I’ve not written anything on my blog about politics for a very long time. Some of you who are new readers may not even know that I am one of those scary Christian conservatives. And, yes, I’m to some extent a one-issue voter: I believe abortion is wrong, that as Americans we are destroying our nation by destroying our children in the womb. I can’t vote for anyone who believes that abortion is just another choice, so I’m going to have a real problem if our choice come election time is between Rudy Giulani, Mr. Pro-Abortion Republican, and Hilary Clinton, Ms. Pro-Abortion Democrat.
I have resisted becoming mentally engaged in choosing a candidate for an election so far in advance. I think many people, even those who have been politically active in the past, have been reluctant to even think about an election that doesn’t even take place for another year. However, if you agree with the position I took in the first paragraph of this post, we have to try to do something about it now rather than later. The first primaries may take place as early as the beginning of January. If people of faith, those who oppose abortion and believe in limited government, don’t start now to suppport a candidate who shares those values, we will be left with a Hobson’s choice come election time. Either take this pro-abortion Republican or don’t vote, and thereby throw the election to an even more pro-abortion Democrat.
So I’m supporting Mike Huckabee for President. I think he can win. I think we should start talking about his ideas and positions, start sending him money, start blogging about him, support his candidacy in any way we can. And I’m going to be doing just that on Mondays for a while here on Semicolon. If you don’t want to read about Huckabee or about politics or about the election, skip Mondays. But if you’re interested in finding out more, here are a few links to get you started.
Athol Dickson: Should We Give Up?: I would like to send a message to the kingmakers that they are wrong, that we should not give up, that we should have some faith for crying out loud, that democracy is not yet dead and there can still be a real choice in 2008. Do you believe that’s possible? If you do, I strongly suggest that you get busy right now.
Joel Griffith at the Seventh Sola: “Mike Huckabee’s performance last night was solid given the constraints. He clearly stated his positions on social issues of concern to Christians, and they match up with mine. More than that, despite the short time alloted him by the questioners, he even pitched some quick, innovative ideas on health care and the Social Security question. I’d love to see those ideas fleshed out substantively.”
Quaid at Thinklings: “Instead of being like Bob Jones III, who has chosen a candidate for the chief reason of their ability to beat Hillary Clinton (btw – this is some of the more-flawed reasoning I’ve seen in a while), maybe you should choose a candidate who actually believes what you believe, stands what you stand for and honors God in the process. Forget the fact that he doesn’t seem electable now – if you and enough others choose to stand on principle instead of politics, what seems impossible quickly becomes probable.”
My faith is my life – it defines me. My faith doesn’t influence my decisions, it drives them. For example, when it comes to the environment, I believe in being a good steward of the earth. I don’t separate my faith from my personal and professional lives.
Real faith makes us humble and mindful, not of the faults of others, but of our own. It makes us less judgmental, as we see others with the same frailties we have. Faith gives us strength in the face of injustice and motivates us to do our best for “the least of us.”
I agree with Mr. Huckabee, and if this attitude makes us “scary” sobeit. Let’s have a lot more strength and justice and a lot less cowardice and fear.
I find it interesting that other conservative Christians, especially those in positions of influence, haven’t come out in support of Huckabee. Just a few weeks ago Dr. Dobson said that there wasn’t a single Republican candidate worthy of support in the current field. Why isn’t Dobson supporting Huckabee? It makes no sense to me.
I don’t know yet if I’m supporting Huckabee but I am scared that it will be a Clinton vs Guiliani race next November. Will there be a worthwhile 3rd party candidate to support in that eventuality? I hope so because I don’t think I could cast a vote in favor of either Clinton or Guiliani.
My views are very similar to yours. I don’t know much about Huckabee yet, but I keep hearing about him. I need to check him out. Thanks for the links!
It’s so strange to see him as a presidential candidate. He was my pastor growing up and even baptized me. He’s a good guy.
My attitude towards the election thus far has been to ignore it in hopes that it will go away. Not terribly effective, I know. I really hope Mr. Huckabee turns out to be everything that he appears to be at first glance.
I’ll have to look into Huckabee further. First glance around his “issues” page looks pretty good. My favorite is Duncan Hunter, but I suppose he is a lost cause at this point.
I’m with you on the one issue.
Mike Huckabee’s ardent support ( http://snipurl.com/fthuckabeeonirs) for the FairTax sets him apart from all other viable presidential candidates. The FairTax Act of 2007 (HR 25 / S 1025) ( http://snipurl.com/irsgone ) represents a prospective power shift of massive proportions in America. It lays out a practical ideal of voluntary tax payment, based on a substantial level of taxpayer choice that the plan affords. Since FairTax untaxes basic necessities (up to socially-accepted levels of poverty-level spending), what is taxed is marginal, and/or desired or preferred, on a broader base of retail products and services. This is to say that the taxpayer may, under the FairTax, choose to purchase used products and avoid paying the tax. And, to the extent desired, the taxpayer may choose to self-perform certain services rather than pay for them. This will stimulate do-it-yourself education, improve citizens’ self-reliance; indeed the FairTax represents the possibility of ushering in a new “can-do citizen psychology” that would accrue to greater demands for government accountability – truly, a cultural sea change.
Government is the “necessary glue” that enables the social fabric to cohere. It does this by effecting “rules” that ostensibly provide members with equitable access to wealth and resources. It also must provide ostensibly equitable enforcement of those rules in order to mitigate threats to the social fabric. It is unrealistic to believe that the structures of a national government can be supported on donations, thus the need for taxes. Naysayers love to characterize anything purporting to be a “fair tax” as an oxymoron – but it is not true. The idea of fairness has to do with equitable sharing in the cost by all members who depend upon the social fabric for food, shelter, clothing and post-necessity economic enterprise. And, because of the shift of power from politicians and special interests under an enacted FairTax, the elected will find it more difficult to both enlarge government, and implement any dual system of taxation. FairTax strategist, Dennis Calabrese, discusses how the FairTax repeals the income tax ( http://snipurl.com/repealsinctax ), how it does away with the IRS ( http://snipurl.com/doesawaywithirs ), and how it addresses other aspects ( http://snipurl.com/ftvideofaqs ) of frequent concern to skeptics.
The FairTax has a much greater opportunity for success to operate as a “self-regulating” mechanism because of increased visibility. One finds that the current system, ostensibly regulated by the Internal Revenue Code, is in fact poorly regulated because of continually increasing complexity (the effect of “tax favors” from politicians, through lobbyists, to favored corporations and other special interests) stemming from the desire by those holding government position to steer public behavior using tax code “carrots.” We have seen how 100 years of this type of behavior has eroded the Nation’s currency and the purchasing power of working family incomes. “Visionist,” Tom Frey believes the current tax system will soon simply collapse ( http://snipurl.com/incometaxcollapse ); and economist Laurence Kotlikoff heralds that – short of enactment of FairTax (or an otherwise unlikely change in spending habits) – the U.S. will shortly facing an irrevocable economic breakdown ( http://snipurl.com/meltdowninprogress ). (Kotlikoff believes that passage of the FairTax can stave off the economic ruin we’re facing, but would be surprised to see it happen.)
Frey and Kotlikoff may be right on both counts, and we may not be able to successfully evoke change; but shall we not try?
Mike Huckabee believes we should. ( http://snipr.com/scrapthecode )
(Permission granted to republish, in whole or part. -Ian)