I’ve read many comments and listened to many interviews, and Huckabee is drawing a lot of attention, even among conventional media and political observers. Here is the link to an article by Bill Sammon, formerly of The Washington Times and now with The Examiner in
http://www.examiner.com/a-730994~Huckabee_shows_he_can_run_with_the_bulls.html
The article mentions the comments that I also saw, by Maryland Lt. Governor Michael Steele, who made a Senate run in 2006, and is considered an up and coming Republican presence. John Podhoretz of National Review and David Brooks of the NY Times have made similar comments.
Dick Morris twice warned a skeptical Bill O’Reilly to watch out for Huckabee, taking O’Reilly’s bet that Huckabee would never clear 10% in the polls. Most online discussions of the debate include positive comments about Huckabee. An interview on FOX after the debate, with a group of
I don’t support Huckabee because he faultlessly reflects my instincts on every question, or because I believe the mood of the country singnals a yearning for a conservative message from him specifically, or Republicans generally. I support him because he efforts to represent a positive Christian character in what he is offering. That his job and ours to support and do as well. The winning…that’s above our pay grade. If we are diligent about a positive and helpful character, we’ve done our job. That’s the only way that our message will be worthy of winning.
2 comments:
Christian conservatives need to get behind one candidate, and not disperse their influence among a large field. I think this is something that needs to be done early in order to have an impact by the time the election rolls around. I'm not sure the GOP leadership will want that to happen, nor will they make it easy for Huckabee or anyone else that Christian conservatives may support since the top party leadership seems pretty set on a horserace between McCain and Giuliani for the media value.
Do you think this might be the right time for Christian conservatives to break with the GOP, since it appears it will be business as usual with regard to abortion rights and other issues continuing to be off their radar screen? Maybe Huckabee could run as an independent, or as a Christian independent.
You're right. The sooner that Brownback, Tancredo, and Hunter get out, the better. Brownback is Catholic. I hope if he gets out he'll encourage Cathoics to support Huckabee. I supported a principled Catholic Alan Keyes over an unprincipled Protestant Bush in '95-'96 and '99-2000. Brownback is sincere but he isn't philosophically and rhetorically lucid, and he's about as exciting as...well...KANSAS.
I thought it was time for Christian conservatives to break with the GOP 7,8 years ago, and I did. I was a Republican delegate to the Texas convention in '96 in San Antonio and '98 in Ft. Worth. In '99-2000, I supported Keyes and in Jan, when Bush's nomination became certain, I was gone.
I had/have plenty of activist Republican friends who disagree(d). One was a former party official whom the party insiders smeared when they realized that he was working to change rules to 1) disperse power from the central party apparatus to the State Republican Executive Committee, closer to and more accountable to the grassroots, and make officials and candidates more accountable to the platform. He continued and still continues to work inside the party where, he (correctly) says "the sheep are." But, he has swallowed a lot of leather from having a boot crammed down his throat when he attempts to speak and organize at conventions. And, he didn't necessarily vote for the party nominee in the general election. I was exasperated.
I continued to communicate and always emphasize that conservatives must make themselves clear that they won't suffer the deception and cheating that I have observed, and then line up helplessly and vote for whoever they put on the plate. Voting is the only language they understand. As long as Christians deliver that, they will get ignored and mistrearated as much as it takes to avoid a label that could hurt them in negotiating with media and donors.
I mean that Christians should deliver them a massive unmistakeable defeat that tells them that they screwed up, big time. I know LOTS of Christians who can't absorb that: But..Democrats...Hillary!" They insist that society will decline faster. No, it won't. For example, it took a Democratic Congress for Bush to gather the fortitude to VETO something. As long as a Republican congress was passing it...spending and bureaucracy mushroomed and social problems stood pat. I go round and round with my minister father. He's 75. Why do I bother. I might as wel speak Greek...classical or koine.
Larry
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