Matt Wells, Ex-Republican

My experiences over the last 9 months of this campaign season have been well documented on this blog. I've been all over the country and especially, Southeast Iowa representing principles I found in a candidate running for President of the United States. Many voters agreed but a large plurality didn't and Donald Trump is the presumed nominee for the Republican Party in this fall's election. This is my party getting off point. I attended my final Republican Central Committee meeting on Monday. After I was told by nearly everyone in the room to put aside my principles and "get on board the Trump train", I'd had enough. I requested time and was granted it. I spoke up. I told them that I could, in no uncertain words, support Donald Trump or give credence to his supporters. I explained how I'd seen so much all over the country. Here is what I posted to Facebook after coming home.

"Tonight, I attended my final Johnson County, Iowa Republican Central Committee meeting. I can no longer be associated with a group tasked with electing Donald Trump. 

I spoke before the committee telling them of my convictions and concerns. I didn't hold back. I didn't parse words. I referred to my faith and the fact that Donald Trump was unrepentant and in using Christianity as a tool for his gain, was a blasphemous man.
After the meeting, I was besieged by half of the group and yelled at and one little old lady, my guess is she is around 80, screamed at me, "What makes you so holy?!" She continued, "I've been a Methodist for 53 years and I know I'm a good Christian!"
I replied, "I'm a dirty sinner saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. If you died today, do you know where you'd go? Would you go to heaven?" 
She was dumbfounded. Nobody in her church had ever asked her to take Jesus Christ at His word."

This post has become the most interacted with post I've ever done on Facebook. I was thinking it wouldn't matter but to just a few local Iowans. I was wrong. It's been shared all over the country in the circles I happen to have a bit of influence in.

The evening disturbed me, for their sake, but it also helped me grow. All but a few people at that meeting were hostile to my remarks. Many are just Republicans because they've always been Republicans. Their hatred for Democrats has impaired their abilities to hold anyone with an R behind their name accountable. It is quite apparent that change in the party will not come from within, but from people leaving and taking their principles with them. 

This is really the crux of the issue. The false religion people have bought into has become my greatest pain. This final meeting as a member of the party turned my attentions completely toward more eternal goals. My involvement in politics will be limited to very special candidates worthy of extreme efforts and worthy of asking my friends to get on board. Sure, I'll continue to vote, but our nation's ills won't be cured until our nation get's on the side of Jesus. Our continued slide toward complete debauchery and moral relativism has led us to accept anything from anyone who has the ability to grab headlines, regardless of their wickedness or depravity.  

If someone were to ask me to describe myself with adjectives, I would say this; I am Born Again Christian American Conservative...full stop. Notice, there were no party identifiers. Unless the delegates to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland choose to form a barrier, to be a remnant, if you will, and deny Donald Trump the nomination next month, my divorce from the party will be permanent and complete. 

If you agree or disagree, comment below.

You can find me on Twitter here.

On a final, more personal note, I ask you to join me in praying for my friends, the Bontrager family, as they get ready to leave tonight on a seven week music mission tour of the Northeast US and eastern Canadian Provinces. I have seen them touch so many lives(mine included) that while I'm disappointed they are leaving Iowa and I won't be able to sit amongst them in church and adult bible fellowship, I know they are doing God's work and helping people to know Jesus in a more personal way.

Below, you'll find my email sent to the secretary of the Johnson County Central Committee. 

Johnson County Central Committee members,

I can no longer, in good conscience, be a member of the Republican party. I resign my position immediately on Johnson County Central Committee. The hatred and vile attitude of Trump are sweeping the party nationwide. I cannot be apart of anything associated with Donald Trump. My faith informs me to eschew wickedness and choose good. Donald Trump's bigoted comments about an American citizen this week, who happens to also be a federal judge adjudicating his fraud case, are just more evidence that he is manifestly unqualified for the highest office in the land. I will actively work against Donald Trump this fall. I also will advise people to not vote for Hillary Clinton. I hope this presidential election has the lowest turnout in modern history. The Republican party deserves to feel the brunt of this. They are partially to blame for the rise of a populist nationalist movement behind Trump. Make no mistake, this is a progressive movement, with elements of fascism seeping in. They've stopped advocating for conservative policies and principles. I will vote for only bonafide conservatives with a record to back their claims. No more campaign conservatives. I look forward to opposing anyone associated with Governor Branstad in the next gubernatorial election here in Iowa in addition to working against Donald Trump. Our politicians must be held to higher standards than they currently are.
You will likely see me outside of the GOP and Democrat offices this fall telling people about their choices and why they should turn away from both this November. A gospel tract will likely be my literature.
The reasons I am set so strongly in my principles are Biblical in nature.

Daniel 9:14   Therefore hath the LORD watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the LORD our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice.

Proverbs 29:2   When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn. 

Ezekiel 18:24   But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die. 

Luckily, Jesus delivered those that call upon his name.

 John 3:15   That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 

  John 3:16   For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 

  John 3:17   For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 

  John 3:18   He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 

  John 3:19   And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 

  John 3:20   For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 

  John 3:21   But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. 

  John 3:22   After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized. 

  John 3:23   And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized. 

  John 3:24   For John was not yet cast into prison. 

  John 3:25   Then there arose a question between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying. 

  John 3:26   And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him. 

  John 3:27   John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. 

  John 3:28   Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. 

  John 3:29   He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. 

  John 3:30   He must increase, but I must decrease. 

  

Romans 8:1   There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 

  Romans 8:2   For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 

  Romans 8:3   For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 

  Romans 8:4   That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 

  Romans 8:5   For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 

  Romans 8:6   For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 

  Romans 8:7   Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 

  Romans 8:8   So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 

  Romans 8:9   But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 

  Romans 8:10   And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spiritis life because of righteousness. 

  Romans 8:11   But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. 

  Romans 8:12   Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. 

  Romans 8:13   For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 

My efforts will be focused on eternal truths and not the ways of the world any longer. This is why neither Hillary or Trump are worthy of the vote of any born again Christian.

Thank you and God bless,

Matt Wells

bigredmatt1011.blogspot.com

The Indiana Primary

I spent the weekend working on the ground in suburban Indianapolis for the Cruz Campaign. I love this work. It was the most personally meaningful weekend of campaign work that I have ever done. More on that later.

An Indiana roadside strategy meeting of Cruz Crew members from all over the USA.

My seat of the pants assessments have been correct, so far. After working in Wisconsin, I felt confident and we won. After working a day or two in Kansas, I knew we would win and we Cruzed (I had to go there). I was confident in Iowa too but I knew half of the crew of thousands of volunteers and all of the staff in the state, so my internal gut check poll was spot on. On the contrary, after experiencing the hate and bigotry of the south, I was confident that they would ride the wave of unprincipled Trump support. I was correct in that assessment too. 

This all leads me to Indiana. My seat of the pants estimate is similar to Wisconsin. The poll numbers are all over the place. I'm not entirely sure what good those polls do. Some have Cruz up big, some show the same for Trump and one puts the race in a statistical tie. Put them in a blender and you come out with a tie. I think this is where our vaunted ground game comes in. We have what no other Republican has ever had. A true nationwide network of people that will drop everything and go anywhere to help Ted Cruz advance principles of limited government, strong national security, economic growth and personal freedom. Jobs, Freedom and Security. 

Proper literature placement is critical

The addition of Carly Fiorina to our campaign has energized many younger voters and was met with a good results when talking to most voters on the ground. She seems to do well among younger women especially and among people who actually pay attention to the direction of the country and want to fix what's wrong generally. Those who just want to tear things down(read Donald Trump supporters) couldn't care less.

It has become clear to me that the majority of Trump's support is not rooted in anything but moral bankruptcy. There is a general malaise in the country that Trump tapped into. I understand that part. This is where I may make some people mad. I think many people are leading such morally bankrupt lives that Trump makes them feel OK about their own situations. They see Trump as being this vulgar but strong figure that will push away any vestiges of moral society, thereby allowing them to continue in their sin filled ways without feeling any judgement or justice. It truly is a cult. No amount of evidence presented matters to them because they don't care about evidence or facts. Only Trump can solve. (I almost broke my own fingers as punishment for typing that last sentence).

Yesterday, in my Adult Bible Fellowship class in church, we talked about compromise. Compromise is a tool of the devil. I've known that in my core for many years. It has taken this election cycle to hone that knowledge to the point where I had to use it to cut through the mess that is the Trump cult. To compromise on deeply held, bible backed principles is sin. To engage in moral equivocation is sin. To let morally bankrupt people lead you astray is not biblical. Trump supporters must be called out. If I was being led astray, I would hope one of my friends would step in and steer me back in the right direction. I know my pastor would. 

When talking to Trump supporters, I always try to ask them why they support the con man Donald. Many respond with trite things that are more akin to what a cultist might respond with when defending their cult leader. When challenged to defend themselves in a meaningful way, they lash out with physical actions like door slamming, threats, vile language or lies. There is a manifest evil that has crept in. I know that the word evil is rarely used in modern society because it conveys something that is not talked about much but it must be applied in the case of TrumpCult.

Perhaps the greatest evidence of this evil showed up this weekend. I have a 14 year old friend who was a part of the group that I was door knocking with that distilled Trumpers, as he calls them, to their essence. He walked up to me after a particularly rude and hateful Trump supporter slammed a door in his face and said this, "Why are they so evil? Why are they so wicked?". I wish I could give him a concrete answer. His answer was correct. He said. "They need Jesus." To that, I can only add an Amen.

Indiana, you can be a firewall for liberty and decency. Stand up to the Trump cultists. Stand for what is right. Choose the light over the dark. Choose moral uprightness over moral bankruptcy. Choose good over evil. Choose Ted Cruz over Donald Trump. 

PS: I want to thank Marlin, Mitchell, Denver and Taylor Bontrager for all of their hard work over the weekend. It didn't seem like work to me because I was doing it with people that I've grown to care about and that share the same spiritual and patriotic goals as I do. Here's to another weekend on the campaign trail with friends.

At the taping of the Cruz/Fiorina Townhall in Indianapolis(to my left, your right, were Taylor, Denver and Marlin Bontrager)

Mitchell was in line to ask a question but they ran out of time

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#NeverTrump #OnlyCruz #INPrimary #Indiana      

The Laborers Are Few

Tonight, as I processed the New York primary results, I was struck by a point my pastor made several weeks ago. Just a few people, when serving a righteous cause, can do much. Jesus did great things with only a few disciples and they carried his church across the world.

This reminded me of the story of the American Revolution. The American Revolution was started by a small group of colonists who were tired of being under a far off King's rule. Fully 20% of the colonial population left after the war because they were loyal to the British Crown. Some estimates are as low as 3% of the colonists started the Revolution. That number grew by the Revolutionary War's end, but the laborers for liberty were still few.

Just think of what 3% of the current day population could do if they mobilized for liberty. 3% is roughly 10 million people out of the current estimate of about 330 million people in the United States. Imagine 10 million people rising up with a unified voice for our founding documents and advocating for limited government. Our legislators in Washington, DC wouldn't know what to do.

What I'm trying to say is that even if you can only spare a little time or give a little money, you can do something. If you are waiting until your situation is "just right", you may be too late. What if we lose to a Democrat or a Democrat in disguise, like the other two guys running for the GOP nomination? We could lose everything we hold dear. Our rights of religious liberty, self preservation, free press, free speech and the rights of the States to self govern could all be greatly diminished by the election of 3.25 out of the current crop of 4.25 presidential candidates(John Kasich rates as a quarter of a candidate). Only Ted Cruz has a record of standing for limited government and actually protecting our rights.

Now is the time to give your time, your fortune and your sacred honor to the cause of freedom and liberty. Not only are your fellow countrymen counting on you(even if they don't know it yet) but the rest of the world is counting on you. Whether we like it or not, a strong United States is necessary for world stability. We must band together and stop the bleeding or the greatest nation, the nation responsible for the vast majority of the Christian mission work across the world, will cease to be.

Do I think the country will just dissolve? Not really. We'll just cease being a Constitutional Republic in favor of either a more fascist and nationalist state or we'll lurch even further left and we'll collapse like the Wiemar Republic. We'll then have a period of rampant violence and fascistic nationalism as a response. Study history so we don't repeat it.

Now is the time to sacrifice. Now is the time to fast. Now is the time to fall to your knees and pray. Pray on 2 Chronicles 7:14 “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 

Join us. Now has to be the time.

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The Way Forward

After the serious trouncing the Trump camp received in Wisconsin, the Donald lashed out in a disgusting and worse-than-childish statement posted to his website and disseminated by all of the major media outlets. His language was crude and the statement was poorly written, leading me to believe that he wrote it himself. Contrast his poor behavior to the speech that Ted Cruz gave after his Wisconsin win. It was concise and positive. Ted struck a tone of unity. The party is coming to him, albeit begrudgingly. I find this to be quite satisfying.

The way that this country can move forward is to look to our founding principles and apply them. Ted Cruz is the only candidate actually proposing to roll back the size and scope of the federal government. Implementation of the Cruz tax plan would result in economic growth the likes of which this country hasn't seen in years. The Cruz tax plan would also take away the majority of the K Street lobbyists' power. Without an ability to carve out tax loopholes, they would be made useless, for all intents and purposes. The Cruz flat tax would also effectively eliminate the need for the IRS.

Obamacare will only be abolished and replaced with free market solutions under a Cruz administration. By decoupling health insurance from employers, thereby making it portable, and then tearing down mandates and onerous state by state insurance rules, the cost would drop because competition would explode. These fat cat insurance companies would actually have to work for your business. Novel concept. Another reform being proposed is increased availability of Healthcare Savings Accounts(HSAs). This would allow a person to carry a catastrophic policy and then shop around for the best deal on normal, everyday medical procedures like office visits and simple tests. Empower the actual end user and costs would drop dramatically.

The Cruz plan for border security is an actual plan. You can read the whole thing by clicking here to go to the website, tedcruz.org . Ted has been working on this issue for years. He is not a newcomer to fighting illegal immigration and he won't be flexible like one New York lefty running on the Republican side this year. He actually knows that border security IS national security.

Ted Cruz's plan to fix our military is just as impressive. The Navy and Air Force need to be streamlined and strengthened. The Army needs more soldiers and the Marine Corps just needs to be unleashed when called upon. Ted's ideas for restructuring the rules of engagement are also a needed change. No longer should Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen or Marines have to call a superior officer to be able to defend themselves or terminate the enemy. The whole purpose of the military is to kill the bad guys and break their stuff. It's high time they be allowed to do that when force is needed. Once the objective is completed, we need to go home. No more nation building where there aren't nations to be built.

All of the above pales in comparison to the restoration of Constitutional liberty that would happen under a Cruz presidency. People of peaceful faiths would no longer walk on egg shells when exercising their inherent rights. Abolition of the federal department of Education would be a monumental step toward allowing states the ability to determine their own paths on education. School choice will be, nay, must be the central civil rights issue of the coming century. Leftist schools are resulting in dumbed down automatons that can't think or reason or live independently. I truly believe that homeschool and parochial school parents shouldn't be made to pay taxes to support schools they don't use. This practice is the epitome of taxation without representation and it needs to stop. Without federal mandates, these battles could be more easily waged at the state and local level. Below, you will find an excerpt from tedcruz.org detailing his plans on eliminating the federal department of education and I've linked it to his Five for Freedom page for more info.

"Educational opportunity thrives on choice, ingenuity, and diversity; the Department of Education squelches all three. Largely created as an outgrowth of Lyndon B. Johnson’s Great Society, the Department of Education has existed in its current form since 1980. Despite its stated aim to bring equal access to all, it has failed to close the gap between low-income communities and other communities, and instead has led to one-size-fits-all solutions imposed on millions of students with differing educational needs. Eliminating the Department of Education not only restores the states’ constitutional power and saves taxpayers billions of dollars, it returns decision-making to parents and local communities, and liberates students and teachers from a failed top-down approach. The growing federal role in education spurred by the Education Department has led to perverse mandates such as Common Core and counterproductive laws such as No Child Left Behind.

We should repeal every word of Common Core. And, as President, I will direct the Secretary of Education to immediately end the federal government’s mandates that seek to force states to adopt this failed attempt at a universal curriculum.

Even more broadly, we need to get the federal government out of education altogether. The Department of Education has the third largest discretionary budget in the federal government, and it provides 10 percent of funding for K-12 education. Yet, with that 10 percent share, it imposes significant requirements on states and schools, forcing them to submit to federal bureaucrats. Education has traditionally been a state matter; the people closest to students know them best – parents and teachers know far more than Washington bureaucrats – and we are already witnessing remarkable reforms by state and local governments to increase school choice and resist Common Core standards. We need to restore parent and student choice and remove federal barriers to children’s success.

A Cruz Administration will eliminate the programs in the Department of Education that are wasteful, ineffective, and fail to achieve better student outcomes. We will perform a careful review of remaining programs to assess how best to return those responsibilities to state and local communities.

The lion’s share of K-12 funding will be block granted to the states, including Title I funding and the Individuals with Disabilities Education program, while the Indian Education program and Federal Impact Aid will be transferred to existing departments. Pell Grants will also remain intact and can be transferred to the Treasury Department. This will result in higher quality education, more tailored to local needs, at a lower cost.

The D.C. Public School Funding and the Opportunity Scholarship Program will persist because Washington D.C. is under the federal purview of Congress and it is constitutionally appropriate for those programs to continue to be overseen at a federal level. But those programs can be run by another department, and the Education Department can be shut down.

Ineffective Spending:

Since the Department’s inception in 1980, the federal government has spent nearly $1.5 trillion on education.
It cost the U.S. $151,000 per student to put the graduating class of 2009 through public school; adjusted for inflation, that is nearly three times the amount we spent on the graduating class of 1970.
Despite this outrageous spending, education outcomes have either stagnated or declined. The nation’s report card, first administered in 1992, shows that the disparity between white and black 12th grade reading scores has increased – showing African American students half a grade further behind their peers, and totaling a nearly three grade-level difference."

We know the way forward. We know that this way will work. We must put stupid party politics to the side and move toward a better and more free future. Ted Cruz is the only candidate in this race that has the correct plans, the temperament, the knowledge and the lack of fear to expend political capital to make good on his campaign promises. We must stand together and be heard. America is too valuable to entrust her leadership to unprincipled progressive nationalism or socialism.

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Below, you'll find the video of the Rally for Religious Liberty in Des Moines, Iowa. That event launched my foray into political activism and no other event has changed my life as much as that evening did. For more on how that day changed my life, click here.

Groupthink

Groupthink. This is the commonly found definition for this term:  Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people, in which the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an irrational or dysfunctional decision-making outcome. Group members try to minimize conflict and reach a consensus decision without critical evaluation of alternative viewpoints, by actively suppressing dissenting viewpoints, and by isolating themselves from outside influences.

Groupthink requires individuals to avoid raising...alternative solutions, and there is loss of individual creativity, uniqueness and independent thinking. The dysfunctional group dynamics of the "ingroup" produces an "illusion of invulnerability" (an inflated certainty that the right decision has been made). Thus the "ingroup" significantly overrates its own abilities in decision-making, and significantly underrates the abilities of its opponents (the "outgroup"). Furthermore, groupthink can produce dehumanizing actions against the "outgroup".

If this doesn't describe what has happened with regards to the campaign of one Donald J. Trump, I don't know what does. They have replaced faith in God and common decency with a groupthink cult following of one specific man. To be clear, no one man can make America great. America was made great by God's providential hand because Americans, from the founding, recognized God's leadership in all that was good. 

Before you say to me, "Hey, you are Christian and you encourage groupthink", know this; God encourages each of us to develop our natural gifts, through His word, and to be our own person while following his Son. We are given free will and are not instructed to be all the same. Principles are not the same as a cult. Following the one true God and believing on His Son, Jesus, is the highest calling that any person undertakes. No man can save us from hell and no man can grant us admission to heaven. That debt has be settled. 

After what the Combed Over One has done in the past two weeks, this groupthink cult has crystallized itself. While a few in the Trump camp have jumped ship or questioned his motives, the vast majority of his indoctrinated followers haven't. When talking to these people in person, I seriously question each person's individual sanity. I have yet to find a Trump cultist who has been able to make a coherent argument on why they support the man. They spout platitudes like, "He'll build a wall and make Mexico pay for it", "He'll run the country like a business", "He's not a politician", "He's self funding", "He'll hire the best people", "He'll make America great again", etc. There are a few Trumpists that are members of the cult and they can be reached and pulled away. They are the people that haven't seen any better. Once they are shown, their eyes are opened. Those are few and far between.

The vast majority of the Trumpkins are not fully coherent. They have felt marginalized. I understand this part. The part where the disconnect happens is their solution for their feelings of marginalization. Feelings are never valid for making decisions. Prayerful discernment is needed for making decisions. These cultists have projected their own perceived or real inadequacies on a man and that is a recipe for complete and utter disaster. Trumpkins are not students of history. If they were, they'd see visions 2008 Barack Obama, several failed campaigns of William Jennings Bryan, and if they were to delve deeply, shades of Benito Mussolini would start to bubble to the surface. 

Nationalism, which has been what people like quasi-conservatives like Laura Ingraham and Sean Hannity have called what Trump has been pedaling, is nothing more than an inward lurch of an all powerful big government. Nationalist movements seek to isolate in order to consolidate their power in the centers of government and then typically, once that is done, they lash out at those forces outside the borders of the nationalist state that their "leader" sees as the aggressors. Europe in the late 1930's comes to mind. Populist Nationalism is nothing more than fascism wrapped in the flag and is the result of weak minded groupthink. The people that back a nationalist leader feel inadequate and are unprepared to be left alone to fend for themselves by government. They are little different from the socialists and communists and only differ in that they see their country as their God. Socialists and communists reject all theories of superiority except that of the nameless, faceless state.  

American Exceptionalism, on the other hand, recognizes the fact that our country was founded by men, guided by divine providence and a belief in Almighty God. Our founding documents were inspired by God and written by godly men. We are no different in our flesh and blood from any other group of people on the earth. The reason we are different is a reliance on divine providence and the fact that rights come from God and not from man. If rights were derived from man, man can then take those rights away and those rights are nothing more than privileges. This is a wholly different ideology than nationalism. Alexis de Tocqueville was the first person to coin this term. The only reason government has to exist is to protect those rights which are inherent and from our Creator. 

The country is on a precipice right now. Do we lurch toward totalitarian fascism in one Donald Trump, socialism in Bernie Sanders, veiled socialism in Hillary Clinton, or American Exceptionalism and Constitutional government in Ted Cruz. I know where I stand. I stand with Ted Cruz. 

I don't support Ted Cruz because I think he is nice guy(he actually is) or because he's flashy(he isn't). I support him because he is a defender of the principles that made the United States of America the shining city on a hill. We are the last, best hope for mankind. As Rafael Cruz, Ted's dad, is fond of saying, if we lose freedom here, where do we have to go?

I invite you to read history. Don't let yourself be an uninformed voter. It may not be all your fault. Schools stink(putting it mildly) at informing people about history, mostly from a willful standpoint, but that's for another post. After all, if we don't know history, we are doomed to repeat it. God's favor and the ability to learn from our past mistakes are what separate us from animals. Let us not forget that.

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Fight For Principles, Not For Parties

Don't vote for a man. Vote on principle.

I've seen much hand wringing taking place over the last few days regarding the polling data that shows how bad a certain Combed Over reality TV star gets beat by Monica's ex-boyfriend's wife. It is no one's fault but those in the conservative intelligentsia and the so-called conservative/Republican media machine. The Orange Faced One could have been fully vetted when he threw his hat in the ring and roundly drubbed out for being the misogynistic, unprincipled boor that he is. Instead, he was dismissed and his rhetoric was encouraged by some in the media. I saw through him from the beginning.

He is just playing on people's fears and feeding a long dormant white power/populist nationalist movement that has now found their figure head. This isn't battle for a nomination. It is now a battle between good and evil. The forces of evil must be defeated. Last night, things became crystal clear to me as I spoke to a friend about the state of our nation and this presidential race. This election isn't about electing a Democrat or Republican.

Our nation is at a crossroads. I'm no longer just fighting for my candidate, Ted Cruz. I'm fighting for a nation that will respect our right to follow the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I am fighting for our ability to be able to send missionaries to all corners of the globe to tell people about Jesus Christ. A respected pastor said something to me several months ago that has stayed with me. The United States is the base for 83% of the world's missionaries and much of the world's charity.

I'm fighting for the ability of people to raise their children as they see fit, according to biblical principles and in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. I'm fighting for people to educate their children without federal government intervention. I want a country where one income is enough for a family to succeed so that children can have a parent at home so that they aren't raised by a government school that isn't looking out for their individual interest. I'm fighting to end the federal Department of Education.

I'm fighting for a fair and flat tax rate that doesn't penalize success. I'm fighting for a business tax code that encourages companies to make things in the United States again. I'm fighting so that a small business isn't buried under a mountain of federal regulation. I'm fighting so that a farmer isn't treated better than the hardware store owner in the small town that he lives next to. I'm fighting for equality in taxation.

I'm fighting so that each state can become the laboratory of policy and democratic experimentation. I'm fighting so that Texas isn't treated to the same stupid laws and policy that New York is. I'm fighting so that Iowa isn't subjected to the same policy that Florida is. I'm fighting so that states that haven't adopted backward big government aren't forced to do so by an overarching, all powerful federal government.

But most of all, I'm fighting for each and every staffer and volunteer that has become my friend during the course of this campaign. I'm fighting for the church that I've found through this campaign. I'm fighting for my family and my friends. I'm fighting for the people that have given so much and asked little in return other than a chance to see their principles reapplied. I'm fighting so that my nephew and my young friends have the opportunity to live in a country more free than the one they were born into, rather than have to live with the decline of a nation, once the freest in the whole world.

I urge you to join me. I urge you to get involved. Don't just vote. Volunteer. You can even volunteer from home to make phone calls. Don't sit back and waste the opportunity to stand for principle. We finally have an opportunity to do just that.

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My Experience in the American South (A Follow Up To Why I Can't Support Trump)

Wow. I've been in 15 states over that past 45 days. I've spent so much time totally engrossed in political ground work that I've had little time to write. This post will distill what I've now seen as the greatest threat to my value system in my lifetime. Whether you agree or not is of no consequence to me. I have friends that will attest to the validity of my claims here.

Donald Trump has done something amazingly horrible. He has turned approximately 30% of the primary electorate on the GOP side into zombies(45% if you figure the white populist nationalist herd in the South). He was right when he said he could shoot someone on 5th Avenue and he wouldn't lose his supporters. No amount of actual evidence will change the minds of his core group of supporters. What I experienced while working with the Cruz campaign in South Carolina and Georgia was both fascinating and terrifying, all at the same time.

Let me start with the people of the American South. There are some nice folks. There are some good Christian folks. This goes for the ones that aren't those two things. Now, I'm going to be blunt. I don't fit in in the South. I am plain spoken and quite open about why I believe what I believe. Ask anyone that knows me. I hate(strong word, I know) fake niceness. Being polite is great but when you don't mean it, I see right through you. I can normally talk to anyone that has more than a few brain cells to rub together. That wasn't the case in South Carolina and Georgia. Self deprecation is not a trait of most Southerners. Those of us in Iowa and around the Midwest laugh at ourselves all the time(after all, besides cow tipping, what else is there to do in central Nebraska). See what I did there.

While I did have a few doors slammed in my face in Iowa, I equaled the total from 4 months of campaigning in Iowa in my first day of door knocking in the Greenville, SC area. People in the South are incredibly suspicious of those that are different from them while at the same time being insufferably polite to your face while holding you in contempt as soon as you turn your back. It was very hard to gauge a person's actual mood or mindset with just a few minutes of contact. Contrast that to the Midwest. In Iowa, I could talk to almost anyone and gauge whether they were with us or against us in just a few minutes. People in Iowa and the Midwest, in general, are easy to talk to and open about their views. Even the ones that didn't like my choice of candidate would usually talk to you. Many would debate you. I love that. The caucus system in Iowa encourages neighbors to talk openly about their views and the issues that matter to them. I got the sense in South Carolina and Georgia that politics was a private issue and that no matter what, people weren't going to discuss things. And we wonder why the sense of community has died in many towns...

Frankly(there's an inside joke here), I think we should be discussing our political situations with everybody we know. Politics in the US invades every aspect of life, unless you are an off-the-grid mountain man who can make it by hunting and gathering,(not going to lie, that idea does sound appealing from time to time) politics has an impact on your life. If you can't discuss the state of politics in your town, state or country, you are being derelict in your duty as a citizen of these United States.

Another disturbing aspect of the South that I encountered was the still alive climate of racism and bigotry that has long dogged the American South. This doesn't appear as much in the more urban and suburban areas but in the loose communities that dot the countryside in the South, the racist climate is still alive and well. Certain towns are still almost entirely voluntarily(or not) segregated. My heart was broken by what I saw and heard. I was screamed at for supporting someone with a "Cuban" last name. I was called stupid for not supporting Donald Trump multiple times. Confederate flag flying homes, almost 100%, could be counted on as a home of a Combover devotee. His supporters speak like him. They use the same empty words and phrases(all with a southern drawl). "We're going to build a wall", "We'll be so great", "America doesn't win anymore", "He'll make good deals", etc. When pressed to provide more information on why they support the Combed Over One, they started screaming and used foul language.

The final home on the last walkbook I worked in Georgia was a glaring example of this. I was with Elizabeth(she's 12). Her brother was turning the van around, so we both jumped out and as soon as we approached the man in his front yard and introduced ourselves as Cruz supporters, he became visibly angry and told us to get the h*ll off his property. This was in a very well off neighborhood in Cobb County north of Atlanta. If I'd have been alone, I wouldn't have cared so much. I was seething inside because I knew Elizabeth didn't deserve that kind of treatment. Being rude to ladies, no matter the age, really chaps my hide.

What my experience with people in the South illustrated is that the lack of awareness of others has become a glaring hallmark of Trump supporters. They are only looking out for themselves and see no importance in principles that built this nation. Never once did they cite the Constitution as a reason to vote for their figurehead. Some openly said that the Constitution was old and that was Ted's problem. He held too tight to it(I'm not kidding). The support of this man, this demagogue, can only be described as a cult of personality. No amount of factual evidence was able to move the needle with them because they were projecting all of their problems onto one man thinking he was going to assuage their anger and vanquish their demons. A very small few were able to be reached when I started to quote the Bible and by the end of my time down there, the Bible has become my only real defense. Some folks still thought highly enough of the Good Book to listen. Some didn't. They will come crashing to the earth if they ever awake from the trance they are in.

As Ted Cruz says, no one man can make the country great. God made us great by inspiring a people to be free to pursue greatness, all while giving thanks to Him for his divine providence. It is the people, under God and indivisible, that make the country great. We need to work on ourselves and get the government out of the way. 2 Chronicles 7:14 is the most manifest testament to this, directly from the word of God.

Don't get me wrong, I met some good people, as previously stated, but those good people must become more vocal and involved to help salvage what I saw down there. As it stands now, I don't really have a desire to visit the south ever again, unless I was to be called down there for a Christian mission of some sort. The "Bible Belt" is frayed and the buckle is highly tarnished and the people need true spiritual revival. The one saving grace I cling to is Ted Cruz has won the youth vote in every state he's competed in. Maybe the younger generations are turning away from the backwards thinking down South. One can only pray that is the case.

All of the hate and distrust emanating from the people in the South had one glaring effect on me. I turned toward God even more. I found myself praying between homes or between phone calls. My pastor was incredibly helpful in sending me Bible verses to help me get through the days. A friendly call from a friend or two also helped. Working along side of friends made the work fun, even if we did get yelled at a bunch. Knowing people back in Iowa were praying for me also gave me comfort.

I guess you could sum up my experience down South like this. I'm so glad I grew up in Nebraska, lived in Colorado and now live in Iowa. I'm also happy that my sister lives in Kansas. I guess you could say I'm a westerner Midwesterner(think that one through), and I'm glad to be one. #GBR for all of you Husker Twitter followers.

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Jeremiah 29:11   For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. 

  Jeremiah 29:12   Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. 

  Jeremiah 29:13   And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. 

  Jeremiah 29:14   And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive. 

Rock Chalk Jayhawk, Go Ted Cruz!

I'm writing this piece from the 14th state I've been in over the last 30 days. What a wild ride! I feel the tide starting to shift. 

Just yesterday, I spent 5 hours at a caucus site in Emporia, KS. I was blown away at the support Ted Cruz has here in the middle of the country. Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas have provided an anchor. Add Maine and Alaska and you have the start of a wide ranging base of support. The late votes broke heavily toward Ted Cruz in Kentucky and Louisiana too. 

I feel a change coming over the electorate and I think the last debate had a lot to do with it. Ted Cruz was the only adult in the room. With the one who shall remain nameless and Marco Rubio just trading insults, Ted Cruz prosecuted the aforementioned unnamed one while staying out of the mud.

While having a conversation with 5 friends last night by text message, the mood was decidedly lighter. We've all worked so hard for the same causes that Ted Cruz champions. I remember having a conversation with one specific friend on Tuesday before the election results started coming in(Thank you, Texas!) and I told this person that I was no longer nervous about the results. Her response was one of the most beautiful things I've ever read, "It is one of the many blessings of our position as children of God - sweet peace in the midst of storms." After I read that, I knew I had worked as hard as I could and God was in control. She's totally correct. There's peace knowing God will never give us more than we can handle while also knowing that our trials will only serve to make those of us who know Jesus stronger in the long run. 

This has been such a whirlwind experience that I've only slept in my own bed 4 nights in the last month. I'll write a more in depth review of the last month in the coming week. So, for now, good bye from Kansas. Perhaps a Rock Chalk Jayhawk, Go Ted Cruz chant is in order.

The Ground Game

The Cruz ground game. It is talked about in terms that put it in a class by itself. The #CruzCrew in South Carolina had a good one started. Then, the Iowans showed up. So much so that I did an interview with NBC Nightly News yesterday regarding our ground game and the need to help Ted Cruz in any way that I can.

The Iowa staff and volunteers that are down here now are putting their vast knowledge and expertise to good use. In the past few days, we've been able to add to the team down in the Palmetto State. There are some cultural differences, to be sure, but we have a significant leg up. We know Ted Cruz and he knows us. Retail politics in Iowa is to Iowans like Friday night lights football is to Texans.

In the next week and a half, we will put the hammer down. The sprint to knock more doors and make more phone calls is in full swing. Because this is a primary state, the emphasis is on the Get Out The Vote effort. It is easier to ask someone to spend 5 minutes to vote for us but that also means that we have to talk to more people. Our advantage in Iowa was our network of amazing precinct speakers. We don't have the ability to have that final influence here. We must be done next Friday.

When I arrived down here, I was so pleased to see Lyndsey Blagrave and Daniel Bradshaw on the team. These two young folks are examples of what make the Cruz campaign great. Lyndsey is the best volunteer coordinator there is. She helps keep the office running. Her light shines to everyone she meets. Daniel is the best field  operative I've seen. He gets it. These people aren't political mercenaries. They are believers in God, in the cause and in Ted Cruz.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention my dear friends too. I know I talk about these people all the time but they have helped so much. Yesterday, the Bontrager Family stopped by the office in Greenville and took care of the volunteers by making lunch(I'm not talking about a simple lunch either). We had grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, a black bean dip, vegetables (always) and Allison and Chelsy made hundreds of no bake cookies. They also made hundreds of phone calls and helped me get to over 100 doors in the area in a short amount of time. 

My greatest joy yesterday was seeing the littlest Bontragers go door knocking with their big brothers and me. Carson and Josh and Mitchell took their little sisters and brother and the absolute joy to be helping us was plain on the faces of Elizabeth, Rebecca and Hudson. When I asked Taylor if he wanted to knock on doors, his face lit up. Being homeschooled, these kids are getting a great education in being caring and involved Americans. This is something their government school counterparts just don't get to experience.

Right before the Bontragers left to go do their prison ministry concert, we heard the news that Chris Christie had dropped out of the race. 10 year old Hudson promptly opined, "I wish Christie would have stayed in and helped split the establishment vote." I looked at his two eldest sisters and laughed. I think he's heard one too many conversations with his siblings and me after church.

I also have received texts and had a phone conversation with my pastor in Washington, IA. It is such a blessing to have the members of Marion Avenue Baptist Church in our corner. Their prayers and phone call support from Iowa are so appreciated.

In short, those of us involved with the Cruz campaign are doing this for our country. Ted Cruz is an advocate for more freedom and liberty and his call has mobilized more people on the ground than any other Republican running. The difference in vision is quite obvious now. Ted has an aspirational vision for America. As the Bible says in Psalms:

Psalms 30:5   For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. 

  Psalms 32:11   Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart. 

These values are not just a small part of the Cruz campaign. They run though all aspects. There is an honest care for our fellow volunteers and staff. There is a palpable joy in our mission. This is a trait I've not seen in other campaigns. It really all boils down to the verse that has become part of this campaign. Ted quotes this verse at every campaign stop now.

 2 Chronicles 7:14   If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 

I urge all of you that love God, love our country and love your families to join us.

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#CruzCrew #SCPrimary #IowaCaucus #CruzToVictory

Onward to South Carolina

Monday, February 1st, was the culmination of months of work in Iowa. The Cruz campaign did the hard, but rewarding work to win the Iowa Caucuses. Sitting around the TV at the Dutch Country Inn in Kalona, the sheer joy on the faces of my friends's faces was all the actual reward I needed.

Fast forward to Thursday, February 4th. I received a call that continued to reinforce my knowledge that this campaign, this cause for electing a Christian Constitutionalist, was blessed by God. I was notified that I would be able to go to South Carolina and continue my work for Ted Cruz. I will do my very best to make sure I don't waste this opportunity and let down those people that have put so much trust in my abilities to reach voters. I will talk to any and all voters of South Carolina. I will talk to them as someone who has had the chance to actually get to know Ted Cruz. 

I'm so glad that I will see so many friends too. Monday will be an Iowa reunion, so to speak. I can't wait to see Daniel Bradshaw, Lyndsey Blagrave, Bryan English and the Bontrager family. I've also counted my blessings as I'm writing this from my mom's place in Columbia, MD. I'll travel the rest of the way to South Carolina on Sunday.

My goal in South Carolina is to continue actually talking to voters. I'm not interested in just asking them to vote for Ted Cruz. I want to get to know them. God willing, I will be able to convey my knowledge from attending 24 Iowa campaign events with Ted to the voters in South Carolina. I ask for your prayers for all of us traveling from all over the country to the various campaign offices in South Carolina.

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http://bontragersingers.blogspot.com/2016/01/why-christians-should-vote-for-ted-cruz.html

http://daughterwithavision.blogspot.com/2016/01/a-call-to-actionyour-duty-to-vote.html

The Iowa Caucuses Are Monday

Ted Cruz calling on Donald Trump to debate him, Lincoln - Douglass style, before caucus night.

The Iowa Caucuses are drawing near. Next Monday, this state that I've grown to love, not because of where it is or what it looks like, but because of the people I've come to know, will make a decision that will help shape the direction of country for the foreseeable future. The weight of a nation and the eyes of the world are now focused on Iowa.

Josh, Mitchell and Allison knocking on doors for Ted Cruz. Who cares about the cold? Iowans surely don't.

The next few days will be full of door to door campaign work, a debate watch party, a Sunday at Marion Avenue Baptist Church and a rally in Iowa City followed by some retail campaign work in Coralville, North Liberty and Iowa City on Monday before the caucus. I will then lead the precinct where I live for Ted Cruz and cast my vote in the Iowa Caucuses.

Chelsy, Josh, Jessica and Taylor helped me knock on doors in Fairfield, IA before a Rally with Ted Cruz

With the preparation and networking the Cruz campaign has done, we have been able to recruit about 12,000 volunteers in the state of Iowa. This is unprecedented. This is why we'll win. The people behind this campaign in Iowa are why Iowa is a good place to live. Young, old and everyone in between. It would take me days to list all of the people that I've come to respect and love during the course of this campaign. I've made friends that I will have forever and I thank God for that. For more on the people that mean so much to me, you can read this post from a few weeks ago.

Glenn Beck speaking in Waterloo, IA. Glenn has endorsed a candidate for the first time in his career. He believes in Ted and so do I.

Who knows what the future holds? All I know is that I will continue to be active in the political arena. I may get tasked to go to South Carolina in support of the #CruzCrew. If that is the case, I would be honored. But once the campaign is done, I think that Iowa will be the place I call home for the foreseeable future. There is much to be done here and it starts with returning the state to a conservative way of life. Our own Republican Party of Iowa has been infested by crony corporatist interests and it must stop. I will actively support and campaign for any Constitutional conservative that challenges the Branstad machine in Iowa.

A debate watch party at the Dutch Country Inn in Kalona.

In closing, I think that we will shock the world on Monday. The #CruzCrew is ready. We will help pave the way for the most principled candidate to run for president in my lifetime. This will officially be the first vote that I am truly excited to cast and I know there are thousands of Iowans like me. If you haven't joined us already, why not? I know I pledge my life, my fortune and my sacred honor to the restoration of this great land and its founding documents. Join us.

Daniel, Cris and me on a 15 degree day knocking on doors. This is how you really reach people.

For more Iowa campaign insights and information on the reasons to support Ted Cruz, read this post by my friend, Josh Bontrager.

For a great read on why Christians should vote and take a leadership role in our government, read this post by Chelsy Bontrager. Chelsy speaks the unvarnished truth in this piece.

For my opinion on one certain presidential candidate with a bad combover(he who shall remain nameless), click here.

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