Posted by
Scott on Monday, December 10, 2007 8:01:16 AM
I’m a Republican and I go to church on regular basis but I’m
not a social conservative. I don’t think a federal marriage amendment is a good
idea, I think abortion laws probably should be changed but I don’t think courts
should overrule the opinion of the public no matter what it is, and I’m not a
‘cultural’ warrior of any sort in fact I find a great deal of enjoyment in what
I’m sure many conservatives consider distasteful entertainment.
Yet despite this fact I find myself leaning towards Huckabee
that may sound strange considering a lot of people think the only way anyone
could support Huckabee is if they also believe the Bible should be the law of
the land. According to Sam Donaldson Huckabee wants to establish a religious
theocracy, Salon.com mused that Huckabee might want to issue the death penalty
to adulterers and homosexuals and Newsweek compares Huckabee to the fire
breathing demagogue Pat Robertson. Even conservatives such as George Will have
hinted that Huckabee wants a religious test for office and Townhall.com has run
several pieces that assumed that the only reason people might like the lively,
genuine Huckabee more than the corporate-shill Romney is because of theological
believes.
So what’s to love about Huckabee you might ask? Well actually
quite a lot. The Arkansas Republican won re-election twice in what was a
heavily democratic state that he inherited from a governor who resigned after
being indicted on criminal charges. Huckabee was governor for ten years or as
long as George W. Bush and Mitt Romney combined during this time he was by
almost all accounts highly successful being named one of the five best
governors in America by Time which sited him turning the states budget from a
deficit to a surplus, revamping one of the worst highway systems in America,
and instituting a revolutionary fitness program.
Despite his reputation as a hard-core fundamentalist
Huckabee is actually very much a middle of the road republican who Barack Obama
said was the one Republican candidate with integrity. He wants to shut down Guantanamo, opposes the
harsh rhetoric on immigration most of the republican presidential candidates are bringing to the floor, and thinks
the environment should be an important issue. In fact, his record and style
seem much closer to that of McCain who called Jerry Falwell an ‘agent of intolerance’
than a stereotypical Southern Baptist minister. Huckabee’s book From Hope to Higher Ground: 12 STOPS to
Restoring America's Greatness actually included ideas that may sound like they came from a 'do-gooder liberal' to
more cynical Republicans like , “listen to more music and less talk
radio, do volunteer work, and have regular conversations with people of other
ethnic, religious, or political backgrounds.”
Huckabee is the one candidate who can legitimately run
counter the President as a different kind of Republican. Unlike his rivals, he’s
a Washington outsider,
brings a positive upbeat message, and is truly a ‘man of the people’.
Republicans shouldn’t be afraid of someone who is different than the Republican
mainstream. Contrary to what to some pundits may think Huckabee’s rise doesn’t
mean that Republicans are religiously intolerant but that they want someone fresh in terms of perspective. If the GOP doesn’t listen to this grass-roots movement for change and either re-tool
their strategies or nominate a non-establishment candidate they will lose the presidency.