Romney Brings the Right

Published Dec 21 2006, 04:44 PM by David S. Bernstein

Mitt Romney has brought two members of the Christian Right onto his Presidential campaign team, according to Hotline On Call. The big name is Jay Sekulow, a converted Brooklyn Jew who was named one of America's 25 most influential evangelicals by Time Magazine. Sekulow is chief counsel for the Pat Robertson-founded American Center for Law & Justice, where he handles cases about getting bibles into schools and anti-abortion protestors in front of clinics.

Sekulow has endorsed Romney and will serve as an advisor tothe campaign, according to Hotline. This helps shore up Romney's right flank on the gay marriage issue -- Sekulow helped author the 2006 federal Defense of Marriage Act. He's an especially good get for the Mittster because Sekulow's daily radio program airs on some 550 stations, reaching an estimated 1.5 million listeners.

The other new Romney advisor is Gary A. Marx, a Sekulow protege -- and Bush/Cheney '04's liaison to social conservatives -- who is executive director of the fairly young Judicial Confirmation Network, which was basically created to push the so-called nuclear option of dismantling the Democrats' ability to filibuster right-wing judicial nominees.

And, who prevented that nuclear option from happening? Why, the famous "Gang of 14" moderate Senators, including Romney opponent John McCain.