Posted by
Tonewah on Friday, November 09, 2007 9:02:00 PM
Mike Huckabee, while not the most conservative fiscally, is considered to be a religiously conservative candidate, and probably the 2nd most socially conservative of the GOP field. He should be the poster boy for the silent majority. Why, then, are the mouthpieces of the religious right not endorsing him in droves?
First off, the religious power brokers haven't been impressed by his motivation skills. The media has given him more than his fair share of face time, but it hasn't seemed to raise his stock. The people haven't been inspired, of yet, to vote for him with their wallets. The big names in the GOP want to have a say in a future administration, and someone who can't inspire anyone to give to his cause doesn't seem to be persuasive enough to gain enough power to have enough to distribute to his supporters, once elected.
It's another symptom of the lack of virtue our society exhibits. These men, who claim to have ideals and an unwavering agenda of religious, rock-solid core beliefs, are willing to give all that up in the hopes of garnering some say in the power distribution of the greatest nation in the world. They also want to be the preacher the president turns to for religious and spiritual advice. If a preacher is president, there is no real need for them. The hypocrisy is staggering.
Perhaps the most obvious reason Huckabee is not being endorsed is the religious right's desire to field a candidate that can beat whatever democrat emerges as the nominee. Giuliani, a social and fiscal liberal, stands a greater chance of being confused with a democrat. Many believe he stands the greatest chance against them, for this reason. He has the best name recognition, as well. That's something you can't buy. This is why you'll see the religious passing over Mike Huckabee for their endorsements in favor of Giuliani.
What's not obvious, however, is that some of the religious feel they see through Huckabee. These leaders still have enough virtue to not endorse a Giuliani or a Romney, based on long-held beliefs, and would not endorse Huckabee for the same reason. These people want what's best for the country, and will not cow to the democratic field. These people still have faith. Their endorsements, however, will go unnoticed by the media, who have a stake in covering those who they feel will repay them the most when they take power.
The grass-rooters, the silent-majority, the religious right... none of them are really feeling Huckabee. I'm sure this leaves Huckabee confused, and feeling forsaken. To borrow from John's letter to the Laodiceans, "So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth."