It’s that time of year again. Here is a recap of what happened to me in 2010, plus a scoring of my new years predictions.

2010 Predictions

Here are the predictions I made a year ago, along with a score of how I did.

1. Republicans will gain control of the house of representatives. (I nailed this one)
2. Democrats will hold on to the Senate. (Got this one too)
3. Rick Perry will be reelected Governor (Three out of three so far)
4. Debra Medina will get over 15% of the vote. (Despite Glen Becks’ ambush, Medina got 18% of the vote.)
5. Old fashioned publishers will start to get gobbled by trendier conglomerates. And for an extra point I am predicting that Thomas Nelson will by Harvest House. (I don’t know of this happening.)
6. The Apple Tablet will actually ship. It will be amazing and I will buy one  (It shipped, it was awesome and I bought one. I just missed the name.)
7. The Google Andriod platform will gain 20% market share. (As of October Android had 23% of the smartphone market according to ComScore)
8. The big product for 2010 will be the Kindle and the price will drop to $99 and sales of digital books will soar to over 70% of Amazon’s book sales. (The Kindle dropped from $259 to $139 so I almost got this one. )
9. Google Chrome will gain 25% market shake but the mac version will still be in Beta. (Didn’t’ quite get this one. Chrome only has 20% market share.)
10. The Tea party will start to emerge as an actual party but will not put any candidates on the 2010 ballot. Look for tea party candidates in 2012. (I think I got this one. What do you think?)

My score for 2010 is 7.5 out of 10 which is an improvement over last year.  My score for 2009 was 4 out of 9.

Rick Green

I spent the beginning of 2010 working to get Rick Green elected to the Texas Supreme Court. While he won the primary he lost in the runoff. Dave Lieber, a journalist from the Fort Worth Star Telegram, interviewed me about the election.

You can read the interview here.

Umstattd Media

Shortly after the campaign ended, I hired Hannah Hill to come work with me at Umstattd Media. Recently Cynthia Umstattd and Samantha Fagan have also joined the Umstattd Media team. Paul Hastings also jumps in when we need his special brand of awesome.

Umstattd Media has grown to over 100 clients. We have had the honor of building websites for some national figures like Claire Culwell, Abby Johnson and Mary DeMuth.

Austin Coalition for Life

My main focus for 2010 has been the pro-life movement. I was blessed to have a position on the Austin Coalition for Life Leadership Team. I got to help them with strategy, online marketing and even got to speak at several churches encouraging folks to participate in the 40 Days for Life.

I also worked with the Austin Rhetoric Club to fight Travis County Tax Funded Abortions. The photo above is my sister Cynthia testifying before the Central Health Board. You can watch the video of her speech here.

I worked with the Texas Alliance for Life to help them boost their Facebook page from 2500 fans to over 10,000 fans. The now have one of the biggest pro-life pages on Facebook.

Speaking

I feel that my mission in life is to “Help the Church use technology to advance the Kingdom. Until the seasons change.” This is my calling and my passion.

I love teaching. I speak for pay and I speak for free. Any chance to help the church use technology is a win for me. This year I have spoken between 30 and 40 times around the country. This photo is of a talk I gave at the C.S. Lewis Conference. I have also been on the radio four or five times mostly for pro-life stuff.

Almighty Music Video

My dad woke up one morning and decided to make a music video. At first I did not take him seriously but now I have been swept into the whirlwind.

What at first appeared to be a small project has become a massive undertaking involving dozens of people and thousands of hours of work. I hope to be able to share more with you about this project soon.

Advent Conspiracy

The Umstattd Family Advent Conspiracy went very well. I was a bit nervous leading into it, but it ended up being much more joyful and fun than Christmases in the past. We were able to throw a Christmas party which we had not been able to do in past years.

• John, my youngest brother, said that it was, “the best Christmas ever.”
• William said,  ”It was fun. We got/had to sleep in. We got less but better presents. I got a guitar and this blog.”
• My mom said, “The changes we made this year really were great. Everyone seems happier, less stressed, and able to enjoy one another more. We have been able to reach out to others more as well.”

Single

The most frequent question I get from older folks is “Are you seeing anyone.” I find it amusing how many different ways they ask without asking. The older I get the more I hear this question. The answer is “no.”  I have spent all of 2010 as a bachelor. The rumors of me getting engaged, while flattering, are untrue.

I realize my singleness is mostly my fault. I have spent most of my time working either on Umstattd Media or Pro-Life stuff. I haven’t spent the time taking care of myself like I should. I also have not spent much time with evangelical singles. I am fishing in a small pond.

God is teaching me contentment. I have learned that I don’t mind living on my own and that I don’t know as much as I think I do about relationships. Or about women for that matter

Looking Forward to 2011

I am optimistic about the new year. I hope to spend more time on my book Digital Cancer and actually ship it this year. I’m encouraged that Umstattd Media is starting to grow. I would like to thank all of you for standing with me and praying for me during this last season.

Tune in next week for my new years predictions for 2011.

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For those of you who follow this blog you know that I endorsed Rick Perry back in September. So why would I now vote for Medina?

Enough people have asked me this question that I have decided to answer it here.

The strategic reason to back Medina.

In the political world there are two types of people: pragmatists and idealists.

Idealists are true believers.

Idealists have a political philosophy and their first loyalty is to that philosophy. They don’t compromise often and you can find them on the far ends of the isle. Public opinion does not sway them. Writing them does little good for their minds are made up.

Pragmatists want to get things done.

Pragmatists are drawn to power like a fat man to a Chinese buffet. They generally pick whatever party has the majority. If the party in power switches look for them to change parties as well.

You can get a pragmatist to make good policy but you generally have to pressure him first. He has to know enacting good policy will increase his power.

Right now Kay Bailey Hutchinson is one of the last of the Pro-Roe v Wade Republicans. Her existence makes pragmatic republicans feel safe waffling on abortion just like Kay does. The dance is always the same: Talk pro-life in the primary… avoid the issue after that.

If Medina gets more votes than Hutchinson it marks the end of Pro-Roe republicans in Texas. Kay Bailey Hutchinson is one of the best known Texas politicians ever. Medina is a no name from a small Texas town no one has heard of. A big reason Kay is falling behind is because she is Pro-Roe.

This has happened before.

When William Wilberforce’s bill to abolish the slave trade finally passed, it was by a 283 to 16 landslide. Why after 20 years of failure would the bill pass by so much? Wilberforce, the idealists finally got enough weight on his side. The pragmatist politicians realized they would get more power by voting for abolition. They all flopped over to his side all at once.

What will happen if Medina makes the run off? The pragmatists will see they can get more power when they are pro-life. They will flop over to the life side of the teeter totter. This may give us the weight we need to see real change.

We are talking state and nation wide implications here.

What I like about Medina.

I like how:

• Medina is a true believer in life, liberty & property.
• Medina has breathed new life into the Republican Party.
• Medina answered the questions in the debates.
• Medina is well studied. People criticize her lack of experience but never her lack of knowledge. She knows her stuff.
• Medina is an idealist.

I still like Perry.

While the cronyism and forcing STD vaccinations on 12 year old girls makes me squeamish, I generally like Rick Perry.

Every year however cold or empty he always speaks at the Texas Rally for Life. Perry is a true believer in life, regardless of his other shortcomings. Rick is also a family friend and a great guy. I fully intend to vote for him in November, assuming he wins the primary which I expect he will.

What do you think?

• Who do you plan to vote for?
• Why?
• Do you think a Medina/Perry run off will tip the balance of power pro-life?

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