The Making of the Evangelical Endorsement    

You may have seen on Fox News the story about Evangelical Leaders meeting in Houston this past weekend. As the Founder of TeenPact, I have been a part of this group for some years. The big question before the Houston meeting of evangelical leaders on this historic weekend was whether or not we could reach consensus on a GOP presidential candidate. By lunchtime on Saturday the group was solidly behind former Sen. Rick Santorum.    

The sense of urgency that led to the meeting grew out of what occurred (or didn’t occur) in 2008. Sen. John McCain secured the Republican nomination because evangelicals couldn’t settle on a candidate. And we know how that turned out.    

We should know by now that a candidate who is hesitant to talk about key social issues on the campaign trail is not likely to wake up thinking about them in the White House. McCain, of course, never got close to the White House. But even George W. Bush, though stalwart in the battle for life, failed to deliver on the Federal Marriage Amendment. Between Vice President Dick Cheney’s pressure on the party and political adviser Karl Rove’s denial of the importance of this issue, the push to protect marriage by defining it in constitutional law as the union of one man and one woman went down the drain as Republicans squandered their majority.    

Fast forward to 2012 and the Obama Presidency. The current president has emboldened the abortion movement by pushing for federal funding of abortions. He has grown annual deficits and the national debt to levels far beyond any previous president. Add to that my concern as a state utility regulator about President Obama stopping the Yucca Mountain nuclear-waste facility construction, and you can see how important this upcoming election has become.    

The 150 or so evangelical leaders who packed into the Hidden Hills Ranch in North Houston were anxious for unity. The group began in prayer, going to their knees on the hard wooden floor of the gigantic great room of Judge Paul Pressler’s country home. That reverential tone continued throughout the weekend. By 11 o’clock Saturday morning, after three ballots, a super majority emerged for Rick Santorum. Shortly thereafter, the Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins, who acted as spokesman for the group, did a national media conference call to announce the news.    

Before the meeting, I really didn’t have a clear choice among the GOP field, but after listening to lively and informed discussion from leaders such as Dr. James Dobson, I was ready to make my choice as well. I realize that to many voters endorsements don’t mean much, but taking a stand for a principled candidate like Rick Santorum may just be the last-minute boost he needs to advance in the race. No one was saying Newt or Rick Perry weren't good candidates, but we felt like we needed to get behind one or we would have another McCain situation.     No doubt, many in the room believed it was time to reward Santorum for the strong and principled stands he has taken. He fought valiantly to stop partial-birth abortion—leading the fight while he was in the U.S. Senate. He not only has been faithful to his wife, Sen. Santorum has demonstrated great commitment on the issue of protecting marriage. He refused to attack Mitt Romney on Bain Capital issues when others were piling on.    

No, Rick Santorum is not the “perfect candidate,” but he has the “package” that we were looking for. Hopefully our endorsement doesn’t come too late.     British Prime Minister William Pitt reminded his friend and abolitionist Member of Parliament William Wilberforce why Christians need to be involved in public life: Pitt said, “Surely the principles as well as practice of Christianity are simple, and lead not to meditation only but to action.”     Wilberforce took those words to heart. For 26 years, he labored to end the British slave trade, earning the affectionate title, “Hercules of Abolition.” Who knows? Perhaps someday Rick Santorum, who for decades has stood firm for both unborn children and women in crisis pregnancies, will become known as the “Hercules of Abortion.”     If so, the prayers many of us offered on our knees last Saturday in North Houston will have surely been answered.     I am building a list of supporters for Rick, so let me know if you agree with me.

From the "Just When You Thought You've Heard It All" file, Jim Galloway over at the AJC is reporting that there's a feud a brewin' over at the Public Service Commission.

Lauren 'Bubba' McDonald apparently doesn't want any affiliation with the PSC's new chairman and newest member Tim Echols.  There has been a long standing tradition of each member being chairman on a rotating basis and Bubba just doesn't want Echols getting a shot at it as he has tried to put a stop to it.  His efforts have obviously failed, as Echols is now the Chairman....As a result, new stationary has to be ordered with Echols name at the head.  According to Galloway, Bubba has demanded that his name NOT be included on the letterhead with Echols.

Get over it Bubba and move on.  Will Rogers once said "I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts."  I guess Bubba can claim he's saving the taxpayers money by using less ink.