Mitt Romney's ballot-box stuffing

There are now two major polls that put Gov. Mike Huckabee in a 5-to-1 lead among values voters: the Values Voter Presidential Debate and the Values Voter Summit.

Among summit attendees, who paid the registration, airfare and accommodations, and actually heard the candidates' speeches, Gov. Huckabee won more votes than all the other candidates combined – including Mitt Romney. Huckabee earned 51 percent of the vote compared to Romney's 10 percent, Fred Thompson's 8 percent and Tom Tancredo's 7 percent.

Efforts to try and skew the results of the Internet poll, such as the e-mail sent by Mark DeMoss (now on the Romney campaign), complete with a link and instructions to stack it, gained Romney a .5 percent edge for his prominently announced "win." By the way, when that announcement was made following fanfare, including a drum roll, the audience (who were 5-to-1 Huckabee supporters) sat stunned. Had they announced the results of the real grass-roots activists who actually attended the event, we would have heard explosive applause instead of the sound of crickets and the clapping of a few Romney shills.

For those who missed the event, let me give you a glimpse into what was said.

I'll summarize Rudy Giuliani's speech with these words: "You'll always know where I stand." Yeah, against us. That's why, Mayor Giuliani, you won't be getting our vote.

Gov. Mitt Romney was introduced by Jay Sekulow with the words: "I know his judicial philosophy." Yeah, so do I. On May 4, 2005, after his supposed conversion (on every issue), then Gov. Mitt Romney issued a press release touting the homosexual credentials of his appointee to the Wrentham District Court: Stephen Abany "has served on the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Lesbian and Gay Bar Association." Huh? That doesn't look like a "Roberts or Alito" to me.

Actions are what you believe, and when Romney appointed judges as governor, he "passed over GOP lawyers for three-quarters of the 36 judicial vacancies he has faced, instead tapping registered Democrats or independents – including two gay lawyers who have supported expanded same-sex rights." Those are the kind of judges we can expect from Romney.

He said he'd be a pro-life president "just like I was a pro-life governor." This guy doesn't know when to quit. Watch for yourself what kind of governor he was.

Then he promoted his Massachusetts Health Care as a model for the nation – that's the one that had abortion as a "health care benefit."

Then Romney, who sat on the Marriot board while they pumped the sewage of pornography into hotel rooms, said he had a "one strike and you're out" policy on pornography – placing an "ankle bracelet for life" on those responsible. I'm not sure if he applies that policy to himself; he didn't lift his pants leg.

He also mentioned Dr. Dobson twice in his speech in an effort to draw either an endorsement or silence, both of which would benefit him. He even mentioned homeschoolers, but I'm pretty sure it won't impact Michael Farris of the Home School Legal Defense Association; he's been for Huckabee for months.

Fred Thompson also spoke and drew applause when he said he would spend the first hour in the Oval Office in prayer for wisdom. That's great coming from a guy that won't even go to church unless his mother makes him. He also said if state legislatures want to redefine marriage like California just did (stopped only by a veto), "so be it." McCain also negotiated the non-negotiable of marriage and voted against the Marriage Protection Act. If abandoning our values cost them votes, I say, "so be it."

Sen. Sam Brownback also spoke, and I have to say he is a good man and was my first choice. He remains our best friend in the Senate, but cosponsoring S. 2611, the Kennedy-McCain amnesty bill, killed his candidacy. I was among the many who called his office to offer counsel about not rewarding those who break our laws with their first step into our country. He didn't listen, and it cost him the race. There is a lesson there for all those watching. Duncan Hunter and Tom Tancredo understand that best, but don't appear to be gaining any traction nationally.

The clear winner was Gov. Mike Huckabee who remarked that he comes "from us rather than to us." He told the group he sings from his heart, and doesn't "just lip-sync the words."

He spoke of the threat of Islamofascism, and he's right – it shouldn't be easier to cross our border illegally than for us to get on an airplane in our own hometown. He said "no" to amnesty and sanctuary cities. He said we must secure the border – and "do it now." Sounds like he's coming along.

Huckabee also talked against the outsourcing of jobs to China and being free of our dependence on oil from Saudi Arabia within 10 years. He spoke against U.N. treaties like the "Rights of the Child," which would mandate abortion, and the "Law of the Sea," which surrenders our ocean's riches to U.N. control. Almost as if he'd been listening to Phyllis Schlafly speeches.

He also held firm to what he called the "non-negotiables" of life and marriage and encouraged attendees not to spell G-O-D as the G-O-P.

We don't have the luxury to sit back and wait to see what happens without us. Too much is at stake. Bypass the "Fear Tier" who have negotiated the non-negotiables of life and marriage and turn to the candidate from the pro-family tier who has the best chance of winning: Mike Huckabee. The good news is now we don't have to choose between a pro-life, pro-marriage candidate and a "tier one" candidate "who can win." Huckabee just became both. Now we just need to unite behind him.

By Janet L. Folger Click here for bio and archived articles