Giving the Senator a Chance

Dr. Ben Carson - #BC2DC16

I started this election season a staunch supporter of Dr. Ben Carson, but have come to the sad realization that #BC2DC16 will not happen.  I suppose in my heart I knew it would not, but I wanted to dream, even if only for a few months.  Dr. Ben Carson is a great, great man.  I am so proud of what he has done these past few months.  I am proud to have supported him and wish him well. 

Thus, it is time for me to move to my #2.  I have not come to the decision lightly, but have done hours of homework.  And here was my litmus test:

I strongly believe this coming election should not be about “personality” or “charm” (a la the Kennedy “Camelot”), but about character, accomplishments, and abilities.  I feel this way because personality and charm will not save our country--character and a commitment to God and the Constitution of the United States will. 

So…I have listened to all of the remaining candidates that even somewhat appeal to me in this order:  Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina, and Rand Paul.  I have listened to speeches and studied bios, resumes, and accomplishments.  I have worked to get past “personality.”  I have paid attention to endorsements of people I trust. 

This homework as led me to one conclusion.  In the words of the famous conservative, William F. Buckley, Jr.—it is important to support the most conservative candidate who can win.  But today, I think Mr. Buckley might be willing to amend that to, “Support the most conservative. Period.”  (I would hope he would agree that conservatism is now more important than winning.)

Side Note:  Using this definition, Trump is disqualified immediately.  All evidence shows he is not conservative.  If you don’t believe me, trust the 20+ conservative thinkers who submitted essays to the National Review, a leading conservative publication for decades --  http://www.nationalreview.com/article/430126/donald-trump-conservatives-oppose-nomination. 

But Trump is “counted out” for me for an even important reason: character.  This man is a selfish womanizer; he is cruel, uncouth, and certainly not a “Level 5” leader.  He can’t hold a candle to Ben Carson and I do not believe this needs any additional explanation.  As we learn in the Declaration of Independence, his language and behavior reveal his character.  It is self-evident.  And it does not matter that he might could “win.”  A Trump “win” would be a loss for conservatives, Republicans, and more importantly, America and the Constitution.

Fruits of the Homework and Research: Giving the Senator a Chance

After all of this homework, I have come to strongly believe that the candidate who is most prepared to lead our country in the crises that lie ahead, the one who understands the Constitution the best and who has a proven track record of defending it (especially life and religious liberty), the one who knows that it is God and “we the people” that can save this country (and not himself), and the one that happens to sometimes have a grating personality is, drum roll please, Senator Ted Cruz.  Please don’t turn me off just yet.  As I said above, this is not about personality--it is about character, accomplishments, and abilities. 


In the footnote of this blog is a list of "the details," i.e. all of the homework I did to come to this conclusion.  These speeches and interviews total about 3 to 3.5 hours.  If all of that seems like too much to duplicate, please go to Ted Cruz's Facebook page.  There is a nice 8 minute summary speech given at the Linn County Super Caucus that was posted on Monday February 1, 7:43pm.  In business we call this an "executive summary."


Yes, Cruz can have a blustery personality.  He can also come across as tough and unyielding.  But politics today is an emotionally violent business.  Don’t we need someone tough and unyielding at the helm to defend religious liberty, life, and family?  The coming attacks will be ruthless in ways we cannot even imagine. 


I truly believe Senator Cruz is for real and meets the full qualification of “the most conservative candidate who can win.”  Please do not listen to ANYONE who says "Cruz can't win," i.e. CNN, Fox, or the RNC or anyone who listens to these guys.  That is what they tried to tell Iowa and...CRUZ JUST WON IOWA!  In fact, he won more votes in the Iowa caucus than any other Republican in history. And he did it by not allowing the media to define him.  He was on the ground meeting people, talking with them, and listening.  As far as I know, he is the only candidate who visited every county in the state. 


I know Senator Cruz’s personality can be off-putting sometimes, but that is because he is so smart and tough.  Shouldn’t compassionate conservatives agree that right now what this country needs is a leader who, more than anything else, smart and tough?  


In the end, my support for Senator Ted Cruz boils down to two things.  These two things are, in my view, the two most important things a president should know, 1) the Bible and 2) the Constitution.  If you choose to do even a little of the same homework I did you will see that the Senator understands both of these better than any other candidate in this race, including Senator Rubio.  That is how Cruz earned my vote.

Resumes matter—or at least they should.  And despite the fact that Cruz and Rubio are the same age, Cruz has had ten times the experience and depth of Rubio.  When placing their accomplishments side by side, there is no contest.  Cruz wins, hands down. 

I will be “sharing” a lot about Senator Cruz in coming days.  I believe in him and I hope I can persuade you to believe in him, too :-)
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Footnote: The Details

If you want to know the details of how I got here, these are the four speeches that entrenched him as my #2:

1. The Prestonwood Baptist Presidential Forum, Part 1, minute 34:45 to 1:08ish (http://www.prestonwood.org/north-texas-presidential-forum).  His speech was short and sweet, but what I liked most was the Q&A with Pastor Graham.  Of all the candidates I watched at this forum, next to Ben Carson, I was most impressed with Senator Cruz.  (I was also disappointed that Senator Rubio was a no-show.)  After listening to a the aforementioned candidates who were at this forum, Mr. Cruz became my soft #2.
2. The Glenn Beck Program: A Conversation with Ted Cruz, October 26, 2015, (I know Glenn can be irritating, too, but, again, please get past the personality and into the substance): http://www.video.theblaze.com/video/v522620283/1026-glenn-beck-program  Glenn can ask hard questions and he did.  It was during this program Mr. Cruz became my solid #2.  If you do not have TheBlaze it is worth spending $1 for the 30 day trial just to watch the interviews with all the candidates.  He interviews Rubio, Fiorina, Carson, Paul, Santorum, and Jindel (I think).  I am not sure which ones are still posted.
3. Speech given at Ankeny, Iowa.  Available on Glenn Beck’s Facebook page dated January 23 at 2:13pm.  Intro by Glenn Beck starts at about 47:00 minute mark. If interested, Glenn Beck’s speech at this rally is very good—informative, enlightening, and passionate.  It starts about minute 8:00.
4. Very similar to 3), but not as moving as Ankeny: Speech given at Waterloo, Iowa beginning about hour/minute 1:19 with GB intro: http://www.c-span.org/video/?403551-1/ted-cruz-campaign-rally-waterloo-iowa (Glenn’s full speech starts at minute 24:00).

In addition, this sealed the deal:  if you spend the $1 for 30 days of TheBlaze, watch the middle hour, 1^st 15 minutes of the January 25-28 episodes.  Glenn does a nice job of summarizing Cruz’s background and resume.