Can it be? Is it possible that evangelicals read my post about evangelicals and the GOP nomination and took it to heart?
Probably not.
But a guy can dream can’t he? An article in the New York Times today speaks of a prominent evangelical figure by the name of Mark DeMoss writing a letter to 150 Conservative Christian leaders with the intention of rallying support for Mitt Romney. What a novel idea! Instead of bickering about Giuliani and discussing the possibility of a third-party candidate, evangelicals could get behind an electable, qualified, and more conservative candidate. That sounds so familiar…
In case you haven’t noticed, Dr. James Dobson (Focus on the Family) has yet to rule out support for Romney. He has expressed disappointment with the rest of the top tier candidates including Giuliani, McCain, and even Fred Thompson, but has yet to say whether or not he would support Romney. From what I gather, Romney seems to be a potential choice for Dobson, and a reasonable one at that.
There have only been a few drawbacks for Romney among evangelicals thus far. First, his religion. Many evangelicals consider Mormonism a cult. And frankly, I wouldn’t completely disagree. However, when you consider moral standards among the Judeo-Christian community, Mormons rank exceptionally high. They oppose abortion and gay marriage. Until recently, they weren’t even allowed to drink caffeinated products. If that’s not a staunch moral code, I don’t know what is.
The other drawback is his previous “support” of gay rights and abortion. As for gay rights, he has continually supported a Constitutional ban on gay marriage (and he’s the only top-tier candidate that does). So that certainly makes the gay rights aspect a moot point. As for abortion, he never actively supported abortion. He simply said he wouldn’t alter the established law. In 2006, he said that he believed he was wrong on that issue and had effectively changed his mind.
Now many conservatives will be quick to call him a flip-flopper for changing his mind. But as DeMoss points out in his letter, getting people to change their minds on abortion is really what the pro-life movement is all about! We should be glad that Romney has come to understand the pro-life point of view.
I’m extremely proud of Mark DeMoss for writing that letter in support of Romney. I must say that I’m a bit surprised that more evangelicals aren’t rallying around Mike Huckabee, Baptist preacher and evangelical if there ever was one. But like me, I think they realize that Mitt Romney stands a better of chance of winning the nomination and the support of the base than Huckabee does.
If evangelicals want a solid candidate who comes down on the right side of social issues, they’d be hard pressed to find a better and more electable candidate than Mitt Romney. The only other candidate that comes close is Fred Thompson, and he doesn’t support a constitutional ban on gay marriage. Romney does. With his leads in early primary states, and growing national support, an endorsement from the evangelical community could not only win him the nomination, but quite possibly the White House itself.
