Realism

Rick Santorum did well in our state, and he also won the popular vote in Oklahoma and North Dakota. However, delegates are what count. Currently Romney has 369 compared to Rick Santorum's 158 (at the time of writing; numbers may change by the end of the day). That's a gap of 211 delegates in Romney's favor. Newt Gingrich has 91 delegates--only a gap of 67 delegates in Rick's favor.

I do not say this to encourage anyone to abandon support for Santorum. Far from it, I still support him 110%. I still beleive he is the strongest conservative GOP candidate. I still believe Santorum can win the nomination, but it will be a battle.

There are still over 1600 delegates at stake. Now is not the time to drop our packs (as we used to say in the Marines). Volunteer for the Santorum campaign. Donate money if you can. Learn the ins and outs of Rick's ideas to improve our economy, and his stance on abortion, same-sex unions, immigration, and the importance of the Constitution. Learn how to defend Rick's stance calmly and intelligently, without manipulating people with emotional pleas or name-calling (that is how the left operates!). Learn how the other side is criticizing Rick, and be able to explain why they are wrong. Especially direct your arguments to friends and family in states that have not had primaries or caucuses.

Constructively criticize the other GOP candidates, but set your political phasers on "stun." They are not the enemy. The real enemy is the Marxist in the Whitehouse! Focus your most brutal attacks on him, and point out to your friends that Rick Santorum is the best man to beat him.

If a cranky old man like John McCain could win the GOP nomination in 2008, then Rick Santorum still has a good shot. But not if his supporters give up or get lazy. We must fight tooth and nail!

Doing the right thing

On Saturday, Senator Stacey Campfield, who had been the co-director for former House Speaker Newt Gingrich's campaign in Tennessee, announced that he was withdrawing as Newt's statewide co-chair, and as a Gingrich delegate, and throwing his support behind Rick Santorum. Stacey also announced that he wasn't alone.

Therefore, as of now, I am stepping down as the statewide co chairman for Newt Gingrich and throwing all of my support behind Rick Santorum. Going with me are the top 3 second congressional district delegates for Newt (Dr. Leonard Brown, Dr. Aaron Margulise and Scott Smith).

I know that this was a tough decision for Stacey, and I am not just saying that because it is the polite and politick thing to say, I am saying it because I really do know. I've known Stacey personally for years, and I consider him to be one of my best friends, and he is certainly the best friend I have in the politics of this State-he has stood with me and stood up for me and behind me when no one else would. He is a real champion of the conservative movement if there ever was one in Tennessee.

Stacey called me Thursday to let me know that he was considering this switch. He said that Rick had called him personally, and they dealt with scenarios and with political realities. Stacey said he really enjoyed his talk with Rick, and said he felt that Rick had a real strategy in place to win. When I talked to Stacey, though, he still hadn't made his decision. He's a loyalist to the bone whose word is known to be his bond. He didn't want to seem like he was betraying a commitment that he had made. I reminded him of words he had once said to me: "Politics is a cruel and expensive mistress, and when the votes aren't there, you just have to move on."  He repeated part of that in his blog post announcing his decision. It is a reality that any of us who have ever been involved in political campaigns have had to deal with at some point, and it is always a hard one, especially when it is confronting a candidate that you believe deeply in.

I shared with Stacey why I feel the way I do about Rick, of course, but I didn't try to persuade him, only offered my help in any way I could to help make it a smooth transition if he did decide to switch. "I can only offer you one word of advice," I told him, "do the right thing."

He, Dr. Brown, Dr. Marguilise, and Mr. Smith made their choice for the good of the Republican Party and the country.

Michigan was a Victory for Santorum

Although Santorum officially lost this past Tuesday in Michigan, in many ways it was actually a win. It is now being reported by the Associated Press that Rick and Mittens both won 15 delegates in the state of Michigan. Santorum was only three percentage points behind Romney in the popular election, and received the same number of delegates.

So how is this a win?

As Rick pointed out at a recent rally I attended in Powell, Tennessee:

This is a big win for us. We went into his backyard. He spent a fortune, money he had no intention of spending, and we came out there with the same number of delegates he does. We are in great shape going into this election. We are excited about what's going to happen on Super Tuesday.

Romney barely squeaked by with a popular victory in his birth state. Rick nearly beat him on a shoestring budget. Remember, no one ever expected Rick to get this far. A few months ago he was running far behind candidates that have now dropped out of the race. Rick Santorum is the ultimate underdog.

This Tuesday, March 6th, is Super Tuesday. Ultimately, it is delagates that count. This Tuesday over 400 delegates between ten states (including our own great state of Tennessee) are up for grabs. Alaska, Georgia, Idaho, Massachusetts, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Vermont are also voting for the GOP nominee.

Rick Santorum will do very well in Tennessee if the polls are accurate. However, often the polls are not accurate, and we should not presume he will win. If you're like me you voted early. If you haven't, get off your butt on Tuesday and go cast your vote! Encourage your friends and family to go vote too.

If they are undecided, remind them that under Obama the real unemployment rate is around 15%. Remind them that under Obama gas prices are higher than ever. Remind them that our defense budget is the first thing the President always cuts. Remind them how he and his Democrat majority in Congress shoved Obamacare down our throats, and that he wants to pass more mammoth government programs. Remind them that he's doing everything he can to make sure the United States is not energy independent.

Then remind them that Rick Santorum is the polar opposite of Barack Obama. Rick is a strong social conservative and a devoted family man. At one point a few months ago, he even took a break from campaigning to be with his sick daughter. He has fought, and continues to fight, for freedom of religion and the rights of the unborn. He also has a great economic plan to strengthen our nation financially. Among other things, Rick plans to repeal Obamacare and replace it with market based healthcare innovation that works. He wants to pass a balanced budget amendment to the Constitutiom that would cap government spending at 18% of GDP. Rick wants to reform the tax code and the EPA, and eliminate agriculture and energy subsidies. I encourage you to read his plan for yourself.

Here's another thought. If underdog Rick Santorum can almost beat wealthy Mitt Romney in his own birth state on a shoestring budget, just imagine how much better he might do with a little more financial support. If you can spare, donate to his campaign today.

Rick Santorum, the American Taliban?

On This Week, Rick Santorum told George Stephanopoulos that John F. Kennedy's 1960 speech on the separation between church and state made him want to throw up.

In the particular statement Rick referred to, JFK said, "I believe in an America where separation of church and state is absolute..." Not surprisingly, extreme elements of the left-wing media are spinning Rick's statements to make him sound like a fundamentalist bigot, who wants to transform the United States into a Christian theocracy.

I found an article in the Huffington Post with the inflammatory headline, "Santorum: Separation of Church and State 'Makes Me Want To Throw Up.' In a another article, with a similarly twisted title, the author quotes Ibraham Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic relations as saying, "It seems (candidates like Rick Santorum) are not really opposed to the separation of church and state--as long as it's their church." This is a little odd, considering Hooper once said, "I wouldn't want to create the impression that I wouldn't like the government of the United States to be Islamic sometime in the future..."

It seems as though the left-wing media will stop at nothing to smear anyone who opposes them. The truth is irrelevant. Only political victory counts. Personally, I care more about the truth than partisan politics.

Rick Santorum's political enemies are doing everything they can to discredit him. Since he is a man of integrity, they have to lie to make him look bad. After hearing or reading Rick's full comments, no clear thinking person could ever say the former senator was speaking against the separation of church and state. What Rick actually told Stephanopoulos was,

"I don't believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute. The idea that the church can have no influence or no involvement in the operation of the state is absolutely antithetical to the objectives and vision of our country. This is the First Amendment. The First Amendment says the free excercise of religion. That means bringing everybody, people of faith and no faith, into the public square."

Clearly, Rick does believe in the separation of church and state; he just doesn't agree that this separation is absolute. This is hardly a controversial idea, since sessions of congress open with prayer, the military has chaplains, and important religious figures like Billy Graham and the Dalai Lama have visited our nation's presidents.

Separation of church and state has never been absolute, nor ought it be. Religious movements have been a powerful influence in our nation for good, without dictating government policy in a theocratic way. English Separatists, the Pilgrims, came to the shores of Plymouth Rock to practice their faith freely, without government oppression. Quakers led the movement to abolish slavery. One of this nation's greatest heroes, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was a Baptist minister who led an explicitly religious fight for civil rights.

The very notions of liberty and the cry for independence from Great Britain originated in the pulpits of Reformed churches. The English journalist G.K. Chesterton wrote, "The United States is the only nation in the world that is founded on a creed. That creed is set forth with dogmatic and even theological lucidity in the Declaration of Independence." He was referring to the familiar words,

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness...

As Rick would point out, although our highest law is the Constitution, the Constitution without the Declaration is like peanut-butter without jelly. The rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are endowed by our Creator God. Rick Santorum stands up for these rights, while opposing the new "rights" that government has given: abortion and entitlements, now including government-mandated healthcare.

That is why the left hates him, lies about him, and tries to crush him with their propaganda machine. He stands for everything they hate, while standing against everything their hero, Barack Obama, stands for. Well, to borrow a line from Herman Cain, "How's that workin' out for ya?"

If you want higher gas prices, higher unemployment, higher taxes, a weaker military, and more government, I suppose you'll vote for Barack Obama. But if you're like me, you'll vote for Rick Santorum because he sticks up for the rights of the unborn, he sticks up for religious liberty, and he isn't running for "pastor-in-chief." These are all things this pastor finds encouraging.

And he is not just a strong social conservative, but has a solid economic plan to help the United States prosper once again.

He stands in sharp contrast to our current President. If you're sick of Barack Obama's hope and change, please support Rick Santorum with your vote in your state's primary or caucus. Get the word out among your friends that Rick Santorum can win the GOP nomination, and beat Barack Obama. If we support Rick, we might get our country back in November.