Daniel Davies’s Blog

Over the last month or two, Mike Huckabee’s astounding rise in national and early-voting-state polls has been the focus of much discussion. Apparently, this rise is in large part attributed to evangelical Christians in general and homeschoolers in particular. As an unabashed member of these groups, I feel an obligation to inform my fellow evangelical homeschoolers. I realize that Mr. Huckabee has been endorsed by Michael Farris of HSLDA and PHC. But I also know from Dr. Farris that it was due to his being very impressed with Huckabee’s speech at the “value voters debate” in mid-September. Huckabee was so bold and eloquent when speaking about his faith that apparently Dr. Farris was sold on him on the spot. I fear that this is the case with many Christians and homeschoolers. They are supporting Huckabee because of how out-front he is about his faith, and because of some key endorsements he has received. 

Unfortunately, there is much more to Mike Huckabee than this. His 10-year record of governance, and even his current policies, are a mixed bag of some good and an equal or greater amount of bad. I am very supportive of Christians running for office and being very open about their faith in doing so; in fact, I believe that assisting Christian leaders in the political process is God’s life calling for me. There is a point at which, however, a candidate crosses the line from his faith guiding his policies and campaign to one where his faith is his campaign; I believe Mike Huckabee has crossed this line and is using his faith for political purposes. His policies on Homosexuality and abortion are strong, and I applaud him for that. On fiscal, foreign affairs, immigration, crime, and other policy issues, as well as ethics, however, he has a very poor record/current policy statement.

The mainstream media has been fairly positive in its coverage of Huckabee for most of this year, based on his media-friendly nature, eloquence and humor in his speeches, and perhaps a fascination with the faith so many in the media don’t understand. As he has risen in the polls, the media realized that he could actually stand a chance of winning the nomination, and have begun examining him seriously in an attempt to prevent such a dedicated evangelical from taking the White House. Notably, the DNC has refrained from attacking Huckabee much because they see his record makes him easily defeatable in the general election. I would be more than happy to discuss Huckabee with anyone, so please let me know if you have any questions.

For the sake of disclosure, I am wholeheartedly supporting Fred Thompson’s campaign, as I have since long before he announced his candidacy. He has a consistent pro-life, limited government, federalist, and pro-military record. He was also the first candidate to offer solid, detailed policy proposals for immigration, tax reform, social security reform, and other critical issues facing our nation today. I would be happy to answer any questions you have regarding him as well. I leave today for Iowa to help the Thompson campaign until the Caucus on the 3rd. Please visit the links below to learn a few of the reasons why I favor Fred Thompson over Mike Huckabee.

Thank you for your time, and may God bless you in the new year to come!

Religion-mandated-big-government? http://www.americanthinker.com/2007/12/the_church_of_huck_growing_gov.html

And . . . Huckabee signed a law placing more restrictions on homeschooling?http://spunkyhomeschool.blogspot.com/2007/12/huckabee-and-homeschoolers.html

Also . . . .Huckabee received $35,000 in consulting fees last year from one of the world’s largest embryonic stem cell research companies? http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2007/12/stem_cell_bucks_for_huck.html

Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year to all!

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The first candidate is a southern governor who is outspoken about his Baptist faith and is highly involved in his church, including serving in places of leadership. He is a faithful family man, married to one woman for over 30 years, and places great emphasis on family values. His time as governor was marked by compassion for racial minorities, the poor, and trying to assist those stuck in the criminal justice system. He is committed to his principles, even when it brings disagreement with members of his own party in the state government.

The second candidate claims to be a Christian, but admits to not regularly attending church at times. He has been divorced, with children from both his past and current wife. He has a successful career as an actor on both big and small screens. While he has spent time as a political office-holder, over the last several years he has done short radio commentaries on current events which were syndicated nationally. This candidate was motivated to get into Republican politics by the conservative policies advocated by Barry Goldwater in the 1960s.

Who are these two candidates? You may have guessed that the above descriptions describe current 2008 Presidential nominees Mike Huckabee (#1) and Fred Thompson (#2).

You may not have realized that the same descriptions apply to the general election candidates in 1980, Jimmy Carter (#1) and Ronald Reagan (#2).

What can we learn from this comparison? Do Christian principles and beliefs necessarily make a good President? Many Christians, with the best intentions, are flocking to support the Mike Huckabee campaign. Conservative leaders, including Rush Limbaugh, Phyllis Schlafly, Ann Coulter, Grover Norquist, and GOP leaders in his home state of Arkansas have pointed out that Huckabee’s liberal policies as governor greatly damaged the conservative cause in Arkansas. Huckabee currently advocates a mixture of some conservative policies and some liberal ones. But should his current conservative positions on immigration and spending, for example, cause us to ignore his previous actions as governor? As former Sen. Zell Miller declared in his 2004 RNC “spitballs” speech, “Twenty years of votes can tell you much more about a man than twenty weeks of campaign rhetoric.” Mike Huckabee would be unable to keep the GOP’s coalition of religious, family-values, fiscal, and foreign affairs/national defense conservatives together. He has demonstrated an ignorance of foreign affairs that indicates that his foreign policy could resemble the disasters of 1976-1980 under Jimmy Carter. Fred Thompson has years of experience in foreign affairs, including chairing an advisory committee for Sec. of State Condoleezza Rice. “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Christians must realize that a candidate’s ability to lead the nation and the free world does not come from how openly he advocates his religious beliefs. The only 2008 candidate with a consistent conservative record on all issues is Fred Thompson, the new Ronald Reagan for the challenges of the 21^st century.

http://www.fred08.com/

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