Feeling Small . . .
By David French
I woke up this morning feeling insignificant. But it was a good thing.
EFM Author David French
About David French
A Kentucky native, David French is a 1994 graduate (cum laude) of Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and a 1991 graduate (summa cum laude, valedictorian) of Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee.
David has been a commercial litigation partner for a large law firm, taught at Cornell Law School, served as president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, and currently serves as a Senior Counsel at the American Center for Law and Justice. He is the author of multiple books, including A Season for Justice: Defending the Rights of the Christian Home, Church, and School and the forthcoming Home and Away: The Story of Family in a Time of War. David is a regular contributor to National Review Online and a columnist for Patheos, and he has written numerous op-eds and articles, including pieces in the Washington Post, Washington Times, Human Events, New York Post, New York Daily News, Boston Herald, and Philadelphia Daily News. Regularly interviewed by both print and broadcast media, David has appeared on ABC World News Tonight, The O’Reilly Factor, CNN Newsroom, The Fox Report with Shepard Smith, and Special Report with Brit Hume, among others. A regular guest on talk radio programs, David has been interviewed on National Public Radio and by numerous hosts, including Michael Medved, Hugh Hewitt, Laura Ingraham, Dennis Prager, James Dobson, and Michael Reagan.
David is also a Captain in the United States Army Reserve, joining the USAR in April, 2006. He is currently a judge advocate with the 1st Brigade, 104th Training Division in Aurora, Colorado. From October 2007 to September 2008, David served as Squadron Judge Advocate for the 2d Squadron, 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment in Diyala Province, Iraq, where he was awarded the Bronze Star at the conclusion of his tour.
David and his wife, Nancy, have two daughters (ages 12 and 3) and a son (age 10). They live in Columbia, Tennessee, and attend Zion Presbyterian Church.
By David French
EFM’s Greatest Hits
By David French
Earlier this week, while still recovering from my concussion, I had a lengthy phone conversation with a reporter about EFM’s activities over the past six years. It made me realize how much we’ve written in support of Mitt. While we can always point people to our book, I started thinking: “What are the ‘greatest hits’ in our case for Mitt? What are the major EFM pieces in the MSM and elsewhere?” Here is my best shot at a list (and a walk through memory land):
The Washington Post: The evangelical case for Mitt Romney — and against Robert Jeffress
USA Today: Why Romney can — and should — win the evangelical vote.
CNN (this one is the most vitriolic column I’ve ever written, but I was incredulous at Gringrich’s appeal to evangelicals): Why evangelicals should dump Gingrich.
National Review Online (I’ve written … Read the Rest »
Bin Laden is Dead, But The War’s Not Over
By David French
Over at National Review Online I mark the one-year anniversary of bin Laden’s death by giving credit where it is due to President Obama, but by noting that Mitt has been prescient about the threat from Islamic radicals and has a far better understanding of the enemy we all face.
Click over to NRO and remind yourself why this election is about more than just the economy.… Read the Rest »
I Think I Started A Religious Argument
By David French
On this great day when Rick Santorum left the race and Mitt for all practical purposes clinched the nomination (much more on that later), I fear that I stirred up a bit of trouble over at our Patheos site. I found myself disagreeing with Rick Warren’s response to Jake Tapper’s question, “Are Mormons Christian?” Warren’s response centered around the Trinity, which I thought was a bit of a dodge. I respond with three questions of my own. Here’s the first:
1. Is Warren’s statement correct as a defining characteristic of Christian belief? In other words, is the creedal belief in the Trinity the dividing line between Christian and non-Christian?
To read the other two (and my attempt at responses), head on over to Patheos.… Read the Rest »
Mitt Suspends Negative Ads in Pennsylvania
By David French
In the middle of a heated race for the most consequential political office in the world, one of the first casualties is perspective. It’s easy for politicians to see their race and their victory as overriding all other values. Given the ferocity of this primary campaign, I was particularly glad to read this:
With Rick Santorum’s young daughter, Bella, in the hospital, Mitt Romney is yanking a negative television ad from the Pennsylvania airwaves “until further notice,” campaign officials said on Monday.
The ad, part of the Romney campaign’s plan to blanket Pennsylvania media markets ahead of the state’s April 24 primary, was originally meant to remind voters of Santorum’s landslide 2006 Senate re-election loss
“We fired him as senator,” the ad’s narrator says. “Why promote him to president?”
Instead, the Romney team has swapped in a positive ad in its place.
“We have done this out of deference to
Mitt Wins Big, and the Numbers Don’t Lie
By David French
With all the networks calling Illinois early for Mitt — and with the margin shaping up to be larger than many expected — it might be time for his rivals to think seriously about why they’re still in the race.
Simply put, this primary hasn’t really been all that close. Look at these numbers from Real Clear Politics:
| Total Votes & Delegates |
| Candidates | Votes | Delegates |
|---|---|---|
| Romney | 3,708,483 | 516 |
| Santorum | 2,469,127 | 236 |
| Gingrich | 2,117,034 | 141 |
| Paul | 994,036 | 66 |
Do you see anything close about those numbers? Mitt has almost 50% more votes than his next-closest competitor, and he’s got more delegates than all his competitors combined. Those are not the numbers of a close race. Certainly individual state contests have been very, very close, but even if you switched the outcome of one or two of those states, the numbers below would not be appreciably different.
Barring a devastating and … Read the Rest »
Is Mitt on the Verge of a Decisive Victory?
By David French
For the first time since the start of the primary season a decisive victory is in sight. If Mitt can win Ohio (or Tennessee and Ohio), then the fat lady will clear her wide throat, stride onto the stage, and begin her concert. At that point, the delegate math will be too daunting and Mitt’s momentum too great to stop him.
But what happens if he doesn’t win Ohio or Tennessee? After all, the polls are within the margin of error, and the Tennessee polls make Santorum a narrow favorite. Does that flip the momentum once again?
It’s doubtful. Even if he loses Ohio and Tennessee, he’ll likely win most of the Super Tuesday delegates. If he wins most of the Super Tuesday delegates, then either Rick Santorum or Newt Gingrich would have dominate the rest of the primary season to secure the nomination.
Even when Mitt has been … Read the Rest »
Five In a Row!
By David French
After Santorum’s good night in early February, Mitt came back strong, winning Maine, Arizona, Michigan, and Wyoming. Let’s make it five in a row: CNN is projecting that Mitt will win the Washington caucuses.
No one has had momentum like this in the entire primary season. Super Tuesday will be hard fought, but I like where we are. Oh, and those who didn’t think Mitt could appeal to the rank and file Republican voter need to check out the popular vote total so far.
On to Super Tuesday!… Read the Rest »
A Huge Night for Mitt
By David French
Once again Mitt has come through when it mattered most. After ten contests, Mitt has won 6, Santorum 3, and Gingrich 1. Mitt’s popular vote totals dwarf his competitors, and he has shattered the alleged 25% ceiling. For a guy that many said couldn’t appeal to conservatives, he’s appealing to conservatives more than anyone else.
Here’s the fundamental reality: Mitt is competitive everywhere, while his opponents have proven that they can only win states when they pick their spots. There is still a long road ahead, but the momentum is ours.… Read the Rest »
Rick Santorum: Running for President, Pastor, or Both?
By David French
Over at the French Revolution, I wonder why Senator Santorum is making narrow denominational and theological arguments rather than stating his case through shared values and shared ideals. We want our president to defend religious liberty, but do we want him to also waste his political capital arguing about the evils of contraception?
