Eight days ago Rick Santorum won the personal endorsements of two evangelical leaders—Bob Vander Plaats, CEO of the Family Leader, and Chuck Hurley, President of the Iowa Family Policy Center. The endorsements may have been just enough to push Santorum up in the polls—at Bachmann’s expense. Vander Plaats asked Bachmann to drop out and endorse one of the social conservatives.

The Bachmann team is simply imploding with the defection of a top aide to the Ron Paul camp.  She herself has said that it would take nothing less than a “miracle” to win. When you have to keep insisting that you aren’t dropping out—it may be time to drop out.  Look to Bachmann to exit stage left after Iowa. The question becomes who will she endorse.

Three new polls—today’s NBC/Marist poll, yesterday’s Rasmussen poll, CNN/Time/ORIC poll—show Santorum moving into third place. This is good new for Santorum. Conservative Republican candidates tend to out-perform in Iowa while moderate Republican candidates tend to under-perform. If this holds, Santorum is effectively in a three-way tie with Mitt Romney and Ron Paul. He is the only one of the candidates to visit all ninety-nine of Iowa counties.

Unlike Governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansa,s to whom he is frequently compared, Santorum is a northeasterner, a Pennsylvanian. His appeal may be limited beyond working-class Catholics and Midwestern evangelicals. He’s at 2.7% in South Carolina. Moreover, even if Santorum were to win Iowa—a big if—he has essentially no money and no organization in any other state.

Expect to see Rick Perry start a media blitz against Rick Santorum, which, indeed, he has already begun, releasing a radio ad. If Bachmann drops out, Santorum is all that stands between Perry and winning evangelical voters. Rick Santorum spent sixteen years in office, after all, and that leaves a paper trail.

Despite his social conservative bona fides, Santorum was anything but a fiscal conservative, as Erick Erickson points out over at Red State.

• He supported steel tariffs in Pennsylvania….
• He supported No Child Left Behind.
• He supported the prescription drug benefit.
• He supported the Bridge to Nowhere. In fact, according to Club for Growth, “Santorum had the audacity to vote to continue funding the Bridge to Nowhere rather than send the money to rebuild New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.”

Those kind of attack ads write themselves, and you can be sure that Barack Obama will rest at nothing to mention Santorum’s support for the Bridge to Nowhere over the blacks who suffered in Katrina.

Santorum stands ready to defend those earmarks, but calls his voting in favor of a new drug entitlement a “mistake.” Santorum was crushed in his re-election bid by eighteen points in 2006.

This year, with our new film The Gift Of Life in the forefront of my mind, I have been thinking about how thankful I am for life.  The film, hosted by the great advocate for life Governor Mike Huckabee, profiles some remarkable people with powerful pro-life stories and I am so grateful for their lives and the opportunity to share them with you.

The Gift Of Life features an incredible cast and I am thankful for each and every one of them.

I am thankful for pro-life leaders like Marjorie Dannenfelser, Kristan Hawkins, Carol Tobias, and Charmaine Yoest.  Groups like the Susan B. Anthony List, Student for Life of America, the National Right to Life Committee, and Americans United for Life are essential to educate, activate, and mobilize those of us on the side of life.

I am thankful that Carol Everett and Dr. Anthony Levatino, who were both responsible for the deaths of thousands of unborn babies, have seen the light and now use their incredible testimonies to change the minds of others.

I am thankful for Sandra Cano, the “Mary Doe” in Doe v. Bolton, for speaking out about the lies and deceptions of that Supreme Court decision and its companion case, Roe v. Wade.  Sandra tells us the truth about her pro-life beliefs and the way her case was manipulated.

I am thankful that Rebecca Kiessling and James Robison are both alive today after being conceived in rape, single parenthood, and adversity.  Their mothers were very close to choosing abortion but their lives were spared at the last moment.

I am thankful Chet McDoniel survived his delivery doctor’s attempt to let him die, by placing him in the corner of the room with minimal care.  Chet’s lack of arms and shortened legs have not held him back at all and he is living proof that no one has the right to judge the value of another’s life.

I am thankful for Dr. Miriam Pereira who let us into her pro-life practice at Tepeyac Family Center to film.  Dr. Pereira uses her medical knowledge to share the biological truth of unborn human life through ultrasound technology.

I am thankful that Maria Lancaster adopted and gave birth to her daughter Elisha who had been frozen as an embryo years before.  She gave Governor Huckabee a photo of her daughter which he still carries as a reminder that life begins at conception.

I am thankful that Michael Clancy had the opportunity to capture the photograph of baby Samuel reaching out from his mother’s womb to grasp a doctor’s hand during an in utero surgical procedure.  That image would influence the world and show the humanity of life in the womb.

I am thankful Lila Rose has exposed the unethical practices of abortion mills like Planned Parenthood.  Her undercover films have been critical in uncovering the truth.

I am thankful that we have elected officials who are working to change our laws to restore the right to life for the unborn and build a culture of life, like Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS).

I am thankful for the lives of Kortney Blythe Gordon and her unborn daughter Sophy, although they were cut far too short in a tragic car accident.  Kortney dedicated her life to saving the pre-born babies and Sophy put a human face to the unborn.

I am thankful for all the pro-life stories of hope, perseverance, and triumph that we were blessed to be able to show in this film.  This Thanksgiving, please say a prayer of thanks for all of them and for the gift of life.

David N. Bossie is the President of Citizens United and the Executive Producer of the film The Gift Of Life. The Gift Of Life is available to order now at www.TheGiftOfLifeMovie.com.

Six months ago discussing Perry’s possible candidacy, a top conservative leader privately said, “Rick is a great leader. But he’s not a greater debater. And he knows it. The question would be whether he overcomes it.”

Technology regularly creates new challenges for presidents. Debating skill was a non-issue for many consequential presidents, but some are trying to make it an automatic disqualifier for the Texas governor.

America’s third president—Thomas Jefferson—was a lousy public speaker. He was literally a genius, and his singular eloquence as a writer is seen in his prose in the Declaration of Independence and other writings.

But Jefferson was no speaker, so much so that he only gave a couple speeches in his entire two-term presidency. He was so bad that he fulfilled his constitutional requirement to give an annual State of the Union by sending a written document to Congress.

The media would pan Jefferson’s radio and television performance today. Does America regret electing such a lackluster orator?

In 1932 this country elected a president who sounded great on radio, but would have been a disaster on television.

In the 1995 movie The American President, President Andrew Sheppard (played by Michael Douglas) is complaining to his chief of staff A.J. MacInerny (played by Martin Sheen) about his unfair treatment in the press.

MacInerny responded to the president, “You’ve said it yourself a million times. If there had been a TV in every living room sixty years ago, this country does not elect a man in a wheelchair.”

While many disagree with FDR’s policy goals (and his judicial appointments), no one questions his historic impact. He established aggressive goals based on his principles, and changed the nation by rallying public support behind them.

But as a matter of political reality, Sheppard and MacInerny are probably right. If cameras caught FDR being wheeled onto a debate stage as an invalid, FDR would have been a zero-term non-president instead of a four-term president.

This media obsession with the cosmetics of Perry’s presentation willfully ignores the substance of his agenda. Perry’s proposals on fundamental overhauls on tax reform, energy, healthcare, and re-empowering the states through federalism could make him a transformational president if he enacts them.

These proposals arise from a massive public record. An Air Force captain, Perry is the only major candidate with military experience. And his subsequent quarter-century of elected office includes a decade as governor enacting tort reform, education reform, and business-friendly policies.

But some establishment figures will have none of it. It’s okay to support the Second Amendment, but not if you shoot a coyote threatening your daughter’s dog. It’s okay to have faith, but not to support a public day of prayer. It’s okay to tinker with the tax code, but not to propose replacing our dysfunctional federal tax system with a flat tax.

Hostility to Perry is in large part driven by the same factors that drove opposition to other candidates in recent elections, such as the affable Mike Huckabee. Perry is a conservative Evangelical Christian, and although he never plays the victim, a cursory Google search reveals how many media commentators cannot tolerate his conservatism and his faith.

Nor is Perry alone. Other conservative candidates of faith are attacked when they break into the top tier. And as with Huckabee—who was another longtime Southern state governor—media elites ignore Perry’s charisma and connection with audiences.

Perry is a strong and effective leader. He has a quarter-century of executive experience under his belt, including three terms as governor of America’s second-largest state. And though not a great debater, he gives rousing plain-spoken speeches that receive standing ovations and connect with ordinarily Americans.

Republicans wanting a good debater should vote for someone else in the primaries. Or they can just wait until next November, and vote for Obama.

Because America voted for silver-tongued eloquence and sparkling debate performances in 2008. How’s that working out for you?

Unlike some other states, it is very difficult to get a voter initiative on the ballot in Mississippi; this year, we have three initiatives that would amend our state constitution, a truly remarkable feat.  All three are key conservative issues in an overwhelmingly conservative state:  abortion, voter identification, and eminent domain abuse.Personally, I’m hoping for a triple play, and voting “YES!” on all three.  The issue that I am working on, however, is abortion.

When this battle is won in Mississippi, it doesn’t just set up a challenge to Roe v. Wade, it eviscerates that case and all of its unholy progeny.  It gives a method by which every state in the nation can extend the most basic civil rights to the most innocent and deserving members of the human race — our unborn children.

When is a person a “person”?

All humans deserve equal protection of the laws and the right to due process, but the law only extends these rights to every “person.”  Thanks to the outstanding work of Personhood Mississippi, we in Mississippi will have the chance to be the first state in the history of our union to define a “person” to include all unborn humans.  Initiative 26 will define the term person as follows:

SECTION 33.  Person defined.  As used in this Article III of the state constitution, “The term ‘person’ or ‘persons’ shall include every human being from the moment of fertilization, cloning or the functional equivalent thereof.

If Mississippians vote Yes on Amendment 26, all human beings would be ensured equal rights in our state and protection under law, regardless of their size, location or developmental stage.  Calling abortion “murder” will no longer be merely a moral judgment, but an established legal determination.  In other words, abortion will be illegal.

Mothers in crisis will be protected from the greedy corporations that kill their unborn children and do immense medical and psychological harm to these mothers while reaping billions of dollars in profits.  As a bonus, human cloning, embryo stem cell research, and other forms of medical cannibalism would be effectively stopped, necessarily focusing the attention of medical researchers on approaches that have been proven to actually work (like adult stem cells) and do not require the killing of an innocent person.  This initiative also stops Obamacare from funding abortions in the state of Mississippi with your tax dollars; after all, anyone performing an abortion will be arrested.

Abortionists are spreading many lies about our initiative, but the truth is that all forms of contraception that merely inhibit the egg from hooking up with a sperm will still be legal and easily obtainable, and in vitro fertilization (IVF) will still be legal and as obtainable as it is now.  (Unfortunately, this also means that the law won’t stop public schools from handing out condoms to your children, but let’s take these things one step at a time.)

Direct democracy vs. judicial tyranny.

As a father, husband, a “person” and most of all a Christian, I am thrilled with the intended result.  As lawyer and a constitution-loving conservative, however, I must confess that I am also enamored with the process that is leading to this result.  First of all, this is a people’s initiative, not a decision by seven old men in black robes playing gods.  Voter initiatives are direct democracy, an expression of the will of the people.  The contrast could not be greater:  the most democratic form of state government rejecting the tyranny of the least democratic branch of our federal government.  This truly is government of the persons, by the persons, and for the persons.

Civil rights:  not just for the born anymore.

More than that, however, the idea behind personhood came from the very court case that has robbed 53 million unborn Americans of their right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”  During oral arguments on the infamous Roe v. Wade debacle, there are several times when personhood was discussed, including this chilling exchange:

Justice Potter Stewart: Well, if it were established that an unborn fetus is a person within the protection of the Fourteenth Amendment, you would have almost an impossible case here, would you not?

Ms Sarah Weddington: I would have a very difficult case. [Laughter]

Justice Potter Stewart: You certainly would because you’d have the same kind of thing you’d have to say that this would be the equivalent to after the child was born.

Ms Sarah Weddington: That’s right.

Justice Potter Stewart: If the mother thought that it bothered her health having the child around, she could have it killed. Isn’t that correct?

Ms Sarah Weddington: That’s correct.

The Court thus made the point that the abortionists would lose “if it were established that an unborn fetus is a person within the protection of the Fourteenth Amendment,” and the abortionists’ attorney agreed.  Why was this such an obvious conclusion?  If you base the right of a mother to kill another “person” solely on “medical privacy” grounds, then a mother could legally kill any person regardless of whether the person’s date of birth is in the future or the past.  If “medical privacy” is the only grounds to consider, and if an individual’s status as a “person” cannot be considered, then a mother could have her newborn or five year old killed out of “medical privacy” concerns.

But, an individual’s status as a “person” is all-important; it is the trump card of all trump cards.  In order to allow abortion at will after “person” is defined to encompass all unborn children, Court would have to find that the right to medical privacy must be so inviolate that it becomes a license to kill other “persons,” who are just as much a “person” as the mother.  Fortunately, every “person” is entitled to due process and equal protection of the laws, and a mother cannot legally kill any “person.”  Thus, when an unborn child is constitutionally considered to be a “person,” said Justice Stewart, “this would be the equivalent to after the child was born.”  In short, an (unborn) person is a (newborn) person is an (adult) person.

There’s a nice video/slideshow here of actual audio excerpts from the oral arguments, so you can hear for yourself the case that was made for the personhood amendment.

It is clear that once the legal definition of “person” includes all unborn children, then they are entitled to equal protection of the laws (such as our laws against homicide in its various forms) and due process.  Their inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness can no longer be denied to them by Planned Parenthood. 

After reading the oral argument exchange I quoted above, you may well wonder why the Court ultimately ruled for the abortionists.  In the following exchange, we see how the abortionists (and ultimately the Court) managed to get around the rights of the unborn:

Justice Harry A. Blackmun: Well, do I get from this then that your case depends primarily on the proposition that the fetus has no constitutional rights?

Ms Sarah Weddington: It depends on saying that the woman has a fundament constitutional right and that the state has not proved any compelling interest for regulation in the area.

Notice the sidestep; the abortionists’ lawyer wanted nothing to do with any discussion of the constitutional rights of the unborn.  Instead, she wanted to focus solely on the constitutional privacy rights of the mother, which she could do only because there was no definition of “person” in Texas law or federal constitutional law.

This remains the abortionists’ tactic today.  In public hearings being held throughout Mississippi by our Secretary of State, abortion zealots make all the usual arguments about women’s rights, women’s health, focusing on jobs and socialist utopian healthcare schemes, blah blah blah, but they never utter a single word about the unborn child.  On July 26, I joined many others who spoke on behalf of Initiative 26 in Hattiesburg.  With both logic and passion we discussed the many adverse health and psychological effects on mothers, women’s rights, medical privacy, birth control issues and government intrusion into our lives — we are not monolithic in our arguments by any means.  Yet we, the pro side, were the only ones to discuss the actual wording of the initiative, and we were the only ones to discuss the rights of the unborn.  Indeed, we were the only ones to even mention the unborn.

Folks, now is the time, and Mississippi is the place to have this battle.  I know that everyone has been focused on the interminably long debt ceiling debacle; indeed, I followed that horror show in-depth as well.  Still, it is merely the crisis du jour, and it will pass — there’s nothing more you can do about it, so perhaps you should focus on something that you can help out with.  Our biggest need in this battle is public awareness, and talking about this initiative, writing about this initiative, commenting about this initiative and voting for this initiative will have a tremendous effect.

Every day that we do nothing about the American Holocaust, thousands of innocent children lose their lives, and their mothers are brutalized by the most efficient killing machine since Nazi Germany:  Planned Parenthood.  Besides, if you want to restore America to its former greatness, and make it the world’s greatest defender of freedom and its engine of prosperity, your first goal must be to defeat and utterly destroy liberalism.  This cannot be done without taking the holiest sacrament from the godless religion of Liberalism — abortion.  Defeat abortion, and you defeat liberalism.

We are gathering momentum; Gov. Mike Huckabee will be here on September 8 to speak in support of the personhood initiative, and other speakers are being lined up.  Yard signs are popping up everywhere, a true sign of a grassroots, citizens’ effort.  What the Tea Party accomplished in 2010 was great, but what we’ll accomplish with this initiative will be the single most important piece of civil rights legislation in our country’s history.  So pay attention to this fight; in several very real ways, our future as a nation depends upon it.

It can’t be Obama’s record that’s scaring Republicans. Obama is overseeing the worst economy since 1929…contributed heavily to the worst sovereign debt crisis in history…presiding over the worst collapse in real estate ever…helping to ensure the highest gas prices in history by refusing to allow oil drilling until recently…the list goes on and on. You’d think the Republican contenders would be licking their lips at running against that record? Instead they are falling by the wayside.

Let’s examine the carnage. This analyst and political pundit predicted Donald Trump’s political career was over three weeks ago when “The Donald” played casino pit boss and F-bombed his way through a Vegas speech. Have you ever heard of multiple F-bombs in a major political speech in by a Presidential contender? Unimaginable.

Forget the birth certificate controversy. Trump was still sitting high in the polls even after Obama released his birth certificate. But there was no escaping using multiple F-bombs on the biggest political stage. Not in a GOP filled with evangelical Christian voters, and parents who wash their children’s mouth out with soap for using that same word. Donald “F-bomb” Trump’s political career ended that day in Vegas.

What about Huckabee? A Presidential frontrunner, this former man of God couldn’t turn down fame and money. Huckabee proves even the Presidency isn’t as lucrative as a TV show on Fox News.

Then there’s Newt Gingrich. I winced as I heard Newt’s words on Sunday. It’s tough to watch a political career implode on national TV. Newt’s career is over. Forget President. I mean any future political career. Senator. Governor. Dog catcher. Newt was electrocuted on the third rail of GOP politics. He supported big government control of our lives, backed the central tenet of Obamacare, called the GOP proposal for cutting Medicare spending “radical right wing social engineering,” and back-stabbed GOP Congressional hero Paul Ryan. All in one day. Goodnight Newt. You and your third wife can go home now.

And then there’s Mitt Romney. Mitt had the White House for the asking. One speech apologizing for Romneycare and promising to never allow it to happen again, and Romney is the next President of the United States. Here’s the speech that Mitt should have given:

“I made a big mistake. States can act as laboratories for new ideas. We tried an experiment with government-directed health care in my state. It didn’t work. Costs are up. Waits are up. Doctors are leaving the state. The experiment failed. I was wrong and I apologize. But good things can come out of failure, if you learn a lesson. Here’s what I learned. Big Government cannot manage the nation’s healthcare system…or anything else. Government drove a brothel into bankruptcy in Nevada. Government ran gambling (Off Track Betting) into bankruptcy in New York. Big Government has given you a $14 trillion national debt- $100 trillion if you add in unfunded liabilities. Your children and grandchildren face a bleak future because of Big Government. Big Government is a failure; I proved it in Massachusetts. I won’t let it happen again. I’ve learned from my mistake. I will not allow Obama to destroy our healthcare system by putting the government in charge. You have my word.” Insert: STANDING OVATION.

But no, Mitt didn’t deliver that speech. He delivered the only speech that could possibly snatch defeat from the jaws of certain victory. He defended the disaster he created in Massachusetts. Really? Could anyone be that blind, deaf and dumb? Who wrote his speech- the Chicago Cubs?

Then we come to Libertarian legend Ron Paul. When it comes to economic issues, Paul is a visionary. This trailblazer warned America and the GOP about the dangers of big government, overspending and the Fed long before it was hip. If he ran as a Libertarian or independent third party candidate, Paul might actually have an opportunity to win the Presidency, or at least build a serious third party movement. Unfortunately his views on war, military spending, and Osama will make it highly unlikely he can win a GOP primary. But I see an ideal role for Congressman Paul in any Republican administration- Treasury Secretary or Federal Reserve Chief. Now that would have an impact.

Doesn’t anyone want to beat Obama? Who’s left? Tim Pawlenty and Mitch Daniels? Two boring middle-aged white guys with the charisma of Al Gore? That’s the best the GOP has? Watching wet paint dry is more exciting, than watching Pawlenty or Daniels deliver a speech. Sorry, boys, but wet paint drying isn’t going to defeat Obama. Not if he has his teleprompter working properly.

Yes others could yet become the darkhorse for the GOP nomination- Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Gary Johnson, perhaps even Sarah Palin.

But someone in the GOP had better hope that Chris Christie is having a change of heart. Then get down on your knees and pray. Pray hard. Then ring the doorbell of the New Jersey Governor’s mansion and start begging. Because without a Christie miracle, the worst President in modern history just became the favorite for re-election.

Trump is a middle class phenomena. Middle aged, middle income, middle class voters are Trump’s core. Hispanic voters give him high favorable ratings as do African Americans and poor whites. The higher your level of education the more likely you are to loath Trump. If you are self-made you are 70% more likely to like Trump than if you have inherited money. Small businessmen like Trump, Wall Street Gekkos do not. The Apprentice has enhanced his standing because his short segments show him being cool, tough and decisive, things voters are looking for after the vacillation of Barrack Obama.

Trump appeals to the strivers. Trump lives as they would live if they were rich. Trump’s over the top lifestyle of the biggest and the best appeals to these voters. The Ivy League educated? Not so much. Old Money? Forget it. Trump appeals to the Perot and Buchanan voter suspicious of both parties. The Tea Party is a natural launching pad for Trump.

Now the Club for Growth is bashing Trump for positions he took ten years ago under far different circumstances. Trump favored a tax on the super-rich to kill the deficit. He was willing to pay himself. He is opposed to the idea today. Hard to imagine voters seeking consistency will switch to Mitt Romney who used to be a pro-abortion, pro gay marriage liberal.

Political operatives who come to work for Trump will soon realize he doesn’t need words put in his mouth and has a very clear sense of what he wants to say and do. Trump is soaring in the polls now because he is following his own populist instincts and expressing himself in street language the average person can understand.

It takes stature, money, energy and discipline to be elected President. Trump has the stature and the money, so far he has demonstrated the energy but whether he has the discipline to stay on his core themes and to parry the attacks on him without getting personal remains to be seen. Much of this furor is about the Trump brand. At last weekends Tea Party Tax rally in Boca Raton Trump asked his host if he should take off his trademark pastel tie for his speech. “No,” he was told, “you gotta look like you look on TV.”

I spoke with Andrew Breitbart today about a rally planned on May 1, 2011in St. Louis. Andrew is headlining the event with Governor Mike Huckabee. Andrew shared these thoughts about the event, Van Jones, Color of Change and Mike Huckabee.

Good Cop Killer Supporter – Bad Cop Killer Supporter
Van Jones’ cynical ploy to win Mike Huckabee’s affection.

I don’t ascribe bad motives for Mike Huckabee playing footsie with Van Jones. I just want to draw attention to the fact that this radical left wing agitator has created an organization Color of Change with the sole purpose to isolate, marginalize and destroy those who have effectively exposed the Barack Obama administration’s radical agenda.

At the exact moment that Color of Change got me kicked off the Huffington Post front page he went straight to Mike Huckabee to pretend he’s a gentleman patriot.

This is the first incident in Jones’ 42 years that would suggest civility in this community organizer’s hard-core agitation repertoire. This “cop killer supporting” racist commie punk is playing Huckabee.

Van Jones’ PR ploy intent is two-fold. One, to create the perception that he is the innocent victim in the Huffington Post banning of Breitbart. Two, to help elevate the organized left’s dream Republican candidate for 2012. It’s too bad that the obviously savvy and intelligent Jones doesn’t apply his obvious gifts to actually build rather than confuse and destroy.

My cautionary tale of being banned from ABC News and the Huffington Post front page should be a sign. Perhaps Mike Huckabee is not aware of Color of Change and Van Jones’ long history of radical leftwing skulduggery. Van Jones’ Color of Change openly seeks destruction of Huckabee’s host network FOX News and many of the opinion makers who appear on the network. Mr. Huckabee’s new found “fellow person of faith and fellow patriot” is a picture book politically correct totalitarian thug. Don’t let the awesome wardrobe fool you.

I’ve met Mr. Huckabee and find him to be gracious, gregarious, inspiring and well meaning. And I look forward to appearing with him in St. Louis. But I don’t see the event on May 1st in the context of a presidential campaign. I see it in context of still the earliest phases of waking up the American people to something that is desperately wrong in Washington and beyond.