Evangelicals turn to Ron Paul (Doug Wead)

[PolicyReader]

Evangelicals turn to Ron Paul (http://dougwead.wordpress.com/2012/04/12/evangelicals-turn-to-ron-paul/)


In the wake of Senator Rick Santorum’s departure from the presidential race there are signs that some evangelical leaders are refusing to jump on board the Mitt Romney bandwagon and are turning to Congressman Ron Paul instead. The Texas congressman spoke to several thousand people last night at the Will Rogers Auditorium in downtown Fort Worth but met quietly afterward with evangelical leaders.

Why Ron Paul? And why now, when the race is being declared “done” by the main stream media?

“Because you don’t give away your support without getting something in return,” says a former congressman who has been at the heart of the Christian right movement since its beginning. The longer that Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich stay in the race, the more likely that Romney will be forced to take a evangelical conservative as his vice presidential nominee.

Why not turn to Speaker Newt Gingrich, a Catholic who is a former Southern Baptist, with views that resonate with evangelicals?

“If we had to do it over again, we should have gone with Gingrich,” one of Santorum’s supporters told me today. But if we switch to Gingrich now we risk another drop out.” The former Speaker reportedly has debts of $ 4.2 million and has asked the Romney campaign for help in retiring them. Romney reportedly declined.

Meanwhile, the Ron Paul campaign, with cash on hand, has begun airing television ads in Texas and launches another moneybomb this weekend.

“I have one question for you,” one of the ministers reportedly said in the private meeting last night with Dr. Ron Paul, “Are you going to drop out? Or will you stay in all the way to Tampa?”

“I’m in,” the Texan replied.

“That’s all I need to know,” the minister said.

The evangelical community began reaching out to Dr. Paul almost immediately after Senator Rick Santorum dropped out of the presidential race. Yesterday, Pastor Steven Andrew of USA Christian Ministries announced his support of the congressman, calling for a day of prayer and fasting. Andrew released a statement saying that, “After Santorum, Ron Paul is the most God-fearing Presidential candidate [and] the Republican party should endorse him.” Andrew said that “If Republicans don’t give a Christian candidate, Christians should look elsewhere – even to a third party.”

The Christian Wire service ran an article yesterday saying that Christians like the fact that Ron Paul “opposes tyranny, would cut the deficit and is prolife.”

A prominent television evangelist , speaking on the promise of anonymity, says that there was great disappointment in Rick Santorum’s withdrawal from the race. “No one faults a man for being a good father, and dropping out to take care of a child, but it hurts many of us very deeply. We were counting on him to lead our cause.”

Foster Freiss, the Wyoming billionaire who financed the Santorum Super Pac, has publicly said he will now help Mitt Romney.

Meanwhile, evangelical leaders are skeptical of any of their brethren who are now pledging to Romney. “They are trotting out the same old bought and paid for names, Richard Land and Jay Sekulow, and acting like they are new.” A Gingrich supporter who is quite vocal about his disappointment with the Santorum campaign suspects that evangelical leaders who supported Santorum, did so in return for donations to their nonprofit organizations. “They will now try to repeat the same thing with Romney and are already in the news laying the foundation for their appeal. It is appalling.”

But the rank and file evangelicals are not for sale and many seeking an end to the corruption in Washington see Ron Paul, a born again Christian, as their best voice of protest and the best way to force
Romney to deal with them.

Steve Scheffler, president of the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition and a GOP national committeeman, is dumbfounded that the Romney’s campaign had so far made no effort to reach out to evangelicals.

“The presidential race is likely to be truly competitive,” Mr. Scheffler said, “in about a dozen states, including Iowa, and the Republicans will need to motivate people to volunteer at calling centers and put up signs. I don’t think there’s much room for error.”

Meanwhile, the Ron Paul people continue to fill the vacuum. In Iowa they are helping Scheffler and other Santorum people get re-elected to their positions. They can afford to be generous, they have everything else.

Says Brian Jacobs, a former consultant to Billy Graham and to evangelical leaders such as Kenneth Copeland, “Ron Paul is a born again Christian who is untainted by this corruption that has engulfed Washington. It should be no big surprise that evangelicals are discovering him.”

[PaulSoHard]

And rightfully so.

Pastor Brian Jacobs is the big one though, I think he needs to have a larger voice now

[LisaNY]

The more the merrier!

[PaulSoHard]

“I have one question for you,” one of the ministers reportedly said in the private meeting last night with Dr. Ron Paul, “Are you going to drop out? Or will you stay in all the way to Tampa?”

“I’m in,” the Texan replied.

“That’s all I need to know,” the minister said.
Thoughts on this convo?

[sailingaway]

Ron Paul is a Christian, confirmed as a teen, but I don't know that 'born again' is precisely correct. Whatever. I don't care, either. I look at how he lives.

[sailingaway]

Thoughts on this convo?

Only that as usual Doug jumped the gun with other things he has said. If they commit after that, it will take a pliers to pull Ron from the race.

[Lishy]

With Santorum support, we could really do well again Romney, actually!

[BlackTerrel]

This is the best news I've heard in a while.

[DonovanJames]

It would be great if the Santorum people got into the http://www.intowin2012.com/ Moneybomb!

[eleganz]

THIS IS GREAT NEWS, KEEP UP THE HUSTLE EVERYBODY. WE HAVE AN ELECTION TO WIN.

[Britannia]

It's no surprise that Christians are now coming Dr. Paul's way. I was more surprised that they didn't come his way in the first place, but better late than never.

[Lishy]

ABO?

Ah-Boh!

Anyone but Obama includes Ron Paul!

[CaptainAmerica]

its about time....too bad it wasnt sooner.

[InTradePro]

Dr Paul revolution + Evangelicals could well win states in the deep south. Texas here we come!

[69360]

They should have been from the beginning, but now is better than never, we'll take it.

[Sentinelrv]

With Santorum support, we could really do well again Romney, actually!

It will be interesting to see how Santorum's departure affects the upcoming states. Just how many Santorum people will switch to Ron Paul? It looks like Gingrich's money issues are working to our advantage. Imagine our support doubling overnight, lol! :eek:

[Salvial]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pE091r2vxm4

[69360]

Imagine our support doubling overnight, lol! :eek:

We won't know until states vote later this month. Nobody is going to poll the primary anymore. The msm declared it over.

[sailingaway]

We won't know until states vote later this month. Nobody is going to poll the primary anymore. The msm declared it over.

excellent! We do far better without the polls. Look at Maine.

[69360]

excellent! We do far better without the polls. Look at Maine.

Maine is a Paul friendly state. I knew from all the time I've spent there that is true. I expected him to do that well.

I think PA is going to go well too. Somebody got most of the intersections in my town and the next one over with revolution stickers the other day. I was impressed.

[opinionatedfool]

WOW it would be great if all the evangelicals would start supporting Ron Paul. It's about time they wake up.

[J_White]

sounds encouraging. i wont mind the kind of surge Santorum had in Iowa because of this !

[floridasun1983]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pE091r2vxm4Phil's an interesting guy. There are moments when you think he's going to put it all together and then he blows it. One minute he's talking about habeas, Bill of Rights, Constitution, and the next he's lamenting that we don't have a single payer system and a government that "will take care of you." He complains we don't have jobs where 17 year olds can get summer jobs in steel mills, with sooty air and hard work, but fails to connect the dots to the EPA and OSHA that have regulated those jobs out of existance.

[goldwater's ghost]

if we got 90% of the evangelicals it could be a game changer. if we get 55% its irrelevant. if we got 25% it would suck

[parocks]

With Santorum support, we could really do well again Romney, actually!

Yes. Last summer people were talking about the anti Romney. They weren't talking about the anti Paul. They do want an anti Romney. Paul wasn't liked, he was dismissed, but the talk was finding someone to stop Romney. Romney does not have the majority, it's just that he's had the establishment wing vote solid since Huntsman left the race. And the "tea party" vote has been split 3 ways, with Santorum taking most of it until he left the race. Having more evangelicals on our side is great.

[Liberty74]

Yet the Washington Times today he saying the exact opposite. Social conservatives are moving to Romney. They are also repeating the pushed system template that the game is on between Obama and Romney.

So unless the money from these evangelicals start pouring into Ron's campaign, I'm hesitant to believe Weade. We shall see reality very soon.

[Liberty74]

Phil's an interesting guy. There are moments when you think he's going to put it all together and then he blows it. One minute he's talking about habeas, Bill of Rights, Constitution, and the next he's lamenting that we don't have a single payer system and a government that "will take care of you." He complains we don't have jobs where 17 year olds can get summer jobs in steel mills, with sooty air and hard work, but fails to connect the dots to the EPA and OSHA that have regulated those jobs out of existance.

Please, Phil is a commie douche bag. He believes that all income over $200K should be taxed at 100%, hence belongs to the govt.

[randomname]

Politico disagrees:


Duggars: If not Rick, we'll settle for Mitt
By CAITLIN MCDEVITT |
4/11/12 1:38 PM EDT

If Mitt Romney secures the Republican presidential nomination, he’s got the Duggars’ support.

“We will vote for Gov. Romney over our current president,” Jim Bob Duggar, the dad on TLC’s “19 Kids and Counting,” told POLITICO via e-mail on Wednesday. “Gov. Romney has stated he is conservative, if elected we will ask voters to hold him accountable for his conservative promises and assurances he made during the campaign."

The Duggars were dedicated supporters of former Sen. Rick Santorum, who announced the end to his presidential bid on Tuesday.

“The past several months as we have volunteered with Rick's campaign, we have experienced joy in winning as well as the disappointment of coming in behind by a few points," Duggar said, adding that they would happily “do it all over again.”

Since January, the Duggars have appeared at numerous campaign stops across the country with Santorum, often arriving in a bus emblazoned with his name. The former senator thanked them personally for the support during his announcement yesterday.

xttp://www.politico.com/blogs/click/2012/04/duggars-if-not-rick-well-settle-for-mitt-120237.html

[jcannon98188]

Politico disagrees:



xttp://www.politico.com/blogs/click/2012/04/duggars-if-not-rick-well-settle-for-mitt-120237.html

All I see from that quote is that the duggars will vote for Romney if Romney wins the nomination. You forget that all republicans (Other than the die hard Ron Paulers) will vote for whomever wins to get Obama out. Besides, it the duggars, they are famous for popping babies (You think they would support Dr. Paul for considering) thats about it. Not exactly game changers in the political realm.

[rich34]

Wow, could you imagine if Ron got a large portion of Santorum delegates (75%) in the second round of voting? This could be huge.. Might have to start sending mailers to known delegates. I can't imagine Santorum publicly coming out and endorseing Ron so making it known to Santorum delegates who the Christian leaders are backing is vital.

[WilliamC]

I say show me the money.

Let's see some new people donating to the campaign and a successful money bomb this weekend and I'll be happy.

Come on Mr. Wead, make it happen!

[Svenskar_för_Ron_Paul]

Is this just some ''made up'' news to spread some good faith amoung us, or are the Santorum folks actually turning themselves over to Ron Paul?

Don't get me wrong, it's great that morale is being kept up, but I wonder.

[tremendoustie]

Glad to hear it, but as a christian, these people make me go ... *blech. The politicization of faith in the first place, let alone for the purpose of electing someone like Santorum ... it makes me understand how so many dislike christians in this country.

[musicmax]

Politico disagrees:



xttp://www.politico.com/blogs/click/2012/04/duggars-if-not-rick-well-settle-for-mitt-120237.html

Fuck the Duggars. Not for supporting Mitt. Not for supporting Rick. For whoring out their kids to reality TV.

[trey4sports]

a little late, eh?

[Ivash]

Glad to hear it, but as a christian, these people make me go ... *blech. The politicization of faith in the first place, let alone for the purpose of electing someone like Santorum ... it makes me understand how so many dislike christians in this country.

Aye, I could not agree more with you.

But it is too late to complain about that now. If this translates not only to votes but to money it could be a big deal.

[Ivash]

Glad to hear it, but as a christian, these people make me go ... *blech. The politicization of faith in the first place, let alone for the purpose of electing someone like Santorum ... it makes me understand how so many dislike christians in this country.

Aye, I could not agree more with you.

But it is too late to complain about that now. If this translates not only to votes but to money it could be a big deal.

[Suzu]

Push this video to the front:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RneJchx793A

[PaulSoHard]

Is this just some ''made up'' news to spread some good faith amoung us, or are the Santorum folks actually turning themselves over to Ron Paul?

Don't get me wrong, it's great that morale is being kept up, but I wonder.

Having the support of Christian leaders doesn't necessarily guarantee that we'll get Santorum followers, for all we know they might not even know that Ron's still even in the race or that they've conceded

[evadmurd]

Ron Paul is a Christian, confirmed as a teen, but I don't know that 'born again' is precisely correct. Whatever. I don't care, either. I look at how he lives.

It's exactly correct.

[jmdrake]

Politico disagrees:



xttp://www.politico.com/blogs/click/2012/04/duggars-if-not-rick-well-settle-for-mitt-120237.html

One reality TV star with 19 kids != an evangelical leader. Most of his kids aren't even old enough to vote. And Ron isn't going to please everybody. Just enough to be a factor. I hope he wins Texas. If he does then.....


http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/9/2010/11/onkong.jpg

[kill the banks]

foot in the door ... good news

[georgiaboy]

good Wead read.

[PolicyReader]

http://www.dailypaul.com/226171/christian-leader-to-santorum-supporters-vote-for-ron-paul

SAN JOSE, CA -- "Many Christians are disappointed that Rick Santorum suspended his campaign, but God still has plans for the USA. By seeking Him we can find His plans," says Pastor Steven Andrew, President of USA Christian Ministries. The pastor calls churches and individual Christians to join him and fast and pray every Wednesday for God's intervention to help the USA.

He believes God wants a government and nation after God's own heart.

"After Santorum, then Ron Paul is the most God-fearing Presidential candidate that the Republican party should endorse (Exodus 18:21)," he says. "If Republicans don't give a Christian candidate, Christians should look elsewhere - even to a third party."
More at link

[PolicyReader]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVRtO7RxiuE

[69360]

http://www.dailypaul.com/226171/christian-leader-to-santorum-supporters-vote-for-ron-paul

More at link


I like this development. I hope it takes hold. This could get really interesting if it does. These are the sort of people that gave Santorum his out of nowhere IA win.

[alucard13mmfmj]

I like this development. I hope it takes hold. This could get really interesting if it does. These are the sort of people that gave Santorum his out of nowhere IA win.

which is why we have to win something on the 24th or else itll look bad.

[69360]

which is why we have to win something on the 24th or else itll look bad.

PA is the best hope. With Santorum out, if most of his voters went to Ron, maybe it's possible.

This is annecdotal, but most Santorum people here seem to like Ron as second choice.

I'm also positive he will over perform the pre Santorum drop out polling.

I wish there was money for TV ads.

[PolicyReader]

PA is the best hope. With Santorum out, if most of his voters went to Ron, maybe it's possible.

This is annecdotal, but most Santorum people here seem to like Ron as second choice.

I'm also positive he will over perform the pre Santorum drop out polling.

I wish there was money for TV ads.
Maybe if the moneybomb does well enough, I know it's a long shot with funding but *fingers crossed*

How extensive is your local talk radio circuit?

[69360]

Maybe if the moneybomb does well enough, I know it's a long shot with funding but *fingers crossed*

How extensive is your local talk radio circuit?

No idea. I don't listen.

I do watch local OTA tv and there are tons of political ads lately. Can't be very expensive as even the lesser know congressional and senate candidates are up with ads.

[PolicyReader]

No idea. I don't listen.

I do watch local OTA tv and there are tons of political ads lately. Can't be very expensive as even the lesser know congressional and senate candidates are up with ads.
I'll see if I can dig something up, thanks for the reply :)

[jcannon98188]

The funny thing is, if you actually READ and UNDERSTAND the Bible, then they would all vote for Ron Paul, because he best aligns himself with the teaching of the prophets.

Same thing goes for us mormons. If people READ and UNDERSTAND the Book of Mormon, and all other scripture, we would all vote for Ron Paul, because he best aligns himself with the teachings of our prophets.

The truth is (and I make a lot of enemies for saying this) "Christians" do not understand their own religion. At all. We know that we are not to judge, but yet we judge others every single day. We are told not to kill, yet we glorify our armies. We train people to kill and call them patriots. I mean, how many Christians can quote line and verse from the Bible, and yet can't even understand the basic tenants of our religion.

All in all, Christian voters should get behind Ron Paul, because he is the real "Christian Candidate"

[FSP-Rebel]

The truth is (and I make a lot of enemies for saying this) "Christians" do not understand their own religion. At all.
Yep, most of them "mean well" but that doesn't cut it when it comes to being a moral person. I notice it quite often amongst my fellow Catholics. Even the parsons don't necessarily apply the teachings to everyday life, possibly because most live in their own little world.