REFORMATION OHIO LAUNCH, OCTOBER 14, 2005: STATE SEN. JIM JORDAN

REFORMATION OHIO LAUNCH
OHIO STATE HOUSE
OCTOBER 14, 2005
OHIO SEN. JIM JORDAN
unofficial transcript

MC:
In 2001 Sen. Jim Jordan was elected to represent Urbana and Champaign County in Ohio’s 12th Senate District. In the Ohio Senate he serves as the Chairman of the Judiciary and Criminal Justice Committee and is one of our finest defenders of life, faith, family and marriage. Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to introduce to you Ohio Senator Jim Jordan. (applause)

JIM JORDAN:
Thank you. Thanks, Bill. It’s good to be with you. This is just a—this is just a great project that Pastor Parsley and everyone else involved. I want to commend you for this outstanding Reformation Ohio project that you’ve undertaken. I mean just—just think about where we’re at as a country. If someone would have taken—go back 20 years—20 years ago in your life, and if someone would have told you that in 2004, 2005 the United States of America would be having a national discussion—a national debate—about how we define marriage, you’d have said they’re crazy.

I had—the first presidential election that I was eligible to participate in was 1984. I was a student at the University of Wisconsin. Anyone ever been to Madison, Wisconsin? (cheers) My wife and I are from Champaign County but we went to school at the University of Wisconsin. It’s a great, great town. But Madison is leftwing Communistville. I mean it is—like a lot of college towns—it’s leftwing big time. And I was there in 1984. If you remember in that election, President Reagan beat the pants off of Walter Mondale. Reagan won 49 states and Mondale won his home state Minnesota by 7,000 votes. Reagan won in a landslide. But in Madison, Wisconsin you’d have sworn it was just the opposite. You’d have sworn that Walter Mondale was gonna be our next president. But even in Madison, Wisconsin, in 1984, if someone would have stood up and said in 20 years in the United States of America we would be having a debate about how we define marriage, even in Madison, Wisconsin, people would have said you’re crazy. But unfortunately, that’s where we are today. And so it’s so important that we have efforts like this that focus on the values that make this country special, that make this country the greatest nation in the world, (applause), so I want to commend you again! (applause).

And I’ll just finish with this. You know I do believe that there’s a spirit in this country that says no matter what the obstacle, no matter what the hurdle we’re gonna win. (applause) There’s this attitude of optimism that always prevails in America. It’s part of… It was there at the beginning with the founders and it’s continued for 200+ years. I call it the David attitude. You guys all know the story from scripture we got in Sunday School when we were kids. When the Israelites were camped against the Philistines, and every day the Philistine giant walked out and issued the challenge. “Who will fight Goliath?” The Israelites response was ”He’s so big we will never defeat him.” But David’s response was “He’s so big I can’t miss.”

Thank you!

(cheers)

MC:
Good word!