Non-union Delphi employees were given less favorable benefits than union employees during the auto bailout and GM restructuring. Despite Vice President Joe Biden saying that “most did fine,” they don’t agree.

Being a resident of Michigan where the entire election seems to rest on the issue of the auto bailout, I loved this web ad! We know that Gov. Romney will fight for every automotive job as President, but so many in Michigan have been brainwashed by the democrats into thinking Gov. Romney wanted the auto companies to liquidate. This video adds a very intriguing wrinkle to the whole issue that will help voters see one of the areas President Obama’s auto plan failed.

Also, in case you missed it, Hot Air scored an interview with Gov. Romney which we’ve posted below:

Finally, watch a short clip of Mitt’s speech from yesterday below the fold with a link to some very interesting commentary below the fold. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING…

My cynical side tells me that Mr. Obama knowingly lies in his speeches. But then again, maybe he just does not understand business and history. By now, it is obvious to all American’s that Mr. Obama knows very little about basic business principles. Whether his errant rhetoric is dishonesty or lack of knowledge, does the distinction matter? Just below is the subtext of a brief WSJ editorial that reads:

“The Internet made Microsoft possible, and other tall tales.”

Mr. Obama runs fast and loose with business terminology all along the trail. Have you not heard him use the term “invest” or “investment” sprinkled among his other favorite words “fair” and “fairness?”

The very first thought I had when reading this piece was, “Did Al Gore coach Mr. Obama ahead of this speech?”

Today’s Journal carried an editorial called Obama’s History of Business that effectively calls into question his knowledge of business technology and his integrity:

[...] So eager is he to make this point that, well, let’s just say he sometimes wanders beyond his area of expertise, as he did last Thursday in Seattle.

“When I hear people talk about the free enterprise system and entrepreneurship, I try to remind them, you know, all of us made that investment in Darpa [the Department of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency] that helped to get the Internet started,” said Mr. Obama. “So there’s no Facebook, there’s no Microsoft, there’s no Google if we hadn’t made this common investment in our future.”

Microsoft—a product of the Internet? That may surprise Bill Gates and Paul Allen, who founded the software company in 1975. The company didn’t introduce its first Internet browser for another 20 years, and in the meantime it became the dominant computer software company long before the Internet became economically important. The irony of Mr. Obama’s error is that for much of Microsoft’s history the Internet was seen as a threat to its desktop dominance.

There’s no doubt that Darpa has done many good things, but the point Mr. Obama misses is that Darpa is engaged in funding research. This is a proper role for government, especially on national defense. But Darpa does not attempt to commercialize products. Facebook and Google, like Apple and Microsoft, were founded by private investors.

The President likes to elide that distinction between government funding for basic research and commercialization, which is how his Administration lost so much money on stinkers like Solyndra.

Mr. Obama indulged in similar government hype in his January State of the Union address when he suggested that federal research spending “led to the computer chip.” Perhaps federal research made a contribution, but credit for building the first integrated circuit has generally been given to Jack Kilby at a company called Texas Instruments in 1958. Other innovations came from Bell Labs, Fairchild Semiconductor and Intel, among many other private firms.

The problem here is less Mr. Obama’s historical errors than his emphasis. He really does believe that prosperity flows from government, which is why all of his policies promote more government.

Just last week Mr. Obama told Americans that what is important is not whether you are better off today but whether you will be better off in the future (presumably hoping they will press “forward” with him again).

The answer to his rhetorical question is: “Yes! The future will be much brighter and all will be far better off with President Mitt Romney as our 45th President of the United States!”

“Nothing more completely baffles one who is full of trick and duplicity, than straightforward and simple integrity in another.” ~ Charles Caleb Colton

Speaking to voters at Hotel Fort Des Moines in Des Moines, Iowa today, Governor Mitt Romney treated listeners to a powerful, plain-spoken speech on America’s federal spending addiction and our nearly incomprehensible national debt.

Prior to his appearance in Des Moines, the Romney campaign released a thought-provoking web video focusing on Iowans – “a few of the 23 million” – who are struggling under the oppressive Obama economy:

Before The Gov delivered his remarks, the Des Moines Register published an article by Jennifer Jacobs highlighting some of Romney’s remarks:

Romney speech: Prairie fire of debt doesn’t care if it’s a donkey or elephant in your lawn

A prairie fire of debt is sweeping across Iowa and our nation, and GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney will tell Iowans today he can douse the flames.

“That fire could care less if you have a donkey or an elephant in your front lawn, it’s still coming for your house,” Romney’s prepared remarks say, according to his campaign. “There’s plenty of blame to go around for both parties.

“But in my years leading businesses, an Olympics and a state, I’ve learned one simple principle of leadership that never falters: Leaders lead. I will lead us out of this debt and spending crisis.”

While Romney deftly blocks Obama’s fiery darts and keeps bringing the campaign dialogue back to the economy, Jacobs writes that the Obama re-election campaign is trying to “pierce” Romney’s message by running Iowa TV attack ads against the governor.

Romney intends to steer the conversation toward government spending and debt.

“President Obama started his days in office with the trillion-dollar stimulus package – the biggest, most careless one-time expenditure by the federal government in history. And remember this: the stimulus wasn’t just wasted – it was borrowed and wasted. We still owe the money, we’re still paying interest on it, and it’ll be that way long after this presidency ends in January,” Romney’s prepared remarks say.

VIDEO of Romney’s excellent speech may be viewed here.

★ Transcript of Romney’s remarks from Des Moines:

Thank you all very much.

It’s good to be back in Iowa. So many friends here hold a special place in my heart.

I’ve come here today to talk to you about an issue that affects the very heart of America.

Of course, Iowa is much more than a collection of beautiful farms and small towns and cities bounded by two of America’s great rivers. Iowa is a collection of the values that built America and that have sustained us through good times and bad. You know them well: hard work, taking care of our neighbors, family, faith in God and country. Common sense, kitchen table values. Not fancy, but enduring.

These aren’t the values that lead to out-of-control spending sprees, or to piling up massive amounts of debt you know your children – and grandchildren – will have to work all their lives to pay off. These aren’t the values of putting off difficult decisions with the hope that maybe someone else will solve them.

Today America faces a financial crisis of debt and spending that threatens what it means to be an American. Here in the heartland you know in your hearts that it’s wrong.

We can’t spend another four years talking about solving a problem that we know we are making worse every single day.

When the men and women who settled the Iowa prairie saw a fire in the distance, they didn’t look around for someone else to save them or go back to sleep hoping the wind might blow another direction. They knew that their survival was up to them.

A prairie fire of debt is sweeping across Iowa and our nation and every day we fail to act that fire gets closer to the homes and children we love.

This is not solely a Democrat or a Republican problem. The issue isn’t who deserves the most blame, it’s who is going to do what it takes to put out the fire.

Continue reading below the fold.

CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING…

***Please note that the following article is solely the opinion of the author and does not speak for or represent Mitt Romney or the Romney campaign.

President Obama’s announcement last week that he “supports gay marriage” helped provide a clear contrast between Obama and Romney and will almost certainly have a major impact on the elections in November.

History has shown that the issue of gay marriage is a powerful vote mover. As Politico reported last week: 

For all the signs of increased tolerance and changing mores, there’s one undeniable fact: A full embrace of gay rights has never been a winner in the political arena.

Fifteen years of ballot measures in more than 30 states from coast-to-coast show an issue that has been rejected nearly every time it’s gone before the voters — often by large margins.

As many political observers have noted, Obama’s announcement moves the electoral map more in the favor of Mitt Romney.  In particular, Obama’s move helps tilt “6 or 7 key swing states” toward the Romney camp. These states are namely North Carolina, Florida, Colorado, Nevada, Iowa, Missouri, Ohio.

In North Carolina voters overwhelmingly supported a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage in the state just one week ago. In another crucial swing state, Florida, a similar ban was passed in 2008. Ohio, Michigan and Missouri also passed similar bans in 2004. Virginia, Colorado and Wisconsin passed bans in 2006 and Arizona in 2008.

A lot has been said lately about the shifting support for gay marriage over the last decade. Many point to a recent poll saying that a slim majority of Americans now support gay marriage. However, in regard to polls, keep in mind two key facts. #1) During the upcoming election, the swing states matter a lot more than the national average. And the swing states are showing a strong inclination away from same sex marriage. And #2) Aaron Blake of the Washington Post recently released this analysis about polls on gay marriage:

Does a majority of the country really support gay marriage?

As is often true in polling, it depends on how you ask the question.

A Gallup poll last week showed that 51 percent of Americans support gay marriage, but a CBS News/New York Times poll out today shows that only 38 percent support it.

The difference: Gallup gave voters just two options — support or oppose — while the CBS/NYT poll added a third, civil unions.

When given that third choice, polls show that it draws significantly from both the pro-gay marriage and anti-gay marriage camps, but in the end, overall support for gay marriage drops well below a majority.

Notably, then, the civil unions choice also appears to be drawing some support from gay marriage opponents — a reflection that there is plenty of support (62 percent) for some kind of legal recognition of gay couples.

For Obama, a candidate who has been angling to the political center, his announcement represents a hard turn to the political left. In my humble opinion, I think it is going to be too far left for most people – an overstep where Obama got in “a little over his skis.”

Take for example, the new shirts for sale on Barack Obama’s website. Some of the slogans on the shirts read, ”My two moms support Obama” or “My two dads support Obama.” 

These are not center-of-the-road phrases. I don’t think these kinds of phrases would be seen in virtually any election in the US, even predominantly democratic ones.

Another shirt says “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Repealed 12/22/10.” I am not sure that is a slogan you want to publicize very broadly since most in the military were opposed to repealing DADT. 

While there is little doubt that Obama’s newfound support for gay marriage will energize the LGBT community as never before, it will also energize the even larger group of social and religious conservatives. In the swing states and among America’s silent majority, the results of Obama’s announcement will tip the scales of the election more toward Mitt Romney. 

As a side note, I think it is important to remember that even though gay marriage has emerged as a big issue in the upcoming election, Romney still plans to focus primarily on the economy and jobs as his main message to voters. 

These are serious times for America.

Every time we pass a home foreclosure sign, pull up to the gas pump, grab a grocery cart, or grapple with monthly bills, we’re gut-punched with the worst economic recovery since the Great Depression.

Polls show approval for America’s gutter-sliding direction is way down.

That rattles Obama.

The Obama economy is not a winning referendum and many a ‘time we’ve seen how adoration loss sends the President and buddies into a tizzy.

Obama and operatives are digging deep. Their politicking has turned into a mud grab and they’re pelting fast and furiously at Mitt Romney.

Which conjured-up fetid glob will stick? A ridiculous hit job report about a 50-year-old incident that allegedly took place when Romney was a teenager? Romney hates dogs? Romney is waging war on women? His wife never worked a day in her life? She’s like Hitler? Greedy, out-of-touch, corporate raider Romney?

The latest slime comes in the form of a new Obama ad portraying Romney at Bain Capital as a job-destroying vampire. It’s the first attack on Romney’s business record:

The ad, at the unusual length of two minutes, will run in five battleground states—Iowa, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Colorado—and is part of a larger $25 million, monthlong ad campaign. Republican officials tracking the ad buy said the Obama team was only airing the two-minute spot on Wednesday in the five states. The ad was expected to air during the evening news and direct viewers to an Obama website about Romney’s economic record and a longer, six-minute version of the ad appearing online.
…
The commercial will be coupled with a series of events Obama’s campaign is holding this week in Florida, Missouri, Iowa, Nevada and North Carolina to highlight Romney’s role at Bain Capital, a company he co-founded. Deputy campaign manager Stephanie Cutter said in a call with reporters that Obama’s team would highlight Romney’s Bain record “during next few weeks.”

Surprise! The ad is not accurate:

That picture is not accurate, as Mike Flynn reports today in an article on Breitbart.com. Bain Capital shut down GST Steel in 2001, two years after Mitt Romney left the company to accept the job as CEO of the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. Flynn reports the key decision-maker at Bain Capital, when GST Steel was closed, was Jonathan Lavine. Lavine is an Obama supporter and bundler who raised more than $100,000 for the president’s reelection campaign. Lavine started working for Bain in 1993.

Even Steve Rattner, former Obama adviser, says Obama’s new ad is sludge:

“It [Bain Capital] did it superbly well, acting within the rules, acting very responsibly, and was a leading firm,” Rattner noted. “I do think to pick out an example of somebody who lost their job, unfortunately, this is part of capitalism, this is part of life. And I don’t think there’s anything Bain Capital did that they need to be embarrassed about.”

The ad cost around $83,000. If the mud ball sticks, Team Obama will buy more air time (dip into some of that $15 million Hollywood/George Clooney money).

Romney’s campaign welcomes the attention on jobs:

“Mitt Romney helped create more jobs in his private sector experience and more jobs as governor of Massachusetts than President Obama has for the entire nation,” Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul said in a statement.

Romney for President blocked the Obama gunk with a new web video ‘American Dream’:

The investment that Mitt Romney and others made in Steel Dynamics helped to grow the company and create jobs. For the workers of Steel Dynamics, this is a perfect example of the American Dream.

A mud bomb thrown today is so lame it plopped on the thrower’s shoes even as it was flung from his hand:

“Romney wants to create the illusion that somehow his experience equips him to lead the economy but there’s nothing about the record that would support that.” – David Axelrod, Obama campaign Senior Adviser

Thanks for the belly laugh, Axelrod!

In an interview with Newsmax TV, Ed Conard, a former Bain Capital business partner with Governor Romney, says Romney has a “deep understanding” of the economy:

Mitt Romney understands how the economy works and he is ready to focus on long-term growth by encouraging private investment in innovation, author Ed Conard told Newsmax TV.

Conard, a former partner in Romney’s Bain Capital, is the author of “Unintended Consequences: Why Everything You’ve Been Told About the Economy Is Wrong.” In the book, he argues that the Obama administration has discouraged risk-taking, with the result that the economic recovery is stuck at a snail’s pace.

He told Newsmax TV the Obama administration has discouraged investment by trying to penalize the wealthy and successful.

Conard continues:

“They threatened all the successful risk-takers with much higher taxes,” he said.

Romney, on the other hand, is an experienced businessman who knows how to look at the big picture, said Conard. He praised Romney’s leadership skills at Bain.

“He made tough decisions when he had to make tough decisions. And he always made them with the highest level of integrity, which was aiming at what is the most valuable in the long run,” Conard said.

Conard comments on liberals’ view of the economy:

…[L]iberals still see the economy as it was back in the 1950s, not as it is now. And the current reality, he says, is that people with big ideas need investors with deep pockets.

“The people who need to take risks are the most talented people in the economy,” he said. “People who have a lot of equity have to start underwriting risk with that equity.”

He said conservatives, unlike liberals, understand the importance of equity. “We don’t want to take that equity, redistribute and consume it.”

“He has a deep understanding of business. He has a deep understanding of the economy. He had one objective, and that was to dig down and find the truth. … He worked hard to build consensus…”

Read more here.

Obama would be thrilled if we forgot he was a drug-using, Bill Ayers-fraternizing, community organizing, ‘present’-voting, now school record-hiding, trillions in debt-amassing, triple AAA rating-losing, illegal immigrant-excusing, un-read bill-passing, foreign leader-bowing, “I’ll get back to you Medvedev-ing”, crony-capitalizing, cornhusker kick-backing, class envy-stoking, job-losing, food stamp-increasing, opponent donor name-publishing, vacation-taking Golfer-in-Chief.

Mud slinging is Obama’s only defense.

Mitt Romney believes in the American Dream and is uniquely qualified to keep it alive.

That rattles Obama.

(emphasis added to articles)

› Jayde Wyatt

“On Mother’s Day, Mitt always brings me lilacs, a tradition he started the year I became a mother. When our home is filled with their fragrance, it reminds me of so many things, and stirs so many emotions…” ~ Ann Romney

A true story by Mike Adams caught my eye a couple of weeks ago. It was published during the latter part of April on Townhall.com and is perfect for today (Don’t skip ahead to the ending!):

Mr. Adams, or Mike as I shall refer to him, had just come back from being out of town. With the weekend approaching, he was in a frantic rush to complete necessary errands. One of the important items on his to-do list was to make some deposits at his bank. As luck would have it, he chose the worst day of the week and the worst time of day to take care of his banking:

There was only one teller working and the line was about fifteen people deep. After waiting patiently, I got close to the front of the line. Looking back at the dozen or so people who had entered the line after me, I was relieved that the wait was almost over. Unfortunately, the elderly woman who was making a deposit was requiring a lot more assistance than the others who had gone before her.

She must have been 85 years old. She held a cane in one hand and wore a thick pair of glasses that were visible only after she peeled away her sunglasses. They were the kind of sunglasses that fit over her regular glasses and were big enough to block harmful rays from even the nastiest of solar eclipses. They were the kind that retirees used to wear to watch shuttle launches in south Florida. The kind people older people wear when they are consumed by practicality and no longer care as much about fashion.

When she was finally finished with her transaction, she started to make small talk with the teller behind the counter. She did not seem to notice that there were so many people in line behind her. The teller smiled and nodded at everything she said. The old lady told her she reminded her of her daughter. Then she asked the teller whether she had children. She just kept making conversation while the young woman behind the counter provided her with full and undivided attention. She seemed to feel sorry for her. It was as if she appreciated sitting where she was rather than occupying the elderly woman’s shoes.

Mike continues his story by elaborating about a younger, exasperated man who was standing in line. The guy made it very obvious he wasn’t happy with the old lady’s dilly-dallying:

He [the young man] glared impatiently at the teller as if to say that she should tell the elderly woman she was holding up the line. He even held out one of his hands and waved at the teller. He was signaling that he had been waiting long enough and that it was time his needs were met. But the teller kept nodding politely and giving the elderly woman her undivided attention.

Feeling someone should have said something to the impatient, agitated young man, Mike writes:

He should have understood why the elderly woman was clinging on to the conversation with the young teller. It was probably more than a reminder of her children. More likely, it was a reminder that she had not seen them or talked to them in quite some time.

Continuing:

As soon as she finished talking to the teller, the elderly woman walked out of the bank and headed across the parking lot towards her car. She was walking slowly and labored with every step as she leaned upon her cane for support. She had no one to help her. No husband. No son. No daughter. There was nothing to lean on but a cane.

As he watched the elderly lady make her way slowly and carefully across the parking lot, Mike felt a brief prick of conscience – that he should have given up his place in line – offered a helping hand and a kind word.

But, he didn’t.

After all, he had “places to go and things to do.”

Remorsefully, he concludes:

In case you haven’t figured it out, the impatient man in the line was me.

While speaking to graduates at Liberty University yesterday, Governor Romney said, “We are all prone, at various turns, to treat the trivial things as all-important, the all-important things as trivial…” He spoke of how easy it is to get caught up in the “busy-ness of life” and how “glimpses” of the creator’s work in our lives can “reawaken our hearts”.

Because of her own significant health challenges, Ann Romney often speaks of her increased awareness and compassion for those who are going through dark moments or suffering.

Mike Adams’ experience in the bank reawakened his heart to the value of an elderly woman; he saw her as someone’s mother.

If we’ll let it, Mother’s Day has the power to reawaken our hearts. In our own “busy-ness’ we can choose to allow time today to reflect on the marvelous, irreplaceable work of mothers – to think on the influence our own mothers have/had in our lives. If possible, today is the day to share our appreciative thoughts with them – to do something kind for them or any mother.

Here’s a fun video celebrating a few things Moms have passed down to their children (not promoting the sponsor):

Were you grinning while watching the video? I was! It reawakened deeper thoughts about my own mother. She instilled within me the joy of hard – really hard – work, being creative when cupboards were nearly bare, the love of reading, the trick to serving a mean overhand volleyball, how to bake a luscious pineapple-upside-down cake and fry a perfect easy-over egg. She rarely watched television, but did make time to giggle over old cable episodes of The Andy Griffith Show. Hence, I have the goofy inclination to relish re-runs of Barney Fife’s antics in Mayberry! (That Thelma Lou was a saint…)

What physical attributes, personal qualities, or lessons did your mother pass on to you? While you’re thinking of your mom, here are a few good quotes on mothers:

“My mother’s menu consisted of two choices: Take it or leave it.” – Buddy Hackett [Soo my mother...]

“Most of all the other beautiful things in life come by twos and threes, by dozens and hundreds. Plenty of roses, stars, sunsets, rainbows, brothers and sisters, aunts and cousins, comrades and friends—but only one mother in the whole world.” – Kate Douglas Wiggin

“A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts.” – Washington Irving

My new favorite:

“Cherish your mothers. The ones who wiped your tears, who were at every ball game or ballet recital. The ones who believed in you, even when nobody else did, even when maybe you didn’t believe in yourself.

Women wear many hats in their lives. Daughter, sister, student, breadwinner. But no matter where we are or what we’re doing, one hat that moms never take off is the crown of motherhood.

There is no crown more glorious.” ~ Ann Romney

Governor Mitt Romney's Commencement Address (FOX)

Before Governor Romney spoke, Liberty University Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. addressed the commencement day crowd of approximately 34,000. He reminded the audience that his father, the late Reverend Jerry Falwell, founded the university in 1971 to be for evangelical Christians “what Notre Dame is to young Catholics and Brigham Young is to young Mormons.”

The introduction for Governor Romney begins at 25:27 with remarks from Chancellor Falwell and Mark DeMoss, Chairman of Liberty University. (You don’t want to skip the intros!):

If that video gives you problems, click here to watch the address on Youtube.

By Mitt Romney

For the graduates, this moment marks a clear ending and a clear beginning. The task set before you four years ago is now completed in full. To the class of 2012: Well done, and congratulations.

Some of you may have taken a little longer than four years to complete your studies. One graduate has said that he completed his degree in only two terms: Clinton’s and Bush’s.

In some ways, it is fitting that I share this distinction with Truett Cathy. The Romney campaign comes to a sudden stop when we spot a Chick-fil-A. Your chicken sandwiches were our comfort food through the primary season, and there were days that we needed a lot of comforting. So, Truett, thank you and congratulations on your well-deserved honor today.

There are some people here who are even more pleased than the graduates. Those would be the parents. Their years of prayers, devotion, and investment have added up to this joyful achievement. And with credit to Congressman Dick Armey: The American Dream is not owning your own home, it is getting your kids out of the home you own.

Lately, I’ve found myself thinking about life in four-year stretches. And let’s just say that not everybody has achieved as much in these last four years as you have.

That’s a theme for another day. But two observations. First, even though job opportunities are scarce in this economy, it is not for nothing that you have spent this time preparing. Jerry Falwell, Senior, long ago observed that “You do not determine a man’s greatness by his talent or wealth, as the world does, but rather by what it takes to discourage him.” America needs your skill and talent. If we take the right course, we will see a resurgence in the American economy that will surprise the world, and that will open new doors of opportunity for those who are prepared as you are.

Of course, what the next four years might hold for me is yet to be determined. But I will say that things are looking up, and I take your kind hospitality today as a sign of good things to come.

I consider it a great life honor to address you today. Your generosity of spirit humbles me. The welcoming spirit of Liberty is a tribute to the gracious Christian example of your founder.

In his 73 years of life, Dr. Falwell left a big mark. For nearly five decades he shared that walk with his good wife Macel. It’s wonderful to see her today. The calling Jerry answered was not an easy one. Today we remember him as a courageous and big-hearted minister of the Gospel who never feared an argument, and never hated an adversary. Jerry deserves the tribute he would have treasured most, as a cheerful, confident champion for Christ.

I will always remember his cheerful good humor and selflessness. Several years ago, in my home, my wife and I were posing for a picture together with him. We wanted him to be in the center of the photo, but he insisted that Ann be in the middle, with he and I on the sides. He explained, by pointing to me and himself, “You see, Christ died between two thieves.”

Maybe the most confident step Jerry ever took was to open the doors of this school 41 years ago.

He believed that Liberty might become one of the most respected Christian universities anywhere on earth. And so it is today.

He believed, even when the first graduating class consisted of 13 students, that year after year young Christians would be drawn to such a university in ever-greater numbers. And here you are.

Today, thanks to what you have gained here, you leave Liberty with conviction and confidence as your armor. You know what you believe. You know who you are. And you know Whom you will serve. Not all colleges instill that kind of confidence, but it will be among the most prized qualities from your education here. Moral certainty, clear standards, and a commitment to spiritual ideals will set you apart in a world that searches for meaning.

That said, your values will not always be the object of public admiration. In fact, the more you live by your beliefs, the more you will endure the censure of the world. Christianity is not the faith of the complacent, the comfortable or of the timid. It demands and creates heroic souls like Wesley, Wilberforce, Bonhoeffer, John Paul the Second, and Billy Graham. Each showed, in their own way, the relentless and powerful influence of the message of Jesus Christ. May that be your guide.

You enter a world with civilizations and economies that are far from equal. Harvard historian David Landes devoted his lifelong study to understanding why some civilizations rise, and why others falter. His conclusion: Culture makes all the difference. Not natural resources, not geography, but what people believe and value. Central to America’s rise to global leadership is our Judeo-Christian tradition, with its vision of the goodness and possibilities of every life.

The American culture promotes personal responsibility, the dignity of work, the value of education, the merit of service, devotion to a purpose greater than self, and, at the foundation, the pre-eminence of the family.

The power of these values is evidenced by a Brookings Institution study that Senator Rick Santorum brought to my attention. For those who graduate from high school, get a full-time job, and marry before they have their first child, the probability that they will be poor is 2%. But, if those things are absent, 76% will be poor. Culture matters.

As fundamental as these principles are, they may become topics of democratic debate. So it is today with the enduring institution of marriage. Marriage is a relationship between one man and one woman.

The protection of religious freedom has also become a matter of debate. It strikes me as odd that the free exercise of religious faith is sometimes treated as a problem, something America is stuck with instead of blessed with. Perhaps religious conscience upsets the designs of those who feel that the highest wisdom and authority comes from government.

But from the beginning, this nation trusted in God, not man. Religious liberty is the first freedom in our Constitution. And whether the cause is justice for the persecuted, compassion for the needy and the sick, or mercy for the child waiting to be born, there is no greater force for good in the nation than Christian conscience in action.

Religious freedom opens a door for Americans that is closed to too many others around the world. But whether we walk through that door, and what we do with our lives after we do, is up to us.

Someone once observed that the great drama of Christianity is not a crowd shot, following the movements of collectives or even nations. The drama is always personal, individual, unfolding in one’s own life. We’re not alone in sensing this. Men and women of every faith, and good people with none at all, sincerely strive to do right and lead a purpose-driven life.

And, in the way of lessons learned, by hitting the mark or by falling short, I can tell you this much for sure.

All that you have heard here at Liberty University – about trusting in God and in His purpose for each of us–makes for more than a good sermon. It makes for a good life. So many things compete for our attention and devotion. That doesn’t stop as you get older. We are all prone, at various turns, to treat the trivial things as all-important, the all-important things as trivial, and little by little lose sight of the one thing that endures forever.

No person I have ever met, not even the most righteous or pure of heart, has gone without those times when faith recedes in the busy-ness of life. It’s normal, and sometimes even the smallest glimpses of the Lord’s work in our lives can reawaken our hearts. They bring us back to ourselves – and, better still, to something far greater than ourselves.

What we have, what we wish we had – ambitions fulfilled, ambitions disappointed … investments won, investments lost … elections won, elections lost – these things may occupy our attention, but they do not define us. And each of them is subject to the vagaries and serendipities of life. Our relationship with our Maker, however, depends on none of this. It is entirely in our control, for He is always at the door, and knocks for us. Our worldly successes cannot be guaranteed, but our ability to achieve spiritual success is entirely up to us, thanks to the grace of God. The best advice I know is to give those worldly things your best but never your all, reserving the ultimate hope for the only one who can grant it.

Many a preacher has advised the same, but few as memorably as Martin Luther King, Jr. “As a young man,” he said, “with most of my life ahead of me, I decided early to give my life to something eternal and absolute. Not to these little gods that are here today and gone tomorrow. But to God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

In this life, the commitments that come closest to forever are those of family.

My Dad, George Romney, was a CEO, a governor, and a member of the President’s Cabinet. My wife Ann asked him once, “What was your greatest accomplishment?” Without a moment’s pause, he said, “Raising our four kids.”

Ann and I feel the same way about our family. I have never once regretted missing a business opportunity so that I could be with my children and grandchildren. Among the things in life that can be put off, being there when it matters most isn’t one of them.

As C.S. Lewis is said to have remarked, “The home is the ultimate career. All other careers exist for one purpose, and that is to support the ultimate career.”

Promotions often mark the high points in a career, and I hope I haven’t seen my last. But sometimes the high points come in unexpected ways. I was asked to help rescue the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City.

I’m embarrassed now to recall that when this opportunity was first presented to me, I dismissed it out of hand. I was busy, I was doing well, and, by the way, my lack of athletic prowess did not make the Olympics a logical step. In fact, after I had accepted the position, my oldest son called me and said, “Dad, I’ve spoken to the brothers. We saw the paper this morning. We want you to know there’s not a circumstance we could have conceived of that would put you on the front page of the sports section.”

The Olympics were not a logical choice, but it was one of the best and most fulfilling choices of my life. Opportunities for you to serve in meaningful ways may come at inconvenient times, but that will make them all the more precious.

People of different faiths, like yours and mine, sometimes wonder where we can meet in common purpose, when there are so many differences in creed and theology. Surely the answer is that we can meet in service, in shared moral convictions about our nation stemming from a common worldview. The best case for this is always the example of Christian men and women working and witnessing to carry God’s love into every life – people like the late Chuck Colson.

Not long ago, Chuck recounted a story from his days just after leaving prison. He was assured by people of influence that, even with a prison record, a man with his connections and experience could still live very comfortably. They would make some calls, get Chuck situated, and set him up once again as an important man. His choice at that crossroads would make him, instead, a great man.

The call to service is one of the fundamental elements of our national character. It has motivated every great movement of conscience that this hopeful, fair-minded country of ours has ever seen. Sometimes, as Dr. Viktor Frankl observed in a book for the ages, it is not a matter of what we are asking of life, but rather what life is asking of us. How often the answer to our own troubles is to help others with theirs.

In all of these things – faith, family, work, and service –the choices we make as Americans are, in other places, not choices at all. For so many on this earth, life is filled with orders, not options, right down to where they live, the work they do, and how many children the state will permit them to have. All the more reason to be grateful, this and every day, that we live in America, where the talents God gave us may be used in freedom.

At this great Christian institution, you have all learned a thing or two about these gifts and the good purposes they can serve. They are yours to have and yours to share. Sometimes, your Liberty education will set you apart, and always it will help direct your path. And as you now leave, and make for new places near and far, I hope for each one of you that your path will be long and life will be kind.

The ideals that brought you here … the wisdom you gained here … and the friends you found here – may these blessings be with you always, wherever you go.

Thank you all, and God bless you.

Photo - Reuters/Kevin Lamarque

Governor Romney’s speech built an inter-faith bridge:

Some students, such as J.D. Wilkinson, a worship and music studies major from Springfield, Massachusetts, told CNN that they liked that Romney spoke out on the same-sex marriage issue.

“This school has always been about being not politically correct, just saying it, just telling the truth how it is and I thought he did that,” Wilkinson said. “I think that’s fresh in today’s world and I think that’s needed.”

Another, Michael Kildare, said he doesn’t identify strongly with a particular political party but is open to hearing more about Romney after today’s speech. Kildare, who is from Orlando, Florida, will return to his home city to take a job as a computer technician.

“I was kind of skeptical at first but he definitely said some things that I have to take into consideration,” he said. “He’s definitely a good candidate for the presidency and I definitely look forward to his other speeches and other campaign ideas.“

(emphasis added)

Dennis Prager is my favorite nationally syndicated talk show host — his logical reasoning to arrive at moral truth is unmatched. Unfortunately, his AM radio program in the Los Angeles Metro area is a relatively weak signal so I’m not able to catch the show often. Prager has a unique way of simplifying the complex.

This short video by Dennis Prager illustrates the clear, fundamental differences between Mr. Obama’s policies and those of Governor Romney. Have there ever been two presidential candidates that are more polar opposites than Barack Obama and Mitt Romney? I cannot think of any.

As you watch this video, think about which candidate, if elected in November, will have the greatest impact to American society in creating far more selfish people:

“Great achievement is usually born of great sacrifice, and is never the result of selfishness.” ~ Napoleon Hill

Thirty-two contenders have been whittled down to just two! Our survivors who will face-off in the last match-up of the VP tournament are Congressman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, and Senator Marco Rubio of Florida.

Here’s the current bracket with Round 4 results included:

Paul and Rubio could not have taken more differing paths on their march to the finals. Paul Ryan’s course matched him up against 4 excellent and currently serving GOP Governors: Jan Brewer (AZ), Nikki Haley (SC), Bob McDonnell (VA) and Chris Christie (NJ). While Rubio’s route was much more varied including a Senator (Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania), a Governor of a U.S. territory (Luis Fortuño of Puerto Rico), a former Secretary of State (Condoleeza Rice), and another fellow Senator (Jim DeMint of South Carolina).

Good luck to Congressman Ryan and Senator Rubio in the last round of voting. The winner will be announced on Monday!

The poll: Whom would you most like to see as Mitt Romney’s VP pick?

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Please note the following:
-This is not an official Mitt Romney website
-This poll is simply for fun and has no bearing on the real selection
-We don’t seek to influence Governor Romney and his campaign with the outcome of our poll

~Nate Gunderson

Ann Romney talks with FOX News' Martha Maccallum (Photo / FOX News)

America’s Newsroom co-anchor Martha MacCallum (FOX News) caught up with busy Ann Romney to talk about the presidential campaign. The two-part interview aired today:

While it’s presumed that Mitt Romney will be the GOP’s nominee for president, still up for debate is who he’ll pick for his running mate. Martha asked Ann whether they discuss the topic and who she would want to see get the spot on the ticket.

“It’s fun to talk about,” Ann disclosed. But, she wouldn’t say more than that. “I cannot come down and say [if there's someone I'm rooting for] … the wonderful thing right now is that there are wonderful people out there who are very qualified.”

MacCallum asked about Ann’s title given to her by campaign staffers – ‘Mitt-Stabilizer’:

“That is true. I think both of us enjoy each other’s company … and also I think when we get together we recognize what’s really important in life,” she said. “We’re able to laugh a lot and talk a lot about things that are not in the political realm.”

Ann was asked how she would feel if Governor Romney should lose the election:

Ann said she’s not too worried. “It will mean that we’ve given it our college try and done our very best,” she said. But in the end, she believes they’ll be taking up residence in the White House following the 2012 election.

(emphasis added)

MacCaullum mentioned the fact that Mrs. Romney could be celebrating Mother’s Day next year in the White House. Ann was asked about First Ladies she admired and issues she would promote as as America’s 47th First Lady:

. . . As for her mission as first lady if husband Mitt were to get elected, she said she would bring her own personality to the ‘job.’

“For me, of course, it’ll have something to do with the things I care about,” she said, mentioning her concern for breast cancer and MS research and awareneses. “I also worked for many years with at-risk youth, so I know I wouldn’t be able to give that up either.”

She has plenty of role models to pull from, as well. “I love Barbara Bush and her frankness … and yet her realness,” she said. “Laura Bush was so lady-like and just wonderful.

She also weighed in on the current first lady, Michelle Obama. “I think she’s lovely, and everyone can appreciate that it’s a very difficult position to be in, where your husband is under enormous scrutiny all the time and attacks from one side or the other, and to be able to keep your calm and composure – we appreciate that and see that in her.”

Ms. MacCallum brought up the topic of religion and also asked how Ann’s health challenges affected her and Mitt.

Needless to say, Ann Romney interviews are always a great pleasure to view. Not only does she possess the very qualities she admires in the First Ladies she commented on – the composure of Michelle Obama, the grace of Laura Bush, the realness of Barbara Bush – America will have the great pleasure of learning more of Ann’s humor, intelligence, compassion, wisdom, and tenacity.

Ann Romney is going to be an outstanding First Lady!

> Jayde Wyatt