Brain Trust - Ramesh Ponnuru

Ramesh Ponnuru is a senior editor for National Review. As The Matt Friedeman Show's Brain Trust interview, Ponnuru talked about Martin Luther King Jr and the presidential race. Below are the "CliffsNotes" of his interview.

What are lessons that the Right can learn from MLK?

I think one really important lesson is that cultures can change, and that moral witnesses can do a lot to bring about that change. 

While people tell us that abortion is here to stay, that it's a firmly rooted, slavery and discrimination were much more so. 

I think that another thing is that this was one of the great social and political movements in American history, and it was clearly inspired by Christianity. 

A lot of people seem to miss that about the civil rights movement.

Will the religious council's endorsement of Santorum help him?

Of course, it's something Santorum is very happy about it, and he should be. But it may be a little late in the game here.

The Iowa Caucus and the NH Primary have already happened. Nobody who has won both of them has ever failed to win the nomination.

But we'll see what happens. Maybe Santorum becomes the strong alternative to Romney.

Will Rick Perry be the next out of the race?

I find it hard to see. I was one of the folks who listened to what Governor Perry said on the night of the Iowa Caucus and just assumed that he was dropping out.

But just recently he said that even if he came in last in South Carolina, he would be staying in the race.

If Romney wins South Carolina, is he an inevitable win?

If he wins in South Carolina, which everybody has said is going to be difficult for him, I think it's very, very hard to deny him the nomination.

But at the end of the day, it's up to voters. If Governor Romney gets the nomination, it's because significant numbers of Tea Partiers and social conservatives are giving him their votes.

Do you understand conservative reticence for Mitt Romney?

There's no question that if Governor Romney had a consistently pro-life record, a lot of these doubts would be out of the way.

He says he's had a change of heart, but I think it's a big reason why people are wary. 

On the other hand, we have records of people who started out their career as pro-choice and had a genuine change in their views.