Below is a reprinted portion of my latest (not yet published) Newslines column for Sword and Trumpet.
Mike Huckabee, a former Southern Baptist minister, is a freshly resurgent candidate for the GOP nomination after being endorsed by a slew of prominent evangelicals. While he still lags in the polls (with RCP poll averages putting him at 5th nationwide and 2nd in Iowa), Newt Gingrich predicts that he will catch on with primary voters and calls him “the most interesting dark horse candidate”. Huckabee is the former governor of Arkansas and was named by TIME as one of the top five governors in the U.S.
He is strongly pro-life and has said that claiming to hate abortion but yet support allowing it is like hating slavery but allowing it.
He balanced the budget in AR and supports cutting spending to balance the U.S. budget. He supports the Fair Tax which would eliminate all federal taxes and impose a federal sales tax, thus taxing consumption (thus discouraging the rampant, wasteful consumerism of America) and not taxing production (which will encourage production). It will also eliminate the waste of an entire industry based around tax preparation and tax loopholes. AR welfare rolls have declined by half under his leadership.
He has a very Christian attitude on race issues that balances racial sensitivity (he has rightfully condemned some conservative anti-illegal immigrant campaigning as racially based) and fairness—it shows in that he had an unprecedented (for a Republican candidate) 48% of the black vote.
He has said that there are two worldviews: man-centered and God-centered. He believes in the inerrancy of Scripture and thus believes that homosexuality is sin. He says that he is for legislating morality—to say that anyone (including liberals) does otherwise is logically inconsistent. All legislation is legislating morality. He has said that the Ten Commandments are the basis for appropriate behavior. He believes that God created marriage as between one man and one woman for life. He said that the purpose of marriage is a loving relationship, not happiness. He thinks many of society’s problems would be solved by further involvement from fathers in their children’s lives. He strongly opposes divorce and sees it as a big detriment to society.
He says that people are naturally selfish and only God or punishment can prevent it. He supports allowing prayers in government institutions, school vouchers for Christian schools, and displaying the Ten Commandments in schools. He doesn’t believe in evolution. He received an astounding 51% of the onsite votes at the Washington Values Voters Summit.
On the environment, he said that the “the earth is the Lord’s” and that we are merely its caretakers.
He believes in free trade as a good way to boost jobs. He believes free-market forces will boost innovation and cut prices.
He is a strong conservative on states’ rights, second amendment rights, and health care. He rightfully bucks radical conservatives on immigration and believes on enforcement of current laws, but having a permissive immigration policy.
Quote of the Day
“Even if we lose elections, we should not lose our honor, and that is more important than [electoral gains for] the Republican Party.”
–Mike Huckabee
Amen!
Sources: Christian Post, OnTheIssues.org, Wikipedia, RealClearPolitics.com
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