The Texas Way

Ladies and gentlemen, this is the Texas Way. Please welcome, from the great state of Texas, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick. The CPAC, once again, I had the privilege of speaking last year, and it's an honor to be here today. I want to ask, how many from Texas? How many of you from somewhere else who want to be from Texas? We welcome you anytime. You're obviously conservative. Sean Hannity is coming up next. Donald Trump will be here on Saturday. And, you know, I don't know what's going to happen in 2024. I was privileged to be the chair of the Trump campaign for Texas in 16 and 20, and we've gotten to become close friends. And I know this, that if he's running, I'm all in. But if he's not running, whoever takes up that mantle, he or she better take on the MAGA agenda, because no one in the White House, in the history of this country, has done so much in four years. You're going to hear a lot of speeches over the next couple of days, and there are really four types of speeches. There's the speech that comes out and says what you want to hear, because they want you to cheer. There's a speech that comes out and arrogant elected officials, particularly in the other party, want to tell you what they think you need to hear. They lecture you. There's the informational speech, which gives you facts and figures. And then there's the speech from the heart. I'm going to speak from the heart today, because I feel we're at a time in our country where we are at that point where we can lose this great nation. It's going to depend on 2022 and 2024 whether America survives. I've got seven grandkids. I serve in this position. I'm proud and I'm honored to be your lieutenant governor, but I serve for all of your grandchildren and all of your children and all of you. But everything is on the line. Look at how Biden and the Democrats have destroyed this country with just a 50-50 number in the Senate, only a few-vote majority in the House. And look how they've ruined this nation in 18 months. Imagine if they had even more power. Every right that's been given, all those inalienable rights that our founders talked about will be taken away. We in Texas, by the way, since most of you are from Texas, have to come together. We've got to come together as one. We had a lot of people in the primaries. I had five people against me. Abbott had eight. Paxson had three. Senators had opponents. That's democracy. That's what primaries are about. But when it's over, we are not the enemy. We must come together as one. We must do that in Texas because, make no mistake, this election in November is not going to be an easy election. When I said I want to talk from the heart, what I want to focus on is where we are as a nation of believers. You know, there's a poll out back in June. The Gallup company, they're great pollsters. They did a poll. Ninety-five percent of conservatives believe in God. Okay? Ninety-five percent. Seventy-two percent of Democrats believe in God. Only 67% of liberals believe in God. And sadly, only 60-some percent of young people believe in God. We were a nation founded upon not the words of our founders, but the words of God because he wrote the Constitution. He empowered them. We were a Christian state, and we've been blessed because of that for so many years. I think about you all have seen a motorcycle with a sidecar, or you've seen a picture of one. And I don't know about you, but when I was younger, I had my hands on the motorcycle. I was in the seat. There was no one in the sidecar. I was driving. Had a lot of bumps, made a lot of wrong turns, had a few crashes. One day I decided maybe I should invite God in the sidecar with me because I needed some help. You ever been there? But then I realized my position should be in the sidecar, and he should be on the cycle. I should be following him. I should follow on his path. Now, we know as believers the Bible's promise, and I believe every promise that Jesus made in the New Testament, I believe the words of the Old Testament, that it does not ensure a smooth road ahead. It does not assure of a trajectory that takes us to the top. But we do know where we're going. And if we're in God's plan, and he's in charge, and his hands are leading that motorcycle down the path, then we're on the right path. You know, when I ran for lieutenant governor back in 14, a lot of people said I couldn't win. And I wanted to win, of course. I'm a very competitive person. But I got in that race, and I said, if I lose, then God has another plan for me, and this is part of that journey. And, you know, Scripture says, the horse is made ready for battle, but the victory is the Lord's. But we have to be ready for battle. We have to be ready for the fight, because we are not in a fight any longer of Republicans and Democrats of the old days. We're in a fight of lightness and darkness. We're in a fight of powers and principalities. The Democrats not only don't want God on the motorcycle steering it, they don't want him on the sidecar. They want to leave him beside the road. Look what they stand for. Now, look, as Republicans, we don't always get it right. We're not perfect. But I believe when we take a stand for things, we stand for things we actually believe in, that we don't do it for political reasons. I'm not pro-life because it's good politics. I'm pro-life because I believe a baby is born in the image of God, and every baby should be saved. I'm not taking a position of boys not playing girls' sports for political reasons. I think it's anti-woman. I think it's unfair to young women. And we passed that bill in the Texas Senate, so that doesn't happen here. We passed the heartbeat bill. We passed the bill to stop boys from playing girls' sports. And we're not closing our border because we don't want to help people from other countries. We just know a country has to have boundaries, and that we cannot have the whole world come here. You know, in another 10 years, somewhere close, 15% to 20% of all people in America will have come here illegally. And we're not for guns because we like guns. We do. I mean, I've got a lot of them. But we're for them because we know that's what protects us from tyranny of the government. That's why. The Democrats, they take positions to get votes. I know Democrats. I know a lot of Democrats. They don't think boys should play girls' sports, but they're afraid to vote. They don't think parents shouldn't have a choice where they send their children to school. And you know why? Because most of the Democrats in office send their kids to private school. So we are standing on the right side of issues. And we cannot forget that in this election when some will say, well, maybe we're too... maybe we need to take a step back. No, we need to take a step forward. We just need to come as one. You know, 2 Chronicles 7.14 says, if my people, who are called by my name... Now, let's break that down. Who are his people? I used to think once upon a time his people were all American. But of course Americans want a great America. Well, half this country does not... The left does not believe in the America that we believe in. They're Marxist-Socialist communists. It's obvious. So it's not all... Who are his people? If my people, who are called by my name... Those are Christians he's talking about. If my people will humble themselves and pray, turn their face to me, ask for forgiveness, and promise to turn from their wickedness, and ask me to heal their land, I will hear them from heaven. I will forgive them for their sins. And I will heal their land. We have a great Republican Party in Texas and in America. We're a red country. You know, if you look at all the maps, states are starting to look alike. Texas is all red except the big cities. Pennsylvania is all red except the big cities. Georgia is all red except the big city of Atlanta. Ohio is all red. It's rural and suburban Texas that will save Texas and save America. Look, you cannot have a strong America without a strong Texas. Texas is the America that all America used to be. That's why a thousand people a day move here. We still believe in those values and principles. So I'm going to ask you to do something that maybe no one's ever done. I respect all faiths, all denominations, all religions. We're all God's people. But I take God at his word. He said, if you will do these things, I will heal your land. We need a God healing in this country in 2022 and 2024. We need to persuade our friends and tell our friends why the Democrats are just wrong on these issues. And it's bad for the family. It's bad for their family. It's bad for our country. It's bad for our economy. It's bad for their future. So if you'd stand with me for right now, would you all stand with me and pray that prayer? And maybe we can, we did this at the Texas convention. We had thousands of people who stood. Just repeat after me. Lord, I believe in you. You said if I would humble myself and turn my face to you and pray and turn from my wicked ways that I would be forgiven and that you would hear me from heaven and you would heal our land. Lord, we're reaching out to you now. We don't need you in the sidecar. We need you on that motorcycle taking us down that path that built this great nation. In your name we pray, amen. I believe the Lord heard us. I believe he heard us. I believe he will heal this nation because we will rise up. Are we going to keep Texas red? Are we going to take back Congress? Are we going to take back the U.S. Senate? And are we going to take the White House back in 2024? Remember this. America needs a leader and Texas is the leader they're looking for. God bless you. Thank you. Thank you.