Friday, May 18, 2012
Watch below as he explains his message to evangelical Christians and stories of his wild and crazy side!
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Deb Fischer’s victory in Nebraska’s GOP Senate Primary is a great example of how the Tea Party movement hasn’t quite got its act together and is simply not all on the same page.
Tea Party stalwart Sarah Palin backed Fischer but Tea Partier Jim DeMint backed her challenger Don Stenberg. Meanwhile, Tea Party fan Mike Huckabee backed Jon Bruning along with Tea Party Express. It was a total Tea Party hodgepodge. Everybody was on a different page.
What we saw in Nebraska is one of the big inherent dangers for the Tea Party. How does an organic, bottom-up movement continue to increase in power if they are not all pulling in the same direction? Oh sure, they ALL want more constitutional conservatives elected, but they dilute their effectiveness if they can’t all march to the same beat WITH the same candidate.
This is the big conundrum for the Tea Party. At the national level, you have different factions within the Tea Party movement that don’t see the political landscape the same way. From a utopian standpoint, it would be wonderful to see all these groups (Freedom Works, Tea Party Express, Club For Growth, Americans For Prosperity, Tea Party Patriots, Jim DeMint’s PAC, Mike Huckabee’s PAC, and Sarah Palin’s PAC, and many others) all come together under one banner and get behind one single candidate in the primaries. Imagine the power in that!
The problem is it won't happen because not only do those groups have slightly different goals and priorities but the actual patriotic Americans who make up the Tea Party in the first place wouldn’t take kind to that sort of national consolidation. It would feel like an establishment group and in many ways, that’s exactly what the Tea Party is against.
The folks who make up the Tea Party will be the first to tell you that this type of competition (even among Tea Party backed candidates) is good for the system. And that may well be true but the larger issue remains. How can ALL these national Tea Party groups and PACS pull in one direction to affect systematic change?
The lack of cohesion could lead to a lack of political power.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
From Brody File Executive Producer Dana Ritter on site at Liberty University:
GOP Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney gave what could be considered the biggest speech of his political career Saturday at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. Liberty University is the biggest evangelical Christian university in the world and the crowd was 34,000 people.
After his big speech, Romney sat down with Jennifer Wishon, White House Correspondent for CBN News. David Brody was planning to do the interview but a last second family emergency made that impossible.
She asked him about how he is going to court evangelical voters.
MANDATORY COURTESY: CBN News/The Brody File
Jennifer Wishon: Governor, we are at the world’s largest evangelical Christian university. How do you plan to actively court evangelical voters and also energize them to get out the vote? Or do you think that you don’t necessarily have to do anything special to make that happen?
Mitt Romney: I think I have to make a real effort to get every voter in this country. Those people who are inclined to my views of the issues of the day, whether they are economic issues, foreign policy issues, social issues, I need to make sure they understand what my views are. Encourage them to get involved in the process, because this president is taking the country in a very different direction than most people would like to see it go. And I need them to understand how we can get it back on track, and how if we work together, we can do that.
From Brody File Executive Producer Dana Ritter on site at Liberty University
GOP Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney gave what could be considered the biggest speech of his political career Saturday at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. Liberty University is the biggest evangelical Christian university in the world and the crowd was 34,000 people.
After his big speech, Romney sat down with Jennifer Wishon, White House Correspondent for CBN News. David Brody was planning to do the interview but a last second family emergency made that impossible.
She asked him what he would say if he could speak directly to American Christians. Video and transcription below.
MANDATORY COURTESY: CBN News/The Brody File
Jennifer Wishon: I just wonder what you want Christian viewers of this broadcast, and Christians in America in general to know about you that maybe you feel like they don’t know. Or maybe what they can expect from you going forward? Anything that you would like to say directly to American Christians?
Mitt Romney: My view is that this is not a time for us to do what the president says, which is to transform America. I want to restore to America the values and principles that made us the greatest nation in the history of the earth. These values include some of our foundational elements.
I believe that we should respect our first liberty, which is religious liberty. I believe we should protect the family. I stand for traditional marriage. I stand for the sanctity of life. These things I think people understand about me.
At the same time, I believe that when the Declaration of Independence was crafted, the Founders were very careful in saying that we were endowed by our Creator with our rights. Not the state, not the king, but our Creator. And among those rights were life, and liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Our nation’s economy is driven by free people pursuing happiness as they choose, not as government directs. And as government becomes larger and larger and more intrusive in the lives of citizens and their enterprises, it makes it harder for America’s economy to work.
I want to bring the values of the Founders, adapted to a 21st century world to take advantage of the extraordinary opportunities that we have in trade, energy, and productivity. We can lead the world again in a very powerful way as a beacon of hope, as a powerful economic engine, making sure that our kids know that the future is brighter than the past.
This is what my campaign presents. It’s what I’m going to campaign on, and I believe that people across the nation will warm to my campaign as they understand those principles.
From Brody File Executive Producer Dana Ritter on site at Liberty University:
GOP Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney gave what could be considered the biggest speech of his political career Saturday at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. Liberty University is the biggest evangelical Christian university in the world and the crowd was 34,000 people.
After his big speech, Romney sat down with Jennifer Wishon, White House Correspondent for CBN News. David Brody was planning to do the interview but a last second family emergency made that impossible.
She asked him about a time he rescued a family in trouble on the water in New Hampshire, a story he doesn't often talk about. Video and transcription below.
MANDATORY COURTESY: CBN News/The Brody File
Jennifer Wishon: A moment ago, you mentioned pushing people off the boat, you actually helped rescue some folks who were in the water in New Hampshire. It’s not something that you often talk about, but I wonder if you could share a little bit about what happened, and what that meant to you?
Mitt Romney: Well, you know when you’re on the water, things can be a little dangerous. And apparently a family and friends were going across Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire and something happened in the drive shaft of their boat, it was a classic wooden boat, and suddenly it began filling with water. It broke a hole in the bottom, filled with water, sunk quickly.
They had a little dog with them, they were out there yelling, but it was dark and they couldn’t be seen and boats would go by, but the boats were so loud that they couldn’t hear people yelling. But we were by the shore, and we heard some people screaming and we went down to the beach, and I asked my son could he see anything. And he said, you know, I think there’s something out there.
And so we got on a couple of wave runners, these little jet skis that we had, and went out to the center of the lake. It was, I don’t know, a quarter of a mile or so out there, and sure enough there was a group of people that was struggling to take care of their dog and also get to shore, and we were able to load them up with a few trips and take them back and forth to shore, and get them cared for. That’s the sort of thing that happens, of course, we have to watch out for one another.
Wishon: That story, does that experience you had tell voters anything about Mitt Romney?
Romney: Well, I think it tells something about people in this country. Americans are quick to turn to aid someone who has a need, and I don’t think it’s particularly unusual. I think when you see an accident on the side of the road, for instance, people stop in large numbers to see if they can do something to help.
We’re a very caring, very generous nation and I count myself as an American probably no better, and hopefully not a lot worse than the average of this great country.
From Brody File Executive Producer Dana Ritter on site at Liberty University:
GOP Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney gave what could be considered the biggest speech of his political career Saturday at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. Liberty University is the biggest evangelical Christian university in the world and the crowd was 34,000 people.
After his big speech, Romney sat down with Jennifer Wishon, White House Correspondent for CBN News. David Brody was planning to do the interview but a last second family emergency made that impossible.
Ann Romney has said there is a "wild and crazy" side of Mitt Romney. Jennifer asked him about his wild and crazy side. Video and transcription below.
MANDATORY COURTESY: CBN News/The Brody File
Jennifer Wishon: Your wife says that there is a wild and crazy guy inside of Gov. Mitt Romney. Can you give us some examples of incidents that illustrate that?
Mitt Romney: Well, we have in our family of course, a number of things that we do like pushing people out of a boat, short sheeting their bed, putting corn flakes in their bed, a lot of jokes and tricks that we play among ourselves. But even among some others.
I once had a state trooper who kept on playing jokes on me, and I played tricks back on him. One day he short sheeted my bed. We were at a very fancy hotel. I went to go to bed, and I couldn’t get in, because he had actually come in before I got to the hotel and short sheeted the bed. And the next morning when I came down to breakfast, he of course had a big smile because he was going to see how I reacted.
I pretended not to notice. And I got some stationary from the general manager of the hotel, and I had it typed up, as addressed a letter to me, saying we are so sorry that your bed was improperly made, Mr. Romney, and we have fired the maid who did it. And then that letter arrived in our office.
My secretary picked it up and showed it to him. He was so upset. His boss told him he had to call the hotel and explain to the manager that he was the one that had messed up, not the person that they had fired. He got on the phone all red faced, and then finally, of course, when the manager had no idea what he was talking about, he realized the joke was on him.
So, we play tricks even with the people I work with.
Wishon: Like to have fun.
Romney: You bet.
From Brody File Executive Producer Dana Ritter on site at Liberty University:
GOP Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney gave what could be considered the biggest speech of his political career Saturday at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. Liberty University is the biggest evangelical Christian university in the world and the crowd was 34,000 people.
After his big speech, Romney sat down with Jennifer Wishon, White House Correspondent for CBN News. David Brody was planning to do the interview but a last second family emergency made that impossible.
She asked him about what might be perceived as misconceptions about his Mormon faith. Video and transcription below.
MANDATORY COURTESY: CBN News/The Brody File
Jennifer Wishon: Your visit here today again to the largest evangelical Christian university in the world. A lot of talk about faith. I’m wondering what do you think is one of the biggest misconceptions about your Mormon faith?
Mitt Romney: I don’t know that I’m qualified to be able to characterize the views of other people with regards to my faith, but I can say that I know that there are very significant differences in creeds and theologies between religions, and certainly between my faith and the faith of people here at Liberty University.
And yet, we find common ground, and common purpose in service, in values that we share, and I think also in our worldview as it relates to what it takes to have a strong America, to preserve our freedoms, to protect the institution of family.
These causes bring us together and allow us to lock arms despite the different theological views that we have. And I think as Dr. Falwell has said today, we care very deeply about finding people who share our values and our views, and work for a person who can become our Commander in Chief but perhaps not our Pastor in Chief.
From Brody File Executive Producer Dana Ritter on site at Liberty University:
GOP Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney gave what could be considered the biggest speech of his political career Saturday at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. Liberty University is the biggest evangelical Christian university in the world and the crowd was 34,000 people.
After his big speech, Romney sat down with Jennifer Wishon, White House Correspondent for CBN News. David Brody was planning to do the interview but a last second family emergency made that impossible.
Jennifer asked him about President Obama's recent change in his stance on same sex marriage. Video and transcription below.
MANDATORY COURTESY: CBN News/The Brody File
Jennifer Wishon: Regarding President Obama’s recent revelation on his personal feelings on same sex marriage. Tony Perkins, the president of Family Research Council says – quote - It doesn’t need to be the hood ornament of your campaign, but it does need to be in the vehicle, and you need to talk about it. I know you did talk about it at Liberty’s commencement. Is that something that you intend to continue talking about?
Mitt Romney: I think people of different backgrounds have different issues that they find to be the most compelling, and interesting. So I’m asked about social issues as well as foreign policy issues and economic issues. And, of course I’ll describe my views on those issues to people that have interest.
You know, I’ll do my very best to connect with the American people on the issues that they care most about. What I speak about day to day in some respects reflects what I’m being asked about. And so those issues, by virtue of the president’s change of view on this topic, has become more current today.
How important it is to the people a few months from now, time will tell. But my positions are, I think, out there for people to see and hopefully I will attract the kind of support that I need to be successful in November.
He did it. Mitt Romney accomplished the “Daily Double.” Not only did his speech at the evangelical Liberty University encourage students and offer sound advice for the future, but he also made the subtle case that his worldview comports with those of evangelical Christians. In short, Mitt Romney’s speech should be seen as a successful and important bridge to evangelicals.
A few parts of the speech stood out. First of all, I thought it was interesting how he made sure to mention and applaud certain evangelical figures like Chuck Colson, Rick Santorum, Jerry Falwell, C.S. Lewis, etc. He even had a Chick-Fil-A reference! But I didn’t get the sense that this was a pandering speech at all. Instead, it was just a smart move and a nice touch to mention all of these important figures.
Secondly, Romney made the case that the culture we live in is vitally important. If Romney can position himself and continue to speak forcefully as the candidate who champions the principles of sustaining America’s Judeo-Christian culture then evangelical Christians will sign up for that. Here’s what Romney said about the culture that was memorable:
“You enter a world with civilizations and economies that are far from equal. Harvard historian David Landes devoted his lifelong study to understanding why some civilizations rise, and why others falter. His conclusion: Culture makes all the difference. Not natural resources, not geography, but what people believe and value. Central to America’s rise to global leadership is our Judeo-Christian tradition, with its vision of the goodness and possibilities of every life. The American culture promotes personal responsibility, the dignity of work, the value of education, the merit of service, devotion to a purpose greater than self, and, at the foundation, the pre-eminence of the family.
The power of these values is evidenced by a Brookings Institution study that Senator Rick Santorum brought to my attention. For those who graduate from high school, get a full-time job, and marry before they have their first child, the probability that they will be poor is 2%. But, if those things are absent, 76% will be poor. Culture matters. As fundamental as these principles are, they may become topics of democratic debate. So it is today with the enduring institution of marriage. Marriage is a relationship between one man and one woman."
Through those lines, you could see him channeling Rick Santorum and the more he does that the better with regard to courting evangelicals. Preserving the culture does matter to evangelical Christians. There’s been an attempt by many to hijack this country’s Judeo-Christian heritage. If Romney positions himself as the guy who sets out to reclaim that then it’s a winning proposition with evangelicals in the fall.
Finally, I thought Romney did a masterful job of making the case that although he’s Mormon he still shares the “moral convictions” and same worldview as evangelicals. Here’s what he said:
"People of different faiths, like yours and mine, sometimes wonder where we can meet in common purpose, when there are so many differences in creed and theology. Surely the answer is that we can meet in service, in shared moral convictions about our nation stemming from a common worldview.”
Look, here’s the deal. The question evangelical Christians need to ask themselves is this: If Romney holds your same worldview and wants to preserve a Judeo-Christian culture isn’t that good enough? Is his Mormon faith that much of a deal breaker? Why isn’t a squeaky clean, moral president with a great family good enough? Just asking. It’s time to go into deep thought about that.
Romney’s speech at Liberty was a launching pad to what can be a great relationship with evangelical Christians. However it will require two important elements: The ability of evangelicals to get past certain hang-ups and the capacity of Romney and his campaign to engage with evangelicals throughout the General Election rather than just providing lip service. Saturday’s speech was a great first step in that direction.
Friday, May 11, 2012
President Obama beware: You may have woken up a sleeping giant. Pastors in key swing states are ready to speak out against Obama’s endorsement of same-sex marriage. The President may have done Mitt Romney a favor because this issue may be the one to get those truly skeptical Romney evangelical voters off the couch and into his corner.
Romney should send Obama a thank you note. One evangelical leader told me his job will be a lot easier of a lift regarding getting voters mobilized for Romney now that the president has given them fresh ammunition.
Read below from The Washington post:
Pastors in Ohio, North Carolina, Florida and other swing states are readying Sunday sermons inveighing against same-sex unions, while activist groups have begun laying plans for social media campaigns, leaflet drives and other get-out-the-vote efforts centered on the same-sex marriage issue. Romney could benefit from a strong turnout among evangelicals and other social conservatives, many of whom remain skeptical of his commitment to their causes.
“So many people were rather lukewarm toward Governor Romney and were really looking for some more tangible reasons to support him,” said Phil Burress, president of Citizens for Community Values, who led the ballot drive that banned gay marriage in Ohio in 2004. “Then lo and behold, it just fell out of the sky when Obama came out and endorsed same-sex marriage... We are going to make this our key issue: the attack on marriage.”
More here.