Letter To The Editor: Why I Support Rand Paul

Editors Note: The views and opinions expressed in this editorial are not necessarily the views or opinions of Oskaloosa News.

As my wife and I have become more involved in the process of electing leaders, we have become more aware of political clichés and platitudes that sound good in 10 second sound bites. But now we demand more substance. Before, it was enough if a candidate told me they were pro-life and pro-marriage. I could be won over fairly easily.

I have supported some good people over the past 10 years but was disappointed in their voting record after they took office. I caucused for Huckabee in 2008 and Bachmann in 2012, both of whom I considered to be the best choices for reforming the system. Time and time again I have regretted falling for the lesser of two evils strategy.

After the dust has settled, and the candidates have come and gone, their political operatives stick around. I worked with many of these individuals while I served as Secretary of the Republican Party of Iowa and Rand Paul’s team has impressed me more than anyone. Their fortitude and resolve for principles I care about consistently ring true and pure. Through Rand Paul’s staff, I received my first look into his candidacy.

As I studied Rand Paul and his message, it became clear that there were some very real connections that I had with him on a personal level. As I vetted the 2016 candidates, I had a clear agenda to determine who addressed the real issues facing our nation. As a minister and counselor, I see the tragedies in our community that transcend a national level without bias.

My research has allowed me to see that Rand Paul is uniquely positioned to become the next President and for many reasons, my wife and I have chosen to support Rand Paul for President of the United States.

Rand Paul is addressing what I see as a high priority by reforming our broken criminal justice system. It needs to be reformed and we are feeling the shockwaves through our culture because it wasn’t addressed sooner. I strongly believe that the punishment should fit the crime.

When I was 13 years old I met my biological father for the first time. I developed a relationship and bonded with the man who was previously absent. It was something I had dreamed about. Two years later, my father was taken from me again. He was arrested for conspiracy charges on drug trafficking. As a young man in an impressionable stage, it caused a crisis in my life. My dream was annihilated.

My father was sentenced to 13 years in prison. While I do not dispute that my father committed a crime and should have been incarcerated, I don’t believe that the penalty for his crime was appropriate. My little brother has followed that path and I believe that it has been directly related to the fatherlessness he experienced as a teenager.

Upon completion of his sentence I am happy to report that my father has reformed and is now a Christian. Rand Paul understands the unintended consequences of this type of justice system and is committed to reforming it.

In 1975, my mother found out she was pregnant with me. She was advised by the doctor to have an abortion, or else the consequences could be fatal to her, me, or both of us. Since the newly minted Roe vs. Wade allowed for the killing of her unborn baby it was a new crisis mothers were facing. I am thankful that she chose life and I am here to testify today.

Weak attempts to make progress in the pro-life debate have been futile. We have made no great progress in years with the past Republican candidates. But, Rand Paul has done something revolutionary that has changed the debate. He has gone on offense and has the Democrats and pro-aborts scrambling to explain themselves. The life issue is my number one priority and I believe that Rand Paul’s progress on this issue is unmatched.

When I preach, I encourage preaching beyond the choir. We must go beyond conversing with people who agree with us. Rand is expanding and growing the movement by bringing his message to groups with vast differences—and often times, finding common ground. We must engage with non-traditional Republicans.

I believe that his message is the future of the Republican Party.

Lastly, I appreciate Rand Paul’s humility. He doesn’t believe that he alone is God’s answer to the moral crisis in our country. He readily admits that the President is not the sole solution for turning the tide of the culture battle that is going on. He has enlisted the help of ministers and faith leaders to address the moral crisis.

In a recent meeting full of the evangelical movement’s top leaders, he humbly answered a question as to how he is going to answer fix our moral crisis. His answer: “If you are looking to Washington D.C. for answers on the moral crisis of our country, you’re looking in the wrong place. I believe that they can better be addressed from the pulpits and assemblies where people of faith are gathered.”

With that answer, it gave me a window into the soul of a man that has a biblical worldview on how the church and the government were designed to work in harmony with one another. My wife and I believe that Rand Paul is uniquely qualified to lead us on a path back to the righteousness that our country once enjoyed. That is why we are happy to endorse his candidacy for President of the United States of America.

Mark Doland