Tag Archives: Mitt Romney

Doug Groothuis explains why conservatives should unite behind Romney

From Patheos, a MUST-READ post from evangelical philosopher Dr. Douglas Groothuis.

Excerpt:

Many conservatives (Christian or otherwise), me included, are disappointed that Mitt Romney will be the Republican candidate for President. They lament that a more principled conservative (such as Michele Bachmann, or, to a lesser degree, Rick Santorum) was not selected. Perhaps they stand for the libertarian principles of Ron Paul. Whatever the case, many will be tempted to not vote at all or to cast a protest vote. This is a deep mistake, based on faulty ideas about politics and the meaning of a political vote. In this short essay, I will labor to convince fellow conservatives, whether Christians or not, to support and vote for Mitt Romney for President. I have waited to endorse Romney until all the other competitors have been eliminated. I do not expect to convert political liberals to this cause, which would require much more argumentation.

His list of points are:

  • we have to be realistic about the alternatives
  • protest votes are wasted votes
  • the differences between Democrats and Republicans are HUGE
  • Romney is far more preferable to the alternative

Click through to read the rest. I highly recommend this post.

Here’s just a fragment I liked because it touches on religious liberty, which is my core concern:

Third, the essential principles between the two parties, however each candidate may vary from them, are sharply divided. Democrats support a larger government and heavier taxation and regulation. They view the Constitution as a wax nose they twist any way they want (progressivism), pit corporations and “the wealthy” against “the common man” (call it class warfare, a holdover from Marxism), and support a weakened national defense (the only area of the federal government Obama is trying to cut). They do not support religious liberty, and they are pro-abortion with a vengeance. Under ObamaCare, every American would be subsidizing the killing of innocent human beings with their own tax dollars. Ponder that, for God’s sake. It denies the First Amendment (by requiring many religious people to violate their religious principles) and sets a dangerous precedent for state intrusion into matters of religious conscience. Further, the Democratic party in general, and now Obama very pointedly, do not respect heterosexual monogamy as the norm. They favor same-sex marriage, which is not marriage at all.

Republicans support smaller government, lighter taxation and regulation, a higher view of the Constitution as a body of objective truths to be applied rightly today, and the opportunities allowed by a basically free market. They advocate a strong national defense (or “Peace through strength,” in Reagan’s formulation) and are much more pro-life. This means a Republican president is far more likely to appoint Supreme Court justices who honor the Constitution and oppose Roe v. Wade; to appoint dozens of federal judges with great influence, all of whom are likely to have a high and proper view of the Constitution; and to use executive orders (whether or not they are constitutional; they probably are not) in the pro-life cause, such as refusing to give foreign aid in support of abortions abroad and refusing to fund abortions in the military. While there are exceptions, Republicans support the historical and traditional family. While they grant all citizens the rights enumerated in the Constitution, they do not support same-sex marriage.

Its very hard for me to post link to this endorsement, but I feel that Dr. Groothuis has earned the right to be featured here because of his longstanding support for Michele Bachmann, and then later Rick Santorum when Michele dropped out. I think his post is realistic, and explains the real alternatives facing Christians and conservatives. There are few Christians I respect more on worldview and policy matters than Doug Groothuis, and he is the author of one of the top books on Christian Apologetics.

What I really liked about this article is how many books that Doug referenced, including David Freddoso’s book “The Case Against Barack Obama“. That book was one of the reasons why I started blogging in January of 2009. If everyone knew the real Barack Obama, then no one would vote for him. It’s a lack of knowledge that causes people to vote for him. Anyone who knows his real record and affiliations knows that he is totally unqualified to run so much as a lemonade stand.

Mitt Romney outspent Rick Santorum 4-1 in Wisconsin

From liberal CNN.

Excerpt:

Ads, phone calls and mailers have bombarded voters in Wisconsin in the days leading up to Tuesday’s vote — the next major battleground in the Republican presidential race.

The Badger State primary has gained significance over the last week as both Mitt Romney’s and Rick Santorum’s campaigns have indicated it could dramatically alter the momentum and duration of the race.

Romney and his allies have outspent their rivals by a little less than a 4-1 margin on television ads in the state, according to figures provided by an unaligned Republican media consultant that tracks ad spending in the nomination race.

Romney leads polls in Wisconsin and is expected to win in the District of Columbia and Maryland, which also vote Tuesday.

And something interesting from The Other McCain:

UPDATE 10:50 p.m. ETChris Moody of Yahoo News writes about Santorum’s campaign in Wisconsin, which included visits to seven bowling alleys and more than a few beers:

He has arguably been one of the hardest working candidates in the race, having labored his way up from the bottom of the polls when he held events in Iowa that literally no one showed up for, to becoming the lead rival to the frontrunner. The man has only taken five days off the campaign trail since last summer, and spent most of that time eking his way along financially. With weak organization to speak of and an entourage that consisted of little more than the candidate and a friend with a Dodge Ram, Santorum went from being the candidate who could hardly get his name on the ballot in some states to becoming a household name.

Ho-hum. Mitt Romney buys another state in the Republican primary. If they were spending the same amount of money, Santorum would win the primary by a landslide. This primary is being decided by money – Mitt Romney’s millions, to be precise. Romney also gets lots of money from global warming socialists and rich Wall Street bankers.

Here are Mitt Romney’s top contributors:

Goldman Sachs $521,180
JPMorgan Chase & Co $356,400
Morgan Stanley $297,550
Credit Suisse Group $296,160
Citigroup Inc $280,050
Bank of America $245,900
Kirkland & Ellis $225,202
Barclays $217,150
HIG Capital $188,500
PricewaterhouseCoopers $185,550
Blackstone Group $178,050
Bain Capital $151,500
Wells Fargo $148,950
UBS AG $140,650
EMC Corp $128,300
Citadel Investment Group $123,625
Elliott Management $123,500
Bain & Co $112,800
Sullivan & Cromwell $106,650
The Villages $97,500

Rick Santorum has to go door to door for his votes.

Rick Santorum beats Mitt Romney 49 to 27 in Louisiana

From the pro-Romney Fox News.

Excerpt:

Rick Santorum won the Louisiana primary Saturday, solidifying his support among conservatives in the Deep South as he faces a tough next couple of weeks in Northern states competitions that are predicted to favor frontrunner Mitt Romney.

The former Pennsylvania senator won 49 percent of the vote, with Romney coming in second with 27 percent, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich in third with 17 percent and Texas Rep. Ron Paul finishing last with 6 percent.

“People in Louisiana came through in a big way,” Santorum said from a brewery in Green Bay, Wisc. “You didn’t get the memo. We’re still fighting. … I’m not running as the conservative candidate for president. I am the conservative candidate.”

Santorum said Romney called to congratulate him.

“I told him I was in (Wisconsin.) He said he was out in California raising money,” Santorum said. “I said leave a little bit for me. … We’ve always had cordial conversations.”

[…]The candidates now head into April 3 contests in Maryland, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia.

The key contest is expected to be in Wisconsin, which has Swing State status, with Maryland and the District largely Democratic territories. In addition, Santorum is not on the District ballot.

Santorum has now won 11 states, while Romney has won 20 states or territories. Gingrich has won two states, while Paul has not won any.

How did Santorum do it?

Louisiana had a closed primary, meaning only registered Republicans could vote. Roughly eight in 10 in the exit poll said they consider themselves Republicans on most political matters, and three-quarters called themselves conservatives.

Seven in 10 said they support the Tea Party movement, roughly the same numbers recorded 11 days ago in the Mississippi primary won by Santorum.

Nearly a quarter of the Louisiana voters said choosing a candidate who is a true conservative was important, according to the exit polls.

Mitt Romney seems to be winning a lot of states, and I think there are two reasons why. First, in a lot of open primary states, he gets a lot of Democrat votes. Democrats overwhelming support Mitt Romney, because his record fits with Democrat policies. Second, Romney is outspending Santorum by a huge margin – 7 to 1 in Illinois, for example.