An Evangelical case for Ron Paul
Hao Li for the International Business Times gives a concise case why Evangelicals should support Ron Paul:
As I write this article Saturday morning, prominent evangelical leaders are reportedly meeting at a ranch in Texas to pick an evangelical candidate to back in hopes of derailing Romney’s nomination.
According to TIME’s Elizabeth Dias, Perry, Gingrich and Santorum are the candidates they are considering. Ron Paul is not included.
Evangelicals should, however, take a second look at him. . . .
Li swiftly but clearly covers key Evangelical concerns, as well as others they should be concerned with:
Pro-Life
Paul is an obstetrician by trade and delivered over 4,000 babies; never once did he perform an abortion. He even steered women considering abortion to alternative choices like adoption. He staunchly believes that the life begins at conception.
As a politician, he believes in cutting taxpayer funds to entities that facilitate abortion (like Planned Parenthood) and removing federal hindrance that interferes with states’ efforts to ban abortion.
Pro-Israel
Yes, Paul is actually pro-Israel.
While he supports cutting military aid to Israel, he also supports cutting aid to neighboring Arab and Muslim countries, which actually exceeds the aid given to Israel.
Paul also supports the sovereignty of Israel, arguing that Israel currently does not have sovereignty because it needs to ask the U.S. for permission to engage in certain military acts.
Pro-Constitution
Paul is undeniably the most pro-Constitution candidate in the 2012 Republican nomination race; he upholds the rules of the Constitution and does not believe the federal government should violate them.
Christians think the Constitution protects their right to express their religious faith.
“Christians have learned that the Constitution is our friend,” said Doug Wead, a former advisor to President Bush, according to the Star-Telegram.
Anti-Federal Reserve
Christians have long been suspicious of the Federal Reserve, which has questionable ties to Wall Street and invisibly taxes American workers by stoking inflation.
Paul is by far the most anti-Federal Reserve candidate in the 2012 Republican race.
“We must follow the Biblical mandate of using honest weights and measures – not printing money out of thin air in almost complete secrecy,” Paul wrote on his Web site.
Moreover, two of the other candidates being considered are not even really Evangelicals:
[E]vangelicals should support Paul because he is one of them. (Contrastingly, Gingrich and Santorum are Catholic.)
Paul, raised Lutheran, is now a practicing and church-going Southern Baptist.
“I have accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior, and I endeavor every day to follow Him in all I do and in every position I advocate,” wrote Paul on his Web site.
Most importantly, national polls show consistently that only Romney or Paul have a viable shot at beating Obama. This should give Evangelicals great pause:
One thing is clear: evangelicals clearly do not like Romney. They do not like his Mormon faith, his soft stance on social issues and his reputation as an untrustworthy, flip-flopping politician. . . .
Paul is the only viable anti-Romney candidate. Besides Romney, he is the only candidate who scored a top-tier finish in Iowa and New Hampshire and polls top-tier in South Carolina.
He likely raised the most money in 2011 after Romney. He is also the only one besides Romney to have a national presence and a credible national strategy.
There is one more reason to back Paul: if Perry, Gingrich and Santorum wins the Republican nomination, he will likely be crushed in a general election against President Obama. Polls have consistently shown that only Paul and Romney can put up a fight against the President.
Li argues it’s time to stop dividing the Evangelical primary vote and unite behind the “only viable” Evangelical candidate. Else, Romney will win:
If Evangelicals back Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich or Rick Perry – or they split their vote among multiple candidates – Mitt Romney would win (and Paul would come in second).
If they overwhelmingly support Paul, Paul would beat Romney and win the 2012 Republican nomination.