My opinion is that in the short term, W has turned people off from messianic certainty. In 2008, Huckabee's brand of religion will not help him win.
There are major problems with Huckabee. He raises taxes. He's admitted as much. The GOP would have a fit about it. Plus, he wanted to quarantine all AIDS victims. That has to be one of the dumbest ideas of all time. He's said he wants to put Jesus Christ in politics. He has no passion, and he's the unhumorous version of Gomer Pyle. The fact that he could win Iowa just shows how f'ed up the people in Iowa really are.
No, the reason is that Huckabee (and all the GOPs except Ron Paul, really) have been working their asses off pandering to the religious right, plus Huckabee's big ad buy in Iowa describes him as a Christian leader.
If this cycle has taught us anything, it's that the liberal-conservative dichotomy isn't one. Is Ron Paul a leftist? No. Is he a rightist? No. So then he's a moderate? No, not really. Think of a diamond, with libertarian at the top and say authoritarian at the bottom. Huckabee is somewhere on the right side of the authoritarian quadrant, similar to Bush (but perhaps not as much, that's another debate).
Barry Goldwater's old school conservatism without question would have been at odds with Huckabee. It's as if he's speaking to him directly. Quote from 1981, when Reagan, religion, and pro-life was creeping permanently into the GOP. http://pieceofmind.wordpress.com/2006/11/10/wwbd-what-would-barry-do/ There is no position on which people are so immovable as their religious beliefs. There is no more powerfull ally one can claim in a debate than Jesus, God, or Allah, or whatever one calls the supreme being. But like any powerful weapon, the use of God’s name on one’s behalf should be used sparingly. The religious factions that are growing throughout our land are not using their religious clout with wisdom. They are trying to force government leaders into following their position 100 percent. If you disagree with these religious groups on a particular moral issue, they complain, they threaten you with a loss of money or votes or both. I’m frankly sick and tired of the political preachers across this country telling me as a citizen that if I want to be a moral person, I must believe in A,B,C, and D. Just who do they think they are? And from where do they presume to claim the right to dictate their moral beliefs to me? And I am even more angry as a legislator who must endure the threats of every religious group who thinks it has some God-granted right to control my vote on every roll call in the Senate. I am warning them today: I will fight them every step of the way if they try to dictate their moral convictions to all Americans in the name of conservatism. Imagine that. Republicans don't talk like this anymore. Fascinating history 4 ya.
I would say that evangelical Christians have been turned off by W. That's one of the reasons why the Democrats won back Congress in 2006. I remember Howard Dean commenting that the Dems saw a big increase in votes from white evangelicals in that election. That's why the Republicans need a candidate like Huckabee. He's the only one who can win back the support of evangelical Christians, and that's a demographic that the Republicans need in order to win in 2008. (Whether they like it or not.) That's my opinion, and I'm sticking to it. The thing that stands in Huckabee's way is not his religion. It's things like the Dumond incident, and other ghosts of his past.
Goldwater kind of sounds like Ron Paul. Ya think? http://www.liberalslikechrist.org/about/goldwater.html Insisted Goldwater, "Being a conservative in America traditionally has meant that one holds a deep, abiding respect for the Constitution. We conservatives believe sincerely in the integrity of the Constitution. We treasure the freedoms that document protects. . . ""By maintaining the separation of church and state," he explained, "the United States has avoided the intolerance which has so divided the rest of the world with religious wars . . . Can any of us refute the wisdom of Madison and the other framers? Can anyone look at the carnage in Iran, the bloodshed in Northem Ireland, or the bombs bursting in Lebanon and yet question the dangers of injecting religious issues into the affairs of state?" Goldwater concluded with a waming to the American people. "The religious factions will go on imposing their will on others," { he said,} "unless the decent people connected to them recognize that religion has no place in public policy. They must learn to make their views known without trying to make their views the only alternatives. . . We have succeeded for 205 years in keeping the affairs of state separate from the uncompromising idealism of religious groups and we mustn't stop now" { he insisted}. "To retreat from that separation would violate the principles of conservatism and the values upon which the framers built this democratic republic." Fascinating stuff. History repeats itself.
There is no paranoia. Hux gets to meet his maker and sinner can all rot in hell for eternity. Just by pushing the button! A double-win for an evangelical.
No doubt. When I was growing up, Republicans were about low taxes, balanced budgets, controlled spending, and small government staying out of people's way. Now it's all JESUS, all the time, and the people's money can be taxed and spent and pour out of any orifice as long as JESUS is invoked constantly. And government (aka JESUS) needs to be snooping on your phone calls and telling you what you can and can't do in your own home and with your own body. It's sick, but the American people keep falling for it, over and over. And they are again with Huckabee. I just wonder what happened to fiscal conservatives--do they even exist anymore?
Let's rephrase this, do YOU (not they) like the power of evangelical Christians in determining who runs this country?
I think the closest guy to Goldwater in the GOP is Ron Paul. "Dr. No" believes in cutting the size of government and keeping government out of the lives of people. I believe Ron Paul will help form a 3rd party, might even run as a 3rd party candidate, and fracture the right. The $ is there, the bipartisan votes are there. I could be wrong though, but that's what I see happening. He already said he can't support any GOP candidate except himself. He's anti-abortion, but believes in states rights. By the way, great Morissey pic.
If you completely ignore foreign policy, yes. And I don't think Ron Paul would have supported Joe McCarthy.
Huckabee would never do that. He'd be too afraid to be anywhere near people with AIDS. He'd get the sickness you know.
Now that Huckabee is rising in the polls, some liberals are now paying attention. Mother Jones demands Huckabee release sermons
Axis Alex defending the Clinton News Network? Now I've seen everything. It still doesn't make sense. And shit journalism is still shit journalism.
You'd be surprised. West Michigan (especially around Grand Rapids-Holland-Muskegon) is politically very conservative and heavily Christian evangelical. I've heard some describe Michigan as a Bible Belt state that's been misplaced. Incidentally (for those who don't already know) Mitt's father, George Romney, was governor of Michigan from 1963-69.
Well, I'm not sure Ron Paul is the closest to Goldwater. I think Fred Thompson might be. They're both similar to Goldwater, but in different ways.
Don't look now, but Huckabee just topped the polls in SC: http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/12/14/s.carolina.poll/index.html This is going to be fun to watch.
Well, this is the first time in God knows how long (1964, 1980?) where there is no GOP heir apparent. And while pundits have been hoping for a brokered convention since I was in college, could this be the time? What if Giuliani and Romney end up with large blocks of delegates, Huckabee, McCain, Paul and Thompson with smaller blocks. With the frontloading of primaries this year, there may be no time for a consensus candidate to emerge? McCain or Thompson might stay in, hoping they become the compromise. Now, I doubt it. On Februrary 6, we will know who the GOP nominee is. But you are right, it will be fun.
Huckabee leads in Florida: http://rasmussenreports.com/public_...rida/election_2008_florida_republican_primary ...and Texas: http://ivrpolls.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=1 Gov. Rick Perry, closet Huckabee fan: http://www.statesman.com/blogs/cont...2007/12/11/perry_says_huckabee_saying_he.html