The flu is sweeping through our rural Tennessee county. So when my kids' school canceled classes due to infirmity, I threw stuff in a bag, fueled up the car, and headed out of town without telling anyone. I'm at an undisclosed location in a different state -- at a wonderful Hilton Hotel, owned by my friends allowing me to stay (and eat, and swim!) here for free.
The whole thing felt reckless and irresponsible, and that's exactly how I feel about this Presidential election.
Yesterday, while eating bacon I didn't cook and drinking coffee I didn't pour, I see a television out of the corner of my eye. Gov. Romney was endorsing Sen. McCain.
This brings me to my problem. I know we all have to move on, but I don’t want to. Nor do I want to publicly dig in my heels in an act that some would see as petulant.
I’m not someone who loves politics, which may come as a surprise to you who have read my writings on it for the past two years. Obviously, I believe in Gov. Romney -- not the political process or even our party. (I observed how little we accomplished while we held the White House, the Congress, and the Senate.)
Fear, yes, would prompt me to activism again, I admit. Fear of jihadism, higher taxes, illegal immigration, Democrats. Charles will invariably post a reprimand to this, talking sense and sounding all logical as he has a tendency to do. He will rightly point out that McCain will be better than Obama. He will correctly point out that we survived eight years of Clinton. He might even bring up the war.
I love our little "Evangelicals for Mitt" community and hope it can change into something that will endure. We EFMers are hoping to meet in a nice and sunny location to discuss and pray about where to go from here. Charles will probably argue why we should turn this into "Evangelicals for McCain," and I will try not to throw myself into oncoming traffic.
Please pray for us, that we would have direction, and forgive me for not jumping over to McCain very easily.
I'm just not ready.
Right now, all I know is that there's a whole pot of free coffee I might need to drink.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Saturday, February 09, 2008
AN EVANGELICAL'S LAMENT
For the past two years, I've worn Romney buttons, carried Romney bags, and sported Romney bumper stickers to my Presbyterian church and my kids' Christian school. Like a salesman walking into a room of poor people, my very presence demanded a response people weren't ready to give.
"What’d you do this weekend?" someone asked once.
"I went to Texas to hear Gov. Romney's speech about faith."
Since my husband and I committed to Gov. Romney back in 2005, I've been thinking, praying, and writing almost exclusively about religion and politics – making conversations with polite southern friends of the platitudinous and self-censored variety.
"Texas is a great state," he replied.
A few people were not inhibited by the southern strategy of "If you can’t say something nice about somebody, wait ‘til they’re outta the room."
Recently, an elder at church came up to me after the sermon. "You want a President that's accursed?" Previously, he'd told me Mitt Romney's religion was like a Buck Rogers episode, an old television show I barely remember my parents watching. Though I didn’t fully understand why, I realized it wasn’t good.
Most of the time, it was dormant. My friends -- bless their hearts -- have put up with me for months. Normally apolitical, they've begun watching election results and debates to determine my mood the next morning at the gym. Sometimes, in unguarded moments, one would let slip that another said, "I just can't vote for a Mormon, but don’t tell Nancy.”
So, I've existed between two worlds, like floating in the ocean. If I talked too openly about electing Gov. Romney, I could get pulled into the dark depths of friendship -- the place you normally don't go, where unexamined fears, prejudices, hopes, beliefs, and expectations clash uncomfortably. Sometimes -- rarely -- I'd be pulled up by wonderful private conversations with people who whisper, "I’m voting for Mitt," and smile as if in a secret club.
And, in a way, we were.
Before Super Tuesday, I called strangers in my town and encouraged them to vote for Gov. Romney. Then, I took a deep breath and called my friends. They’d politely endured my pro-Romney references for months –this was Fred Thompson’s back yard -- but it was time to plead my case.
"Do you have a moment?"
They expected this call eventually, during which I laid down a few years of accumulated thought at their feet, little gifts they didn’t have to pick up. In every single conversation, the same questions and fears arose. Slowly, we unwrapped them, one by one.
Aren't they a cult? Won't voting for Mitt legitimize them? What about polygamy? Will he swear in on a Book of Mormon? Will Salt Lake control him? Are you placing politics above God?
Some dug in their heels, protested, and lamented – just as I did at first. I remember standing in our kitchen saying, “Too bad we can’t support a Mormon.” Obviously, my heart has softened, though my theology didn’t have to. Evangelicals should lock arms with their Mormon neighbors who share the same values though not the same religious beliefs. Almost always, my friends thanked me for calling after I asked them to prayerfully consider him.
Super Tuesday’s Southern election results indicate rural folks didn’t consider him. People went with their gut -- a bad guide, as we Presbyterians know – because none of our Christian leaders really challenged us to do otherwise. One famous Christian’s lawyer asked us to take down a quote we put on our site which he’d publicly made – so hesitant was he to link his name with ours. Another well respected Christian leader stopped short of endorsing Gov. Romney, though he was graciously complimentary. Mike Huckabee – our most prominent preacher right now -- did speak about the subject, however, with a wink and insinuations about Satan. He encouraged us to vote for “one of our own” regardless of profound political differences.
What encouraged me is – with few exceptions -- our message resonated amongst those who heard it. Gov. Romney won second place in a straw poll in Memphis in 2006, based largely on the strength of our fellow evangelicals. Although they went to the conference as a favor to us, they were quickly enamored with the candidate we called the “Yankee Governor with Southern Values.”
Also, on www.EvangelicalsforMitt.org, we regularly pled our case to thousands of people every day across the country. Many indignantly e-mailed vitriolic missives filled with accusations, always, as an added bonus, signed with the salutation, “In Him.” Invariably, some of these very people wrote back months later saying they were supporting Governor Romney.
At the end of the day, Gov. Romney mostly carried urban areas in the southern states… plus a little place known as the Mule Capital of the World – my hometown.
I’m not sure why the rest of the south didn’t vote as Maury County did… whether it was because of his Mormonism, flipflopping accusations, or support for a preacher who admits he knows nothing about foreign policy. But I know when Gov. Romney graciously bowed out of the Presidential race, we all lost. As Ramesh Ponnuru wrote, “…we have seen women vote for a woman, blacks vote for a black man, Mormons vote for a Mormon, and evangelicals vote for an evangelical.”
Though I don’t fully understand why, I realize it’s not good.
"What’d you do this weekend?" someone asked once.
"I went to Texas to hear Gov. Romney's speech about faith."
Since my husband and I committed to Gov. Romney back in 2005, I've been thinking, praying, and writing almost exclusively about religion and politics – making conversations with polite southern friends of the platitudinous and self-censored variety.
"Texas is a great state," he replied.
A few people were not inhibited by the southern strategy of "If you can’t say something nice about somebody, wait ‘til they’re outta the room."
Recently, an elder at church came up to me after the sermon. "You want a President that's accursed?" Previously, he'd told me Mitt Romney's religion was like a Buck Rogers episode, an old television show I barely remember my parents watching. Though I didn’t fully understand why, I realized it wasn’t good.
Most of the time, it was dormant. My friends -- bless their hearts -- have put up with me for months. Normally apolitical, they've begun watching election results and debates to determine my mood the next morning at the gym. Sometimes, in unguarded moments, one would let slip that another said, "I just can't vote for a Mormon, but don’t tell Nancy.”
So, I've existed between two worlds, like floating in the ocean. If I talked too openly about electing Gov. Romney, I could get pulled into the dark depths of friendship -- the place you normally don't go, where unexamined fears, prejudices, hopes, beliefs, and expectations clash uncomfortably. Sometimes -- rarely -- I'd be pulled up by wonderful private conversations with people who whisper, "I’m voting for Mitt," and smile as if in a secret club.
And, in a way, we were.
Before Super Tuesday, I called strangers in my town and encouraged them to vote for Gov. Romney. Then, I took a deep breath and called my friends. They’d politely endured my pro-Romney references for months –this was Fred Thompson’s back yard -- but it was time to plead my case.
"Do you have a moment?"
They expected this call eventually, during which I laid down a few years of accumulated thought at their feet, little gifts they didn’t have to pick up. In every single conversation, the same questions and fears arose. Slowly, we unwrapped them, one by one.
Aren't they a cult? Won't voting for Mitt legitimize them? What about polygamy? Will he swear in on a Book of Mormon? Will Salt Lake control him? Are you placing politics above God?
Some dug in their heels, protested, and lamented – just as I did at first. I remember standing in our kitchen saying, “Too bad we can’t support a Mormon.” Obviously, my heart has softened, though my theology didn’t have to. Evangelicals should lock arms with their Mormon neighbors who share the same values though not the same religious beliefs. Almost always, my friends thanked me for calling after I asked them to prayerfully consider him.
Super Tuesday’s Southern election results indicate rural folks didn’t consider him. People went with their gut -- a bad guide, as we Presbyterians know – because none of our Christian leaders really challenged us to do otherwise. One famous Christian’s lawyer asked us to take down a quote we put on our site which he’d publicly made – so hesitant was he to link his name with ours. Another well respected Christian leader stopped short of endorsing Gov. Romney, though he was graciously complimentary. Mike Huckabee – our most prominent preacher right now -- did speak about the subject, however, with a wink and insinuations about Satan. He encouraged us to vote for “one of our own” regardless of profound political differences.
What encouraged me is – with few exceptions -- our message resonated amongst those who heard it. Gov. Romney won second place in a straw poll in Memphis in 2006, based largely on the strength of our fellow evangelicals. Although they went to the conference as a favor to us, they were quickly enamored with the candidate we called the “Yankee Governor with Southern Values.”
Also, on www.EvangelicalsforMitt.org, we regularly pled our case to thousands of people every day across the country. Many indignantly e-mailed vitriolic missives filled with accusations, always, as an added bonus, signed with the salutation, “In Him.” Invariably, some of these very people wrote back months later saying they were supporting Governor Romney.
At the end of the day, Gov. Romney mostly carried urban areas in the southern states… plus a little place known as the Mule Capital of the World – my hometown.
I’m not sure why the rest of the south didn’t vote as Maury County did… whether it was because of his Mormonism, flipflopping accusations, or support for a preacher who admits he knows nothing about foreign policy. But I know when Gov. Romney graciously bowed out of the Presidential race, we all lost. As Ramesh Ponnuru wrote, “…we have seen women vote for a woman, blacks vote for a black man, Mormons vote for a Mormon, and evangelicals vote for an evangelical.”
Though I don’t fully understand why, I realize it’s not good.
Friday, February 08, 2008
DOING THINGS THE RIGHT WAY
From David, regarding our creation of "Evangelicals for Mitt:"
I had just returned from late dinner at our dining facility here at FOB Caldwell when I saw the email: Mitt was dropping out of the race, and he was announcing it at CPAC. I’ll be completely honest with you: I choked up a bit. I immediately thought back to the first real meetings of “Evangelicals for Mitt,” when a few dear friends put pen to paper planning how political amateurs could actually reach out to our fellow evangelicals in a way that could make a difference. I thought back to the frantic two months before the Memphis Southern Republican Leadership Conference, when Nancy and I moved from Philadelphia to Columbia, I started a new job, and began an intensive effort to impact the Memphis straw poll — without an ounce of help from political professionals. I thought back to the idea for this blog, born during our “victory dinner” after the Governor’s surprise second place showing.
When we started this blog, it grew in exactly the way we hoped. We hoped and prayed for readers, and we got them—first hundreds, then thousands, then tens of thousands. We hoped and prayed that Christian and conservative opinion leaders would read EFM and consider our arguments, and that happened. Not only did we solidify relationships with Christians and conservatives we already knew, we formed new friendships and — on more than one occasion — had a chance to impact the debate at the national level.
Over the last two years, we have gotten to know two wonderful people better than we ever thought we would. I have said this before, and I’ll say it again: all too often, as we get closer to people—even to friends—their flaws become more apparent, and there is more to forgive, more to overlook. With Mitt and Ann, the opposite is the case. The closer we have come to that wonderful family, the more we have seen their virtues—how a husband and wife raised five wonderful boys even as Mitt’s career grew ever more demanding and Ann was rocked by a horrible illness; how they respond to adversity—personal or professional—not by throwing their hands in the air in despair but by working optimistically to solve problems and restore hope; and how they just do things the right way, with dignity, grace, and good cheer.
And Mitt Romney did things the right way yesterday. The Governor was correct. A time of war is simply not the time to pursue a campaign that cannot be won. There was enough bitterness in the Republican coalition already, and a race all the way to the convention would only exacerbate that bitterness and create wounds that would not heal. As much as I disagree with John McCain politically, he is an American hero, and it says something good about my party and my country that his courage in the worst possible circumstances (courage I can scarcely comprehend) would earn him his chance to lead. There are worse things than being led by a hero.
But there is something else that happened as we blogged—something that was unexpected and wonderful. I truly believe that this little blog generated one of our nation’s few truly amicable, truly respectful ongoing Mormon-evangelical dialogues in the country. To our LDS readers, your letters, your patience with some of our misconceptions about your faith, and—ultimately—your friendship mean more than you can know. Just yesterday, I was down in the mail room of FOB Caldwell looking at packages arriving from across the country, many of which I knew came from my Mormon friends, and I was just overcome with feelings of gratitude. I think God has had a purpose in our conversations and our emerging friendships that go beyond this presidential campaign. I don’t know where this will all lead, but I’m thankful we started down this path.
As for EFM . . . I don’t know what’s next. I want Mitt to run again, and I do not yet know if I can support John McCain this November. I have grave differences with him on issues of real substance. But I have other, quite pressing things to attend to in my own life. Right now, God has called me to serve my country here in Iraq to the best of my ability. And when I return, I do know that the work of conservative Christians attorneys in defending the constitution will be more vital than ever, but beyond that . . . Who knows what the future holds?
But for now, I’m content to say thank you to Mitt and Ann Romney. Thank you for your love of our country. Thank you for standing for the principles that will cause our country to endure and prosper. Thank you for living lives of grace, integrity, and dignity.
Thank you for doing things the right way.
David A. French
CPT, JA
Forward Operating Base Caldwell
Diyala Province, Iraq
E-MAIL FROM JAY SEKULOW
This was nice:
Nancy--You have every reason to hold your head high. As I told Mitt and Ann today, we have no regret. All of us did the right thing by endorsing Mitt and you and David got involved at the outset. All of us owe you and the EFM team a huge thank you. My wife Pam reflected that this was one of the most important journeys we have been on. For the last two months we have been with the Romney's in the various primary states. We would not trade the experience for anything. I do think that as a movement we need to do some soul searching. Maybe even a get together with the EFM team and some others to figure out the way out of the forest.
We all picked the right guy. In that I have no doubt. God had other plans. We need to seek his will in this matter. There is much at stake. Just about every conservative, as well as Christian lawyers came aboard the Romney team. That was no accident. I was in DC today with Mitt and Ann and they so appreciated your tireless efforts.
We take a break for a few days and then figure this out. we continue to pray for David and your family.
GREAT JOB
Jay Sekulow
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Why I love my blog readers
From a newspaper in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania:A Waynesboro resident is hoping his efforts and those of his fellow community members will make a difference in the lives of U.S. soldiers serving in harm's way.
Mark Martin has volunteered as the local coordinator for a grassroots effort known as Operation Send-a-Box, whose goal is to send two care packages to every member of the Sabre (2nd) Squadron, 3rd Armed Cavalry Regiment stationed near the Iranian border in Iraq.
Martin, a clinical social worker at Brook Lane's Meadowbrook office in Hagerstown, has committed to gathering 100 packages toward the effort by Feb. 15.
Martin was inspired to help with the project after his wife encouraged their family to find a way of serving others over the holiday season instead of focusing on gift-getting.
“I like the idea of being able to help someone who is also trying to help others,” said Martin. “These soldiers are making sacrifices ... and that just inspires one to want to do something for them. I knew that I couldn't do very much on my own, so I decided to volunteer to be an area coordinator for this project.”
Few conveniences
Martin, a political junkie who reads six or seven political or news blogs every day, had been following a blog by Tennessee residents David and Nancy French.
David French was sent to Iraq last fall as a judge advocate, and Nancy was blogging about his experiences and the conditions in which the soldiers live.
Read the rest here.
Thank you guys so much for your generous and innovative enthusiasm. David is actually not at Camp Caldwell, because they're on a mission to make the enemy does not have respite in the Diyala province. But when these soldiers return to the base, they'll be greeted with a "surge of care packages." Thanks seems insufficient, but I'm humbled and blessed to have made your acquaintance through this Presidential election.
Friday, January 18, 2008
My Hometown
I was watching American Idol the other night, when I saw this new commercial for the USMC. It literally was shot in front of David's new office, in downtown Columbia! (Actually it was shot in three places that we've lived, but Philly and New York are not that surprising.) Anyway, I thought you'd like to see it. Columbia is in the first "small town" scenes, in front of the wall that says "Hardware" and you can see the court square, and the alley behind David's office.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
So Sorry
In the old Happy Days episode, the Fonz spends the whole show trying to apologize, but the word "sorry" just won't come out. His attempts to say it ("Ssssss...," then "Sssssorrrr...") fall flat, as his lips refuse to form the word. Many politicians and celebrities have the same verbal affliction, until their consciences (or publicists) instruct them otherwise. However, instead of a full fledged Ellen DeGeneres, we’re usually treated to one of several less satisfying varieties.
For example, the "quasi-apology" is not an apology at all, but a sophisticated way to make the speaker look sympathetic -- for example, when Martha Stewart was sorry some of her employees lost their jobs because of her “unfair prosecution.” Then there’s the "spin-apology," as when Former Gov. James McGreevey apologized to his wife and children over his homosexual affair and subsequent resignation from office. (The apology was to obscure the fact that McGreevey annually paid his lover $100,000 of taxpayer money for a job he was unqualified to perform.) Winona Ryder chose the unique yet unconvincing, “my-director-made-me-do-it” apology, after being caught shoplifting $5,500 worth of Beverly Hills merchandise while supposedly doing research for a role.
Gov. Huckabee used a different type of apology when he told Gov. Romney he was sorry for slurring his religion. Actually, that's not quite right. He said he was sorry the New York Times took him out of context when it reported he asked whether Mormons believe Jesus and Satan are brothers. According to Politico:
So, to be accurate, Gov. Huckabee's was a "sorry-I-was-taken-out-of-context" apology, one that Gov. Romney graciously accepted (even though Huckabee's press secretary Alice Stewart raised no concerns about the quote when she learned of it prior to publication). While I’m compassionate for people whose words are twisted, all apologies are not created equal. Are we really to believe the New York Times reporter knew more about religion than the candidate with a theology degree? Isn't there anything the man knows? He's already admitted he knows nothing about foreign policy, in a joke I found less than hilarious, as my husband’s stationed a few miles from the Iranian border. But now he expects us to overlook his lack of discretion by saying – aw-shucks -- he "barely knows enough about being a Baptist," so what can he know of Mitt’s faith?
In 1970, the movie “Love Story” had an erroneous tag line which became part of the modern vernacular: "Love means never having to say you're sorry,” indicating people are entitled to forgiveness, even if they don’t ask for it. And so politicians forge through bad press cycles until handlers determine it’s best to offer some sort of penance. Whether Gov. Huckabee’s apology was prompted by personal conviction or damage control is between him and God. But since he apologized and promptly announced it in the post-debate media room, it forces us to assess the situation from our living rooms.
Whether we like it or not, we’re a part of the constantly unfolding drama, participating in the daily campaign dramas of people we rarely encounter. This makes our relationship with candidates both strangely passionate and detached. They ask us for our votes, our money, and a place on our bumpers to put a campaign sticker.
In exchange, it's not unreasonable to ask for a little honesty.
For example, the "quasi-apology" is not an apology at all, but a sophisticated way to make the speaker look sympathetic -- for example, when Martha Stewart was sorry some of her employees lost their jobs because of her “unfair prosecution.” Then there’s the "spin-apology," as when Former Gov. James McGreevey apologized to his wife and children over his homosexual affair and subsequent resignation from office. (The apology was to obscure the fact that McGreevey annually paid his lover $100,000 of taxpayer money for a job he was unqualified to perform.) Winona Ryder chose the unique yet unconvincing, “my-director-made-me-do-it” apology, after being caught shoplifting $5,500 worth of Beverly Hills merchandise while supposedly doing research for a role.
Gov. Huckabee used a different type of apology when he told Gov. Romney he was sorry for slurring his religion. Actually, that's not quite right. He said he was sorry the New York Times took him out of context when it reported he asked whether Mormons believe Jesus and Satan are brothers. According to Politico:
“...he [the reporter, Zev Chafets] was trying to press me on my thoughts of Mitt Romney’s religion.
“And I said I don’t want to go there. I don’t know that much about it. I barely know enough about being a Baptist. And I really didn’t know,” the GOP presidential candidate continued.
Huckabee went on to say that Chafets was telling him “things about the Mormon faith, because he frankly is fairly well-schooled on comparative religions. And so as a part of that conversation, I asked the question, because I had heard that... "
So, to be accurate, Gov. Huckabee's was a "sorry-I-was-taken-out-of-context" apology, one that Gov. Romney graciously accepted (even though Huckabee's press secretary Alice Stewart raised no concerns about the quote when she learned of it prior to publication). While I’m compassionate for people whose words are twisted, all apologies are not created equal. Are we really to believe the New York Times reporter knew more about religion than the candidate with a theology degree? Isn't there anything the man knows? He's already admitted he knows nothing about foreign policy, in a joke I found less than hilarious, as my husband’s stationed a few miles from the Iranian border. But now he expects us to overlook his lack of discretion by saying – aw-shucks -- he "barely knows enough about being a Baptist," so what can he know of Mitt’s faith?
In 1970, the movie “Love Story” had an erroneous tag line which became part of the modern vernacular: "Love means never having to say you're sorry,” indicating people are entitled to forgiveness, even if they don’t ask for it. And so politicians forge through bad press cycles until handlers determine it’s best to offer some sort of penance. Whether Gov. Huckabee’s apology was prompted by personal conviction or damage control is between him and God. But since he apologized and promptly announced it in the post-debate media room, it forces us to assess the situation from our living rooms.
Whether we like it or not, we’re a part of the constantly unfolding drama, participating in the daily campaign dramas of people we rarely encounter. This makes our relationship with candidates both strangely passionate and detached. They ask us for our votes, our money, and a place on our bumpers to put a campaign sticker.
In exchange, it's not unreasonable to ask for a little honesty.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
NATIONAL REVIEW ENDORSES ROMNEY
From the editors of NRO:Many conservatives are finding it difficult to pick a presidential candidate. Each of the men running for the Republican nomination has strengths, and none has everything — all the traits, all the positions — we are looking for. Equally conservative analysts can reach, and have reached, different judgments in this matter. There are fine conservatives supporting each of these Republicans.
Our guiding principle has always been to select the most conservative viable candidate. In our judgment, that candidate is Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts. Unlike some other candidates in the race, Romney is a full-spectrum conservative: a supporter of free-market economics and limited government, moral causes such as the right to life and the preservation of marriage, and a foreign policy based on the national interest. While he has not talked much about the importance of resisting ethnic balkanization — none of the major candidates has — he supports enforcing the immigration laws and opposes amnesty. Those are important steps in the right direction.
Uniting the conservative coalition is not enough to win a presidential election, but it is a prerequisite for building on that coalition. Rudolph Giuliani did extraordinary work as mayor of New York and was inspirational on 9/11. But he and Mike Huckabee would pull apart the coalition from opposite ends: Giuliani alienating the social conservatives, and Huckabee the economic (and foreign-policy) conservatives. A Republican party that abandoned either limited government or moral standards would be much diminished in the service it could give the country.
The article goes on to explain the advantages/disadvantages of the other candidates, but concludes:
For some people, Romney’s Mormonism is still a barrier. But we are not electing a pastor. The notion that he will somehow be controlled by Salt Lake City or engaged in evangelism for his church is outlandish. He deserves to be judged on his considerable merits as a potential president. As he argued in his College Station speech, his faith informs his values, which he has demonstrated in both the private and public sectors. In none of these cases have any specific doctrines of his church affected the quality of his leadership. Romney is an exemplary family man and a patriot whose character matches the high office to which he aspires.
More than the other primary candidates, Romney has President Bush’s virtues and avoids his flaws. His moral positions, and his instincts on taxes and foreign policy, are the same. But he is less inclined to federal activism, less tolerant of overspending, better able to defend conservative positions in debate, and more likely to demand performance from his subordinates. A winning combination, by our lights. In this most fluid and unpredictable Republican field, we vote for Mitt Romney.
Read the whole thing!
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