Back in the spring, I wrote about how Sam Brownback has been leading the “Catholics for McCain” effort here and here and here and here and here. I wrote so much about it I figured I’d give everyone an update on how that effort is going.

There is no doubt that Sarah Palin has brought a great deal of energy to the Catholic vote. On August 31, I wrote:

Students at my conservative, Catholic college were psyched about Palin. On Friday when she was announced, the buzz around campus was about Palin and it was all positive. My college draws conservative students from across America, so I think it provided a real snapshot of how young conservatives now feel about the ticket. I emphasize now, because there was a big chunk of students I know who were not enthused at all about McCain… Most could stomach voting for him, but ask them to knock on doors, make phone calls? Not a chance. Another portion of those students were going to write in Ron Paul or not vote at all. That all changed with the Palin pick. Students are asking how to get involved, and those that weren’t going to pull the lever for McCain are now.

However, I wanted to make sure that the enthusiasm wasn’t just outside my immediate network of Catholic friends and family. So, at the suggestion of Matthew E. Miller’s 100 Blogs for Palin idea, I decided to reach out to Catholics from across the country to gauge their feelings about Sarah Palin on my blog, Catholics4McCain. The response I got was overwhelming. Hundreds of Catholics sent in their comments to me about how, as a Catholic, they felt about the addition to Sarah Palin on the ticket. You can read the responses by clicking the logo below.

Here are just three examples:

“As a mother of 4, grandmother of 9, a working woman for 25 years, and a political activist, I enthusiastically support Sarah Palin as McCain’s running mate! She is a role model for the pro-life feminist. Her courage and forcefulness to reform the corruption in the Alaska shows she has the qualities to be a VP who will bring honest change to our government in D.C.”
– Patricia Mahoney, Rye Beach, New Hampshire

“I am thrilled. What an incredible candidate to add to this ticket… pro-life, pro-family, pro-defense, pro-environment… and she rose through the ranks by her own desire to serve her local community. I, for one, have added Sarah Palin to my list of role models…”
– Lauren Werda, Ann Arbor, Michigan

“I am a big fan. 3 days ago I was planning to vote Constitutional Party. Now I am will be voting McCain. 5 minutes after Gov. Palin finishes her speech I will be online making my first ever campaign contribution, I will have a yard sign in front of my house for the first time ever, I will be wearing a Palin / McCain button…”
– Paul Deming, Vancouver, Washington

“Sarah Palin has restored my faith in the Republican campaign. Her devotions to life, family, and morals are an inspiration to a young woman such as myself who is looking for a representative of my ideals in politics. She is a strong woman, accomplished, but compassionate and loving as well- as close to the true meaning of feminine as I have ever seen a woman get in a political world where masculinity is celebrated- even among woman. I look forward to voting for John McCain and Sarah Palin and am encouraged by where I believe they will lead our country.”
– Lindsey Harner, Malvern, Pennsylvania

So now that I have conveyed the enthusiasm about Palin and Catholic voters, now let’s look at the polls:

CNN poll shows that McCain is winning the white Catholic vote by 23 points — 59% to 36%. And, just 3 days ago in a separate poll, John Zogby noted:

The striking thing here in this poll is that McCain has pulled ahead among Catholics by double-digits.

There is no doubt that this is much in part due to Palin.

Besides Palin, the Catholic Outreach effort is in full-throttle, as the McCain campaign has a full-time staffer working Catholic Outreach from the headquarters, and there are full-time Catholic outreach field staff in key states.

Catholic Outreach activities at the Convention went extremely well, and resulted in headlines like these:

National Catholic Register: Courting Catholics (9/4/08)

In his acceptance speech, McCain electrified Catholics by speaking about a culture of life, funding for private schools and America’s newest Catholics, immigrants.

Catholic News Service: Republicans rally fellow Catholics to support McCain-Palin ticket (9/7/08)

“Are you pumped up yet?” Brownback asked the crowd of about 300 people as he took the stage. He immediately praised McCain’s choice of Palin, which was announced Aug. 29.

“The lady is a real lady, a believer in the pro-life movement,” he said. “She lives it. She is it.”

Associated Press: McCain campaign courts critical Catholic vote (9/5/08)

Shortly after a priest’s opening prayer and a screening of a short film on John McCain’s faith, Sen. Sam Brownback stepped to the microphone and didn’t waste words.

“Just to get to the whole meat of the matter, the Catholic vote is a swing vote,” the Kansas lawmaker and Catholic convert said at a Catholic reception during this week’s Republican National Convention.

“It is a critical vote in swing states,” he said. “It is a vote we can win _ but only if we work to win it.”

My Catholic friends who were at the Convention said that morale among Catholic leaders was the highest they had seen it since the beginning of the election.

And just yesterday, coming off working Catholics at the convention, Sam Brownback hit the ground fast, doing surrogate work for John McCain in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Visiting Cleveland; Steubenville, Ohio; and Greensburg, Pa, Brownback pitched McCain to Catholics. Combined, the events drew nearly 400 Catholics.

Hope this gives you an update on the Catholic vote, and I look forward to keeping you up to date on this key coalition that I believe is going to help deliver John McCain and Sarah Palin the election.

The McCain Campaign held a conference call to discuss today’s decision in DC v. Heller attended by Sen. Sam Brownback and Senior Policy Advisor Randy Scheunemann. I was not able to attend myself today due to prior commitments, but I was able to get the highlights.

Here is Sen. Brownback:

I am very pleased to see the Supreme Court ruling on the D.C. gun ban case, finding that the Second Amendment is an individual right, and this has been a long time coming. It’s an important one. It recognizes the Second Amendment as the other amendments in the Constitution are an individual right.

I am amazed at the flipping on this position by Barack Obama. Initially, he comes out and says that he believes in banning hand guns. He is for the D.C. gun ban, and now seems to be sidestepping the issue and acknowledging support — at least saying that this seems to be a right. Of course, it’s an individual right. This is either an incredible flip-flop or incredible inexperience. On this issue, anyone who’s been around politics in Washington , D.C. , for a period of time knows the centerpiece of this gun ban debate is whether or not the Second Amendment is an individual or a collective right. And, I’m really surprised about this move by Barack Obama.

It does seem to reflect a willingness that as the campaign changes from a primary to a general, willingness to change on positions, to be more liberal in the primary, to moving more conservative in the general election. I guess I should welcome that, but it looks like, to me, either inexperience or incredible flip-flopping. We’re seeing this take place on campaign finance, recently, now on the FISA bill that’s on the floor of the United States Senate. He has said previously that he would filibuster it and now he says he’s open to the compromise.

I want to put a marker out there that I think the next thing to move, that you may watch and see Senator Obama move on has got to be on Iraq , with the news coming out about the surge and its success. I think you’re probably going to see that start to take place. I really would just hope that Senator Obama would look at this the way I do. I didn’t initially support the Surge and said, ‘Look, I was wrong. Senator McCain was right. This is working and God bless him for maintaining that position. That, at this point in time, we’re looking now at securing Iraq rather than toward exiting with a failed terrorist state.’ There was a lot at stake in this, and John fought to put his name, his reputation, his campaign on the line and did the right thing. John McCain’s a maverick. He’s fought for a bipartisan fashion. I think that the biggest thing I’ve seen from Barack Obama is a willingness, aggressiveness, to talk bipartisan and yet to vote the hard left– most liberal member of the United States Senate.

Here’s Randy Scheunemann:

Let me just add a little bit of detail about Sen. Obama’s positions — plural — on firearms issues. He has expressed support for the D.C. gun ban saying that he thought it was constitutional. He sidestepped questions for months on how he thought this case, Heller and District of Columbia , should be decided. He refused to sign an amicus brief that a large bipartisan majority of the Senate signed that Senator McCain was pleased to sign, arguing that the Supreme Court should decide the decision the way they in fact did decide the decision today. Despite being a professor of constitutional law, he said he had no position on this because he hadn’t reviewed all the briefs at one point.

In his votes, you can see Senator Obama’s position clearly on Second Amendments. He has voted to ban guns. He has voted to allow politically motivated lawsuits. He has voted in the Illinois State Legislature against self-defense rights. He has a clear and consistent record of opposing Second Amendment rights and our expectation is he’ll try to have it both ways and say that he supports the decision today even though he was unable to express support for it at any time over the previous period of months when he was asked about it.

Second, I think what’s becoming clear in this campaign that for Senator Obama the most important issue in the election is the political fortunes of Senator Obama. He has demonstrated that there really is no position he holds that isn’t negotiable or isn’t subject to change depending on how he calculates it will affect his political fortunes. You can see that in his changing positions on public financing for campaigns, on the immunity provisions in FISA legislation, on his position on NAFTA where he called for a unilateral renegotiation, on his positions on unconditional meetings with dictators like Ahmadinejad in Iran, on his position of Jerusalem being an undivided capital and twenty-four hours later saying it’s a subject for negotiations.

And frankly, I think we are going to see, as Senator Brownback pointed out, yet another position from Senator Obama in coming days and weeks on Iraq . You literally need a kaleidoscope to follow Senator Obama’s positions on Iraq . In 2005, he was against cutting off funds and putting a timetable in place. In 2007, he voted to cut off funds and he said the surge would not reduce sectarian violence. In 2008, he said he would disregard the advice of military commanders and proceed with a timetable for withdrawal, and then he told Iraqi Foreign Minister Zabari that he would listen to the advice of military commanders. I think what we see is that he will say and do anything if it furthers his political purposes. That’s what we’re seeing today on the Second Amendment and what we expect to see in the future on Iraq .

You can listen to the entire conference call here.

Today, the McCain campaign continued its aggressive outreach to Catholics, hosting a conference call with key Catholic leaders from across the country and blasting out a press release with over a hundred key Catholic leaders that are heading up McCain’s Catholic steering committee. The campaign has even brought on a full-time staffer to help coordinate the effort.

I was privileged to participate in the call, and it was very impressive. McCain started the call by thanking Senator Brownback for his leadership on the committee and for his friendship and efforts on the campaign trail. McCain noted that Catholics are a key demographic he feels his record can appeal to and then outlined why Catholics should support him for president: His unwavering commitment to defending the innocent unborn and his record of leadership on human rights issues. He also took questions from listeners. I asked the first question, and asked him if he would consider making a speech at a prominent Catholic university this semester. He responded by saying his is committed towards doing so and also noted that he sent two of his children to Catholic schools. He was then asked a question regarding the endorsement by Pastor Hagee, who has made bigoted remarks against Catholics. McCain said that he rejects anti-Catholic views, and reiterated comments he made to the AP last Friday in regards to the Hagee endorsement. Next, McCain was asked about his ability to appeal to centrist Catholics on issues like human rights. McCain responded by discussing his record on battling genocide in places like Darfur and Bosnia. Finally, McCain was asked about embryonic stem-cell research, in which he responded that he is very encouraged by recent scientific developments.

Here are some excerpts from the press release:

Brownback:

“John McCain has a common sense vision for America based on faith, freedom, and families,” said Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS), National Co-Chair of the National Catholics for McCain Committee. “Committed to the protection of innocent human life, he is a leader Catholics will be proud to support. John McCain knows from experience what it means when a society tramples on the truth of the value of the human person. He is committed to defending the dignity and value of every person, regardless of their status.”

McCain:

John McCain expressed his deep appreciation and stated, “I want to thank Catholic voters today, who have played a vital role in electing me as the Republican nominee for the presidency. I am humbled by the support of such a diverse group of Catholic leaders who are dedicated to the defense of traditional marriage, advocate for the protection of innocent human life, and share my vision for a stronger, safer and more prosperous America. I stand firmly with those Catholics who believe that human rights are natural rights for all people, in all places, and in all stages of life.”

You can view the full committee here, and read stories by LifeNews.com and Catholic News Agency.

It is very impressive to see the McCain campaign doing some serious coalition building. It comes as no surprise that the McCain camp is targeting the Catholic vote, as it is a significant swing vote that was heavily courted by the Bush campaign and the RNC in 2004. In fact, my first real political involvement came from being involved with the RNC Catholic Outreach team in 2004 as a high schooler. The efforts of the Bush campaign and the RNC paid off: Bush won the Catholic vote after losing it to Gore in 2000, which helped propel him to victory. In Ohio for example, Bush beat Kerry 65-35% among church-going Catholics, an impressive margin.

It will be extremely important for McCain to capture the Catholic vote, and given these early efforts, he’s on the right path to securing the vote, especially if Obama is the Democratic nominee. You can read more about Obama’s Catholic problem at a piece written by Deal Hudson, the former chairman of RNC Catholic Outreach.

I look forward to writing more on McCain’s outreach to this important coalition.

The Hill put out a great article tonight on the impact of Senator Brownback’s endorsement of McCain. As I noted a couple days ago, Brownback has especially been key in courting the Catholic vote.

The Hill
Brownback courting right for Sen. McCain
By Alexander Bolton
02/06/08 07:48 PM

After quietly bowing out of the presidential race last fall, Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) launched an aggressive effort to court socially conservative leaders who have expressed skepticism about the candidacy of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).

Brownback is heading McCain’s outreach to Catholic voters and is also one of McCain’s chief advisers on judicial nominations, helping to organize meetings between the candidate and national social conservative leaders. Brownback has met with Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, and Father Frank Pavone, a leader in the anti-abortion rights movement, to enlist their support.

Brownback will be at CPAC to help McCain. Last year, Brownback got third place in the straw poll overall, and first place among those who identified themselves as “value voters.”

On Thursday, Brownback will attend Conservative Political Action Conference, an annual convention of conservative activists in Washington, to tout McCain. He will then travel home to persuade voters to support McCain in the Kansas caucus scheduled for Saturday.

On Huckabee and Romney:

Brownback said he first considered endorsing Huckabee.

“My heart was more with Huckabee because the social issues are clearly a strong agenda item with him,” said Brownback in an interview. “But he didn’t have the rest of the package and I didn’t think he could build out to include economic conservatives.

“He’s got a 24-year pro-life voting record,” said Brownback of his colleague. “[ Former Massachusetts Gov.] Romney was pro-choice.

Why McCain?

“McCain is a hard-rock fiscal conservative - no one is close to him on fiscal conservatism,” he said.

The Kansas senator acknowledges that McCain has a “mixed” record on “economic growth issues,” an allusion to McCain’s opposition to President Bush’s 2001 and 2003 tax cut proposals, but says that McCain’s rebellion on those tax cuts stemmed from his strong sense of fiscal responsibility.

Ultimately, Brownback argues, social conservatives should vote for McCain because he is electable and they can rely on him to appoint conservative justices to the Supreme Court.

“The most important reason to win the presidency is so we don’t lose ground on the Supreme Court,” said Brownback, who fears a November victory by Clinton or Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) would shift the court’s ideological balance to the left.

Brownback bringing in Catholic votes for McCain, especially by sending his team down to Florida (it was a blast):

Brownback’s greatest political contribution to McCain may be his influence among Catholic voters, an important swing constituency that is expected to figure prominently in both parties’ general election strategies.

Brownback sent nine volunteers to Florida before the Jan. 29 primary to reach out to Catholic voters on McCain’s behalf.

Those operatives in turn built up a 200-member volunteer network and helped McCain reverse his disappointing performance among Catholics in Michigan.

In Michigan, Romney beat McCain by five points among Catholics who regularly attend church, according to exit polls.

In Florida, McCain beat Romney 37 percent to 31 in this demographic.

This week, Brownback authored an op-ed in the National Catholic Register defending McCain’s record on abortion. In an essay titled “Pro-Lifers Can Trust McCain,” Brownback responded to a columnist’s criticism of McCain.

“John McCain is not pro-life out of convenience, but based on principle,” he wrote.

Brownback’s support has also helped reassure conservatives wary of McCain’s support for stem-cell research.

Brownback believes such research will die down as a political issue because technical advances have enabled researchers to work on stem cells without destroying embryos.

VP?

Brownback’s partnership with McCain has prompted some political observers to wonder whether Brownback may be hoping to be named to the Republican ticket this summer.

“If it comes up, I will certainly look at it,” he said. “But people speculate about that much earlier than anyone [on the campaign] is thinking about it. I think that speculation is way too early.”

Because Kansans (who vote next Saturday) love Bob Dole!

From Hotline On Call:

“I was disappointed to see Governor Romney’s desperate attack on Senator Bob Dole, a great Kansan and an American hero,” Brownback says in a statement issued by McCain’s campaign. “Governor Romney’s campaign is fading and this outburst is the latest in a long series of contradictory statements that remind us of his confused political views. I call on Governor Romney to apologize for his disrespectful comments.” (Emphasis added)

Ouch! What a statement. Reminds me of the glory days of the Brownback campaign attacking Mitt, such as proposing a new word:

Another e-mail from the McCain camp fresh from my inbox tonight: The McCain campaign has just released an impressive national Catholics for McCain Voter Guide.

Why is this so important, and why is the McCain camp targeting Catholics?

Deal Hudson, who was President Bush’s Catholic “go-to-guy” for a number of years, just wrote about the role that Catholics have played in helping to elect McCain:

All three of McCain’s primary wins — New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Florida — have been fueled by a high turnout of Catholic voters who have given most of their votes to the Arizona senator. Brownback, as chair of Catholics for McCain, announced on December 27 that he is creating a coalition that is pro-life, fiscally conservative, tough on national security, and compassionate on immigration.

In South Carolina, for example, McCain won the overall Catholic vote 45 percent to Romney’s 24 percent and Huckabee’s 11 percent, and Mass-attending Catholic voters 35 percent to Romney’s 28 percent and Huckabee’s 14 percent. Catholics made up 13 percent (57,579) of the overall tally of 442,918 total votes cast in the strongly Evangelical state. McCain had 19,577 more Catholic votes than Huckabee; his winning margin statewide with all voters was 14,843.

As in South Carolina, the Catholic vote provided the margin of victory in Florida for Senator McCain. Of McCain’s 95,273-vote victory over Romney, nearly 67 percent of that margin (63,549 votes) was Catholic.

While Evangelicals are often written about in swaying elections, its certainly interesting to see the role Catholics are playing in the nomination process. Hudson notes:

Senator Brownback’s decision to endorse McCain may well have turned out to be the pivotal event in the revival of the McCain candidacy and his eventual nomination. Brownback’s role in the McCain campaign may also help create a distinctive Catholic arm of the Religious Right.

Who is leading this effort? You can view the Catholics for McCain National Leadership Team here.

Fresh from my inbox, Senator Brownback, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, gives his testimony regarding McCain and judges. I’ll post the whole thing below, but here is what struck me the most:

When I raised my concerns at the nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court in 2005, few other Republican Senators would join me at that critical time. John McCain was one of them.

This was also noted by Rolling Stone, in an interview with Senator Brownback:

The day Miers withdrew her name, Sen. John McCain surprised the mob of reporters clamoring around Brownback outside the Senate chamber by grabbing his colleague’s shoulders. “Here’s the man who did it!” McCain shouted in admiration, a big smile on his face.

Contrast this to Mitt Romney’s top judicial advisers, Jay Sekulow and Gary Marx. Both came out swinging for Miers the morning she was nominated. In fact, you can still read Sekulow’s praising of Harriet Miers in a press release he sent out the same morning she was nominated:

“Once again, President Bush showed exceptional judgment in naming Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court to replace Justice O’Connor,” said Jay Sekulow…

I think its pretty clear which candidate is going to receive the best advice in the White House on judges.

Here’s the full e-mail sent out by the McCain camp:

Dear Friend:

As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I know how important it is for our president to appoint men and women to the court who will not legislate from the bench.

We’ve seen the consequences of overreaching judges who have created a right to same-sex marriage and even a right to abortion.

The presidential election will determine nothing less than the future of the Supreme Court. We can go from being one justice away from overturning Roe v. Wade to being two or even three justices away. There are also so many other important issues in front of the court- property rights, the Second Amendment, faith in the public square - just to name a few.

I have fought these battles in the Senate with John McCain. He is no recent convert to the cause - John McCain is a consistent conservative you can trust. John McCain and I stood side-by-side to confirm John Roberts and Sam Alito to the Court, and I know that as president, John McCain will appoint justices with a strict constructionist view of the Constitution.

When I raised my concerns at the nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court in 2005, few other Republican Senators would join me at that critical time. John McCain was one of them.

John McCain knows that among a president’s most lasting legacies are the men and women he appoints to the courts. John McCain knows that we must have judges committed to interpreting the law, not creating it. A sampling of the names McCain supported for confirmation to the federal bench are as follows: Robert Bork, Clarence Thomas, Miguel Estrada, Charles Pickering, Janice Rogers Brown, John Roberts, and Samuel Alito. This record of supporting conservative judges speaks for itself.

John McCain made his first major speech after the midterm election losses to The Federalist Society on November 16, 2006. Commenting on the recent election losses suffered by the Republican Party, McCain stated:

“Nor do I believe Americans rejected our values and governing philosophy. On the contrary, I think they rejected us because they felt we had come to value our incumbency over our principles, and partisanship, from both parties, was no longer a contest of ideas, but an ever cruder and uncivil brawl over the spoils of power… The genius of our founding fathers wasn’t that they were better people than those who came before them; it’s that they realized precisely that they did not have a greater claim to virtue, and that the people who followed them weren’t likely to be any more virtuous than they were. That critical insight led them to realize something important about power: if its exercise isn’t limited, it will become absolute.

“Power always tries to expand. It’s a law of nature, of human nature… Why has the appointment of judges become such a flashpoint of controversy in the past twenty years or so? When you understand our system in the way I’ve just described, when you see the wisdom in it and the humility it requires of public servants, it’s easy enough to understand why we are so concerned that the judges we appoint share that understanding of the nature and limits of power.”

During my campaign for president last year, I expressed my deep concern that America is becoming a less democratic nation as unelected judges dictate more and more of our nation’s laws and social policy.

I have talked at length with John McCain about these issues, and he not only shares this concern but has actively promoted a conservative view for the judiciary and the nominees we need to get confirmed and onto the bench.

Not only does John McCain stand strong on the issues, but he can win in November. More so than any other Republican candidate, the polls show that John McCain can beat Hillary or Obama in the general election.

I am proud to support John McCain for President, and I urge you to stand with me to send Senator McCain to the White House. John McCain will help us bring to an end to the federal courts’ sad chapter of judicial activism.

Sincerely,

Sen. Sam Brownback, Co-Chairman
McCain for President Judicial Advisory Committee

Today I staffed Senator Brownback at the 35th annual March for Life. Despite the usual cold January weather in DC and occasional rain, hundreds of thousands of pro-lifers descended upon Washington knowing how crucial 2008 will be for the pro-life movement. Many of our great pro-life Congressmen spoke — such as one of my political heroes, Cong. Chris Smith of New Jersey. Others included presidential candidate Ron Paul; the great Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska; Mike Ferguson of New Jersey; Mike Pence of Indiana; Jean Schmidt of Ohio; Cong. Trent Franks of Arizona; and Steve King of Iowa . And of course, Senator Sam Brownback, the only senator to speak at the March got the loudest applause. He also read excerpts from the following letter from John McCain. Tomorrow, I’ll put up a slideshow from the March.

ARLINGTON, VA - U.S. Senator Sam Brownback read the following letter on behalf of John McCain at the March for Life in Washington, D.C. on the 35th Anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade Decision.

Dear Fellow Pro-Lifers,

I join you today in marking the 35th anniversary of the tragic Roe vs. Wade decision made on January 22, 1973. I salute you for taking the time to show that the cause of Life is alive and well in the hearts of millions of Americans.

As a prisoner of war at the hands of a communist dictatorship, I saw firsthand the perils faced when human dignity and human life are not respected.

Whenever the value of one class of persons is not respectedwhether they are unborn, handicapped, elderlythe dignity of all mankind is threatened.

For this reason, I have been a strong supporter of the right to life movement since I was first elected to Congress in 1982. As the father of seven childrentwo of which were adoptedmy wife Cindy and I understand how every child has a value which can never be calculated or cheapened. Every child literally alters the course of human history.

America stands for an ideal that all people are endowed by their Creator with inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I know what it is like to live without those rights, and I have an obligation to advocate them wherever they are denied: in Bosnia or Burma, in Cuba or the Middle East; and in our own country when we fail to respect the inherent dignity of all human life, born or unborn. That is why I am pro-life.

While our nation struggles with the issue of abortion and the division it has wrought on our society and culture, Americans on both sides of this debate should agree that the proper solution for this debate to be settled is through the democratic process, not through judicial dictate. Seven judges in 1973 took the issue of abortion on themselves to settle this issue for every American, in all fifty states. They assured us that by sheer judicial will and power, the question of a so-called right to abortion was settled’ and that our society would now arrive at a shared consensus by virtue of their ruling.

They were wrong to make this assumption. Your presence in Washington today marching for Life proves just how wrong they were.

If I am fortunate enough to be elected as the next President of the United States, I pledge to you to be a loyal and unswerving friend of the right to life movement. The pro-life movement appeals to the best instincts within each and every one of us. In that regard, our pro-life cause will ultimately be successful.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today and please be assured of my best wishes and prayers for all those who labor for the cause of Life.

Sincerely,

John McCain
United States Senator

A friend of mine who is a Democrat and not a Romney fan, told me a story about 6 months ago. My friend works for a major office supply company here in Chicago, and his boss was in Boston back in the 90’s on business. His boss was sitting in a hotel lounge talking to a couple of people when all of the sudden everyone in the room watched some guy walk in and start shaking hands and talking to people. He said (and I am not souping this up) it was like God walked into the room. Everyone watched this guy go from table to table and shake hands with all the people who seemed to be on a first name basis with.

My friend’s boss asked who this guy was and was told, “That’s Mitt Romney from Bain.” He had never heard of him before but thought immediately to himself “This guy will be president some day.” My friends boss is not a Romney supporter either, or at least wasn’t when he told me this story, but he clearly remembered the details of that night, and clearly saw what most of Mitt’s opponents see: he is a 747, and they are cessnas.

I have been a Mitt supporter since 1995 and Mitt blogger since 2006. Until last spring I thought Mitt’s chances were possible but not probable. When the unkown governor unleashed a media campaign on Iowa and New Hampshire, and saw his numbers quickly rise, my hopes turned to not only possible but highly probable. It’s been up and down since.

Lately Mitt has become the object of scorn of everycampaign and the media. As we have heard today, the Union Leader and the Concord Monitor have both levied some pretty heavy handed attacks. One can barely run a google news search on “Romney” without encountering a page completely filled with negative Romney attack pieces, and blog posts.

Romney is the Man to Beat

Romney is the man to beat. There is no denying it. He has the strongest position. As a matter of fact, if you offered Team Mitt the opportunity to trade strategic places with any candidate, I am positive they would decline. Really who’s spot would you want to be in? A guy who seems to be making a small resurgence in a state he won in 2000, yet has not taken the lead, has no money and is sputtering every where else? A guy who peaked 2 weeks ago and seems to be relying on a niche of the party to support him? A guy who peaked last summer and faded within a month? A guy who ran high in the national polls for a year, than dropped half the support and has no organization except in the state of Florida? None of those are welcoming options.

Like it or not Mitt has for the last 2 years methodically laid the ground work for the next month. He has put together the brightest minds in politics in all the key states, built the strongest organization, and frankly has the most impressive record of running organizations and achieving success.

There is no question the early entrants to the field recognized this. In May of 2006 when I opened my first blog, Illinoisans4Mitt, I quickly began to receive a steady stream of hate mail from anonymous Brownback supporters who worked with Mass Resistance. When John McCain started to build his organization in 06, it was no secret he was pining at Romney by pulling in the Governor of Utah, and the Attorney General- and it was no secret the governor of Utah is bitter at Romney that he was passed over to lead the Olympics.

As a matter of fact Mitt has been the constant object of derision from the competing campaigns since day 1. This is not only a testament to his shear leadership genius, but also to his positioning in the Race. Which brings me to my next point.

Mitt Has Been the Front Runner the Whole Time

This is a recent epiphany of mine (4 hours old), brought to light by the constant attacks of the last week. Mitt has, since the moment he formed a campaign organization, been the front runner. John McCain, his early rival, knows this. McCain hates Romney. He can’t even mention him in a conversation. Frankly, it has nothing to do with Mitt positions, but rather Mitt’s successes. Whether McCain realizes this or not is another question. When the McCain campaign imploded in June, it was no secret the McCain had sought to eliminate Mitt early on, kill him in the crib. John was amazed that he couldn’t.

The McCain attacks really began in January 2007 when the Boston TV stations started dumping the videos from 94 on YouTube. At the same time McCain and his sidekick Brownback were seriously engaged in knocking Mitt off. Not only were they sending out mass emails with the YouTube and MassResistance distortions, their surrogates on the blogosphere (who will remain nameless) started to raise the expectations for Mitt all the while attacking him to no end. As matter of fact, 3 prominent bloggers who are McCain supporters began a whisper campaign that Romney would raise 40 Million in quarter 1.

The MSM is in on it too. The now famous 94-debate video was actually released by a Boston reporter. How do I know? Because I talked to him shortly after the release at the Romney Campaign kickoff in Dearborn. I asked him for a copy of the complete 94 debate knowing that there are a lot of good moments Romney actually worked Kennedy into a corner. He chuckled and said people who have it don’t want to give it up. Of course not! Why give up the ability to control your own narrative?

And the attacks haven’t ceased. Mitt is the only candidate who has received constant scrutiny from the press and competition. All the other candidates have enjoyed periods of months where they were largely ignored and allowed to campaign unchallenged. Mitt has received the constant barrage of attacks. Mitt is the true Teflon candidate, despite the near collusion of all the other candidates, and the media, Mitt’s support has remained steady and true. From day one the story has always been Candidate X vs. Mitt and Mitt has always been the winner. And it’s why he will win the nomination and the Generals.

Like it or not Mitt is the frontrunner, and frankly, he always has been.

It’s why every news source has decided to single him out.
It’s why McCain has decided to directly target Romney’s integrity.
It’s why Mitt can win the NRO Endorsement, Robert Bork, ex-detractor Paul Weyrich, etc.
It’s why McCain imploded in June
It’s why Rudy’s numbers went soft
It’s why Thompson can’t gain traction in Iowa
It’s why Huckabee lasted about three weeks
It’s why Mitt will win Iowa (Yes I am calling it now)
It’s why Mitt will win the nomination (and yes, I am calling that too.)

Brownback not surprised by Huckabee’s surge

Former Republican presidential candidate Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kansas) is commending former GOP rival Mike Huckabee for his rise in the polls, calling him “an authentic conservative.”

I’m sure that several people will call Senator Brownback misinformed or downright wrong, but I know of several more that will say that Brownback is echoing what they are thinking: “An authentic conservative”.

While still in the race, Brownback was competing aggressively with former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee for the support of social conservatives. But Huckabee’s surging poll numbers do not surprise the Kansas Republican. Brownback says when he first entered the race he had trouble with name recognition. “When I first announced I was running and people were saying, you know, ‘what’s that guy’s name again, Brownback?’ You know they would do that on Huckabee, too. ‘Hucklebee, Huckle-what?’” he says.

When asked about Huckabee’s controversial Christmas ad, which allegedly features a “floating cross,” Brownback said all he saw was a bookshelf. He says people need to get over it, and that he does not feel Huckabee was trying to send a subliminal message in order to impose his evangelical Christian beliefs on Americans.

I would love to see a more thorough interview with Brownback on this and other topics. I have always had the utmost respect for Senator Brownback based on his support for traditional family values and commonsense. Now I can see that my support was not in vain - I just wish he had supported Mike instead of McCain back in November.

Here is some nice Christmas commentary from Senator Brownback.

Merry Christmas to all R408 contributors and readers!

Celebrating Joy This Christmas Season
By Sam Brownback
CNSNews.com Commentary

“Joy to the World” sings the old Christmas carol. In a tiny manger, away from the seats of power and riches, a tiny baby was born to a virgin girl. And, miracle of miracles, it was God himself who had entered into the human story.

It is good to remember at this time of the year that the Christian understanding of joy is distinct from the pursuit of pleasure, something that has become a full-time avocation for all too many of us.

Many in my generation, the baby boomers, have pursued pleasure, and they’ve found it. But ultimately, we realize, mere pleasure does not satisfy the deepest yearnings of the soul.

So now we’re after something more profound and ultimately more satisfying — true joy. And I think that’s actually more in keeping with our times and this season. The song is “Joy to the World,” not “Pleasure to the World” after all.

What is this understanding of joy? Even though pleasure and joy may sound like the same thing, they’re not. Once you consume pleasure, the feeling goes away, but joy constantly gives back. Pleasure fades, but joy is constant and ongoing.

As we approach this Christmas season, we might recall that the events recounted in the Gospel narratives have a profound effect on how we view the world. These events bring firstly to our awareness a wonder at the dignity of every human person.

God himself has become man, taken on our human flesh. Christmas, the Christian argues, not only tells us the truth about God — that He is always seeking us and will go to any lengths to draw near to us — but also the truth about man. The supreme dignity of the human person-from the child in the womb to the child in Darfur — springs from amazement at how precious and beautiful is each human person.

Christmas ought also to teach us to have a great love for the poor, assisting those in difficult circumstances. This season makes real the interconnectedness of the human family and our responsibility for each other. Perhaps most of all though, this time of year invites a change in perspective.

Too many of us are chasing after fulfillment in our jobs or possessions and not spending enough time with our families. Yet, we know deep down, lasting joy will not be found there. As the common saying goes, no one says on their death bed, “I wish I had spent more time at work.” Hearts will remain restless until they are set on lasting joys: loving God and serving others.

It is in many ways life’s great paradox: we seek pleasure but do not find it; we seek comfort and are restless. Yet, when we abstain from passing pleasures, we find joy.

It is also the paradox of Christmas. Wise men set out in search of a king and they find a child wrapped in swaddling clothes. God promises a liberator and He offers an infant. Christmas suggest that happiness is found where we least expect it.

Our effort, perhaps especially at this time of year, is to change the formula “from dust to dust” to something more permanent…like love. Ultimately, it is love that is great instrument of conversion from passing pleasure to true joy. Our lives at the end, as Mother Teresa observed, will not be measured by what we accumulate, but by “how much we love and are loved.”

And that’s where joy comes in. You cannot actually seek joy. Instead, it finds you when you do the right thing, like small acts of kindness or self-sacrifice.

For instance, why is it more blessed to give than to receive? Because when we give out of love for another — the right motive — we are sure to receive joy as a byproduct.

So this Christmas season, the invitation is to the same paradox. If in fact we do what we know we should this time of year, call a friend in need, contact a family member from whom we are disconnected, or make someone’s Christmas a little more bright, we are sure to receive a greater gift in return. These simple but profound actions will yield much joy for the recipient and for you for an eternity.

It is indeed joy which has come to our broken world, a joy that will not pass away.

(Sam Brownback is a United States Senator from Kansas.)

Hat tip to mornincoffee…

Fred Thompson’s tax plan, released this morning, seperated his position from some of the other contenders. Thompson is one of the few GOP hopefuls that offers the flat tax. The plan is a qualified endorsement of the Taxpayers Choice Act, or the “flat tax.” With this plan, which is outlined here, in pdf, Thompson has taken a pretty bold step, as he did with his social security plan.

From the AP:

Republican presidential hopeful Fred Thompson proposed an income tax plan Sunday that would allow Americans to choose a simplified system with only two rates: 10 percent and 25 percent.
Thompson’s proposal, announced on “Fox News Sunday,” would allow filers to remain under the current, complex tax code or use the flat tax rates.
Asked whether the plan would cut too deeply into federal revenues, the former Tennessee senator and actor said experts “always overestimate the losses to the government” when taxes are cut.

“We’ve known for years any time we have lowered taxes and any time we’ve lowered tax rates, we’ve seen growth in the economy,” Thompson said.
Thompson added that money would be saved by his Social Security reform plan. He proposed that workers younger than 58 receive smaller monthly Social Security checks than they are now promised. Individuals could contribute 2 percent of their paycheck to a personal retirement account, an amount that would be matched by the Social Security trust fund.
The retirement plan “faces up to the fact that Social Security is going bankrupt and we’re going to have to do something about it,” he said.

The fact is that he has followed up on his promise of overhauling the current tax code. The plan has been supported by the Heritage Foundation, Steve Forbes, the Club for Growth, the CATO Institute, Chief Justice John Roberts, Sam Brownback, and Dick Armey, to name a few.

Among the other GOP contenders, John McCain has been supportive of it. Mike Huckabee favored the tax, but has now become an advocate of the FAIR Tax, which is not the same thing (see below). Tancredo and Ron Paul support it (he supports no tax). Rudy Giuliani’s position on the issue is not that clear, but I was late to the whole debate on his position. He seems to favor a more moderate form of revision, but does not endorse the tax. Romney also favors a simplification, but has criticized the flat tax as recently as April, and has said that he is opposed to it. Sam Brownback proposed a very similar plan to Thompson’s before he departed from the race.

However, according to CNBC, no major Republican candidate was, as of 10/9:

“currently running on a flat income tax,though Mike Huckabee is pushing a flat consumption (sales) tax to replace the income tax altogether “

Well, I guess we have one now.

The Flat Tax was originally authored by Robert Hall and Alvin Rabushka in this book, published and assisted by the Hoover Institute.

In arguing for the proposal, Race42008 contributor DeRoy Murdocke, in April of this year, wrote that:

Americans deserve a voluntary flat tax. Those who love this gargantuan Tax Code, its multiple rates, and baroque intricacies, should be free to keep filing form after form, if that makes them happy. Meanwhile, those who prefer a flat rate with few if any deductions should be free to choose a postcard that would ask one’s name, address, and income, and a simple calculation for, say, 17 percent thereof.

Politically, a voluntary flat tax would let issue-starved Republicans and conservatives avoid a wrestling match with Democrats and liberals over keeping or scrapping the charitable or home-mortgage deductions. Instead, the Right can argue for giving Americans the freedom to select between two available systems. The sales slogan is simple: “It’s your tax. It’s your choice.” Let the Left argue against granting Americans that option. The Right can win that fight.

Next year, Utahans will choose between either a traditional, six-bracket tax (from 2.3 to 6.98 percent) with exemptions and write-offs, or a simple 5.35 percent flat tax without deductions. The Beehive State will join flat-taxing Estonia, Slovakia, and Ukraine, all of which have seen their economies energized by a single tax rate on income. Even Russia has jettisoned its three-bracket system and its 30 percent top rate on incomes above $5,000. Instead, it has embraced a 13 percent flat-rate tax.

“Before the flat tax, most salaries were paid as cash under the table. That almost has disappeared,” said Yuri Mamchur, director of the Real Russia Project at Seattle’s Discovery Institute. “It’s easier to pay 13 percent than to avoid it.” The former Muscovite added: “The flat tax contributed to economic growth, but more importantly, it sped Russia’s return to the rule of law.”

Hoover Institution economist Alvin Rabushka concurs. “The low flat rate contributed to the decline in capital flight [and] improved taxpayer compliance [in Russia],” he said. In fact, tax evasion in Russia has gone the way of the Gulag. Since the Kremlin adopted the flat tax on January 1, 2001, revenues have swelled 128 percent after inflation.

If the flat tax is good enough for the former Evil Empire, it’s good enough for America’s embattled taxpayers.

I received this in my inbox this afternoon:

Dear Kavon,

This morning, I flew to Iowa to join and endorse my friend, John McCain, for President of the United States. John McCain is a true American hero and I’m proud to stand with him today. He is the only candidate who can rally the Reagan coalition of conservatives, Independents, and conservative Democrats needed to defeat Hillary Clinton or any other Democrat in the general election next year.

While I respect all of the Republicans running for president this year, John McCain is the only choice to lead our country in the global fight against Islamic fundamentalism. He has the experience, the knowledge, and the courage for this fight. He alone among the candidates for President recognized years ago that our strategy in Iraq was failing and had the guts to call for change. We need that leadership in the White House.

John McCain also represents the values that are the core of our Republican party. He has spent a lifetime standing up for human rights around the world, including a consistent 24 year pro-life record of protecting the rights of the unborn. We do not have to abandon our principles of life, faith and family to defeat the Democrats next fall; we can stand with John McCain.

With momentum growing, we need to rally around John McCain today. Please take the time to contribute to his campaign. With less than 60 days before voting begins, it is important that John have the resources to get his message out in the early primary states. I am standing strong with John and ask that you join me.
Sincerely,


Senator Sam Brownback

It’s official. The AP confirms what I had been hearing since Brownback dropped out a few weeks ago:

Sam Brownback, a Kansas conservative and favorite of evangelical Christians, will endorse his former Republican presidential rival John McCain, GOP officials said Wednesday.

The nod could provide a much-needed boost, particularly in Iowa, for the Arizona senator and one-time presumed GOP front-runner whose bid faltered and who now is looking for a comeback.

Republican officials said Brownback will announce his support for McCain later Wednesday in Dubuque, Iowa, and then travel with the candidate to campaign in two other cities in the state. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid publicly pre-empting the announcement.

UPDATE: Over at The Plank, Noam Scheiber takes a closer look at the internals of the Washington Post poll and comes away with some interesting numbers:

1.) McCain’s movement among evangelicals since late September is substantially larger than his movement among Republicans overall (10 points versus 7 points). 2.) McCain is up 4 points among evangelicals since April, when he was still considered a front-runner, even though he’s down 3 points overall since then.

Is this the beginning of a shift among evangelicals towards McCain as it becomes increasingly clear that the race has not produced an “acceptable” candidate to rally around? All of this comes on a day when he edges past Fred Thompson to take second in the RCP Averages (HT: sampo) for the first time since early June.

This thing isn’t over yet.

Three former members of Senator Brownback’s campaign in Michigan this morning shifted their support to other Republican candidates.

The biggest name out of the three is Jerry Zandstra, who is the head of Pro-Life Federation of Michigan and a very outspoken critic of Romney and Giuliani. He was on Brownback’s steering committee and is now backing Senator McCain.

The other two are actually a couple - Gerald and Sonja Wall, who are “well regarded veteran GOP activists” in the state. They are now backing Governor Romney.

Will TLG run away in horror? See the latest from the Hill:

Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) is considering endorsing Rudy Giuliani for the GOP presidential nomination and will meet with him Thursday in Washington to hear his views on abortion.

Brownback, who ended his White House run last week and is a champion of social conservative issues, said he would consider Giuliani because he had heard that the former New York City mayor had changed his position on partial-birth abortion and has pledged to appoint to the courts strict constructionists who would not overturn anti-abortion laws.

…

When asked about Giuliani’s position on allowing women the right to late-term abortions, also known as partial-birth abortions, Brownback said: “He is opposed to it. That’s what I’ve been told indirectly. I want to hear it from him.”

Brownback has not indicated that he is likely to support Giuliani, but he has not ruled it out. He said he is also considering endorsing other top-tier Republican candidates. Several have asked for his support in telephone conversations, and Brownback has already met with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) to discuss a possible endorsement.

“I haven’t decided who or if and I haven’t decided when,” said Brownback.

Or maybe not?

Kim Lehman, president of Iowa Right to Life Committee and a member of the Iowans for Brownback Leadership Committee, said she met with a representative from Huckabee’s campaign Wednesday and has also been contacted by Thompson’s campaign.

“Brownback got quite a bit of Catholic support,” she said. “I’m seeing a lot of people at my end trying to decide which way to go.”

She said that social conservatives are beginning to peel away from Romney as they learn of statements he made in favor of abortion rights when he ran for Massachusetts governor in 2002.

She said she would be stunned if Brownback backed Giuliani.

“I find it simply hard to believe because Giuliani has expressed his position to even pay for abortion,” she said.
Lehman’s son, Zachariah Gordon, who served as pro-life coalition director for Brownback in Iowa, said Huckabee’s campaign has expressed interest in hiring him.

He said it would be “hypocritical” for Brownback to endorse Giuliani or Romney because of their views on abortion.

Iowa sources close to Brownback said his grassroots organizers would try to keep his coalition of support intact until the Kansas senator endorsed a Republican candidate.

It would be a great pickup for Rudy if he did get Brownback’s endorsement. Whether it will actually happen or not is anyone’s guess. Everything about this race is unpredictable.

October 21, 2007

Dear Friends,

On Friday, at the beautiful Kansas State Capitol in Topeka, I announced that I am ending my bid for the presidency.

While I am saddened to leave the race, I can’t tell you how grateful and blessed I feel to have been a part of it. To think that the son of a farmer from Parker, Kansas (population 250) could run for the highest office of this great land tells you about the endless opportunities in America.

And I can’t thank you enough for being a part of it.

Now that our campaign is over, I am going to think of the thousands of supporters I met with across the country that gave me strength and carried me and our shared values forward throughout the race.

My campaign staff and volunteers often joke about how they could easily recite my campaign trail stump speech verbatim for the rest of their lives because they have heard it so many times.

Throughout my stump speech, which I am sure many of you heard especially if you’re from Iowa, I would always address issues and where I stand on them. But I always would end my stump speech centered around one key word: optimism.

Optimism, as defined by Webster’s dictionary: an inclination to put the most favorable construction upon actions and events or to anticipate the best possible outcome.

My friends, America is the greatest nation in the history of mankind because our founding principles declared both the dignity and liberty of man. And a sense of optimism is how we, as a party, can unite in order to move forward and tackle the tough issues facing our nation today.

I am optimistic that we, as a country, will unite to win the war in Iraq by moving forward with a bipartisan political solution that matches the honorable and valiant efforts put forward by our brave men and women in the military.

I am optimistic that our party will stand by its principles and nominate a candidate who will respect and embrace our deeply held conviction that every human life is sacred, including the unborn. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are the unalienable rights of man. But we must always remember: life comes first.

I am optimistic that our party will continue to work diligently to renew the culture, protect marriage, and rebuild the family as the foundational unit of society. And we must always remember that the separation of church and state was meant to protect the church from the state, not the state from the church. We must continue to embrace God in our nation, including in our schools and in the public square.

I am optimistic that our party will move our country forward with a bold 21st century using proven, pro-growth methods: axing the tax code, instituting personal social security accounts, and investing in proven technology to become energy secure.

I am optimistic that the Republican Party will nominate a candidate who can unite both wings of the party: both social and fiscal conservatives. My friend, if our party hopes to achieve success next year, we can only do so by flying on both wings - social and economic conservatism - not just one.

However, given how high the stakes are for our nation, sheer optimism is not enough. We must work for these values as a party.

Join me today in committing to build our party, but never to abandon our core principles.

And I can’t tell you enough: thank you. It has been a distinct honor and a blessing.

Sincerely,

Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS)

The announcement came this afternoon in Topeka, Kansas:

Republican Sen. Sam Brownback abandoned his 2008 presidential bid Friday, his White House aspirations dashed by a lack of money and a failure to gain traction nationally.

“I’m ending my candidacy for the 2008 Republican nomination for president,” said the Kansas senator. “My yellow-brick road came just short of the White House this time.”

The conservative managed to gain the support of only 1 percent of Republicans in this month’s Associated Press-Ipsos poll, after peaking at 3 percent in June. Fundraising reports earlier this week showed that his campaign was struggling financially, with $94,000 available to spend.

Sen. Brownback is a fine man, a terrific Senator, and would have made a great conservative President.

Just off the AP…

WASHINGTON - Republican Sam Brownback will drop out of the 2008 presidential campaign on Friday, people close to the Kansas senator said Thursday. Brownback, a longshot conservative contender, had trouble raising money to compete in the race. He is expected announce his withdrawal in Topeka, Kan.

He raised a little more than $800,000 in the third quarter of this year, his lowest quarterly amount since entering race. He has brought in more than $4 million overall and is eligible for $2 million in federal matching funds.

“I know Senator Brownback enjoyed campaigning and meeting new people in talking about ideas for the future of America, but I think it came down to money,” said one person close to Brownback, who requested anonymity because the candidate had not yet announced his plans.

Brownback, who is in his second term, had said in his first Senate campaign he would serve no more than two terms in Senate. He is widely expected to seek the Kansas governor’s office in 2010.

Now that the official FEC reports are in, Jonathan Martin and Marc Ambinder have been doing us the favor of looking through them to find nuggets of information. Here are two of the most important ones:

• McCain’s campaign is literally bankrupt. He raised a total of $5.73 million last quarter, but only $4.9 million of that was in primary money (less than Ron Paul’s $5.2 million in primary funds). After his spending, he was left with $1.67 million in primary cash on hand — and $1.73 million in debt. As Jonathan Martin points out, this means McCain must take one of only two options to proceed: accept matching funds or drop out of the race.
• We finally know Brownback’s numbers - and why he was hiding them. He raised a grand total of $804,000 last quarter and has a massive $95,000 cash on hand.

In other camps, Romney’s haul actually totaled $9.8 million with $9.2 million, Giuliani’s cash on hand is $11.6 million, and Fred’s is $7.1 million.

[UPDATE: McCain tells Yahoo! News that he's using his $1.6 million COH to buy ads and will not accept public financing because "many of the [$1.73 million in] bills that need to be paid aren’t due for another few months.”]