Sen. Phil Williams endorses Marco Rubio for president

Sen. Phil Williams, SD10
Sen. Phil Williams, SD10

Guest editorial by Alabama Sen. Phil Williams

The following editorial was submitted one day prior to Alabama’s Super Tuesday Primary


By: Alabama Sen. Phil Williams

EVERY VOTE COUNTS….EVERY SINGLE ONE. HERE IS HOW I WILL CAST MINE.

The SEC Primary is tomorrow. In less than 24 hours the bulk of the Republican primary season will be decided. I’m asked every day how I plan to vote – who is my candidate for the Republican nomination, and hopefully for the Presidency. I’ve remained publicly quiet until now and have studied the candidates in some detail. Even up until the past few days I was torn because I could not find “the perfect fit”. But I am of the firm opinion that the quest for perfection cannot be the measure. Rather it must be the quest for excellence. And as such, I have made my choice.

I want a President who can clearly annunciate his faith and to do so “with gentleness and respect”. Knowing that my Commander-in-Chief recognizes the role of a deep, abiding, and strengthening resolve that comes from knowing a living God that is bigger than him is key. I also want a President who recognizes that war, while a process of last resort, is indeed a process of undeniable requirement when national interests and public safety are involved. We must have a Chief Executive of this great nation who loves our Constitution and views it not as a living document subject to the whims of current society, but who decries any attempt to distort its original construction.

Our President must be a man who has a love for people, who will see the good in others when it is there, and will admonish with professionalism and consistency when it is not. I also want a person in office who is not so proud that they cannot learn from their mistakes and who can heed the voice of wise counsel – but at the same time will recognize that the full weight of that office will at some point come down to the decision making that only a President can accomplish. I want a President who will protect our continental borders, and preserve our traditional values, because they are the very essence of who we are – geography and culture.

In saying all of this I also recognize what I do not want. I have seen in this election cycle the very antithesis of what I believe a President should look and act like. I’ve never been what I would call an “establishment” candidate. I was elected from outside the mainstream, never having served in any elected office before. I have pursued conservative principles in my voting and have bucked the status quo to make changes in our state politics. I am a veteran, a Tea Party conservative, and an unabashed evangelical Christian, and I hope that all of those come out in my politics. For those reasons I cannot see the point in electing a man who has openly campaigned on anger and epithets. The man who has posed on the cover of Playboy and has touted his infidelities like badges of honor does not show faithfulness in his character. The candidate who claims conservatism while abusing eminent domain for private purposes and supporting the passage of Obamacare is not the man who is likely to limit the size and scope of government. This same angry and entitled man professes no inhibition in limiting the constitutional right of freedom of speech and has recently quoted the infamous dictator Mussolini in one of his daily Tweet-fests. There is such a thing as Presidential, and Donald Trump is not it.

On Tuesday, March 1st I will exercise my right to cast one vote. My vote goes to the man who I believe has best portrayed the example of excellence that I am looking for. I will vote for Marco Rubio.