Yes, I’m Voting for the Unelectable

As promised, I am announcing my endorsement today. I know I’m not a big name around the blogosphere, nor do I have undue influence over my city, county, or state simply because I’ve chosen to back a candidate. But there’s something about seeing your thoughts in writing that makes you feel like your opinion is significant, right?

So, I’m going to bask in my own vision of influence and announce whose name will be marked on my ballot.

Image by Alex Wong/Getty Images

Mr. Rick Santorum.

At the beginning of the campaign announcements, I had no idea who would receive my vote. I had enough vague information about some candidates that I could make a decision, but certainly not an informed one. That’s why I decided to research all GOP hopefuls in the attempt to draw the right conclusions.

In November, I began vacillating between Rick Santorum and Michele Bachmann, knowing for sure who I was not going to pick. Michele’s performance at the last couple debates helped make my decision, then Santorum’s Iowa results and Bachmann’s drop-out confirmed it.

My Why

In referencing back to my How to Choose a Political Candidate post, I began by defining my non-negotiables. Abortion was at the top of the list, closely followed by the economy.

Many of the other candidates will say they are pro-life, but if you look closely, they are only pro-life when it is convenient. In cases of rape or incest, the babies are often aborted, and I cannot in good conscience vote for those who will allow a child to die simply because of the situation surrounding their conception.

As for the economy, I have seen vague plans of reform, but none so neatly laid out as Santorum’s Made in America plan.

• He wants to simplify the tax code. (YES!)
• He wants to reduce taxes for families by tripling the personal deduction for each child. (Yes, to those of you who have kids!)
• He wants to reduce and simplify taxes for families by eliminating marriage tax penalties. (These penalties are sadly used as an excuse for couples to avoid marriage.)
• He wants to pass a Balanced Budget Amendment. (When was the last time that happened?)
• He wants to tap into America’s vast domestic energy resources to power our economy. (This means lower energy costs!)
• He wants to phase out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s government backed role in mortgages and homeownership within 5 years. (The two major organizations who got us into this financial mess in the first place.)

That’s only 6 of the 32 points Santorum has specifically stated he will do!

It doesn’t matter to me that Santorum has been classified as unelectable by the media. He’s the only candidate with similar values as my own. Of course, I don’t agree with everything he stands for, as I’m sure you would find with any other candidate in the running, but he’s pretty close. And I feel at peace with my decision.

Game on!

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If you really want to know why I didn’t pick any of the other candidates, you can have a discussion with me in the comment section or on Facebook. I’d sure love to tell you my opinion.

Next week, we will be slowly phasing out of the political scene onto some other topics. So many of my recent posts have focused on the election because that is a current issue right now. We obviously won’t be entirely dropping the political happenings, since it’s a core component of this blog, but for now, it’s time for a break. I’m excited to see what else God has in store for us to learn over the next few months!

Your Turn:

Any thoughts on which GOP hopeful you would like to support? I won’t condemn you.