In response to Shane’s post on 1/15/10 critiquing the endorsement.
By Mike Hartwig
As someone that interviewed some, not all, of the candidates, it was blatantly obvious who deserved the endorsement. Chris Rants is a good guy and seems to be motivated by principle not politics, a change over the 10+ years Iāve known him. But for me, heās not there yet. Rod Roberts is a great guy too but frankly, he isnāt a leader of the caliber we need at the helm of the state. What public policy has he influenced people on? What agenda item has his name and face on? I canāt think of anything. I see him as a great support person but not someone leading the charge. His speaking ability is lacking. His political ideas on how to lead the state out of the mess we are in arenāt evident.
Bob on the other hand is not perfect but he has been willing to hold himself accountable to Godly men and women. I personally have challenged him on a couple of personal issues and he has taken the counsel to heart and made changes. Politically, Bob seems to have a plan on more than just the marriage issue.
If you want to question the timing of the endorsement, we were stuck between a rock and a hard place. We wanted to make the endorsement the week prior but weather prevented it. We had to make a decision and I feel we made the right one. Linking Bob with the marriage amendment doesnāt take away from anything. IFPC Action can walk and chew gum at the same time. We can endorse our candidates and work on the amendment. But this state needs leadership, and Iowa Family Policy Center Action is seeking to follow our biblical convictions. And for us, after prayerful consideration we have concluded that Bob represents our core values to a higher level and deserves our support. Heās been fighting for conservative, biblical principles for the last 10 years when he was first encouraged to run by Terry Branstad. He deserves our support.
Mike Hartwig, PhD is Vice President at Iowa Family Policy Center
