Posted by
Lloyd on Thursday, December 20, 2007 11:28:12 AM
It occurs to me that Huck's latest surge is the result of two things.
1.) The Evangelicals.
The evangelicals want someone who isn't going to betray their fundamental beliefs. They want someone who sincerely believes in life and family and Huckabee is that guy. Huckabee gives voice to their deepest fundamental beliefs and they know that he will never waiver in them regardless of political pressure or their unpopularity in the mainstream media.
2.) The Ron Paul Nutters.
Hucks latest "awe shucks" foreign policy statements are just a folksy recitation of Ron Paul's isolationist stances. They are very calculated to give Paul supporters a more winnable candidate to vote for.
I can appreciate the evangelical's stance but I find it every bit as misguided as the the Ron Paul nutters isolationism that Huck is tapping into. Matters of faith are personal and while they shouldn't be challenged by the state they shouldn't necessarily be supported by it either.
Huckabee's gnosticism as well as Hugh Hewitt's stressing all of his finer points led me to nearly back Romney. But try as I may, I can't get past his Clintonism. I think his "faith in america" speach was a great contribution to american political discourse and I can see where many evangelicals would be drawn to him for it but I wonder how many people are overlooking his doublespeak on other conservative principals. (I've actually come to believe that his mormonism is more of a draw than a detraction for him because regardless of people's personal views on mormonism they bristle at anyones open hostility to people of faith.)
The problem with both of these candidates, and this is a problem with the republican party today, is religion is central to it's message. We're getting mired in personal matters the same way that the left does and losing sight of the role of government in our lives. I was always under the assumption that the government that governs least governs best and I just don't hear that message from either of them.
As a result I'm left with Thompson. Despite his support of Mccain Feingold he's the only one espousing core conservative principals. Unfortunately, it seems that today's republican party just isn't motivated by that anymore and would rather save america's soul than protect its spirit.