We have been reading a lot lately about how the Evangelical vote is shifting/realigning/losing momentum. Here’s yet another in that line of stories. Why does it matter? The Evangelical vote has never been quite as powerful as the press would have it be (more on that in a moment), but Matt Lewis hit the nail on the head writing at Politico yesterday:

John McCain may be the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, but a struggle to determine who will carry the conservative mantle into the future rages just below the surface of his success. The contestants’ faces will look familiar: former Govs. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts and Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, also-rans from the 2008 GOP primary scrum.

During the nominating race, obloquy was understandable. The other Republican candidates personally liked working-class son Huckabee, and they seemed to resent the wealthy and handsome Romney. And because they were both attempting to establish themselves as the conservative alternative to McCain, it’s not surprising that they sometimes clashed over turf.

What’s more, by staying in the race when McCain began to surge, Huckabee arguably split the conservative vote in states like South Carolina, presumably siphoning off votes from Romney and handing the nomination to the Arizona senator. (Huckabee would argue it was Romney who siphoned off his votes.)

While this environment was ripe for a Romney/Huckabee feud during the campaign, the stakes are just as high now, as both see the 71-year-old McCain — who still faces a tough general election — as merely keeping the seat warm for them. Based on their performance in the primary campaign, each believes he has earned the right to be the conservative heir apparent. Romney chose the symbolically significant Conservative Political Action Conference as his venue to graciously withdraw from the race. Meanwhile, Huckabee, a former Baptist preacher, is similarly charismatic, and he can point to the fact that he outlasted the other Republican candidates, save Texas Rep. Ron Paul.

This seems natural - the question is, will it be a fair fight? Frankly, this will be where we find out if Huck is a smart as well as a charismatic politician. THE QUESTION got Huck to this position, but as Lewis notes, it was also his limiting factor:

While Huckabee’s social conservative bona fides are strong, he was attacked by fiscal conservatives for raising taxes as governor. During the nominating race, he attempted to minimize this by championing the Fair Tax. But this has also likely influenced the direction of his “post-campaign” campaign. For example, while many conservatives hoped Huckabee would found a group to fill the void that has been left by the once powerful, but now moribund, Christian Coalition, he instead launched “Huck PAC.” Huck PAC’s website lists its mission as supporting “Republican candidates who are passionate advocates for tax reform, a strong national defense, real border security, life, the family, less government and individual liberty.” While this is all consistent with conservative thought, one might expect Huckabee to put social issues at the forefront. Instead, he appears to be highlighting his fiscal positions.

This is a good description of the first of Huck’s two overwhelming tasks. The second will be to get his supporters to toe-the-line when it comes to religion, especially when Romney is being discussed. Huck seemed to figure out right after Iowa that The Question was going to backfire out there in the wider nation, but his supporters just kept hammering.

Usually, you dance with who you came with. Romney came with a broad base of strong political support. Huckabee came with Evangelicals. Romney just has to grow his base. Huckabee has to reeducate his base, a much more difficult task. Romney built his coalition the old-fashioned way. Huckabee played the media-face game. That fact makes the battle between them very much a battle for the future of the Republican party. Romney would keep it substantive - Huckabee would take us in the direction of the Clintons. I think the party is, in general, smarter than a Huckabee candidacy would indicate, but only time will tell.

But one thing is for sure. It was not Romney that limited Huckabee’s support - it was his and his supporters’ use of The Question. They have a lot of backpedaling to do before they can become genuine contenders.

Just A Minute Ago…

…I said we would return to the media and Evangelicals. With golden boy Obama now clearly smeared by his pastor, the left-leaning MSM is trotting out the old “Evangelicals are bigoted, etc.” story that has become their trademark. (It fascinates me that they have not used Huck’s behavior as ammunition for that charge, but then they are probably saving it for the maximal strategic impact.) The latest form is trying to parallel Hagee/McCain to Wright/Obama.

Look, Haggee is as repugnant as Wright, but the parallel stops there. There simply is no relationship between Hagee and McCain other than Hagee’s endorsement. By all appearances, the Wright/Obama relationship is a different thing altogether.

Sounding Familiar…

“Out of Ur” is a blog of the Leadership journal published by Christianity Today. Pastor John Ortberg writes there on a theme that sounds very familiar.

We ought to be engaged in the political process. We ought to vote, be educated, be involved. We should do it in a way that is civil and respectful and redemptive. (I saw a cartoon recently where a guy showed up at the pearly gates to hear St. Peter say: “You were a believer, yes. But you skipped the not-being-a-jerk-about-it part.”) But we should also remember that the church is not called to be one more political interest group.

The human race needs an administration of another kind. There is one possibility. Someone needs to be in a position to say: “The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe the Good News.” Scholars like N.T. Wright remind us that these words were politically loaded. They deliberately echo or parody the claims of Rome—that Caesar was Savior, that his kingdom was Good News.

The church needs saving from politics . . . .
Sphere: Related Content

Posted in Reading List | No Comments yet » |  Print this post |  Email This Post

Recently:

• I Guess This is Adieu . . . for Now
• Short and To-The-Point
• Since Lowell Brought It Up…
• Dems, Religion, Missteps - Even Mistakes
• When You Interrupt Normal Blogging . . .
• A Romney/Biden Debate - Warm Up The Laugh Track
• An Open Letter to George H.W. Bush
• A Little More on the “Mormons Lie” and “Mormons Are Not Christians” Memes
• The Evangelical Break-up?
• Sitting on Pins and Needles…