edward ohare
2008-04-13 00:14:31 UTC
Mike Huckabee, who is currently busy blaming evangelical leaders for
his failed Presidential candidacy, may hold the key to John McCain's
victory or defeat in the Presidential election. Rather than pointing
fingers, he ought to be figuring out what he can do to get the second
spot on the ticket.
With almost anyone McCain can choose as a running mate - except
Huckabee - the religious right will stay home on election day. Can
McCain win without these traditional Republican supporters?
First courted by Ronald Reagan with vague notions of a future America
based on evangelical biblical morality that he had zero chance of
delivering on, they, over time, became the single strongest group
within the party. The transformation of a special interest group to
be courted and soothed to the controlling group occurred in a mere two
decades.
With the current President, they got one of their own in the White
House, who promptly started persecuting anyone different from them
(gays, as an example) and sticking the federal government's nose in
places it didn't belong (reference the let Terri Schivo "live"
fiasco), and is on the verge of success at virtually outlawing
abortion (thoughtful people still must wonder if either of the Bush
twins became pregnant during their underage drinking escapades and
secretly had an abortion).
McCain, of course, isn't near as zealous on these issues, getting
some, but an inadequate number of points with evangelicals for his
stand on Iraq and terrorism. The evangelicals will never stand for
another religion calling them infidels, and McCain's positions on Iraq
and terrorism plays directly to this, although it is unknown whether
this is result of coincidence or planning on McCain's part.
So there are many reasons for McCain to choose Huckabee as his Vice
President. But if McCain selects Huckabee, he will lose the votes of
many the independents and conservative Democrats currently leaning his
way. For them, Huckabee as Vice President is a disaster waiting to
happen.
It is clear that at age 71, John McCain has a significant chance of
not completing even a single term as President. And that, of course
is the real reason the evangelicals would support a McCain/Huckabee
ticket: the idea McCain would die in office and their man would become
President.
Under McCain's policy the US would still be in Iraq. Bush's "stay the
course" phrase, used numerous times in the face of ample evidence of
failure, would be replaced by Huckabee's "I believe in miracles".
That is, of course reassuring to the evangelicals. But at the same
time, its quite disturbing to more moderate religious people, who can
note a general shortage of miracles, such as numerous prayers failing
to cure Terri Schiavo, and Huckabee's own failed "miracle" campaign.
Anecdotal "evidence" aside, perhaps a meaningful statistic on the lack
of miracles in modern times comes from the Catholic Church. There
have been almost no new saints over the past few centuries.
his failed Presidential candidacy, may hold the key to John McCain's
victory or defeat in the Presidential election. Rather than pointing
fingers, he ought to be figuring out what he can do to get the second
spot on the ticket.
With almost anyone McCain can choose as a running mate - except
Huckabee - the religious right will stay home on election day. Can
McCain win without these traditional Republican supporters?
First courted by Ronald Reagan with vague notions of a future America
based on evangelical biblical morality that he had zero chance of
delivering on, they, over time, became the single strongest group
within the party. The transformation of a special interest group to
be courted and soothed to the controlling group occurred in a mere two
decades.
With the current President, they got one of their own in the White
House, who promptly started persecuting anyone different from them
(gays, as an example) and sticking the federal government's nose in
places it didn't belong (reference the let Terri Schivo "live"
fiasco), and is on the verge of success at virtually outlawing
abortion (thoughtful people still must wonder if either of the Bush
twins became pregnant during their underage drinking escapades and
secretly had an abortion).
McCain, of course, isn't near as zealous on these issues, getting
some, but an inadequate number of points with evangelicals for his
stand on Iraq and terrorism. The evangelicals will never stand for
another religion calling them infidels, and McCain's positions on Iraq
and terrorism plays directly to this, although it is unknown whether
this is result of coincidence or planning on McCain's part.
So there are many reasons for McCain to choose Huckabee as his Vice
President. But if McCain selects Huckabee, he will lose the votes of
many the independents and conservative Democrats currently leaning his
way. For them, Huckabee as Vice President is a disaster waiting to
happen.
It is clear that at age 71, John McCain has a significant chance of
not completing even a single term as President. And that, of course
is the real reason the evangelicals would support a McCain/Huckabee
ticket: the idea McCain would die in office and their man would become
President.
Under McCain's policy the US would still be in Iraq. Bush's "stay the
course" phrase, used numerous times in the face of ample evidence of
failure, would be replaced by Huckabee's "I believe in miracles".
That is, of course reassuring to the evangelicals. But at the same
time, its quite disturbing to more moderate religious people, who can
note a general shortage of miracles, such as numerous prayers failing
to cure Terri Schiavo, and Huckabee's own failed "miracle" campaign.
Anecdotal "evidence" aside, perhaps a meaningful statistic on the lack
of miracles in modern times comes from the Catholic Church. There
have been almost no new saints over the past few centuries.