Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Politically Confused
For the record, I am a conservative...I almost always vote Republican....I can't think of a time I ever voted democrat on any race. So, if there is a Christian running for president who is conservative and a Republican, I take notice. I am so confused right now. Why did HSLDA offer their early support of Mike Huckabee if he is not truly a conservative? He has appeared to be homeschool friendly and supportive in Arkansas when he was governor. But, I have recently ran across some information on Huckabee that confuses me and therefore, we may be rethinking who we are supporting for president.
We are not on the inside of politics at all, so what we learn has been through others who know more than us. We have been researching it a lot, though, because some questions have arose about Huckabee.
Some questions I have are:
And, if Mike Huckabee is not the best candidate for president, then who is?
Any thoughts or links to help us out?
Here is an article that was added to my comments recently. We are seriously rethinking all of this.
We are not on the inside of politics at all, so what we learn has been through others who know more than us. We have been researching it a lot, though, because some questions have arose about Huckabee.
Some questions I have are:
Has he been unethical in some areas of leadership?
Does he speak from a conservative platform, but really do things as a liberal?
Is he double minded? Think one thing and speak something else?
Did he cause damage to the Republican party in Arkansas while governor?
Where does he really stand on social issues of politics?
And, if Mike Huckabee is not the best candidate for president, then who is?
Any thoughts or links to help us out?
Here is an article that was added to my comments recently. We are seriously rethinking all of this.
I am a stay at home mother to 4. I am very blessed to have a godly husband who loves the Lord and his family. I welcome the days of much needed grace,the times of sweet victories,and the tears of trials,knowing it is all for God's glory. I want my lifesong to sing to Him,the author and finisher of my faith. Soli Deo Gloria--To the Glory of God alone.
29 Comments:
I feel quite the same way about this situation right now. It was wonderful to hear him unashamedly proclaiming his faith from the debate lectern, but I've also been hearing and reading a few things about his policies and past records that give me cause to reconsider my options. His standing on the social issues seem to be on the right side (by what I've heard from the debates), but some have suggested that his voting has been a bit hazy (specifically on life amendments).
His homeland security/immigration policies and plans for Iraq also seem rather questionable, but I have a pretty limited understanding of foreign relations.
Two conservative/republican sources which have been most helpful for me are: http://www.worldmag.com/ and http://www.townhall.com/. The writers of the blogs and articles are for the most part, Christian, very knowledgeable and usually maintain more consistent opinions on their candidates, but I still recommend taking them with a grain of salt.
Anyway, I'm glad you brought this up. I've been looking for more answers on this topic.
Blessings, Carmen
It is so funny that you post on this today. We have no TV service so I have to say that we are not too up on current events. I thought I would wait til the nominations are in before thinking too much on it. At the Dr.s office today I picked up an old Newsweek and read an article on Huckabee vs. Romney. That is the first I had read on either of them. Didn't know that Huckabee was a pastor and Romeny a mormon. I think I better start reading up.
I am a conservative. I have yet to see anything about Huckabee that indicates he is conservative. Show me something besides he's pro-life.
According to Rush Limbaugh, none of the front runners are true "reagan conservatives". He says Fred Thompson is the closest you can get. You may want to check his website (Rush's) for some information. I also heard that Fred T. had a great video on youtube that explained his views on many things. Sadly, doesn't look like he will be a contender.
What you might want to think about: who of the candidates lives into Jesus' preferential option for the poor? Jesus didn't say anything about abortion, illegal immigrants, or Iraq. Think about it.
Someone else who hasn't been mentioned is Ron Paul. He is a TRUE conservative, openly pro-homeschooling and pro-life and has by far the best record for what he believes in and is willing to stand up for than any other candidate out there. Go to www.ronpaul2008.com to read about and get information on him!
I agree with Jen. Get thee to your radio every day to listen to some Rush!
I think what we need to do distinguish is the difference between a true, or a traditional, conservative and a neo-conservative. Huckabee is a neo-conservative of the worst sort. He can talk a real good game, but that's about it. His biggest problem, apart from being a neo-con, is that he does not have any standards by which he makes decisions. He just does whatever he has to do to keep from making the really tough decisions. That's not leadership. I'm really surprised that the Harris family endorses him.
I'm afraid far too many christians are supporting him just because he wears the tag "baptist." Well, Bill Clinton was a southern baptist, too, folks. (Or was he Methodist?) So was Jimmy Carter. All of the candidates wear their own religion tag. Does that mean we should vote for them? That should not be the basis on which we choose our candidates. Investigate their policies and positions. Make an informed decision. If you don't know about something then learn about it. Listen to what the candidates are actually saying.
The idea that we are supposed to choose presidential candidates based on what they will do for the poor and defenseless is faulty. Jesus gave those mandates for caring for the poor and the widow and the orphan to THE CHURCH! The
Church has given up her God-given responsibilities to the federal government.
I'm not saying the President should ignore the Bible altogether, however, the Bible does not dictate what we do as a nation. That is the place of the Constitution.
Morality is not something that comes down to us from the White House, either, and I'm sick of listening to people tell me that we need a leader who can change our culture. Our culture is sick because it is full of sinful people. Plain and simple truth. Morality is not the job of the President of the United States of America. That is the responsibility of parents and churches. Let me ask you this, how holy are the people in your church? How holy is your city as a result of your church's presence? That's not POTUS's doing.
One more thing: Welfare and the nanny state is doing more harm to poor people in this country than you realize.
Think about it.
Sorry I hijacked your comments, Kim. Maybe I should get my own blog. :)
Mike listens to Rush everyday during his lunch break...He loves Rush.
Leslie,
You are funny! : )
Kim, I too have concerns about Huckabee. I don't want to vote though based on Rush Limbaugh's info.(no offense) He is not a believer, and sometimes IMHO he is quite rude.
I love the political process, but I know (as mentioned before) that my hope is not in the President, it is in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lord is able to guide, and I think some Christians have jumped on the Huckabee band wagon too soon. We will see....
Anyway God Bless you and I love your blog!
Rush Limbaugh is a professing Christian. And claims to be a member of the Methodist denomination.
He is a foremost authority on conservatism in America, so I usually accept his commentary when it comes to the candidates.
I cannot disagree on your point that he can be rude sometimes.
Oh, Kim ~ what a mess! I had no idea about any of this! I guess we'll have to keep our ears open!
I don't want to turn your comment section into a big debate, but I would have to question part of what Leslie said about the Bible not dictating what we do as a nation. I think that if we all were more familiar with the Bible and the teachings of Jesus, our country wouldn't be in the mess it's in. Our lives would be different, and we'd all be helping the less fortunate. AND if we could be so fortunate as to elect a born-again President, he could turn the country upside down! I personally feel that if you hire a man of integrity and strong moral character, you can teach him anything!
OK ~ that's enough. =)
P.S. Another thing I believe is that the Bible holds the answers to all of life's problems - even today.
I am a self-professed liberal democrat, BUT I do respect the thoughtful list of questions that Kim created.
I doubt that we will both end up voting for the same candidate, but I hope that we both put equal thought into the decision.
Susan
I'm leaning towards Romney. He is morally upright (I absolutely don't let his denomination bother me), and he seems to be forthright with where he stands on thing, has successfully accomplished much as a business man and a political man, and I feel is the only intelligent one who can lead this country among the Republican candidates. Do you read SpunkyHomeschool? She's got a lot on Huckabee and the race.
Kim, you've opened it up here, haven't you?! :D I have enjoyed reading everybody's opinion on this. We LOVE politics, but are so disappointed by our options this time around. David Thompson writes a good article and has worked closely with politics here in AR. I know that Jim Magnus has a kind of unfavorable opinion as well. These men worked with him. My BIL worked with him also in the political realm and he left much to be desired. Didn't seem to live out privately what he portrayed publicly as far as his politics.
However, where do you turn? There are NO good options. Yes, Ron Paul is a conservative and seems to line up with what I believe, but he is weird! He has talked about aliens invading! What is that? I need a conservative, clear-thinker!
The saddest part is that we will ultimately only a choice between the lesser of two evils. However, I have to remember that all of this is in God's control. He holds the future of this nation. I have to be informed and actively take part in the process, but He already knows who will be in that position. I think one of the best things we can do is pray. Pray for ourselves as we research and prepare to vote. Then we pray for these candidates. Pray for them as God works His plan in and through them. If they are not believers, pray for their salvation. If they are, for their spiritual growth and intimacy with the Lord and that that intimacy would affect their leadership, as well as every area of their lives.
Sadly, many a good man has sold his soul (and beliefs) when he enters the world of politics.
Okay, enough of my rambling......touchy subject. I have learned to rest and pray because none of these men (or woman) can thwart the plan of God. Remember, He turns the hearts of kings to accomplish His will.
BUT after all of that, do be informed. Read up on all that you can; talk to people you respect; and get out the TRUTH about the candidates to your friends. Then go out and vote.
Ron Paul!
For the first time EVER, I am thinking of voting for a Republican... Huckabee.
I am a registered Independent because I am pro-life, but tend to be moderate to slightly left of center about social issues. Economically, I am a Populist.
I also feel so politically conflicted. Not just about this election, but about many political issues.
For example, immigration. I definitely believe reform is needed. In my mind, there is one solution that is much more practical and probably better for our country (conservative). But then I think about all the messages of Jesus Christ and they just don't align with that position.
So I feel very torn about a lot of issues.
I look at when abortion rates were the lowest, when our budget had a surplus, and when international relations were the most positive, and that was the Clinton administration.
But I could never vote for someone whom I don't think has a high standard of personal ethics.
So confused.
I am confused as well. We are also members of HSLDA and we too were quite excited at the prospect of such a fine man (who supports homeschooling..we home school as well!!!)), being our next president. I am anxious to watch what happens in the near future and possible get some of the same questions answered!
On, a different note, please stop by when you can, I have a little something for you! :)
Hi, interesting post. I find this all fascinating even though I don't live or come from the US.
I gave you an award on my blog today, don't feel obligated to take part, I just wanted you to know. :)
Here's the article that I think Boo4Baby was talking about by David Thompson (who is not supporting Huckabee). And here's a blog by another conservative evangelical who is supporting Huckabee, so between the two & the earlier online sources mentioned by lady carmen, perhaps plenty of different views will be presented. But, if you're like me, you read most of it and come away even more confused!
Based on what I saw when I worked on Jim's campaign one year, Huckabee committed to appear at one of Jim's fundraisers - and then, played the political card in a big way -- since Jim wouldn't vote for something in the way Huckabee wanted, Huckabee told Jim he wouldn't do the fundraiser. I lost respect for the man right then. Political blackmail doesn't work with me. I know that's HOW things operate once you hit certain levels, but *I* don't work that way. I don't trust him any further than I can chunk him (which isn't far considering I throw like a girl). Who will I vote for? I don't know yet I'm waiting to hear more from the Thompson camp before I make a decision.
I spent some more time this afternoon researching Fred Thompson. If you're still uncertain, visit Fred08. There are lots of good videos he's made in which he explains his positions on all of the issues.
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Very interesting comments. I am in conflict about my vote right now. I have never sided with the Republicans or the Democrats, although our votes have tended to be on the Republican side. I see myself as more an Independent. I have to support the candidate who best represents biblical views for me. It always seems like the lesser of two evils. I know no one is perfect, only Jesus has that claim. No one person stands out for us right now. We had been thinking about Fred Thompson, but I am not sure how far he can really go. I have heard good and bad about Huckabee but it all seems to depend on who is doing the talking. My brother has spent some time with Huckabee (he does travel for a national ministry) and says he gave him some things to think about, but what thing that stood out for him, was that he seems to stand firm for Jesus when asked. I know even the devil knew the bible (and please, I am NOT saying he is a devil), but he seems to be able stand firm when pressed and compassionate about what he is saying. I will have to do a LOT more digging before my vote is cast and it won't be easy. The election is on my prayer list and I have asked that the things that need to be revealed from the candidates will indeed come out and come out clearly. Thanks Kim for the discussion!
Here's another perspective on all this: Randy Alcorn of Eternal Perspective Ministries' blog: http://www.randyalcorn.blogspot.com/
it is a tough year, but God is in control.
God bless, Kim. You are appreciated.
jodi
Ack!
I'm with you---confused. I like Mike and Scott and I sent him some money a few months ago hoping he would catch fire. Well, now that's he on fire, we're having some serious questions and doubts.
The problem I have with Fred is that he seems lazy about this whole process. He seems tired. Does he really want to be President? I don't get the feeling that he REALLY does.
I like Romney from a conservative business stand-point but frankly, my heart is what matters more to me and that's why I've gravitated towards Mike.
I also like Townhall!
Kim, I posted this link on another post of yours, and since you actually asked in this one, let me post it here too.
I'm going to vote for Duncan Hunter. If he drops out, I won't be voting for the first time since I was 18, and I will be 50 at the time of the election.
I listened to Duncan Hunter a few months ago and was very impressed. You might want to check him out, here is the link:
http://www.gohunter08.com/
I haven't heard enough about Duncan Hunter, either. From what I can tell, he seems pretty conservative. A veteran, strong on defense. Aren't his sons serving in Iraq? That's all I really know. Any ideas as to why he hasn't really taken off as a candidate like the other guys?
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