History Being Rewritten Before Our Eyes
Politco has put out a story just now:
Top 10 political upsets of 2008
What’s the first story they open with?:
Mike Huckabee (Iowa Republican caucus): By the time Iowans went to their caucus locations in January, it was clear that former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee was surging. After a series of strong debate performances and some offbeat advertising featuring martial arts expert Chuck Norris, buzz was building around the GOP longshot’s candidacy.
Huckabee wasn’t supposed to be able to compete with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s money and organization, yet he trounced Romney by nine points, changing the course of the Republican nominating contest and establishing the former preacher as a national player.
Look, there is little question that Huckabee’s breakout in the primaries constitutes one of the top political stories of the year, and it was an upset. However, to cover it in this fashion without acknowledging the “how” – especially when that “how” was tainted to say the least, and when there is a knife fight going on for the chairmanship of the RNC and some of that fight centers on the very questionable tactics Huckabee used in his upset (see our comments on Chip Saltsman from yesterday) – is to grant that upset a legitimacy it simply does not deserve.
Huckabee’s upset is an amazing political story, but in accomplishing it, Huckabee grossly coarsened American political debate. Prior to the elections the name “Mitt Romney” could not appear in the press anywhere without the word “Mormon” appearing somewhere in the same sentence. Yet now people seem to be able to write about the whole thing without ever mentioning it?
Mike Huckabee’s victory in Iowa was based almost purely on religious bias. Mitt Romney achieved exactly the turnout he wanted there. What Huckabee did was bring a whole new group of voters to the table. They were heavily regionalized, the were heavily “evangelical” and they were religiously discriminatory. It is that plainly simple. The Iowa results robbed Romney of the momentum he needed going forward. Huckabee barely tried afterIowa, and what he did completely abandoned the bigoted tactics that were used there – only illustrating the illegitimate nature of those tactics.
The Huckabee victory in Iowa is the lead to one of the top political upset stories of 2008, but the real story is that in an election cycle that saw the final crashing of one of the biggest discriminatory barriers in our nation’s history, one thought long down was erected anew. In the rush to congratulate ourselves for electing an African-American president, we would do well to remember that discrimnation is not dead in this nation.
And I, for one, am not at all convinced that swapping discriminations represents any genuine progress.
Later in the day addition:
The Washington Post piles on with a story:
Religion’s Big and Unprecedented Role in ’08 Politics
and nowhere, absolutely nowhere, in the story is there a mention of Mitt Romney, and the word “Mormon” only in reference to the FLDS arrests -it does not evencome up in relationship to Prop8 – which isn’t mentioned at all.
I am truly aghast. The political story of the primary, from its primordial infancy right up to Super Tuesday was “Can Mitt Romney, the Mormon, get elected.?” And now, in retrospect, nothing? Give me a break!
Posted in Candidate Qualifications, Political Strategy, Religious Bigotry | 3 Comments » | 
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Lori on 29 Dec 2008 at 10:05 pm #
John, like you, I am frustrated about the treatment of one religion and its believers by the press, and by political figures like Huckabee. It is so obvious, even blatant to us. Why is it so rarely acknowledged and condemned?
I wonder if it is because no one really believes that publications and people they respect could actually be such bigots. Or maybe the term bigotry has lost its definition and no longer is applicable to distrust of minority religions. Some think that distrust is not bigotry but instead common sense when applied to Mormons. Believe me, I have read their postings and rants.
Until we get the politically correct crowd to recognize faith-based bigotry is equal to racial bigotry, that bigotry in all forms is equally outrageous, there is no hope for Mormons to overcome it.
aaron on 30 Dec 2008 at 2:07 am #
I don’t agree with giving SMUCKABEE any praise whatsoever. His upset was not impressive. He could barely get any non evangelical support and the anti Mormon whisper campaign is what moved him upward and on to victory. This guy is the biggest wolf in sheeps clothing ever. Just watch the guy, he is a complete fraud. It’s amazing how phony sticks to the MORMON, but not the EVANGELICAL, who the media propped up to take out the bigger threat. Evangelicals are fools to not see through this guy.
aaron on 30 Dec 2008 at 2:13 am #
As far as Mormons and injustice, a word of comfort. If it were not for the STUNNING ODDS this church faces and has allways faced, with the 14 year old boy prophet starting it all and of course the entire history, then God would not be able to show forth his power, in all the things that will happen and the men he raises up, to bring his KINGDOM blazing out of obscurity. Things are right on schedule and the LORD HIMSELF is at the HELM.