“I Am Voting for Mitt Romney for President,” by Brian Gass

This second in the “I Am Voting for…” series features support for Republican nominee, former Governor Mitt Romney. Writing in support of Romney is my friend, Brian Gass. (You can read the first part of this series, “I Am Voting For Barack Obama for President,” by Keysha Hogan, by clicking here.)

The rules of engagement are the same as yesterday. Questions and challenges are fair game. Name calling and general childishness will be deleted without warning or explanation. In other words, try not to act like candidates for office.

Why I Support Mitt Romney for President:

Full disclosure: Out of all of the Republicans running for President, Mitt Romney was probably my 6th choice. Besides having more natural affinity for other candidates, my concerns with Romney were twofold: Is Mitt Romney truly a social conservative? Could Mitt Romney defeat Barack Obama? The first concern centered primarily upon his early positions on abortion in Massachusetts while the second was because he WAS from Massachusetts. I wasn’t at all sure that a Governor from the Northeast could rouse the Republican electoral base which rests primarily in the South and Midwest. I cannot disguise the fact that my primary passion as a voter and as a Christian was in seeing Barack Obama replaced. Once Mitt Romney had secured the nomination, however, I slowly began moving from being resigned to having to vote for Romney to now being excited about the potential of his presidency.

There are two main reasons I now enthusiastically support Mitt Romney for President of the United States:

Values- Theology aside (since I have no agreement with either candidate), Mitt Romney’s values best represent conservative evangelicals.

1. Mitt has explained his change of heart on abortion and had an opportunity to demonstrate that as Governor of Massachusetts. He also worked hard in a difficult place to stand up for traditional marriage (http://evangelicalsformitt.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/01/massleaders.pdf).
2. The guy grew up as a Mormon, served as a Mormon missionary, and was a leader in his congregation. Mormons have strong, conservative values.
3. He’s been faithfully married to one woman and has raised five fine young men who are likewise on the right track to being good and successful citizens and fathers. His grandchildren love and respect Mitt Romney.
4. Heck, the guy hasn’t even done drugs, smoked, drank…even coffee (well, I’ll forgive him for that)!
5. Mitt has given away vast sums of his personal wealth to charity and has shown his concern for those who are poor through his giving of time and resources.
6. His work ethic is second to none and he has that expectation for others. That’s an important value.
7. He values small government which affects us all in business, healthcare, and particularly in regard to religious freedom. As one who comes from an oppressed religious minority, no one will keep government from interfering in our religious lives like Mitt Romney.
8. As a Mormon, he will likewise fully support our traditional ties to Israel.
9. While I do not think his Mormon ties to Salt Lake City will control Romney, they will inform him; so we shouldn’t expect many surprises.
10. People whose values I trust are supporting Mitt Romney. People like Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum, Sam Brownback, James Dobson, Tony Perkins, etc.

Leadership: Mitt Romney has the kind of leadership resume that I would hope for in a President.
1. Being mentored by his father who was a successful leader in his own right, Mitt has led well at everything he has done. This starts with his own family. While I have mentioned it before, this is no small feat. Raising five sons well in the limelight in which he has lived is quite an accomplishment. Mitt’s wife loves him and trusts him. Given the way he has responded to her physical challenges this trust is understandable.
2. Everyone I have seen interviewed who has worked with Romney has spoken of him as a decisive leader. When he started Bain Capital it was only an idea. An idea that he had to lead others to buy into. It has grown to be successful beyond anyone’s imagination.
3. When he took over the Salt Lake City Olympics, it was in shambles and was a disgrace. Under his leadership it finished strong and our reputation was restored.
4. As Governor of Massachusetts, Romney had to work with an overwhelmingly liberal legislature. Yet he did so while holding firm to his convictions. By all accounts, he led the state from the brink of bankruptcy to surplus and growth.
5. Mitt’s choice of Paul Ryan as Vice-President demonstrated bold leadership and sent a clear signal that he is serious about reigning in government. It was a dangerous pick which would leave him open to much criticism. It determined the battle lines for this election. This was exactly the kind of tough decision that Presidents have to make. It gives me confidence that he will have a solid cabinet behind him in governing. One has only to look to his opponent’s choices to see why this is so important.

While I am under no misconception that Mitt Romney was the most conservative politician we could have elected, at this point he most certainly is. He is not the second coming of Ronald Reagan. He is however a man with solid conservative values and one who has shown excellence in leadership. He is a man who has made a life of taking failing situations and making them profitable. That is where we are today as a nation and I can think of no one better skilled or postured to fix this broken government and strengthen this weakened economy than Mitt Romney.

Brian Gass serves as a Content Editor with a leading Christian publisher as well as pastoring bi-vocationally in a local Baptist church. Prior to this calling, Brian, his wife, and six children worked cross-culturally among Muslims in East and Central Asia. In his downtime, Brian enjoys basketball, strategy games, and sci-fi/fantasy novels. You can keep up with Brian by following on Twitter @RBrianGass.