from going forward.

That’s a lie.

What we really have is a “Sinister US Senate” that desperately needs replacing.

Yeah, I know that a week ago the House Republicans were stupid and lost the PR campaign on the payroll tax. They were right to resist the “two month” gimmick–but they messed up the negotiations with the Senate, then blinked and capitulated when the Democrats and their media allies successfully branded them the enemy of middle class tax cuts.

But who are we trying to kid? Tax cuts?  It’s twenty dollars a week for the average American–for two measly months?  Total = $160.

That’s a tax cut? You can’t even buy half an iPad with $160.

But the Senate was craftier at this legislative game and now the President Obama can perpetuate the myth that this is a “Do Nothing” Congress and that both Republicans and Democrats are equally to blame. His campaign theme will be to “elect an outside like him (!)” who does not vote up on dysfunctional Capitol Hill and can get on his white horse (War Horse?) and lead us to victory.

Don’t believe the spin.

Here’s the reality: We do not have a “Do-Nothing Congress.” We have a sinister US Senate that is recklessly dragging our nation in a wrong direction. On the other hand, the House of Representatives is desperately trying to get us to change course–to head us the right way.

But they are currently losing the battle to the bad guys. That’s because the US Senate has become a very sinister institution.

Don’t believe me? Let’s look at the facts.

November 2010 was a watershed election in which millions of everyday Americans who were laughingly labeled “the Tea Party” woke up and realized that America was in deep trouble. We were spending too much; We were growing the government monster and moving toward European socialism; Illegal immigration was out of control; The institution of the family was under attack.

So rallies took place all across the country and many patriotic Americans stepped into the electoral process. The result in November 2010 was a “re-born” House of Representatives that was the biggest shift from liberal to conservative in over seventy years. It was a mandate from the people that the nation needed to change direction.

Then Tea Party Representatives-elect came to Washington, D.C. to right the ship of state.

However, there was a problem. The Senate also became more conservative in 2010, but Harry Reid, the Democratic leader was re-elected, and the Democrats barely held on to a majority. And this majority of socialist-leaning progressives have been the thorn in America’s side for the past three years.

What we really have is a sinister Senate and a White House in collusion.  And if America is to survive our careening-out-of-control 15 trillion dollar debt, then we need to elect a conservative majority Senate in 2012 and also a conservative president.

A sinister Senate is a bridge to nowhere (no good).

I’m not being extreme in using the label “sinister.” Look again at the above definition.

1. Threatening or portending evil, harm, or trouble

The Senate has been the true “Do Nothing” political body for two years now. Though the House passed  24 bills that would have helped bring down the deficit and create jobs in America, the Senate rejected them all. For over one thousand days they refused to approve a budget. And when it came to negotiating some desperately needed changes in entitlement programs, they refused to give in and brought the government to a standstill. There is no question this brought great harm and trouble to our nation and “threatens'” our very future.

Why is the Senate stalling everything?  Why are they rejecting all the House bills and refusing to pass no legislation on their own? Because they know their radical agenda is out of step with the American people. They know it won’t fly and they don’t want to reveal their true nature by attaching themselves to “bad” votes. This is selfish, cynical politics at its worst.

2. Bad, evil, base or wicked. Not doing the peoples’ business is bad. Failing to deal honestly with the American debt crisis is absolutely evil in its ramifications. Three hundred and ten million people could be plunged into poverty and ruin by their neglect. Astronomical debt is immoral. It is slavery. The Senate is also the greatest proponent of anti-family, anti-security policies that threaten America’s social fabric such as the weakening of our defense capabilities and the promotion of homosexual marriage.

3. Unfortunate; unfavorable; disastrous.

It is completely unfortunate at this point in our history that the US Senate refuses to deal the immense problems this nation faces. They won’t seal the borders. They won’t scale back the size of government. Their lack of a job program that highlights de-regulation, freedom, lower taxes and smaller deficits is totally “unfavorable” to our families and economy. The sinister United States Senate is holding the entire nation hostage to their Big Government utopian dream. Their inaction–their wrong actions–are absolutely disastrous to future generations.

4. Of or on the left side.

It was quite enlightening to realize that the original definition of the word “sinister” related to being “left of center.” Quite an appropriate analogy. I didn’t make it up. It’s in the Dictionary. It’s high time for the America people to realize that “leftist” policies are hurtful and un-American. They are a sinister attempt to take that which is right and corrupt it for the purposes of power and control.

The definitions say it all. We have a House of Representatives that are trying to do the right thing, and a sinister Senate that is holding up the turning of the American ship back to the right path of greatness. Unfortunately, we have a president who also could wear the sinister label..

 Here’s an analogy of our current situation in Washington, D.C.

Imagine a boat heading toward a steep waterfall where all will lost is they plunge over the edge.There are four oars in the boat. One oar is the presidency. The second is the Senate. The third is the mainstream media. The fourth is the House (backed by the Tea Party and other patriotic Americans.)

From 2008 to 2010, all four oarsmen were furiously paddling in the wrong direction toward the waterfall of doom. In the 2010 election, the oar of the House was taken back, and now that one oar is desperately trying to slow down the speed of the out-of-control vessel or even turn it around.

This fight should never be likened to gridlock. Gridlock occurs when there are two many boats all going the same direction, with too little space for them to keep up their speed. Everything bottlenecks and slows down to a stop.

Our current political fight is not like traffic flow. It’s more like a sports contest where one group wants to advance the ball their direction and score a touchdown. The other team is resisting their efforts and wants to get the ball in their hands and score the other way.

In reality, we are engaged in a cultural fight to the death over the expiration or resurrection of the United States as a nation.

For the next twelve months, the pro-left American media will say that the problem is “gridlock,” the “extreme” House of Representatives, and that the Republican presidential nominee is not up to the task.

Don’t believe them.

Our problem is a sinister Senate and its ally in the White House. Fortunately, with the retirement of Senator Ben Nelson D-FL yesterday, there are now seven of the sinister ones that will not running next year. That’s a positive sign.

Because what we really need in 2012 is a “change” of personnel in the US Senate and presidency that will bring a renewal of “hope” for the American future.

Many  people seem perplexed or nervous about the GOP presidential contest. The field is fairly broad and there have already been nearly a dozen debates.

For a few weeks Hermain Cain was up and this week saw the rise of Newt Gingrich. Mitt Romney looks steady but is not pulling away. Michelle Bachmann won the Iowa Straw poll but is now in single digits. Rick Perry catapulted to the front at first, then made some debate mistakes and fell back.

And on and on.

Everywhere I go, people are asking me who I will vote for, and express dismay over the daily changing landscape. To those who are concerned, I have a simple response:

Relax and watch the game.

Politics is like the National Football League. The “regular season” is still going on and we really don’t know who will make the “playoffs.” We also don’t know who will get hot in their playoff run and then go on to the Big Dance.

So do not despair. The game is on, one “team” will rise to the top, and that “team” should go on to beat Team Obama in the “Super Bowl.”

My prediction: GOP 55 – Obama 45.

Here’s why the 2012 Republican presidential race is eerily similar to the NFL.

First of all, let’s examine the dynamics of America’s favorite sport–the NFL.

The beginning of the National Football League season always starts with much speculation and hype. Most fans believe their team is going to do well, and predictions about who will rise are all over the map. Then the regular season begins and the teams start playing. Some do better than expected and others tank. The regular season is there to confirm who  teams that can become play-off contenders.

By the time the playoffs arrive, you have a much better idea of who the superior teams are. They’ve navigated the ups and downs of the long regular season, honed their strengths, worked on their weaknesses, and finished in a position to move on.

After a rugged playoff schedule, only two teams are left standing. They are, at that time, the cream of the crop in the league. In the biggest sporting event in the world, they face off in the Super Bowl–and only one takes home the crown as “World Champion.”

Now let’s transpose that process to the current GOP presidential race.

First of all, a caveat. I will probably disappoint or anger some of you by comparing your favorite team to a current GOP contender. Of course, the comparisons are never perfect, but I’ll try to imaginatively do my best.

Secondly, things change every week as the season progresses. So what is said today may be different at the end of the season. So give me some slack. I’m trying to make a point–and use a little humor to do it.

Mitt Romney is like the New England Patriots. He’s steady and a perennial contender, but he doesn’t appear to be a juggernaut this year. He’s got a good arm like Tom Brady, but he’s not one of the younger “quarterbacks” in the league. He’s got a great “coaching staff” (like Bill Belichick), but there’s questions about whether he can go all the way. No matter how good he is, some people just don’t like “the Patriots.”

Rick Perry is similar to the Houston Texans. They were a favorite to rise in the 2011-2012 season, but lost some games early on and appeared to be going nowhere. But the past few weeks they’ve been winning–and maybe over the long haul they can make it back to the top.

Newt Gingrich is the Pittsburgh Steelers. He has the heritage, the trophies, and probably “knows football” better than anybody else. Deep down many people want to see him win and “kick Obama’s butt” in the presidential debates. But later down the line, he may be on the “defensive” as some past personal mistakes are blown up by the media (Ben Rothlisberger–can you relate?) Of course, good defense wins Super Bowls. (Troy Polamalu-we need you!).

Herman Cain is like the Buffalo Bills. For a few weeks he looked almost unbeatable, but then he began to lose a few games with some “unsportsmanlike conduct” accusations. I believe these charges are all bogus, but the refs still threw the flags. Herman needs to get his act together and go back to the top of his game. Otherwise, it will be a long off-season.

Michelle Bachmann is like the Detroit Lions. She’s a “young team” and started out with a bang. But now she has lost some games and gone back to the middle of the pack. She can win a “wild card” race with a primary triumph in Iowa, but it will not be easy. But don’t count her out yet. She has a “spine made with steel” (maybe she’s really a Steeler).

I think you get the idea, but here are a few more analogies.

• Jon Huntsman is the Cleveland Browns. His campaign is too “dreary”. He’s not going to win this year.
• Ron Paul is the Dallas Cowboys. There’s a loyal following, but he always trips up on the big stage due to foreign policy “interceptions” (think Tony Romo’s playoff record.)
• Rick Santorum is the Oakland Raiders. They’re young and good looking, but even Carson Palmer can’t save them.
• Tim Pawlenty–oh he’s gone already–just like the Indianapolis Colts. He was 0-8 before things got going.

And unfortunately, there is no “Green Bay Packers” in this year’s GOP race. It might have been Chris Christie, but you never know until they play the game.

So back to the actual race.

It is completely normal that the the GOP contenders are fighting it out now and positions and polling are going back and forth. That’s normal in the regular season. The NFL teams are doing the same. The regular season is necessary to see who has the better package to rise to the top of the heap.

Then the playoffs will begin. The first “game” will be the Iowa caucuses, followed by the new Hampshire and South Carolina primaries. Just like the polls aren’t extremely important now, neither is the regular season except to put certain teams in a position to move on.

The playoffs are the primaries. That’s when people will cast their real votes and we will see who the Grand Old Party believes is their best team. At that point, the better candidates will get on a roll, and as the playoffs end, only one team–one Republican presidential candidate–will win.

That candidate will play Barack Obama in the Super Bowl of Politics.

The eventual GOP nominee will have greatly elevated their game by the end. They will have a clear set of principles that are superior to that of Team Obama. Not matter who they are, they will be a believer in smaller government, lower deficits, no new taxes, sound social policy, and in a word: freedom.

In the “Super Bowl,” Obama will bring his “offense” of Obamacare, bigger government, hostility toward the family and Christianity, and will be on “defense” for a lousy economy that he has failed to improve. His game plan is also very clear. History calls it tyranny.

In that all important final contest, the GOP will win because even though we were blinded by the charisma of Team Obama in 2008, in November of 2012 a majority of the American people will take note that Barack Obama was not really the champion of hope and change that he purported to be.

We thought he was Vince Lombardi and the Pack.

But really, he is more like the Toledo Mud Hens.

Team GOP will win the 2012 Super Bowl Election. The refs for the game will be the mainstream media and they will keep it close by throwing some bogus penalty flags (think Seattle Seahawks versus Pittsburgh Steelers in 2006).

The game will not not be easy, and unlike football, we are not just spectators. We will need to pray desperately, repent of our past wrong choices, and get into the game to help all the best candidates win on a local, state and national level–not just the Super Bowl.

But we will win.

America can’t afford another lock-out.

To read a good article on the Republican candidates by political strategist Dick Morris, please click here.