A vote for Mitt is a vote for McCain
Romney is contending that a vote for Huckabee is a vote for McCain. I think the got it backwards. A vote for himself is a vote for McCain.
Huckabee's primary support has come from Evangelical Christians. In the past, we have voted for candidates based on one or two issues. Knowing this, the Republican party has outright pandered to us on these two issues, and earned a lot of support. We care about a lot more issues, and the Republican party largely ignores them.
There is a biblical mandate to protect life. The GOP attempts to do this, but they tend to do it in a cold and heartless way, causing the country to look at the proponents of life as theocratic tyrants.
There is also a biblical mandate to protect the poor. There is a biblical mandate to be good stewards of the environment. There is a biblical mandate to fight greed and corruption. These are part of the true evangelical heart.
Romney is very obviously pandering to us. Romney has also convieniently changed his position on gay marriage and gun control. He is a plastic canidate, saying whatever he has to to get elected, but truely beholden only to the corporate interests that fund his campaign. If evangelicals have to go with the lesser of two evils, we are going to go with the one who is not blatantly and outright pandering. They are going to break for McCain.
We don't have to choose from the lesser of two evils. We have a very articulate, warm hearted evangelical who cares about the same things that we care about and doesn't have to pander to anybody. He cares about the environment. He cares about the poor. He is not beholden to corporate interests or to political interests. He knows the struggles of the everyday American family, and he wants to make their life better.
Beyond that, Huckabee is a fiscal conservative. He lowered taxes in a very Democratic state. Opponents distort his record by saying that tax burdens went up during his 10 1/2 years in office. What they fail to tell you is that they went up at 50% of the rate of the other 49 states. State budgets are largely used by schools and entitlement programs. There is not a lot of fat to trim. Huckabee passed a balanced budget every year.
The GOP is not going to be able to win this election unless it finds a way to reach voters who didn't vote for us in 2006. Huckabee's message can reach new voters. Romney and McCain are fighting to retain the already inadequate base.
Sorry, Romney voters, but if you want a conservative in the White House, Huckabee is your best hope.
So, to answer your question Dan, I believe Ruffini's analysis is right on the money.
McCain, Huckabee Worst Picks for Evangelicals
MEDIA ADVISORY, Feb. 4 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Reverend Rob Schenck (pronounced SHANK), in his capacity as a private citizen, today released this statement regarding tomorrow's primary votes:
"I have spent the last 33 years as an active evangelical Christian. I am an ordained evangelical minister. I graduated from an evangelical Bible college and an evangelical seminary. I serve on the board of America's oldest association of evangelical church leaders, and I head one of the most active evangelical ministries in Washington, DC.
"I have thought long and hard about the upcoming elections. I have prayed earnestly about them, and I have met many of the candidates and their top campaign people and I have studied their platforms and policy proposals.
"After careful and prayerful consideration, I have concluded that an evangelical vote for Mike Huckabee is a vote for John McCain, and a vote for John McCain will be a disaster for this country.
"Let me explain. It's clear to me and many others that Mike Huckabee is not broadening his appeal enough to win the primary. Therefore, his only contribution is to siphon off votes, giving McCain a clear path to victory. It's very possible Huckabee is being positioned to be John McCain's pick for vice president. In order to win, McCain needs Mike Huckabee and the evangelical votes he brings with him. The specter of a McCain-Huckabee ticket is bad for evangelicals.
"McCain is proud of his signature accomplishment, the McCain-Feingold law co-authored with liberal Democrat senator Russ Feingold. McCain-Feingold severely limits the First Amendment rights of evangelicals. McCain will use this law as the litmus test for his Supreme Court nominees. If a judge is likely to be against McCain's unconstitutional law, McCain will not nominate him. Make no mistake about it, constitutional originalist judges will be against McCain-Feingold. These same judges will also be pro-life, for traditional marriage and for the public acknowledgment of God.
"Only liberal judges will support McCain-Feingold. They will also be pro-abortion, anti-traditional marriage and against the public acknowledgement of God. So, with a McCain-Huckabee administration, or with a McCain-anyone administration, we get the wrong judges. Most distressing, we get the wrong justices on the U.S. Supreme Court."Evangelicals must consider both the stakes and the realities in this election. Mike Huckabee's continuation only helps John McCain. The consequences are just too great to take this risk. A McCain victory will hurt this country because of the long-term damage of the wrong judges and justices. Worse, McCain's court legacy will continue to hurt our children and our grandchildren, perhaps even our great grandchildren.
"Evangelicals must choose wisely from among candidates other than Mike Huckabee and John McCain as they vote tomorrow, February 5.
"For identification purposes only, the Reverend Rob Schenck (pronounced SHANK) is president of Faith and Action in the Nation's Capital, chairman of the Committee on Church and Society for the Evangelical Church Alliance and co-founder of the annual National Memorial for the Pre-born and their Mothers and Fathers, the only pro-life worship service held inside the U.S. Capitol complex in Washington, DC.
It’s">http://fleetingthoughtsiii.blogspot.com/2008/02/mccain-not-conservative-choice-for.html”>It’s time to Rally to Romney so we can block McCain!
Great post, and a very good point about Romney. Go Huckabee!