Club For Growth Not High On Huckabee

There are a plethera of right wing and left wing political blogs. One of them is Club for Growth. This organization has arisen in the last several years and champions limited-government, pro-growth and free enterprise policies. Mostly, they support republican candidates, but not always. It has had some success in recent elections with the candidates it supports but the organization's track record isn't quite long enough yet to really determine how effective it is in influencing political races. However, the Club for Growth blog is beginning a series of posts where it will evaluate presidential candidates pursuant to the organization's measuring stick. The first candidate to receive an evaluation is Mike Huckabee and CFG doesn't give governor Huckabee very high marks. It will be entertaining to see evaluations of other candidates.

Jerome

What To Do With Lemons?

What will it take for the right wing of the GOP to get excited about a presidential candidate? This article states that the GOP right only sees lemons among the current slate of candidates. Even Rush Limbaugh has professed his disappointment in the the field. Why doesn't John McCain, Rudy Guiliani and Mitt Romney excite the conservative base? I think it is because none of them are conservative enough. I won't rehash again in this post but I've pointed out previously where each of them fail to measure up.

What we need is a candidate to step forward with strong social and cultural values who is fiscally conservative and has that quality of electability. Is there anyone out there who fits that bill? Who possesses these qualities and can defeat Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John Edwards or whoever else might be the democratic nominee? Please, somebody stand-up and fill the void!

Jerome

Politicking at Church

What do you think about politics at church? Should candidates, preachers or anyone else be allowed to use a church's pulpit to campaign? The law is that a church is in jeopardy of losing its tax exempt status for sermons that endorse a candidate or a party. However, the IRS rarely enforces this law. Should the IRS be tougher in this regard? Or should the government stay out of churches?

On a similar subject, what about parishoners and candidates for local office who wear campaign buttons at church? Personally, I wish political campaigns would stay outside the doors of the church. It is a place of worship and I don't think it should be violated with political campaigns. But I know there are others who disagree with me and certainly a candidate will find many like-minded people at church who are potential voters. If you can't get your fellow church members to vote for you, then who will?

Jerome

Huckabee's In!!

AP is reporting that Mike Huckabee will file papers to form an exploratory committee. That is good news for conservatives. It will keep social and culture issues important to conservative Christians in the conversation among republican candidates.

Jerome

More charges for Nifong

The hunter has become the hunted. The North Carolina State Bar has filed additional charges against DA Mike Nifong for his handling of the Duke Lacrosse scandal. These new charges arise out of Nifong's withholding of DNA test results from defense counsel. These are serious new charges which are tantamount to lying to opposing counsel and to the court. Duke law school professors have publicly stated that they anticipate a significant penalty for Nifong.

Over zealous prosecution is nothing new. But withholding evidence and lying is something completely different and unacceptable. If the allegations are true, I think Nifong should be disbarred and ousted from his position as DA. The justice system gets a bad rap too often but when a prosecutor commits the acts Nifong is accused of committing, then I can see why the public's perception of the justice system is so poor.

Jerome

Sandy Burglar

In the fall of 2003, Sandy Berger, who was National Security Advisor under President Clinton, stole documents from the National Archives. He was reviewing documents in preparation for his testimony before the 9/11 Commission. What exactly he stole and discarded is not clearly known. In September 2005 Berger was fined $50,000 and ordered to perform 100 hours of community service. When Berger's actions came to light in early to mid 2004, I remember hearing Rush Limbaugh refer to him as "Sandy Burglar". At the time it seemed that Berger got off light with a fine and community service. He claimed his actions were accidental.

However, subsequent investigations have concluded that Berger's actions were intentional rather than accidental as he initially claimed. And now some GOP lawmakers are calling for Berger to submit to a lie detector test.

It is time for the country to know once and for all what Berger took and why. Was he protecting the former Clinton administration? What impact might those documents have on national security? And the question that follows is whether any of this might impact Hillary Clinton's campaign for the White House.

Jerome

Human Embryos & Stem Cells

I've mentioned Robbie George in previous posts. He is a leading authority on bioethics. If you get a chance to read some of his writings, you should. I found this article from an October issue of National Review through a link at Evangelical Outpost. George and Patrick Lee really take Lee Silver to task on the sanctity of human life beginning with the embryonic stage. It's good to be reminded of this when we've just passed the anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

Jerome

Dennis Hastert to Endorse Mitt Romney

We know that Representative Marsha Blackburn will serve as a senior advisor to Mitt Romney and now this word that Dennis Hastert will endorse Romney. It seems that Romney is making allies among conservative republicans and at a time when some religious leaders have chosen not to support his opponents. Is it possible that Romney will sow up the conservative Christian and conservative wing of the republican party soon?

Jerome

When Was Hillary Clinton Video Filmed?

Over the weekend, Hillary Clinton announced that she is running for president and said that she is "in to win". Aren't all candidates? Also announcing over the weekend that he is running for president is Bill Richardson, governor of New Mexico. With Barack Obama, there are now candidates on the democratic side that hope to be the first woman president, the first African American president, and the first Hispanic president. The field is crowded but John Brummett provides a nutshell look at some of the candidates in this article.

An interesting thing was pointed out in a thread at the Free Republic blog. In the video where Hillary Clinton announces her candidacy there appear to be green trees and blooming flowers visible through the window. When was the video filmed? Speculation has been rampant for years that Hillary Clinton planned to run for the White House but how long as this video been ready? I doubt anyone will actually ask her.

Lastly, it looks like Dick Morris plans to "swift boat" Hillary Clinton with a critical film documentary (scroll down the article). Columnist Robert Novak reported that Morris is trying to raise funds to finance the project.

Bill Richardson served in President Clinton's cabinet and Dick Morris was a political advisor to Clinton. You think either or both of them know Hillary Clinton's skeletons? As interesting as things are starting, I can't even imagine how entertaining, but ruthless, the next fifteen months will be.

Jerome

Mike Huckabee's Hope

Mike Huckabee has a book out: From Hope to Higher Ground: 12 Steps to Restoring America's Greatness. Like a former president, Huckabee is from Hope, AR. Kathryn Lopez of National Review has this interview with Huckabee about his book and about a potential run for the White House. The interview is an interesting read and I look forward to reading Huckabee's book.

Also, this week the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is spotlighting Tracy Goyer's new book, Arms of Deliverance.

Jerome

Belmont v. Tennessee Baptist Convention

The ongoing saga over the relationship between Belmont University and the Tennessee Baptist Convention continues. Belmont is one of three colleges supported financially by the Tennessee Baptist Convention. The other two are Union University and Carson-Newman. The disagreement between Belmont and the TBC is that Belmont wants to appoint its own board of Trustees rather than allowing the convention to elect them so that Belmont can appoint non-Baptist to its board. The action triggered a repayment clause with the TBC that requires Belmont to repay the TBC all monies it has received from the TBC since 1951. You can get a condensed history in this article.

Belmont has in fact elected new board members who are not members of a church affiliated with the TBC. The acromony has risen to where both Belmont and the TBC have written letters to member churches regarding their respective positions. Also, Belmont has issued subpoenas to the 100 largest churches in the convention seeking information related to donations made by those churches to the Southern Baptist Convention's Cooperative Program.

This has turned into a very unfortunate event where sister baptist institutions are in litigation against each other. I hope that it is resolved soon because it gives Southern Baptists a black eye.

Jerome

Frist for Governor?

Before I get into today's post, I want to congratulate Terry Whalin on opening his literary agency. Good luck, Terry!

Some believed former senate majority leader Bill Frist would make a run for the White House in 2008 but he passed. The Hill is reporting today that Frist is looking very seriously at a run for governor of Tennessee in 2010 with a possible eye on a presidential campaign in 2012 or 2016. Frist is 55 and would be 64 in 2016 which is the more likely time he would run for president, if at all, since whoever is elected in 2008 will be seeking re-election in 2012. Another name for governor that gets batted about is Marsha Blackburn who was in Memphis and Jackson on Monday.

Blackburn is more conservative than Frist and if those are the two republican candidates in the primary we'll have a similar dynamic as in the recent senate races of Lamar Alexander v. Ed Bryant and Bob Corker v. Ed Bryant/Van Hilleary. If memory serves me correctly, then I believe that republican candidates who have won the primary in a statewide race in recent years and then won the general election have all come from the moderate side of the party: Thompson, Frist, Sundquist, Alexander and Corker. It will be interesting to see if that tide turns in 2010.

Jerome

Huckabee, Romney or Guiliani?

Three articles today by three distinguished journalists point out the positives and negatives of each of these candidates (or potential candidates). E.J. Dionne asks if Mike Huckabee tries to please everyone (conversatives on social issues; moderates on other issues like the environment and healthcare) will he not please anyone? Hugh Hewitt vilifies those who attack Mitt Romney's faith by calling it bigotry. And Stuart Rothenberg questions whether Rudy Guiliani will be a favorite or a flop.

The battle lines are beginning to take shape. Evangelical Christians will like Huckabee's positions on abortion and same-sex marriage but will they also accept his positions on the environment and healthcare? Mitt Romney's faith will certainly be a key issue in his bid for the White House. Rudy looks electable but disagrees with the republican party on core issues like abortion, gun control and gay rights. And we certainly can't forget about John McCain. It all makes for an interesting 15-18 months.

Jerome

James Dobson Will Not Vote For McCain

2008 presidential candidates, particularly republican candidates, will need the vote of conservative Christians to win. I think this is imminently true in the republican primary. And this is a tough start for John McCain if he hopes to win the support of Christians. Dr. James Dobson, the head of Focus on the Family has stated that he would not vote for McCain. If not McCain, then who would Dobson support? If a candidate could secure the support of James Dobson, Gary Bauer, Richard Land, Don Wildmon and Tony Perkins, then that person would go a long way toward securing the votes of conservative Christians. But apparently its not going to be John McCain.

Jerome

Nifong Wants Out

Yesterday reports surfaced that Mike Nifong, the prosecutor in the Duke Lacrosse scandal, wants to be replaced. Nifong is facing ethics charges with the North Carolina Bar, a flood of media attacks, and a promise from the mother of one of the accused players that Nifong would regret for the rest of his life that he picked this fight.

It is time for Nifong to remove himself from this prosecution. Perhaps now there will be a complete, and new, review of these charges.

Jerome

A Pagan's Nightmare

This week the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is blogging about A Pagan's Nightmare. The book is written by Ray Blackston. You can read reviews and other comments about this book at Christian Fiction Blog Alliance.

Enjoy!

Jerome

Electability

Yesterday the Wall Street Journal ran an article about the democrats' litmus test: electability. The WSJ questions whether Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama are electable. Valid question.

The WSJ states that the leading republican candidates, John McCain, Mitt Romney and Rudy Guiliani, are all electable. That may be true as far as the general election is concerned, but all three have issues that may impact their electability in the primary.

What do you think? If the litmus test is electability, then who do you predict will win the democratic primary, the republican primary and the presidential election?

Jerome

President Bush Withdraws Judicial Nominees

This is the beginning of the damage that will result from the democratic takeover of the senate. President Bush has withdrawn four judicial nominees. And now President Bush will be extremely less likely to nominate truly conservative jurist to the federal bench because the democrats in the senate will successfully block their nominations. There might be a few who get by because of a deal that will be struck but by and large the democrats will oppose President Bush and more moderate judges will be confirmed when what the country really needs is more conservative federal judges. It is unfortunate. There was a real opportunity to get more judges on federal benchs who are conservative, strict constructionist, not judicial activists. But that opportunity has passed us by. And if we (conservative Christians and the republican party) don't wake up soon more senate seats will be lost in 2008 as well as the White House. That will be disastrous in terms of judicial appointments.

Jerome

Embryonic Stem Cell Research

Embryonic stem cell research may be one of those issues that generates much discussion during the 2008 presidential campaign. President Bush has eliminated federal funding for new research which would arise from the destruction of embryos. I look for the democratic congress to try to reinstate this funding. As a Christian, I see the morality and ethics of this discussion as black and white. An embryo is a living creature created by God and should not be destroyed by man for research purposes. But, I also see those on the other side who are simply trying to find cures for diseases through stem cell research. This is unlike the argument over abortions where an unborn child is destroyed simply because it isn't wanted. And like the argument over abortion, the lines on the stem cell debate are bitterly drawn. Just look at the senate race in Missouri last fall where actor Michael J. Fox appeared in T.V. ads seeking support for the democratic candidate because she supports stem cell research.

One of the leading voices in bio-ethics is Robert P. George. If you would like to get caught up on the debate on stem cell research, then you can read this interview with George and other things he has written.

The reason I bring this up is because hopefully science will discover avenues to providing cures other than through embryonic stem cell research. Are there possibilities other than the destruction of embryos? There is a report that came out yesterday that provides hope in this area. Researchers have found a stem cell source in amniotic fluid. That sounds promising. If science can provide the same results without destroying embryos, then that should eliminate the ethical and moral debate over this issue.

Jerome

Can Rudy Be Elected?

There's an article out of the Times of London that asks the question of whether America will vote for Rudy. Its an interesing question (and particularly interesting that a British paper is asking it). There's no doubt that Rudy Guiliani has tremendous leadership skills. The problem is his position on social issues like abortion and same-sex marriage. These issues will cause him enormous problems in the republican primaries. The other problem is John McCain. McCain and Guiliani are both moderate republicans although McCain has been courting the right. But if they both split the moderate primary votes, then a more conservative candidate might take the nomination.

In my opinion it will be difficult for Guiliani to get the republican nomination. My opinion may change of the next 12 months depending on who stays in the race and who gets out. But the Times article didn't ask whether republicans would vote for Guiliani. Rather it asked if America would vote for Rudy. That's a completely different question. Assuming Guiliani could capture the nomination, could he then be elected president? I think that is absolutely possible, particularly if Hillary Clinton is the democratic nominee. The republican voters would vote for "anybody but Hillary" and Guiliani, with his moderate positions, likely would pull some blue democrats. It might be enough to make a difference.

So, can Rudy Guiliani win the republican nomination? At this point in the race I'd have to say "no". But if he wins the nomination, could he be elected president? I think the answer to that question is "yes". It is a very intriguing dynamic. And some republicans might waiver on their convictions over social issues to vote for someone in the primary who they think can beat Hillary Clinton, i.e. Rudy Guiliani. This all makes for a very entertaining campaign season.

Jerome

Keith Ellison and the Koran

I posted several weeks ago about Keith Ellison, a Minnesota democrat recently elected to the house of representatives and his plan to take the oath of office by swearing on the koran. I was opposed to it then and still am but Rep. Ellison has pulled a smooth political move. The koran he will use today is an English translation once owned by Thomas Jefferson. That's a very shrewd play by the new congressman.

This week the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is highlighting Tangerine written by Marilyn Griffith. I hope you get a chance to check out this new book.

Jerome

Faith of President Gerald Ford

President Ford's memorial service was today in Washington. I didn't watch the service but heard parts of it from the television in the adjoining room. One thing that struck me was that I heard "Holy, Holy, Holy" playing as the recessional.

Was President Ford a religious man? President Carter defeated President Ford by campaigning as a born again Southern Baptist and carrying a majority of the evangelical vote. Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy are releasing a book in August 2007 about Billy Graham's interaction with the men who have sat in the Oval Office over the years. The title is The Preacher and the Presidents: Billy Graham's White House Crusade. Sounds interesting. Time has an article today by Gibbs and Duffy wherein they discuss President Ford's faith. Gibbs and Duffy point out that Ford flatly refused to "advertise [his] religious beliefs" while Carter campaigned on his. It was the difference in the race.

History will remember President Ford as the "accidental president" or someone who restored faith in the White House. But what could have been if he had publicly declared his faith in that race in 1976? Might it have made a difference? We'll never know. But one thing is certain. One's faith is not something to hide from in the political arena. Voters need to see and know of a candidates belief in God, or lack thereof. It will speak volumes about how they will vote or react in certain situations.

Jerome