LA MIRADA, Calif.--For many devout Christians in America, Trump’s presidency not only heralds the revival of the economy, but also the return of Judeo-Christian values. Such a Christian is Phil Liberatore, the Republican candidate for Congress in Orange County, California.
‘It’s time to support our President’
Born to an Italian immigrant family, the 64-year-old Liberatore is an ordained minister and a strong Trump supporter.Liberatore sees “the Democrats and some establishment ‘deep state’ Republicans are fighting Trump’s agenda” and is concerned about the increasing national debt, the not-yet-defunded Planned Parenthood, and the not-yet-built border wall. He said that “it’s time to step up and run for the United States Congress and support our President.”
Continue to Stimulate the Economy
Liberatore is a CPA, owns two companies, and never held political office before. He is glad to see economic improvements under Trump’s new policies.Pro-Family, Pro-Second Amendment
With the mass school shootings around the country, gun rights and the Second Amendment have become controversial topics. Liberatore considers the purpose of the Second Amendment is to “protect the people from government intrusion rather than hurting people. They blame the Second Amendment because they’re ignorant. If there was armed security there, the person who was bringing harm and death on the school campuses would be totally eliminated. That happened in a couple of cases. You just don’t hear about it on the news.”Liberatore believes that the shooting tragedies were largely caused by broken families. “A lot of kids don’t have their father living in their households. They are just not raised in a traditional family setting. It’s just unfortunate because they need that guidance, they need that discipline, and they need that pair of parents watching over them.”
Rebuilding Judeo-Christian Values
Pro-family, pro-life and pro-Second Amendment. In the blue state of California, it takes courage to voice these ideas. Liberatore believes that California needs conservative voices.“This country is based upon Judeo-Christian values and that’s something we need to rebuild in this country. The moral fabric has faded. The Christian values this country was founded on, faded.”
“A Godly Candidate,” Supporters Say
Puredi and Ruth Hillary, from the Shiloh Tabernacle Church in Rancho Cucamonga, are among Liberatore’s enthusiastic supporters. Ruth Hillary, a pediatrician and a pastor, stated that for 25 years, they “have been praying, even driving to Sacramento hoping to find a candidate who believes in God and pro-life.” When Liberatore came to their church, they finally found the Godly candidate they had been searching for.“He is a man of God,” Puredi Hillary said, “he will help facilitate the agenda of conservatives and also Christians. I believe more and more Christians and conservatives can come together in order to promote things more Godly, and solve the partisanship.”