Merry Religious Christmas And Vote For Me – My Name Is Huckabee
Mike Huckabee, former Governor of Arkansas, has stunned the political community with a new commeercial airing in Iowa and New Hampshire. The commercial has stirred up his aggressive campaign by appealing to Evangelical Christians. The spot, very upbeat, has Huckabee saying, “What really matters most is the celebration of the birth of Christ.” Many people would agree with that, especially his campaign advisers, but most of all, millions of people who feel that the holidays sometimes miss their real meaning.
Never before has a national candidate embraced religion so deeply in a primary campaign.
Huckabee is now tied with Rudy Guiliani who is under fire from conservatives and those questioning his personal life. Part of his appeal is his firm religious conviction, but some of the pundits are questioning whether his fervor and his religious commitment to politics, may backfire on him if he wins the nomination.
In the meantime. only one of the GOP candidates has taken aim at Mike Huckabee for putting Christ in his commercial messages.
Ron Paul, that master fund raiser from Texas, offers this statement: ” Sinclair Lewis said that ‘when fascism comes to this country, it will be wrapped in flag, carrying a cross.”
The other candidates won’t even get close to blasting Huckabee on the subject of religion. Mitt Romney has troubles of his own, but he is pressing hard with religious value speeches as he tries to counter Huckabee.
One thing is clear though. Religion will play a big role in campaign 08, at least in the primaries. The question is : “Who’s religion?”
This is going to be an interesting two weeks till the Iowa caucuses.
Comments(25)
I am interested to know what faction of the republicans will prevail during the primaries: the anti-tax (Huckabee raised taxes as Governor of Arkansas)crusaders, or the ‘real’ crusaders from the religous-right.
Which hypocracy will they raise as their banner?
Stay tuned…
Who’s religion?? Make that “Whose religion?”, Larry.Geesh, a disillusioned former fan and English teacher. Patrick D.Hazard, Weimar, Germany.
Who’s relligion, Larry. It’s not “who’s” religion that matters in my opinion. Mike Hukabee’s faith is in Jesus Christ. A muslim’s faith is in Allah. An aetheist’s faith is in himself. However, I believe that Mike Hukabee represents those whose voice is slowly being taken away by the politically correct faction within our country-the Christian voice, which is not a monolith but a diverse community. I believe that Mike Hukabee stands for honesty in government, and I for one am ready for someone to stand up and speak the truth, win or lose. What did Sinclair Lewis stand for?
Hello Larry,as you said last week the republicans are in big trouble,well i hope mike huckleberry is their man (please dear god).
is this the same huckleberry that used his influence to get a murder/rapist out of jail,only to commit rape and murder again,yes i think so.(greg-YEAH THAT’S REAL HONESTY).
huckleberry is the perfect candidate to pull the rightwing do-gooders wagon(thank you god).
the leftwingers are dancing in the streets and barreled over with laughter!(thank you JESUS).
i am sure we will now hear all the excuses about we need a 12 party system,and the same old songs from the same old sadsacks,even ralph nader can’t save them,and of course the nasty attacks on you know WHO,and i say to those, grow up and get a life and stop crying the (redwing)party’s over.
Larry Good Luck and GOD BLESS and MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Hey JR,
I guess we’ll see who wins the White House next year, I guarantee it won’t be your tired old, tell ‘em what they wanna hear Clintons, as you hope (see her lead dwindling more day by day)it’s “Huckabee”, I truly hope the left-leaning slime-bags nominate Sillary, we Republicans will surely have a slam-dunk then. I’d really love to see the tired old hag lose.
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” That is all the US Constitution has to say with regards to religion. 80% of Americans are Christian. 10% of Americans have no preference at all. Only the MEDIA wants to make an issue out of this ad.
What has any of this to do with Alycia Lane? I miss her keen analysis of these thorny issues.
hey mike,i guess we will see,huckleberry is a 3 legged horse at the kentucky derby, he better hold on to the religion card.
mike define a slime bag, huckleberry used his power to help a rapist to get of jail,only to rape and murder again,what do you call that,a man of faith!!!!
mike,you and the rightwing do-gooders,i hope you have a lot of luck with huckleberry.
mike,how about mike huckleberry and larry craig on the republican ticket,now that is a real winner!!!!
We should all be utterly terrified at this ad by Gov. Huckabee. A Christian, who has the audacity to mention that Son of God guy, in public, at Christmas? What will these looney Christians think of next. Be careful America, next thing you know these Christians will be feeding the hungry & clothing the naked….
we should all want to know,was huckleberry a christian before he freed the murderer/rapist out of jail,or after??
maybe the hungry and naked should be terrified.
Well Stated Mike L. as far as dogboy JR, how about Clinton/McGreevey, your buddy. See I told you you had a hangup with cross dressers and such.
And my definition of a slime bag in one word “CLINTON” any questions? Or how about your liberal lion TED KENNEDY, gee, need anymore examples of slimebag?
As for a tidbit of info JR, why was Wal-Mart wonderful to Sillary when she was on the Board of Directors, now they are a scourge, why because she say what the people who have no brains for themselves want to hear! That’s why her poll numbers are dropping faster than the dem controlled congress.
Huckabee will not get the nomination. I am sure he scares the brass at the RNC, and they will do his best to stop him.
There is nothing wrong with the fact that he takes Christianity seriously (I am a Republican Christian) but he seems to be wearing it on his sleeve to attract voters. Religion plays a role in are moral fiber, but at the end of the day, our laws and public policy our secular in nature. Presidential candidates need to have a definitive direction on where they would like to take the country, this is sorely lacking in Huckabee.
Do watch a Charlie Brown’s Christmas. Linus tells it all when he reads the Christmas story from the book of Luke. Lest we forget the message of Christmas is Joy to the World.
Patrick: Thanks for the correction. No one is perfect – not even me!
To all: The religious debate has been going on in this country for ages. It is a primarily Christian country and Huckabee has every right to seek Christian voters, just as some candidates would seek the Jewish vote in some contests.
That is part of the process. But the reason this story is so fascinating is the depth of the commercial, which is unusual even by national campaign standards.
Thanks for all the lively comments, and Pat in Germany: I’m glad that you are capable of making snap judgments of people. Now that’s what I call thinking.
Larry
Larry, What do you mean by depth in his commercial? The fact that he mentioned Christ? That’s not very deep for someone who celebrates Christmas.
thanks steve,for being resonable about huckleberry,and you are correct.
(i am a dem christian)huckleberry is a phony and would hurt your party even more.
and steve this blog was about huckleberry and the gop candidates,but some how they allways have to bring the clintons on the blog and sling mud at them.
i would vote for chuck norris but not for st.huckleberry.
steve keep the faith!
ANON (#6) is incorrect, and Huckabee’s attempt to establish or promote a national religion is unAmerican, but it IS very Taliban. The Constitution ALSO says, in Article VI, “…no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.” This means ALL elected and appointed officials. This means we also have freedom FROM religion in public life, thank goodness, especially from having someone else’s beliefs rammed down our throats. That is the only way religious tolerance can survive. There is no one in public life today, among all the politicians and political candidates, who is as smart as the men who wrote the Constitution (most of whom were Deists–look it up). The United States government (at all levels) and our laws are secular (i.e., not pertaining to religion) and not for the benefit or hegemony of any one group of citizens.
well said anne!!thank you!!
A reference to religion was made once in the US Constitution, and once when it was amended. The founding fathers wanted no direct link between the government and religion. It didn’t say anything about prohibiting a candidate from saying Merry Christmas, Anne’s knee jerk reaction is the kind of thing that scares me. To accuse Huckabee of wanting to create a national (Taliban) religion is quite a leap from wishing someone a Merry Christmas. And Why do people jump to such outrages conclusions? The MEDIA of course. The media’s preoccupation with their own agenda has warped our interpretation of what is news worthy. Sinclair Lewis got it wrong. When fascism comes to this country it will be wrapped in a politically correct, intolerant, Godless flag of secularism.
Article VI is not an Amendment, it is in the originally-written body of the Constitution (there are 7 Articles in the Constitution, FYI). Why doesn’t ANON try reading it sometime? It’s very short and to the point. It tells you about your government. Or would you rather learn about it from partisan politicians, your neighbors, the media, and bloggers? Were you absent from your Civics 101 classes? The point of the Huckabee ad was not just to say Merry Christmas to his supporters, just as the point of the Romney statement that “I believe that Jesus Christ is the savior of mankind” during a campaign speech was not to tell of their moral purity. The point of both the ad and the speech were to proclaim themselves as “Christian Leaders” (explicitly so in the Huckabee ad), in direct defiance of Article VI. We don’t need a Bigot-in-Chief (the point of Article VI) to tell us how to believe and which segment of the American citizenry he or she will be the President for. The conflating of religion and politics and citizenship in the Bush Administration and the current Presidential race is a dangerously totalitarian direction for our country to go. I lived through the 1950′s when people were afraid to speak out about ANY of their beliefs because of religious and political demagogues; so much for ANY rights except for those in power who called the shots (doesn’t that sound like fascism?). So far, there has been nobody in public life today who is brave enough to say to these Republican demagogues, as Joseph Welch said to Joe McCarthy when HE was trampling on the Constitution, “Sir, have you no sense of decency?”
Not only does ANON make the intellectual mistake of ascribing characteristics to people he or she knows nothing about (i.e., “knee-jerk reaction” to the media), but ANON also makes the illogical and specious assumption that only those who believe in an organized religion, or in a theistic religion (“Godless flag of secularism”), can be “moral” or have ethical values, and no one else. This relegates all believers of Eastern religions, as well as non-theists of any school of ethics or belief, to the label of “infidels” and non-believers;i.e.immoral people. How intolerant is that? If that’s not Taliban rhetoric, what is?
Why doesn’t ANON find out what the writers of the Constitution REALLY believed in the matter of organized religion?
Another point: I always tend to discount the sincerity of those who post anonymously on blogs with strong points of view. I always wonder whether they really have the courage of their convictions, and if so, why they can’t stand by them with their name.
Anne, its attacks by small minded people that prohibit me from using my name. The hatred spewed by people like you scares me. You didn’t even read what I wrote. You assume, then condemn without any thought at all. I acknowledged that you were right and that I made a mistake about how many times that religion was mentioned in the constitution and subsequent amendments. (That’s two times you twit) The first thing you do is get on your high horse and start talking down to me as if you were some old school marm. Why didn’t you just read what I wrote instead of jumping to conclusions. If you can point out where I was wrong I willing to fess up. I actually thought I met someone on this sight that I could dialogue with when I read your previous post. My beliefs aren’t set in stone. I was willing to hear what you said. The fact is I’m afraid I’m already right. America is sliding down the slippery slope towards a leftest fascist nation where any difference of opinion is met with personal attacks and intolerance. I won’t take time to defend the rest of my argument, I’d just be wasting my breath.
PEACE!! I guess I just didn’t recognize the friendliness of your approach. I LOVE being told that I have “knee-jerk reactions” and no thoughts or understanding of political events but those “the media” put into my head (what an opening for a dialogue! How could I have missed it?). And that fascism is equated with “the Godless flag of secularism.” What a novel reading of history and world cultures. You really have a way with slogans.
In all sincerity, thank you for agreeing with me about the Constitution. I’m glad to hear that your beliefs aren’t set in stone (except for “leftist fascism” and “Godless secularism”). Thank you for trying to “dialogue with” me. I hope we can both enlighten each other about the political landscape and important issues from here on out.
Now why don’t you sign your name to your strongly-held positions?
Anne ,
Let me tell you a little story that may reveal something of myself. My 5th great uncle was aide DE camp to George Washington. He was a good Catholic boy whose brother was the Bishop of Cork in Ireland. George and my great uncle were two guys who were good friends and companions yet it took another 200 some odd years before a Catholic was elected president in this country and the only reason that guy was elected was because his father bought the election.
Anne your right it takes courage to put your name with your words.