Missing Mike Huckabee already
The title of this post is true for every supporter of Mike Huckabee, I am sure. What is funny is how it also goes for a lot of people who didn’t actually support Mike Huckabee. JC Watts, a conservative Republican from my home state of Oklahoma, has an opinion piece that addresses this very topic. It should be pointed out that JC Watts did not support Mike Huckabee. He supported Fred Thompson.
One of the things that has driven me crazy about my fellow evangelicals in this election is their mercurial, erratic and sometimes arbitrary approach to selecting their candidates for president.
Early in the Republican primary process we had a front-runner to whom none of the evangelical “leaders” could warm, and when John McCain imploded early on, you could almost hear the sighs of relief rising up from Colorado Springs.
Then came the dance with Fred Thompson, but he waited too long to buy his dance card, and Fred’s last dance was his first.
All the while, we had the former governor of Arkansas, a Baptist preacher with all of the evangelical street cred one could ask for in a candidate. A pro-life, pro-traditional marriage, proven vote getter who drew support from a wide range of demographics and ideology.
But even then, the “leaders” couldn’t get behind Mike Huckabee.
Several months ago when Huckabee was still a curiosity, they wouldn’t give him the time of day. Not long later, as Marvin Olasky of World Magazine noted, the evangelical leaders were “following their followers” who had taken a shine to the Arkansan.
Now that Mac is back and has sewn up the GOP nomination, many of those same evangelical leaders are expressing their extreme discontentment with the will of the voters.
Where were they when Huckabee really needed them?
Mr. Watts points out some very important and interesting details about Mike Huckabee. Even if you didn’t agree with Huckabee on every issue, he did bring another voice to the discussion, a voice that was willing to talk about the issues that are important to a lot of people in this country. The difference between Huckabee’s voice and the others is how he was not just talking about these issues. He was willing to go to bat and get something done about them.
Something else Mr. Watts mentioned was the criticism of Huckabee on national defense.
Many evangelicals passed over Mike Huckabee for reasons of national defense. They still viewed that as the prime issue facing our nation, and feared Huckabee came up a little short in that respect. But even the evangelicals and “compassionate conservatives” who did not vote for Huckabee will miss him now that he is gone from this race.
He was often critized for his lack of credentials on national defense and foreign policy, yet the other candidates were not subjected to the same standards. Please tell me what he was lacking in this area, compared to Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, Fred Thompson, or Rudy Giuliani. I would not put John McCain in this group, simply because of his life experiences. My point is this. Huckabee was critized for things that made no sense, from people who should have been supporting him.
Indeed, Mike Huckabee spoke to so many issues that I’ve been trying to get the GOP establishment to speak to as a black, a social conservative and an opportunity conservative.With Huckabee gone, those issues may be addressed due to politics, not from conviction. These issues were in Huckabee’s DNA. Issues of life, strong families, compassion, outreach and opportunity for all.
Mike Huckabee got a substantial percentage of the black vote for governor in Arkansas. It’s a natural outgrowth of his heart to reach out and deal with poverty.
The faith warriors that made up 25-30 percent of Huckabee’s support are true believers. Their politics were driven by their faith. Their faith was not driven by their politics. Nor were they driven by polls or news cycles or political consultants.
In my opinion, this is the saddest part of the entire ordeal. Mike Huckabee was a proven conservative, more socially than fiscally, but a conservative, just the same. His faith and his character drove him to govern the way he governed in Arkansas. He simply could not stand by and see things that needed to be changed and not do something about them, no matter how “unconservative” it might have been. Despite this, he could not seem to gain the support of the very people who should have supported him without hesitation. He was a man who was the very epitomy of the kind of candidate they said they wanted, yet they continued to give reasons for their lack of support.
So, yes. Mike Huckabee is already being missed in this campaign. Who knows what the future holds for him, but I have a feeling it has something to do with the year 2012. Maybe people like JC Watts, a respected black conservative, will realize they need to get behind him from the start. Who knows how far Huckabee could have gone, had they realized then what they seem to realize now.
That’s my take!
Larry
The political corruption today is sickening. Some politicians claim to be for the moral issues; but their actions speak louder that than their words. “Character Makes a Difference” and Mike Huckabee literally wrote the book on it. He leads us by example.
America was founded on godly principles. We were blessed because, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD” (Psalm 33:12a) I fear what will happen to America if she continues turning her back on God.
I just moved from Tulsa, Oklahoma so when I saw JC Watts name, my interest was piqued.
I was a little frustrated this morning when I found several articles about how Mike is such a great asset. Where were these opinions, people and articles when Mike needed them.
I’m glad to know that it really isn’t over, however, because Mike is not finished by a long shot.
All you have to do is take a look at his website.
BTW, have you ever heard of a candidate wanting to stay in touch with his supporters AFTER he loses. I haven’t. That shows you what kind of man Huckabee really is. Good, decent, honest, compassionate, loyal, worthy of our commitment to him.
Dominique,
Yes, it is very frustrating to see these articles being written when they would have really helped earlier in the campaign.
And yes, it is very encouraging to see Mike wanting to stay in contact with his supporters. Unlike any candidate we have seen.
I’m still planning on voting for Huckabee in our Nebraska primaries in May. If Huckabee had received half the media attention that the others received he would not be out. He won Iowa- everyone was surprised. He had just a few days to campaign in NH where he had no name recognition and he lost. The media dropped him like a hot potato. Made me sick- as well as the lopsidedness of the debates. I guess we can only look forward to 2012.
One last complaint- the media constantly said he only had the support of Evangelicals. I’m not one and he had my support- nothing like the media influencing the population.
Anita,
You are right. The media, especially the conservative media, did him in.
The point you make about his non-evangelical support is true as well. The sad part about it all is this. He didn’t have the support of as many evangelicals as the media would have us believe. There were a lot of them, in Texas for sure, that were persuaded to vote in the Democratic primary, in order to influence that outcome. They should have stuck to their guns and voted for Huckabee in the Republican primary. My Dad voted for Mitt Romney in the Oklahoma primary and I still haven’t figured that one out.
Let’s see how those people feel next year if HRC or Oboma gets elected because the Conservatives in Texas did what the Talk Shows told them to do insted of voting for Mike Huckabee the best man to run for President in years and years.
Great comments! I am disappointed that we won’t have Huckabee for the GOP ticket this time around. I am frustrated that so many people I know were persuaded by the media and conservative talk radio. I watched the debates and spent hours and hours researching the candidates b/f the FL primary. I read Obama’s book and McCain’s and Huckabee’s. That is how I decided to vote for Huckabee. Being a responsible voter takes time and effort. I am saddened by our citizens who let the media tell them what to do. They spend more time lining up their Netflix queue than learning about the candidates and issues. I am still hopeful though, because I think Huckabee is the future of the GOP.