Dobson, who founded the Colorado Springs-based Focus on the Family ministry, now runs FamilyTalk, a radio program addressing numerous family-related issues and subjects.

He earlier took a defiant stand against Barack Obama’s health-care mandate that requires Americans to pay for contraception and abortion services, stating, “I WILL NOT pay the surcharge for abortion services. … So come and get me if you must, Mr. President. I will not bow before your wicked regulation.”

As a private individual today in a commentary for WND, he writes, “In my view, it is not enough for a national leader to talk only about money, (taxes, the economy, jobs, the deficit, etc). Doing so fails to tap into the soul of America.

“Right and wrong matter too, as does our national defense and the well being of families. Gov. Romney’s message thus far has been extremely narrow. He has become a ‘Johnny-one-note’ that accounts for the lack of enthusiasm among some American citizens,” he writes.

Read Dr. Dobson’s full column on the election, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.

Dobson, who has advised three U.S. presidents on family matters and was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2008, said the prospect of another four years for Obama is “disturbing.”

“Millions of conservatives who revere the Constitution, with its guarantees of freedom and limited government, have watched with alarm as the campaign season has unfolded,” he wrote. “Could the American people actually give this radical narcissist four more years at the helm, after his having wrecked the economy, undermined religious liberty, weakened the institution of the family, surrounded himself with Marxists and leftist czars, turned his back on Israel, virtually bankrupt our nation, forced recipients of health insurance to support abortion, declared himself to favor same-sex marriage, weakened our armed forces, covered up the Fast and Furious debacle, and assaulted the principles of free enterprise that made the United States the most envied and prosperous nation on earth?”

Obama is “incompetent” and holds a “dismal record,” Dobson said.

He cited Matt Patterson’s description in the American Thinker of Obama’s career:

Imagine a future historian examining Obama’s pre-presidential life: ushered into and through the Ivy League despite unremarkable grades and test scores along the way; a cushy non-job as a “community organizer”; a brief career as a state legislator devoid of legislative achievement (and in fact nearly devoid of his attention, so often did he vote “present”); and finally an unaccomplished single term in the United States Senate, the entirety of which was devoted to his presidential ambitions. He left no academic legacy in academia, authored no signature legislation as a legislator. And then there is the matter of his troubling associations: the white-hating, America-loathing preacher who for decades served as Obama’s “spiritual mentor”; [and] a real-life, actual terrorist who served as Obama’s colleague and political sponsor. It is easy to imagine a future historian looking at it all and asking: how on Earth was such a man elected president?

Yet, Dobson writes, polls indicate Obama has about a 50-50 chance of re-election.

“That brings us to the candidacy of Mitt Romney,” Dobson said. “I sense that he is not a true conservative on many issues. For example, he damaged his standing with social conservatives by the way he seriously mishandled the Chick-fil-A matter.”

Romney said the Chick-fil-A issue was not part of his campaign. Dobson also cited concerns about Romney’s willingness to allow homosexual youth (and possibly adults) in the Boy Scouts.

“My greatest concern is that Mitt Romney seldom addresses the social issues publicly. … I’m referring to the sanctity of human life, the traditional definition of marriage, and religious liberty.”

He wrote that Romney’s silence “may explain why many evangelicals and conservative Catholics are apathetic about Gov. Romney’s candidacy. Few of them will vote for Barack Obama, but millions might stay at home.”

Romney, Dobson said, could “connect with his conservative base if he will address the issues they care about.”

He urged conservatives to get out and vote.

“Our country will never recover from four more years with Barack Obama at the helm.”

Millions of conservatives who revere the Constitution, with its guarantees of freedom and limited government, have watched with alarm as the campaign season has unfolded. Could the American people actually give this radical narcissist four more years at the helm after his having wrecked the economy, undermined religious liberty, weakened the institution of the family, surrounded himself with Marxists and leftist czars, turned his back on Israel, virtually bankrupt our nation, forced recipients of health insurance to support abortion, declared himself to favor same-sex marriage, weakened our armed forces, covered up the Fast and Furious debacle, and assaulted the principles of free enterprise that made the United States the most envied and prosperous nation on earth?

His health-care initiative is a disaster, and his unilateral decision to end workfare and return to a system of welfare is inexcusable. This incompetent man began his presidency with an “apology tour” to bash our great nation to foreigners, bowed in deference to the king of Saudi Arabia, and then put America on the road to ruin. Despite this dismal record, polls show he has at least an even chance of winning another term in November.

How did Barack Obama rise from nowhere to become the most powerful man on earth? That question was posed by Matt Patterson, writing in American Thinker:

“Years from now, historians may regard the 2008 election of Barack Obama as an inscrutable and disturbing phenomenon, the result of a baffling breed of mass hysteria akin perhaps to the witch craze of the Middle Ages. How, they will wonder, did a man so devoid of professional accomplishment beguile so many into thinking he could manage the world’s largest economy, direct the world’s most powerful military, execute the world’s most consequential job?

“Imagine a future historian examining Obama’s pre-presidential life: ushered into and through the Ivy League despite unremarkable grades and test scores along the way; a cushy non-job as a ‘community organizer’; a brief career as a state legislator devoid of legislative achievement (and in fact nearly devoid of his attention, so often did he vote ‘present’); and finally an unaccomplished single term in the United States Senate, the entirety of which was devoted to his presidential ambitions.

He left no academic legacy in academia, authored no signature legislation as a legislator.

“And then there is the matter of his troubling associations: the white-hating, America-loathing preacher who for decades served as Obama’s ‘spiritual mentor’; [and] a real-life, actual terrorist who served as Obama’s 
colleague and political sponsor. It is easy to imagine a future historian looking at it all and asking: how on Earth was such a man elected president? … Not one original idea has ever issued from his mouth – it’s all warmed-over Marxism of the kind that has failed over and over again for 100 years. …

“In short: our president is a small and small-minded man, with neither the temperament nor the intellect to handle his job. When you understand that, and only when you understand that, will the current erosion of liberty and prosperity make sense. It could not have gone otherwise with such a man in the Oval Office.”

Matt Patterson has described with precision the utter incompetence and moral failure of our president. And let’s be honest about it. Barack Obama was a fabrication of the mainstream media that selected him for office, created his poser image as a messiah and hid his shortcomings from the public. The new project of the liberal media is to get him re-elected. As Ronald Reagan said to Jimmy Carter, “There you go again.”

That brings us to the candidacy of Mitt Romney, the only man who stands between America and four more years of Obama madness. The governor is burdened by his own catalog of bad decisions and liberal policies through the years. I sense that he is not a true conservative on many issues. For example, he damaged his standing with social conservatives by the way he seriously mishandled the Chick-fil-A matter. In response to an outpouring of sentiment from citizens who believe in traditional marriage, Romney said the Chick-fil-A controversy was “not part of my campaign.” It was a costly mistake.

In October 1994, Romney said that gay boys, and by implication homosexual leaders, should be admitted to the Boys Scouts. Last week a staffer, Andrea Saul, affirmed that Romney has not changed his position on the issue. No wonder many conservatives are skeptical of what the governor really believes.

My greatest concern is that Mitt Romney seldom addresses the social issues publicly. He may have mentioned them briefly in obscure blogs, but he skirts them on the campaign trail. I’m referring to the sanctity of human life, the traditional definition of marriage and religious liberty. He acquiesced to Obama’s termination of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy of the armed forces and said he had no intention of attempting to reverse it. He has said next to nothing about the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, or the appointment of strict constructionist judges and justices. His silence on the issues that matter may explain why many evangelicals and conservative Catholics are apathetic about Gov. Romney’s candidacy. Few of them will vote for Barack Obama, but millions might stay at home. We are less than three months away from a make-or-break general election. Romney could connect with his conservative base if he will address the issues they care about.

In my view, it is not enough for a national leader to talk only about money (taxes, the economy, jobs, the deficit, etc.). Doing so fails to tap into the soul of America. Right and wrong matter too, as does our national defense and the well-being of families. Gov. Romney’s message thus far has been extremely narrow. He has become a “Johnny-one-note” that accounts for the lack of enthusiasm among some Americans.

Despite my criticism of Gov. Romney, I plan to vote for him in November and hope my conservative countrymen will do the same. The selection of Rep. Paul Ryan greatly strengthens the ticket, in my view. He is decidedly pro-life, pro-marriage and a solid conservative. Gov. Romney is to be congratulated for this selection, which makes it much easier for me to support his candidacy. Besides, staying at home on election day is simply not an option. Remember that either Romney or Obama is likely to nominate two Supreme Court justices in the next term. I pray that it is not the latter. Our country will never recover from four more years with Barack Obama at the helm.

Note: Dr. Dobson is writing as a private individual.

… we did not come here just to clean up crises. We came to build a future. So tonight, I return to speak to all of you about an issue that is central to that future – and that is the issue of health care.

The speech was filled with promises and assurances that have proved to be shockingly false, and the president’s premise was based on deception. This comment stands out:

And one more misunderstanding I want to clear up – under our plan, no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions, and federal conscience laws will remain in place.

These two promises were specious (some would say dishonest). Long before Mr. Obama’s Big Night on Capitol Hill, he told the American people during his campaign that his first act as president would be to sign the pro-abortion “Freedom of Choice Act.” The Democrat-led Congress was never able to pass the legislation, but the president would have signed the pro-abortion bill if given the chance. This was, and still appears to be, his highest priority.

Mr. Obama also revealed his plan to support abortion at the federal level in a passionate speech given to participants at a Planned Parenthood Action Fund conference on July 17, 2007. He said this in response to a question about “reproductive rights” (a euphemism for abortion):

Well, look, in my mind reproductive care is essential care, basic care, so it is at the center, the heart of the plan that I propose. … But, essentially, what we are doing is to say that we’re going to set up a public plan that all persons and all women can access if they don’t have health insurance. … It’ll be a plan that will provide all essential services, including reproductive services. … So that’s going to be absolutely vital. [Applause]

By the time the president gave his address on Sept. 9, 2009, he had been on record many times assuring his pro-choice constituency that coverage for abortion would be “job one” within his health-care plan. Thus, his declaration to Congress that “no federal dollars would be spent to fund abortion”5 lacked credibility for many of the legislators, and, I’m sure, for millions of Americans who were watching. I was one of them. I knew from deep within my soul that the president was not being truthful about this matter of life and death.

Another person who was upset by the president’s disingenuous remarks was Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., who was in the chamber the night of the speech. He was so outraged by what he was hearing that he blurted out, “You lie!”

It isn’t unusual for members of Congress to boo or hiss during a president’s speech, but this outburst was unprecedented. Rep. Wilson paid a dear price for his shout-out. He was vilified and ridiculed by the media in the days that followed, and Democrats were outraged. Wilson also became the butt of jokes by late-night comedians on television. Even the leaders of Wilson’s own party were embarrassed and forced him to issue a humiliating apology to the president and to his congressional colleagues, which he promptly did.

I’ll leave it to you to decide whether or not Wilson’s challenge to the president was appropriate. But now, more than two and a half years later, we must ask: Was Obama lying about abortion not being in his health care plan?

The first indication that we had not been told the truth came in March 2010. Steven Ertelt, editor of LifeNews, filed this report:

The Obama administration has officially approved the first instance of taxpayer-funded abortions under the new national government-run health-care program. This is the kind of abortion funding the pro-life movement warned about when Congress considered the bill.

The Obama administration will give Pennsylvania $160 million to set up a new “high-risk” insurance program under a provision of the federal health-care legislation enacted in March.

It has quietly approved a plan submitted by an appointee of pro-abortion Gov. Edward Rendell under which the new program will cover any abortion that is legal in Pennsylvania.

The high-risk pool program is one of the new programs created by the sweeping health-care legislation, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, President Obama signed into law on March 23. The law authorizes $5 billion in federal funds for the program, which will cover as many as 400,000 people when it is implemented nationwide.

“The Obama Administration will give Pennsylvania $160 million in federal tax funds, which we’ve discovered will pay for insurance plans that cover any legal abortion,” said Douglas Johnson, legislative director for the National Right to Life Committee.

Johnson told LifeNews.com: “This is just the first proof of the phoniness of President Obama’s assurances that federal funds would not subsidize abortion – but it will not be the last.”

A mere six months after the president’s solemn promise to Congress, he endorsed a federal abortion plan for the people of Pennsylvania in preparation for a $5 billion national rollout. It was done quietly, and of course, the media were silent about it. There was no cultural “echo” among conservatives, Christian leaders, or politicians. The Big Promise of Sept. 9 had already been abandoned.

Further evidence Mr. Obama never intended to keep his word is revealed in the language of the health-care bill. He opposed putting language in the bill preventing federal subsidies for abortion. This was his plan all along, and pro-life advocates were kept in the dark.

Well, the plan that was hatched in secrecy in 2010 came to fruition early this year when Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sibelius announced an expansion of Section 1303 of the Obamacare law. Her ruling requires many millions of Americans to pay a minimum surcharge for abortion services, whether or not they receive or want them. The amount to be remitted will be a minimum of $12 per year, but could be much more. You can be sure that the surcharge will also grow in time. The president had parsed his words very carefully in 2009 when he said funding for abortion would not come from the federal government. Clearly it won’t. It will be compelled by the federal government to come from YOU.

Here is a summary of the new regulation: When an insurance company provides coverage for abortion, it MUST charge all employees an amount sufficient to cover the costs of abortion services, even by those who are horrified at the thought. No one can opt out of the provision. That is now written into the law.

Additionally, as you probably know, HHS announced recently that businesses and non-profit organizations, including churches and Christian nonprofit institutions, will have to provide free contraceptives with health insurance. It must also pay for medications that kill babies, known as abortifacients.

When Catholic and evangelical church leaders objected strenuously to this assault on religious liberty, the president simply announced an “accommodation,” requiring insurance companies to pay for the contraceptives. Of course, they will pass the expense along to their customers, and employees will all be in the abortion business.

It gets worse. It was announced a few weeks ago that colleges and universities, including Christian institutions, must provide free contraceptives that kill babies (abortifacients). Get this! Companies may only disclose this provision at the time of purchase, and they may only advertise the total rate with the abortion surcharge, which will make it almost impossible for pro-life groups or individuals to find out about the abortion surcharge until it is too late. The truth is shielded by a “gag rule.” The deck is stacked thanks to the duplicity of our chief executive.

This brings us to another falsehood spoken by the president Sept. 9, 2009. Let me quote his words again (see emboldened words):

And one more misunderstanding I want to clear up – under our plan, no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions, and federal conscience laws will remain in place.

This second sentence contains another big lie. The president never intended to protect the conscience clause. Indeed, on Feb. 18, 2011, he canceled President Bush’s executive order guaranteeing doctors, nurses and other health professionals would not have to violate their beliefs.

So, Joe Wilson was right. Obama lied to Congress to get them to approve the health-care bill! Abortion is an integral part of Obamacare, and babies will die because of it. Citizens never had an opportunity to be heard on the matter. The abortion component of the health-care bill will go into effect in January 2013. After that date, you could be forced unwittingly to support the killing of babies.

I am deeply saddened by the assault on religious liberty that is occurring, and by the promises the administration has broken. I want to be very careful regarding what I am about to write now. It will not be said flippantly or with malice, but it will reflect the passion of my heart.

I believe in the rule of law, and it has been my practice since I was in college to respect and honor those in authority over us. It is my desire to do so now. However, this assault on the sanctity of human life takes me where I cannot go. I WILL NOT pay the surcharge for abortion services. The amount of the surcharge is irrelevant. To pay one cent for the killing of babies is egregious to me, and I will do all I can to correct a government that lies to me about its intentions and then tries to coerce my acquiescence with extortion. It would be a violation of my most deeply held convictions to disobey what I consider to be the principles in Scripture. The Creator will not hold us guiltless if we turn a deaf ear to the cries of His innocent babies. So come and get me if you must, Mr. President. I will not bow before your wicked regulation.

As our nation awaits the announcement this month of the U. S. Supreme Court’s momentous decision regarding key aspects of Obamacare, there is another action we can take right now. The Manhattan Declaration, which my wife, Shirley, and I have signed, gives us counsel at this point. It ends with the following affirmation:

Because we honor justice and the common good, we will not comply with any edict that purports to compel our institutions to participate in abortions, embryo-destructive research, assisted suicide and euthanasia, or any other anti-life act; nor will we bend to any rule purporting to force us to bless immoral sexual partnerships, treat them as marriages or the equivalent, or refrain from proclaiming the truth, as we know it, about morality and immorality and marriage and the family. We will fully and ungrudgingly render to Caesar what is Caesar’s. But under no circumstances will we render to Caesar what is God’s.

If you agree with this Declaration and are willing to stand against that which is clearly evil, I ask you to sign the Manhattan Declaration.

Thank you, Rep. Wilson, for recognizing deception in high places and for having the courage to call it by its name. A lie by the president of the United States of America is still a lie!

The president’s evolution of gay marriage also lacks credibility because of his consistent support for the gay and lesbian agenda. He opposed “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” for military personnel and ordered his Justice Department not to fight for the Defense of Marriage Act in court. Then on Monday, Obama declared that he now wants DOMA repealed. The president hasn’t opposed LGBT activists on any substantive issue since taking office. Now that he is seeking re-election and has been smoked out by Vice President Biden, he apparently decided it was time to reveal what he has believed about same-sex marriage all along.

The president’s statement also lacks internal consistency. He said he favors each state’s right to determine the definition of marriage – yet isn’t that precisely what the people of North Carolina did last week? Was their vote of 61 to 39 percent in favor of traditional marriage a fluke, or was it the result of the citizens of North Carolina making their own choice?

And speaking of states’ rights to define marriage, wouldn’t that wreak havoc on individual families? Imagine the chaos of a couple being married in Texas but not married in Arkansas, or being married in Arizona and not married in Massachusetts. Children in one state would be legitimate, but would be the product of unmarried parents in the next. And what about the jurisdiction of the federal and state courts? Could they continue to override the will of the people, as did the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in California? And what about inheritance issues from state to state? You would think the president of the United States would have thought through his position and its implications before impulsively making it known to the nation. If traditional marriage is not the law of the land, the institution of the family will cease to exist.

Finally, this story has been mishandled by the biased news media, as usual. Even Fox News, notably Shepard Smith, told its viewers for weeks that the nation was shifting dramatically in the direction of same-sex marriage. That is palpably untrue. North Carolina and 31 other states have now voted on the definition of marriage, and every one of them has affirmed it as being exclusively between one man and one woman. There have been no exceptions. Mr. Smith never acknowledged that fact and said instead that the president was at last on the “right side of history.” Really, Mr. Smith? Traditional marriage has been the cultural norm on every continent on earth for 8,000 years, even in Greece and Rome.

Mr. President, I hope you live to regret ripping into the institution of marriage, which has been foundational to the social order of all nations. It must continue to be protected in law and practice if the family is to survive in this shock-wave world.