You might think that as EFM’s resident Pennsylvanian, I’d have a lot to say about the presidential candidacy of my former U.S. Senator, Rick Santorum.  I’ve definitely got opinions.  Yet I have been very quiet on here, and by choice.  Many of my friends (including some of my dearest ones) support Sen. Santorum.  I definitely don’t want to attack them, I’d rather not argue with them in the first place, and I did not think Sen. Santorum would last this long.  But he has, people are asking me about him, and this weekend, he is throwing overheated charges at Gov. Romney that do not fit with the graciousness my friends admire in him.  I will still do everything in my power to refrain from viciousness, but I can keep quiet no longer.

The reason I do not support Sen. Santorum is that I adhere to a slightly altered version of … Read the Rest »

As I mentioned recently, some of us at Evangelicals for Mitt have been really caught up in the ups and downs of this Presidential race. We’ve noticed that our attitudes and emotions have been directly tied to polls, successes, and failures of the race.  This meant we were elated over Iowa, happy over New Hampshire, angry after South Carolina, and – then — incredibly disappointed when Iowa went into Santorum’s column.

That’s where we are, in the middle of all this chaos.  I think God is working on our hearts throughout this election and He may be working on yours too.

Psalm 57:7 says, “My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.”

What is it fixed on?  The ever changing polls?  The new Santorum surge?  The most recent Romneycare lie?  Even the future occupant of the Oval Office?

No.  Our hearts should … Read the Rest »

Over the weekend, a group of evangelicals voted to endorse Rick Santorum over Newt Gingrich — without even seriously considering Mitt Romney.  These Christians apparently considered a even a thrice-divorced, ethically-challenged former Speaker of the House preferable to once-married, unquestionably ethical former governor.  The public justification for their vote was a quest to find a “true conservative” alternative to a man who is pro-life, pro-free market, and stands strong on national security.  Their “true conservative” alternative (Senator Santorum) is certainly an honorable man and a fine conservative leader, but it’s a stretch to claim he’s more conservative than Mitt.

By sheer coincidence (not really), Nancy and I are today releasing a Kindle book that is designed to directly and succinctly make the evangelical case for Mitt.  Called Why Evangelicals Should Support Mitt Romney (And Feel Good about It!), the book both tells a story and makes an argument.… Read the Rest »

The voting is about to start, and the time is coming for our closing arguments.  Why Mitt?  In Patheos I make the comprehensive case for Mitt Romney.  Do you wonder why we’re enthusiastically pro-Mitt?  Look no further than this article.  It begins:

Why Mitt?  I’m asked the question almost every day.  Friends will pull me aside at church, casual acquaintances will stop me at Wal-Mart, and longtime colleagues will call for extended conversations.  They see me as a rare breed:  The “movement” conservative who is unabashedly, enthusiastically for Mitt Romney.

Read the whole thing for my answer.… Read the Rest »

Over at Time, Mark Benjamin takes a swing at Nancy and me (and our EFM friends).  It begins:

Nancy and David French, a couple from Columbia, Tenn., are perhaps the most visible evangelical supporters of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. They started a group called Evangelicals for Mitt back in 2005. Both regularly post to a pro-Romney blog at the Evangelicals for Mitt website. Nancy French just last week began writing her posts from Des Moines, Iowa. And Nancy and David have both contributed to National Review, where they occasionally defend Romney and criticize his rivals.

“We started as a group of friends who supported him – grassroots,” Nancy French says. “We are not connected to the campaign. We do what we want and say what we want.”

Though David and Nancy French deny it, campaign finance experts say the couple’s group looks like a thinly disguised extension

… Read the Rest »

Sometimes those of us who write in defense of the Tea Party or Christian conservatism fear that an actual encounter with Tea Partiers or Christian conservatives will be disillusioning.  It’s easy to defend the principles of economic and social conservatism from a distance; but what happens when you actually encounter the people up close?  You’re on record claiming that these are salt-of-the-earth people, good rational people (darn it) with a genuine faith and sturdy American values — but what if you’re wrong?  Everything you’ve written makes sense to you from behind your desk, when you’re typing away at your laptop, but what if the liberal media is actually right, and these people are a bunch of barking lunatics?

I felt a bit of that fear as I approached a Tea Party event in Boston a couple years ago, and I quickly found those fears unfounded.  Yet I felt that fear … Read the Rest »

I responded to Warren Cole Smith’s argument that a vote for Romney is a vote for the Mormon Church in the Daily Caller today.

Read it here.

Read it, share it, tweet it, and comment.  We need to use the notoriety of Smith’s column as an opportunity to make the case for Mitt.… Read the Rest »

Mitt Romney is, according to Warren Cole Smith.  And you know what?  So am I.

I’m not kidding.  Check out Mr. Smith’s piece at Patheos, where David also hangs out.   He writes the following:

For evangelical Christians, Romney has some additional explaining to do. On such essential doctrines as the Trinity and the role of Jesus in salvation, there are major differences between orthodox (biblical) Christianity and Mormonism. But the real problem is that Mormons believe and teach an American history that is in many particulars completely unsubstantiated and in others demonstrably false. Mormons believe that the “lost tribes” of Israel actually ended up in America, and that Jesus visited America and these tribes during his incarnation. These are just a few of Mormonism’s highly idiosyncratic views of history.

Does Mitt Romney believe these views? Why or why not? Does he believe historical facts are matters of personal opinion?

… Read the Rest »

You: “Excuse me, David, did you say ‘advantage’? I thought health care was the albatross around his neck; the one thing that would doom his candidacy.”

Me: “Yes, that’s right. Advantage. It won’t derail his chances at the nomination, and it will be an asset in the general election.”

You: “I don’t know . . .”

Me: “Doubt me? Read this, and then let’s talk.”… Read the Rest »

By one vote.
Yes, you read that correctly. By one vote.
Here are the numbers:
Mitt Romney: 24% (439 votes)
Ron Paul: 24% (438 votes)
Sarah Palin: 18%
Newt Gingrich: 18%
Thank you to all EFMers who came to vote. We came with a simple message: Mitt Romney has the economic expertise and the values our country needs. That message resonated.
As Carl Cameron said to start his report: Mitt Romney won the straw poll and wasn’t even here.… Read the Rest »