Shut Up, Huck

Let me retract a statement I made a while back. I once said that I was somewhat comfortable with any of the Republican candidates. Well...

Huck is a whiner. Huck is vying for that VP spot. Huck is a religious bigot. Huck knows he has no chance of winning, but he also knows that so long as he is in the race, no Mormon will get the nod. Huck is disingenuous. So is McCain, for that matter. "Oh" they cry, "Romney is spending millions of dollars on attack ads." Well, for starters, if having your record highlighted is a negative thing, then maybe you should reconsider your record. Second, Mitt doesn't have the luxury of free media time to speak negatively of his opponents. Those two don't need to spend the money, all they have to do is say "I have decided to not go negative. And to prove it, here is a negative ad I would have used. Go ahead and take a look at it, and feel free to write about it." Or "Romney is so mean." Or "Romney is a Mormon."

I used to think McCain was a straight shooter and a real stand up guy. I do not think that anymore. McCain is a bitter, arrogant, crusty old man who will say anything to get the vote. But I do not trust him, and I do not like him.

I used to defend Huckabee here in Arkansas. But he is a disingenuous, mean-spirited populist who does not understand that freedom comes from a more strict adherence to the Constitution and ideals that founded this nation. He refuses to place his own ambitions above conservative ideals.

I am not sure what Super Tuesday will produce. I am holding out for a miracle.
But I am embracing for an embarrassingly disappointing presidential race.

A Predictable Surprise

Fred ran a great non-campaign. Unfortunately, he did not run a great campaign. While I did not expect him to become the last surviving candidate for the Repub party, I am glad he ran. He is an idealistic man who, along with Paul and Hunter, forced conservative issues into the Republican debate. Hopefully, Mitt can convince us that he was listening.

Here's what I predict:

Mitt will benefit from Thompson's departure. Fred Heads are not McCain supporters. Fred Heads are not Giuliani folks. Most Fred Heads cannot abide Huck's fiscal, populous policies, but they do like that he is a Southerner. So he might garnish a few of their votes. But I think that Mitt, despite his "flip-flopper" label, tends to embrace the Fred Head platform more so than any other candidate, except maybe Ron Paul. I can see where Paul may pick up some of the Thompson faithful, but a practical approach will be to vote for a candidate who is at least electable. I am not saying they will love Mitt. Only that he is the most likely to reflect their values, and be in a position to do anything about it.

Now, I have not read the blogosphere to get a feel for this yet. I am only looking at this from a somewhat objective point of view. I think Fred's dropping was important, because I think the Republican party has, and still is, divided, not so much 4 ways, but 2 1/2 ways. There is Giuliani and McCain making a bid for about 40% of the Republican/Independent vote. Then there is Romney/Huck vying for another 40-50%. Then there are some smaller factions who are trying to choose between McCain/Huck or McCain/Romney or Giuliani/Huck. The larger Romney/Huck faction was also splitting its vote with Fred. With Fred gone, and Giuliani now entering the race, I think McCain will hurt and Romney will gain, possibly getting a slight edge over Huck.

The First Non-Mormon President

Regardless of what happens in these primaries, the next president will be very unique. We will either have the first black president, the first female president, the first Mormon president, the oldest president, or the first non-Mormon president. Huh?!

Yes, the first non-Mormon president. Mitt Romney is an able leader. He has the experience, expertise, ideology, and demeanor to be a great president. So do most of the other Republican candidates. Even Huckabee could be a decent president (although a little populist). And if Romney were anything but a Mormon, Huckabee would still be sitting in the back of the pack. There is no doubt and virtually no argument that the Huck's Iowa win came from the evangelicals. Evangelicals do not like Mormons. Evangelicals love their neighbors, and will go fishing with them and loan them their lawn mowers, and give them a cup of sugar, until they find out that the neighbor is a Mormon. Then the neighbor is going to Hell, no questions asked. Then the neighbor gets postcards from "the Mormon temple" "on behalf of Mitt" with half-truths and misreprentations about the Mormon doctrine. Then the neighbor's kids don't get picked for the backyard pick-up game. Then the highly qualified neighbor gets passed over for neighborhood association or PTA president for someone who speaks a little more "Christian". Then the highly qualified presidential candidate gets passed over for someone who is a little more... "not Mormon".

For most people, this sounds like sour grapes. I can concede that. But many of you "know what I am talking about." I worked with a good man. We talked about morals and values and family and our faith in Christ. He was impressed with my views, and naturally asked me where I attended church. I told him I was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. His face changed. "Oh." "Still think you'll see me in Heaven?" I asked.
"No," he replied.
"Is that because you won't be there?"
"Oh, I'll be there."
"I see. So I won't?"
"Nope."
"Even though I believe in Christ and have accepted Him as my savior?"
"Yep."
"Even though I have been baptized and try to keep His commandments?"
"Yep."
"No chance, huh?"
"Nope."

Romney still stands a good chance. He has been running a smart campaign. Unfortunately, some ignorance just can't be reasoned away.

McCain may do well. Huckabee will continue to suck votes away from Romney. Interestingly, Huckabee is not the only one benefiting from the Mormon thang. Many evangelicals and other Christians are voting for McCain simply because they are more comfortable with him than with a Mormon.

~Everyone stumbles upon the truth now and then. Unfortunately, most simply pick themselves up and hurry on their way.~

Guess Who?

There are low campaign tactics. Watergate, (Dan)Rathergate, Jeffersongate(vs. John Adams) to name a few. Then there's this. How cowardly! It's one thing to publish quotes (no matter how far out of context they may be taken). It's one thing to point out a candidate's religion, even if the candidate never intended to make it an issue, even if that religion has adamantly refrained from endorsing any candidate, even if that religion has made a conscious effort to avoid politics. I suppose it's one thing, even, to make fun of that religion, regardless of how noble or tolerant that religion may be.

But this is something else entirely. All done while hiding in shadows of secrecy, forging endorsements, taking advantage of such a special holiday to ruin a candidate who professes a belief in Christ. I think what makes this particularly egregious is that it was done not so much for political purposes as for religious warfare. It is an attempt to create friction against one's neighbors, guised as a political stunt.

What is interesting most about this is its manifestation of an unfortunate parallelism between Christianity and the Republican party. Both are noble institutions whose basic tenets happen to be correct. Unfortunately, as either has gained leadership, it has done itself in by its own actions. This incident happens to be a combination of both and may prove to be a setback for both. It is certainly a black eye on Christianity.

I am interested in Huck's reaction.

Mitt Props

I found this well-written commentary on Mitt's "Religion Speech". I never saw the speech (I'll be looking for it on-line), but from various comments, it sounded like a winner.

I like the Huckster. But I learned a long time ago that the guy who goes out of his way to tell you he is a Christian is someone from whom you should flee, especially if he wants your business. Conversely, I have known some wonderful people who I knew were Christian, and with whom I would gladly do business again. Walk the walk, and that walk will talk for you.

Hell is Getting More Crowded All the Time

Gotta love Huckabee. When he first started running for office, a lady asked him, "Are you one of those narrow-minded Baptist ministers who think only Baptists will go to heaven?" He replies, "Actually I'm more narrow than that. I don't think all the Baptists are going to make it."

Sorry 'bout being out of the loop. The semester is winding down, and the pressure is ratcheting up. But, I thought you might be interested in this article. The Huckster just might be someone to watch.