“Patriot Academy: Today’s Generation”

Over the years, many requests have been made to have a Patriot Academy Session for adults over 25. We are excited to announce the unveiling of our new adult track program, just in time for our 10^th Anniversary!

COME JOIN US THIS SUMMER!

What: Patriot Academy 2012

Where: Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas

When: July 30 – August 4, 2012

Who: YOU!

NEW! Adult Track Program: 26 yrs old and up

Student Track:  16-25 years old

 WHAT IS PATRIOT ACADEMY?

The vision of Patriot Academy is to equip a new generation of Patriots to become leaders in local, State, and Federal governments and to help bring our nation back to the principles of liberty on which we were founded. Founded by former Texas State Representative Rick Green, our first student session began in 2002. To read more about our history, click here.

Our goals are to:

1. Train students and adults to develop government policy with a conservative worldview like that of the Founding Fathers of America.
2. Teach the political process through hands-on training that prepares these leaders to win in the arena of ideas.
3. Motivate students and adults to be leaders in politics, business, entertainment, media, and all areas of the culture.

President Ronald Reagan said, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.” Unless we motivate and equip the rising generation to take up the torch of freedom and carry it forward, it will become extinguished forever. We desire to help students and adults alike become agents of positive change and to give them the tools they need to successfully engage in the political process.

Our desire is that every person who attends Patriot Academy will understand that it is their duty and the privilege to guard the precious legacy of freedom.

For more information about the program, please visit www.PatriotAcademy.com. To contact us, email us or call 512.858.4825.

NEED HOPE? WANT CHANGE?

Now is the time to take leadership to a whole new level with our Adult Track. You can be a part of this revolution of leadership! If you already feel a stirring in your soul to be a part of today’s generation of leadership, then you owe it to yourself and our nation to attend Patriot Academy.

A Partial listing of our “Today’s Generation” training workshops:

• Citizen Duty 101
•  Revolution!…just not the French kind!
• Using Social Media to win the culture war
• EFFECTIVE citizenship that wins elections and passes legislation
• The Power of Purposeful Communication (5 hours of communication training)
• Thinking Biblically, Speaking Culturally

Many adults are concerned about the direction our Nation is headed and want to know how they can be involved, how to make a difference and stand in the gap!  The Adult Track will not only help attendees learn how bills are written and the committee process works, but how to effectively lobby elected representatives and work to get patriots elected in their community and state. Speakers will address specifically the situations we adults face as we wonder how to make a difference within our sphere of influence. By the end of the week’s training, attendees will be able to confidently carry the Torch of Freedom while effectively passing it to the next generation!

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE ADULT TRACK AND TO APPLY, CLICK HERE.

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I view Mitt Romney the exact same way. If you read my blog or FaceBook page, you well know Romney was not my first choice… or second choice… or third choice… or fourth choice… you get the idea! But neither was that worn out, falling apart, dull blue, Ford Tempo my dream car when I turned 16.

Just as I would have preferred to start with a Trans Am or Lincoln Mark VIII for my first car back in 1986, I would have much preferred a Ronald Reagan conservative for our republican nominee this year.

But that old Ford Tempo served an important purpose in getting me through the bumps and bruises of those first driving experiences. It got me to baseball practice and school; and even though it wasn’t very impressive, I could still cruise a circle around the Sonic Drive-In about 300 times every Friday night.

It got me from point A to point B and then later in life I was able to get the vehicles I really wanted.

Whether we like it or not, Mitt Romney is the only option left on the car lot of this election cycle that can actually get us from point A to point B. The only question remaining is “do we want to sit at home on Friday night because we do not drive the coolest car in town, or will we do the best we can with what we’ve got where we are?”

Surely we conservatives are not foolish enough to think that we’d rather sit this one out and let Barack Obama become president for four more years.

It’s time for me to eat some crow, admit I was wrong in my predictions that Romney would never be the nominee, stop complaining about all the things I do not like about him, and start focusing on the positive attributes that will be one million times better than Obama.

You may want to sulk a little longer, kind of like I have been for the last few weeks. But I’m going to snap out of it, get on board and do everything I can to make sure Obama is a one-term president and we have a Congress that will begin the process of getting America back on track.

In the coming weeks, I plan to blog about the reasons FOR supporting Romney. Yea, yea, I know. I spent the last year talking about why NOT to support him! So maybe these next few blogs will be for convincing me just as much as they will hopefully convince you! There really are a LOT of positives we can focus on.

For a sneak peak, be sure to listen to my interview with Jordon Sekulow that will air tomorrow on WallBuilders Live. Jay and Jordon Sekulow have supported Romney since 2007. I greatly respect those guys and want to know what they saw that I didn’t.

Stay tuned for more.

Any suggestions on whether crow is better grilled or baked?

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Yes, the idea of gladiator children should give all of us serious concern. But real events during the days of the Roman gladiators and the arena murders of Christians (including children), as well as Hitler’s Nazi scourge, were far worse than anything depicted in this movie.

Important lessons came through loud and clear in the movie, while other lessons are more subtle. Smart parents can use this movie and a few dinnertime conversations to drive home these important points.

1. Totalitarian states lead to blind barbarism where the rules favor only the rulers and laws change at the whims of those in power. History has shown this begins with a government big enough to provide everything for you and then that government begins taking those things away from you as it controls every aspect of your life. Hunger Games will give an entire generation a very healthy skepticism of controls from a far distant capitol.
2. Life is precious and valuing life respectfully changes hearts. Katniss only takes life when forced to do so in self-defense, she protects life by sacrificing herself for her sister, and does everything she can to protect the lives of others such as Rue. Defying tradition and at risk to her own life, she respects and honors the life of Rue in a way that reminds the entire nation of the value of life and shakes many of them out of their slumber. Her own pain at the loss of Rue is depicted in a way that prevents the viewer from reveling in the taking of life (something I feared would make the movie very dangerous if not displayed correctly) but instead realizing how wrong is this whole theatrical display of death. Katniss’ actions in Hunger Games are much like the story of the 1^st Century Roman Monk, Telemachus, whose brave actions in speaking out against the barbaric practice of gladiator events brought them to an end.
3. A spoiled generation that avoids hard work and focuses entirely on entertainment will become soft and deceived to the point of no longer recognizing right from wrong. The people in “the capitol” are clueless to the evils they now view as entertainment. When being entertained and living in convenience is more important than the basic value of life, a culture can be so deceived that even the murder of children is acceptable. In the movie, this happens in “the arena.”  In America, this happens in abortion clinics around the nation as we sacrifice our children on the altar of convenience. In Hunger Games, 23 kids a year are murdered. In America, we murder that many children every fifteen minutes.The pretentious, oblivious “capitol” residents are so focused on appearances and entertainment, they do nothing to stop the murder of children and oppression of other people. Is it not even worse that 100 million Americans chose to not even cast a vote in the last election while our laws and government not only allow, but actively participate in the murder of 1.2 million babies every year? If just 10% of non-voting Christians would show up and cast informed, Biblically based votes, we could save millions of lives and stop America’s slide towards the same callousness and tyranny found in Hunger Games.
4. An unarmed people can be forced to do unthinkable things. The makers of Hunger Games did a superb job of depicting the “reaping” scenes as reminiscent of the Nazi concentration camps. The empty, hollow eyes of the children and parents depict a defeated and helpless people who have known nothing but despotism and oppression. You may find it impossible to imagine allowing your fifteen year old ripped from your arms to be forced to fight for their life in a gladiator event. The reason you cannot imagine it is because the 2^nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees you are NOT helpless and unable to defend your family from such totalitarianism.

Should you let your kids see this movie? Definitely not children under 11 and only 11 to 14 if you wait for Clear Play or you know the handful of violent scenes in which you should prevent them from watching (yes, the old fashioned covering of your kids eyes is still allowed in movie theaters!).

15 and up SHOULD watch this movie if you plan to follow up the movie with discussions about the values of life and liberty and what can be learned from the story.

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How I wish that were the case! But reality is much different.

There are several things to keep in mind that should bring such simplistic optimism into sobering focus:

1. This was little more than a beauty contest, with zero delegates at stake in Misouri, and only a very small handful in the other two states…and even those will not be awarded for some time.
2. Newt Gingrich did not even compete in these three states.
3. Santorum has still not been on the receiving end of the attacks that have destroyed every other candidate (except Newt) Romney put in his crosshairs. Just like in Iowa, Santorum enjoyed the benefit of being the only conservative alternative left, yet he faced no real scrutiny. When the heat is on Santorum, he will respond as he did in 2006…defensive and angry…and he will sink faster than that old Charlie Hough knuckle ball, just as he did after Iowa.
4. Santorum does not have the communication skills or stamina to withstand the onslaught that will come if he is ever considered a real threat by Romney or Obama. Even last night in his victory speech, just when I was ready to eat crow and admit “maybe this guy can pull it off after all,” the first five minutes of his speech was as incoherent as Rick Perry in those early debates. It was just like Santorum the night of his Iowa victory and in interviews the morning after…he does not do well when he is tired. At the very moments when he should be at his best (after winning), he is sorely disappointing and uninspiring. The only reason he is even still in the fight is because conservatives feel they have no one else to vote for…that does not inspire confidence for the November fight.

There are some very, very bright spots to highlight from last night though:

1. Romney’s momentum was stopped! This leaves open the possibility of a Newt comeback in March, or a split all the way to the convention.
2. Romney stayed at that 25% – 35% level, leaving 65% to 75% of the republicans still looking for an alternative.
3. Delegates, even a handful, going to anyone but Romney helps get us to a brokered convention.
4. The numbers prove that when there is only one conservative in the race, we absolutely can win!

My prediction is that Santorum will ride another high through February…just long enough to keep Romney from running away with it. Then Newt will have a major comeback on Super Tuesday and there will be a protracted fight all the way to the convention. After 15 or 20 ballots at the convention, Mike Huckabee will give a great speech, his name will put into nomination, and he will be our nominee!

Did my alarm just go off and wake me from my dream?

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I’ve taken a lot of heat over the last few months while publicly airing my thought process in deciding whom to support in the presidential race and seeking the input of my blog readers and Facebook supporters.

It’s been surprising to me the level of disgust, insults, and name calling… simply because I came to a different conclusion than some.

I’ve been called stupid, a shill for the establishment, afraid to answer tough questions, closed minded, and worst of all…even had one lady lamenting the fact that Jesus could die for someone as stupid as me!!!

Many of you seem to be saying “I want the truth!”, so here’s hoping we can reach a better outcome than Jack Nicholson got in A Few Good Men with his “You can’t handle the truth!” Instead, I’ll simply ask “can you handle the truth?” and then I’ll lay it out.

In his famous “Give Me Liberty, or Give Me Death” speech on March 23, 1775 (my birthday BTW), Patrick Henry began with:

“No man thinks more highly than I do of the patriotism, as well as abilities, of the very worthy gentlemen who have just addressed the House. But different men often see the same subject in different lights; and, therefore, I hope it will not be thought disrespectful to those gentlemen if, entertaining as I do opinions of a character very opposite to theirs, I shall speak forth my sentiments freely and without reserve. This is no time for ceremony. The questing before the House is one of awful moment to this country. For my own part, I consider it as nothing less than a question of freedom or slavery; and in proportion to the magnitude of the subject ought to be the freedom of the debate. It is only in this way that we can hope to arrive at truth, and fulfill the great responsibility which we hold to God and our country. Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offense, I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country, and of an act of disloyalty toward the

Trey & me w/Patrick Henry at St. John's church after re-enactment

Majesty of Heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings.”

I’d like to paraphrase Henry’s opening as applied to discussions on my blog and Facebook page the last couple of weeks:

“I am eternally grateful for the attention and activism of so many Americans who are concerned about the future of our great Nation and are willing to give of their time, money, energy, and talents to influence the outcome of elections in order to right the ship. Since we naturally come to different conclusions about the best candidate or course of action to save America, I hope it is not considered rude or disrespectful for me to express my own sentiments, thoughts, and conclusions. I will be blunt and honest. This is no time for pomp and circumstance, tickling of ears, or political double speak. These are serious times and the fate of our beloved liberty hangs in the balance. The freedom of our discussions and debate should be on par with the magnitude of the issue, which is the survival of freedom in America. If I were to play it safe, appear neutral, and hold back my opinions out of fear of offending someone who might be a supporter, friend, or student, I would be committing treason against my country and squandering the gift of freedom (accompanied by the duty of defending her) given by God and I respect Him more than anyone on this earth.”

If you are not afraid of open discussion; if you like the fact that I just “call ‘em like I see ‘em” and do my best to make that call only after thoughtful analysis, then I am thrilled that you would give me the honor of your company and input through Facebook, radio, web blog, or whatever medium we are communicating.

In my blog on the presidential race, I took the time to give what most said was a thoughtful, fair, detailed analysis of the candidates. I promised from the beginning to be brutally blunt and honest. I both praised and criticized all the candidates while addressing their strengths and weaknesses.

Now that we are down to four candidates, and after factoring in the response of the voters thus far, I have reached the conclusion that Newt Gingrich (warts and all) is the best chance we have at BOTH defeating Barack Obama AND putting the nation back on the right track. I have laid out the reasons in my blog and in response to Facebook posts and I look forward to continuing to do so.

Many of you are quite upset with me about my conclusion. Some have promised to never support me again, some have diagnosed me with mental illness, others have said I am just a sellout, part of the establishment, etc.

So as not to make this blog turn into a book, I’ll do my best to summarize my thought process regarding Newt:

A.        Though well qualified to be president, he is enormously flawed and full of past mistakes of both character and policy which have been well publicized, some of which have been greatly exaggerated, some of which needed no exaggeration, and others were distorted to the point of falsehood.

So how do I reconcile my support of such a flawed man with my own Biblical worldview and definition of a leader?

1. There is none righteous, no not one. I can get hung up on the flaws of ANY candidate, including those not in the race…including myself if I’m truly honest!
2. I believe Newt has been truly repentant for his personal transgressions. Either we believe in forgiveness and redemption, or we don’t. Yes, there are consequences for our actions and for some voters, adultery is a complete disqualifier for public office. Were there a candidate in the race with the ability to win and do the job well who did not have such a black mark on the record, I, too, would pass over Newt. But I must also remember the flawed characters of Moses the murderer, King David the murderer and adulterer, and other Biblical leaders with massive flaws.Newt has also admitted his public policy mistakes, such as supporting the individual mandate back when we all were working to kill Hillarycare. I do not believe he is the big government progressive that many are painting him to be. I have been reading his books and following his commentary for 23 years. Painting Newt as an anti-Reagan progressive is just not accurate. The purist who never works with fellow legislators to get things done can claim consistency, but it almost always means consistently accomplishing absolutely nothing. Those that do the hard work of accomplishing what they can today and then coming back tomorrow to get more of the agenda passed, those types of people understand that the legislative process necessarily requires compromise to get things done. We are not a dictatorship. We are a republic. Those conservative purists who are unwilling to be strategic and realistic are neutering the tea party and if they continue this simplistic approach will render the movement completely ineffective. The good book calls it clouds without rain.
3. Newt is one of the most brilliant, strategic, visionary leaders of the last half-century. I’ll admit this is my opinion, but it is also an absolute fact. He has done more to educate and train a generation of conservatives, usher in the first republican congressional victories of my lifetime, accomplish conservative agenda items…more than anyone in the last 50 years except Ronald Reagan. For those of you that will not accept anything but a perfect conservative utopia, you are deluded and setting yourself up for failure. We will not have a perfect government this side of heaven. YES, we should fight as hard as we can for as close to that original vision of the Founding Fathers as possible. But we would be foolish to throw out the leaders who have moved us closer to the goal than anyone else. It would be like firing the best quarterback in the league simply because he threw one interception, lost one game, or had a less than 100% pass completion ratio.

B.        Newt is the only conservative left that can win. Santorum is a fundamentally flawed candidate that will not win a national election until he learns to communicate without coming across so whiny, defensive, self-righteous, and petty. I know his supporters hate me saying that, but it is absolute fact no matter how much I hate saying it. The stakes are too high for us to be delusional and not willing to face the facts because we want so bad for our choice to win. Rick Perry was my first choice, but no matter how much I believed in him, his debate performances ruined his campaign in the minds of too many people for him to recover. Paul is even more fundamentally flawed than Santorum and there is not enough space here to rehash what has already been written in previous blogs.

C.         Newt CAN win. See previous blog for more detail. The Churchill syndrome is in full effect and people are looking for the wise, tough old guy that can get the train back on the tracks. February will be a very rough month and Romney will win most all the contests, but Super Tuesday will re-ignite Newt and the race to the convention will be historic!

Well there it is! My logic behind supporting Newt:  He is flawed, but enormously talented, the best man for the job, and the only conservative left that can win!

You may disagree with my conclusion, perhaps passionately.

Just remember that if you found your way to my Facebook page and website, it must be because we shared something in common. Perhaps you supported my race for Supreme Court because you wanted someone with an understanding and respect of the Constitution. Perhaps you have attended one of my Constitution Classes or presentations on the faith of the Founding Fathers.

Whatever the reason, you are probably a lover of liberty like me and we both want to preserve our Constitutional Republic and the American way of life. So whatever our disagreements, we are on the same team!

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Let’s take a look at the most similar republican primary of the last 50 years…1976 between Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford.

The biggest difference in 1976 was that Ford was an incumbent president being challenged in his own party by a B-list actor turned Governor. It should have been a landslide for Ford and for the first few months, it was.

Reagan lost EIGHT of the first nine contests, some of them 94% to 5% and 83% to 15%. The pundits said it was over, he should get out and support the “inevitable” nominee.

Then came Texas!

Reagan creamed Ford in Texas on May 1 and then went on to win more than half of the remaining contests and came within just a handful of votes at the convention of defeating the incumbent president. 

*side note* When Reagan spoke after Ford’s victory speech, everyone in the arena knew they had chosen the wrong man and came back in 1980 to get it right!

The point is that this race is far from over and Romney CAN still be stopped. We have 46 states to go and Romney only has 5% of the delegates he needs to win.

And here is the fun part for me…Texas sits poised to be right about the same time in this contest as it was in 1976. About half the delegates will be chosen by the time this battle gets to Texas on April 3rd. I predict Romney will be in the lead, but not near enough to come anywhere close to winning. In fact, it will not be far from a tie and Texas can be the one to start a huge shift AWAY from Romney.

The major differences between 1976 and 2012 are entirely in the favor of conservatives.

1.  Romney is NOT an incumbent president and 75% of the republican voters have never been convinced he is the guy to support.

2.  There was no Tea Party, no conservative uprising in 1976. There is an army of citizens ready to take action to save our nation and we know that Romney is not a Ronald Reagan no matter how much he tries to sound like him in the debates.

3.  Back in 1976, the big three Networks and major newspapers controlled the flow of information to voters. Today we have Facebook, Twitter, cable news, youtube, and all the alternative media. The people have just as much, if not more, power than the machine.

So, what will it take to stop Romney?

1.   Conservatives have to suck it up and realize that our dream candidate is not in the race. There are only two viable options…Romney or Newt. Our only chance of getting anyone other than those two is for everyone to get behind Newt and force this thing to the convention where a Huckabee type candidate could be nominated just as James Garfield did on the 36^th ballot in 1880. The more likely scenario is that Newt just flat out beats Romney and becomes our nominee and then president. This is a scenario I’m perfectly comfortable with and other conservatives should also become comfortable with it unless they want Romney as the nominee and Obama as the president.

2.  Santorum has to get out of the race and support Newt. His 10% to 13% would almost all go to Newt and be enough for Newt to sweep the South, as well as dominate on Super Tuesday.

3.  Liberty loving, Christian conservatives who want limited government and are currently supporting Ron Paul must become more strategic with their votes. He cannot and will not be the nominee. You have got to ask yourself whether you want Obama to have four more years, Romney to possibly win and be surrounded by moderates, or Newt to win and be surrounding by wise counsel like David Barton, Mat Staver, Don Wildmon, Jim Garlow, and other Christian leaders. THINK and be strategic! The 5% of Ron Paul’s 9% that is made up of the “legalize drugs” crowd is not ever going to vote for someone else, but the other 4% made up of smart conservatives can make the difference in this race if they are strategic.

Romney can be stopped.

Obama can be defeated.

It’s up to us.

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Can you imagine how many of our national problems would be solved if every single American read, studied, and understood the founding documents of our Nation?

In 2001, I passed the Teach Freedom Act (HB1776), which set up the concept of Celebrate Freedom Week across Texas schools and several states followed our lead. This law requires that every student spend time during the designated week studying the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

Though the law is mandatory, most schools are not participating, which means that most students educated in America get very little to zero exposure to the founding principles of America.

My family wants to launch an all out effort to maximize the implementation of Celebrate Freedom Week across the entire nation and we need your help! As we prepare for this push, we are looking for a High School or College student that would like to do a research paper on the impact of this one piece of legislation. The student’s paper could chronicle which states have adopted Celebrate Freedom Week and when they did so, as well as compile helpful links to websites in those states that we can later share with people in those states that want to help with implementation. The paper could compile examples of activities schools have engaged in as part of CFW and also include teaching tools that people across the nation have developed for the week.

We will then take the information gathered in the student’s paper and include it in our new internet launch for the Spring of 2012, using that information to equip and inspire patriots across America to bring Celebrate Freedom Week to their local school districts.

The student or students who choose to help with this project will not only complete a research assignment they had to do anyway, they will choose a topic that allows them to be a very vital part of sparking a freedom revolution across America!

Please spread the word and have students send their papers to info@RickGreen.com no later than February 15, 2012.

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“My name is Rick Green and I’m a former Texas state representative. I spent the last 10 years working with David Barton & WallBuilders, hosting David’s radio program and speaking around the nation on the Founding Fathers and the Biblically based Constitutional principles that made America the greatest nation in the history of the world. We have devoted our lives to preserving and passing liberty to the next generation.

My family and I spent our own money to fly here to be with you in Iowa tonight, all the way from the big city of Dripping Springs, TX. In fact my 17 yr old nephew worked hard to earn enough money to buy his own plane ticket…why? because we care deeply about our nation and we believe your decisions tonight will have a huge impact on the future of our children.

It was not easy to decide who we would support in this race. We have struggled just like, according to the polling, most of you. I’ve been excited about one candidate, then disappointed…excited about another candidate then disappointed.

I feel like I’ve gone through candidates the way Elizabeth Taylor went through husbands. 

It’s a tough situation you are in as the first ones to vet these candidates. But I don’t think we have all struggled because there are no good candidates, I believe our decision is difficult because there are several great candidates…and like all of us, they have great flaws. Whether its Romneys flip-flopping, Perry’s debate gaffes, Newt’s personal issues, Bachmann’s exaggerated attacks, or Santorum’s defensive communication style that makes it very hard for him to win votes…every one of them has positives and negatives we each have to weigh as we make our choice.

So the only thing I know to do is ask the same two questions I ask in every political race…which candidate MOST shares my values AND can get the job done? I don’t know about you, but I have yet to find a candidate I agree with 100% of the time, so I have to find the one that most shares my values BUT they must also be effective…they have to be able to win the election and then be effective in office. None of us want someone that is only one or the other…if they agree with us on the issues 100% of the time, but they can’t get elected or they are unable to get things done once in office, then we’ve done nothing to save our nation. If they are really good at getting elected and maybe even good at passing legislation, but they have the wrong values or their values change with the wind, that’s no good either. They must BOTH share our values AND be effective.

For me, as a constitutional conservative, Rick Perry stands out, by far, as the one candidate with a proven track record of solid conservative values AND the ability to win tough elections followed by effective governing leadership that actually takes our conservative philosophy and makes it into policy.

Have I agreed with every single decision he has made? No, of course not. In the 13 years he has been either Lt. Gov or Gov there have been literally thousands of bills and policy issues and yes, there were 3 or 4 where I disagreed with him and said so publicly…but 3 or 4 mistakes, which he admits, out of thousands? That’s an impressive record!

He is without question the most pro-life, traditional values, pro-free market governor in the nation. He not only has the right positions, he has an extremely successful record of getting legislation passed and moving the conservative agenda forward. Just pick an issue and he has delivered in Texas (parental notification and parental consent and requiring a sonogram before an abortion, as well as defunding planned parenthood, passing a marriage amendment that protects traditional marriage, tort reform, 2nd amendment protections, securing the border, homeschooling protections, charter schools, religious liberty statutes, voter ID, and he signed my legislation requiring kids to study the declaration and the constitution every year at every grade level.  I can’t think of a single conservative issue where he has not delivered a victory and moved the conservative agenda forward.

So does he share your conservative values and does he have a track record of getting the job done?  Well, as Sara Palin said when she came to Texas to campaign for his re-election as governor…”u betcha!!”

So the only question remaining is “can he beat Barack Obama?”

I know he had a couple of bad nights in the debates and that’s really the one thing that gives most people, including me, some pause and concern.  But let’s look at the total picture, not just a snapshot of one or two minutes…he has consistently gotten better and better in the debates, he is the best in the field at retail politics, and he will be more than ready for Obama When the general election gets here.

In virtually every statewide race back home people, including me sometimes, said he could not win and then he won in landslides.

He is the only one in the race about which we can say ALL of the following things ( each candidate can say one or two of these):

1. He was against Obamacare and the individual mandate from the beginning, never nuanced, never waffling.

2.  Executive experience at the highest level…11 years at the helm of the 13th largest economy in the world where 1 million jobs were created while the rest of the nation lost 2 million. There is a reason for that! He put in place the laws and policies that created an atmosphere of exceptionalism and free enterprise…exactly what we need on the federal level!

3.  A lifetime of being faithful to his wife and his principles and being a great role model for young people. From eagle scout to wearing the uniform of our military to a lifetime of public service without any corruption, not a single scandal…rare in our nation today!

4.  He gets what we are up against in the war against radical Islam, and he will take the steps necessary to protect our nation.

Rick perry is a man that understands the times AND knows what to do.

I urge you to support a candidate that BOTH shares our values AND can get the job done and that man is Gov Rick Perry.”

So that’s what I said in Iowa and that’s what I’m still saying. My wife, Kara, asked me the other day, “how is that we have the most successful governor in the nation by any measurement in the race and yet the most UNsuccessful governor in the race is winning (Romney)?”  Well, I’ve listed the reasons throughout this blog as we analyzed the candidates. The question now is whether South Carolina will judge these candidates on the full picture and nominate the one that has a proven track record of moving the conservative agenda forward!

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For all his smoothness last night in New Hampshire at delivering conservative rhetoric extremely, extremely well, the Mitt Meister was not on his best game at all this morning. He was so good last night that he even avoided that look of constipation or annoyed boredom (I can’t tell which it is) he seems to always have when listening to a question or another candidate. I was so glad to see it replaced by the pleasant look he had last night.

But “the look” was back this morning from the very first question.

I thought I was going to need a barf bag when listening to Romney’s soliloquy about how he is not a politician and chose not to run again for Governor because he wanted to be in the private sector. THANK YOU NEWT GINGRICH for being willing to call him out on that nonsense and remind both Romney and the world that Mit would have been a lifelong politician if he was electable enough to have won more than one of the many elections he’s been in since the early 1990’s! My favorite line of the morning debate was from Newt: “Can we drop a little bit of the pious baloney?”

Mitt did not help himself or the GOP by responding to Newt with a trite remark about being “happy” he made Ted Kennedy take out a mortgage on his house in order win the race. Just what we need, another example for Obama to use against Romney as the rich, fat cat actually enjoying the process of forcing people to take out a second mortgage? $10,000 bets, forcing people to take out mortgages, $200 Million Dollar man, and made millions laying off people through Bain Capitol. The dems are licking their chops.

Santorum had the chance to come into these NH debates as the surprise victory boy wonder that should have been smiling and shining and projecting an extremely positive message and vision. Instead, he stayed in his defensive toned attack mode that left him viewed as part of the petty bickering, rather than the optimistic alternative. Santorum’s choice of language in calling Ron Paul “disgusting” coupled with his demeanor is a guaranteed losing formula. When he interrupts over and over again, he thinks it shows him as tough, but it just comes across as whiny and petty over and over again. He did, however, do extremely well in handling that tired old liberal question of what would you do if your son came to you and said he was gay. Ironically, he handled this line of questioning far better than Mitt Romney who is self proclaimed champion of gay rights.

Rick Perry was at the best he’s been and for the first time in this race, he was the best on the stage. Two stellar debate performances within a 15 hour period just may get people to give him a second look. Perry’s first answer was superb in taking David Gregory’s “who is electable” question back to what caused the Tea Party victories of 2010. My second favorite line of the debate was Perry saying that Obama had poured gas on the bonfire of out of control spending that had already been lit and burning because of the Washington insiders on the stage. Perry also did a great job in describing the American people want jobs, not a handout. They want the dignity of providing for their family and he made a succinct, coherent argument for why he is the only guy on the stage that has executive experience creating the right environment for job growth. His best applause lines were both times he drove home the need and benefits of Right to Work.

Newt was at his best putting people (and the EPA) in their place (whether Mitt’s faux non-politician argument or the moderators ridiculous questions), but he also shown incredibly well when laying out just how bad Obama’s job killing energy policy has hurt the nation and with one breath in 30 seconds he lays out both the solution and a defense of supply-side economics. The man really has no rhetorical equal in this race or in my lifetime.

Huntsman had an extremely good moment early in the morning debate when he responded to Romney’s attack for Huntsman “putting his country first.” His daughter also did a great job on Fox News defending her father and their family from the absolutely embarrassing and over the top Ron Paul attack ads that included the Huntsman’s adopted children. That’s all the nice things I can come up for Huntsman, so I’ll move on!

The New Hampshire vote is 48 hours away, but I’m not that anxious or excited because it is not likely to have any real impact on the race. There is a very small chance that Huntsman does well enough to keep going, but my bet is that he’s done by the end of the week. There is also a small chance that Santorum could do really well and prove himself a viable candidate, but I personally think his betting on New Hampshire at all was a mistake. He will do poorly and it will cause more doubts for him. New Hampshire means nothing for Perry and not much for Newt, unless Santorum can crash sooner, rather than later, so we still have a chance at getting an alternative to Romney that can actually win.

So the real fun begins in South Carolina on Wednesday!

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1. New Hampshire debate…Mitt was flawless..unfortunately! I was teaching a Constitution Class tonight and did not...

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1.         Unfortunately, if I was a total newcomer and knew nothing about any of the candidates, I would have viewed Romney as the best candidate. I say unfortunately, because I am not a newcomer and I know that his record does not reflect the wonderful, Reaganisque rhetoric we heard tonight. He is the best evidence for the evolutionary concept of “adaptation” I have ever seen. He has truly mastered the conservative language and soaring patriotic & free enterprise rhetoric. If I closed my eyes, it sounded like he was giving one of my speeches on the Declaration of Independence and a defense of “the pursuit of happiness” right out of my book, Freedom’s Frame. If I believed he truly was a converted conservative that would govern the way he is talking, I’d be excited. But I don’t buy it. I still believe he is just a slick politician that has had 5 years and millions of dollars to simply shift his rhetoric to where the votes are in the republican primary and he’ll shift right back when he thinks he needs to for political expediency. So the real question for me after tonight, is that if he impressed a skeptic like me, did he do so well as to win over a lot of the leery conservatives who feel like they have nowhere else to go now that all the other conservatives seem so unelectable? South Carolina and Florida will answer that question for the rest of the nation.

2.         Santorum was not attacked as much as I expected, but he still did not seem ready or capable to deftly handle the level of scrutiny that is only beginning. He just does not inspire and he still strikes me as having the quirks and rigidity that will make it impossible for him to win…but he has about two more weeks to prove me wrong. Mitt saved Santorum tonight by taking on the absolutely ridiculous “contraceptive” issue. Even though it took a painful 15 minutes, Mitt finally, reluctantly (because he is always so timid in being willing to throw a punch), knocked Mr. Snuffleupagus (I know that’s not George’s name, but I’ve called him that since he worked for Clinton) out and embarrassed the ABC folks for this stupid line of questioning. Anyway, back to Santorum. Not a terrible night, but nothing there to convince me yet that he can really last. He seemed not ready for prime time and still had not shed the annoying communication style that will cost him dearly. He had several one liner jokes that were really good material, but his mannerisms and facial expressions and tonality never gave us the chance to laugh…blown opportunities that fuel my fears about his effectiveness on this stage.

3.         Newt was great as always, especially on slamming media and exposing the anti-Christian bias.  Has anyone noticed how often the other candidates say “just as Newt said?” He was masterful on the enormity of the radical Islam question. Newt, like Santorum, has to battle the “I’m angry at the world” communication style…but he just seems to pull it off in a way that makes us feel he is knowledgeable and serious, not self-righteous and condescending. He and Mitt are the only ones that consistently come across as completely capable of handling the job from day one. I did NOT say they were they only ones capable, I simply said they are the only ones that consistently come across that way. Which means that even though the two Ricks can definitely do the job, people that don’t know them are not being convinced right now.

4.         Perry had some of his best answers since the first debate and some of the best answers of the night. He especially did well when he inserted himself towards the end with a very articulate, passionate, and inspiring answer about the right vision and policies that can get things working again. The other answer I liked best was when he criticized Obama’s Administration for their war on religion. Perry was much better spoken tonight and continues to get better and better in the debates. Whether it’s too little too late remains to be seen, but he is doing the right things to be in a position to be the go to guy if two things happen:  1) Santorum falters fast, and 2) the attacks on Newt keep him from being the conservative alternative.

5.         Ron Paul consistently good and bad, not much different than he always is. I’m not sure who got the best of his exchange with Newt over supposed draft dodging. Newt rattled off a very strong list of military bona fides that made Paul look like he over-reached. However, I always think the guy that actually put on the uniform and risked his life wins these questions no matter what the other guy has done…so Paul & Perry are the only ones of the remaining six with that advantage. Perry could have knocked this one out of the park when given the softball question , but he chose to go to another issue with his answer…not the strategy I would have advised, but his answer turned out to be good enough to keep me from complaining much…I just think he missed a big opportunity. Paul also over-reached in his attack on Santorum, but I loved Paul’s final comment of the night when they were asked where they would be if not at the debate…he said he’d be at home reading an economics textbook. That had me laughing.

6.         Huntsman…did he really speak Mandarin during the debate or was I watching a Saturday Night Live skit? He’s going nowhere fast. He defended Civil Unions, said he would not send in troops if there was a chance they would not come home alive (I’m sorry, but that’s just naïve), went soft on China, and he makes me feel like I’m back in college listening to a boring professor that is going to dock my grade if I skip class like I want to more and more as the semester goes on.

Style matters and candidates have got to become better at articulating the message and selling conservatism. It’s a sad irony. Moderates like Romney learn to sell conservatism well in order to mask their record, while conservatives think their record will sell conservatism…but it takes BOTH true conservative convictions/actions AND the ability to sell them & articulate them.

The bottom line is that at this point the republican party is poised to elect style over substance simply because Romney has become the most polished candidate and has learned how to talk the conservative language, while the true conservatives are unable to bring all conservatives together because they either don’t articulate their own truly conservative beliefs well (Santorum and Perry) or their flaws are outweighing their well articulated beliefs and record (Newt).

I hope it does not end up that way, but that’s where the odds are favored. I do still hold out hope that Santorum, Perry, or Newt can be the last conservative standing after Iowa and get the others behind him. I can envision scenarios where it could be any of the three, but if they all three stay in after Florida, expect Romney to be the nominee and that gives Obama a very good chance at re-election.

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