The Rise of a New Christian Conservative Movement

This article in the New York Times highlights what I see happening among evangelicals. There is a new generation of leadership emerging among Christian conservatives. Guys like Joel Hunter, Rick Warren, Tony Campolo and Randy Brinson are creating a Christian political movement that is different from the Pat Robertson/Jerry Falwell evangelical movement. I have not decided where James Dobson falls. He has certainly been a leader among evangelicals for a long time but to this point in the presidential campaign he hasn't endorsed a candidate. I believe his silence is telling. He may not be sure where the Christian conservative movement is headed.

Rising up as the leader of this movement is Mike Huckabee. Like him or not, he's here to stay. Fred Thompson tried to put Huckabee in his place regarding the Reagan Coalition during the last presidential debate. And while I understand what he was doing, I think it only served to drive more of a wedge between the republican party and Christian conservatives.

Huckabee may become president, vice president, or neither. But one thing's for sure. He will emerge from the presidential race as the new face of Christian conservatives. Just look at the network of grassroots organizations that he now has access to. Look at the media exposure, his media savvy and his likeability. Fellow republicans may not agree with Huckabee's positions on a number of issues, but one thing is for sure. He has been able to rally this "new religious right" of the republican party like nobody else. No doubt about it. Huckabee is here to stay.

Jerome

How Divided Is The Religious Right?

There has been much made in recent days about the division among religious right leaders over endorsements for the 2008 presidential election. I've even talked about it on these pages. But is there really a division?

Here is a link to an article in the New York Sun that discussed this issue. It takes the concept of the "Evangelical Crackup" to task. I think the points are valid. During the primary season voters -- whether they are leaders or just common people like you and me -- have the only real opportunity to support and vote for who they really want to. You'll find people who will support Mike Huckabee in the primary election because he more closely mirrors their beliefs than other candidates in the republican field but will support the primary winner in the national election even if it is not Huckabee. Some may support Giuliani in the primary season even though he doesn't match their social beliefs because they feel that he is more electable in the general election than other candidates. I think either way is fine but it doesn't reveal some alleged "crackup" in the religious right as some have pronounced. I'd rather the conservative Christian leadership all support the same candidate because I believe when united the religious right will be difficult to defeat. But such uniformity is hard to achieve during the primary season.

There is also some murmuring about a Giuliani - Huckabee ticket. It is an interesting concept. Giuliani who can attract more moderate/liberal voters in blue states coupled with a socially conservative Huckabee. Giuliani would certainly put New York State in play and the democrats must win New York to accumulate enough electoral votes to win the White House. Here is another link to the Red State blog that discusses the same concept.

On a different note, I had the opportunity to go on a quail hunting trip at Tumbling Creek this week. It is a first rate hunting lodge and if you like quail hunting you should certainly check it out.

Jerome

NRLC to Endorse Fred Thompson

Jonathan Martin at Politico has a piece up that the National Right to Life Committee will endorse Fred Thompson tomorrow. This would be a coup for Thompson and will further divide evangelical votes. Last week I posted that Pat Robertson endorsed Rudy Giuliani and Don Wildmon of the American Family Assocation endorsed Mike Huckabee. Then there was the rumor of a James Dobson endorsement for Huckabee that was denied by both sides later that day, and the denials continue to be reported thru the weekend.

I've even seen some blog posts calling for James Dobson to endorse Ron Paul. I think that is highly unlikely. Pat Robertson endorsed Giuliani because he is trying to stay relevant and wants to be the kingmaker. James Dobson wants a similar role and Ron Paul is not going to be king. That's probably the same reason why Dobson hasn't endorsed Huckabee yet either. If Dobson becomes convinced that Huckabee has a chance of being relevant in the republican primary then Dobson might endorse him. Until then, Dobson will keep his cards close to his vest. And then are religious leaders like Richard Land, Gary Bauer and Tony Perkins -- the ones who want to be the next generation of evangelical kingmakers -- who will carefully decide who to endorse. Their endorsement during this election cycle might not carry the same weight as an endorsement by Dobson, Robertson et al, but they want to make sure they are inside the tent during the next election cycle.

It is both interesting and entertaining to watch all of this unfold. Hopefully the evangelical community will soon fall in behind one candidate. The division is not good for the cause.

UPDATE: Here is another article about the impending endorsement of Fred Thompson by the NRLC.

Jerome

Where Will The Religious Right Turn?

Christian Conservatives still do not have a consenus candidate for the 2008 presidential election. Many thought that Fred Thompson was going to fill the void and become the religious community's choice. But as Robert Novak points out in this article many religious leaders are already turning sour on Thompson because of public statements on abortion and gay marriage. His senate voting record was impeccably pro-life. But Thompson's statements on Tim Russert's show has some religious leaders cringing.

And then yesterday Pat Robertson endorsed Rudy Guiliani. How could that happen? One of the leaders of the Moral Majority endorsing a pro-choice candidate who has been married multiple times! James Dobson has said that he will absolutely not support Giuliani and might even lead Christian voters into a third party vote if Giuliani gets the republican nomination. What is going on? Pat Robertson and James Dobson are on polar extremes regarding Giuliani's candidacy. This just underscores the divide among evangelicals.

I think the religious community must unite behind one candidate. If we're fractured then we will end up with candidate choices that are unacceptable. And we'll end up with someone in the White House that will cause further decay in our culture. I'm convinced that the next president will be in a position to nominate two, if not three, judges to the U.S. Supreme Court. Who do we want making those nominations? Certainly not Hillary Clinton.

What do religious leaders find wrong with Mike Huckabee? In the article I referenced above by Novak, he writes that some say that Huckabee is part of the "Christian Left" whatever that means. The Club For Growth gave him low marks and a couple of weeks ago Phyllis Schlafly slammed Huckabee. But Huckabee continues to build support among evangelicals.

I understand the politics of why a Giuliani candidacy appeals to some in the republican party. He probably can carry New York state. Without New York, the democrats will have a hard time winning the White House. But what traditional republican states are lost with a Giuliani candidacy? Will the New York electoral votes be enough to offset the losses? Would a Giuliani - Huckabee ticket make sense? Or Huckabee - Giuliani? What about a mixture of Thompson and Giuliani. Could some combination like these appease evangelicals and at the same time entice voters in traditional democrat states like New York? It is interesting to think about the impact of different combinations.

On a completely different front, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Deadfall by Robert Liparulo. I hope you get a chance to pick up a copy.


UPDATE: After I wrote my post today, Don Wildmon of the American Family Association endorsed Mike Huckabee. If you're keeping score that's Robertson for Giuliani and Wildmon for Huckabee. Still waiting on religious leaders like James Dobson, Gary Bauer and Tony Perkins to show their cards.

Jerome

The Three Kingmakers

In a recent post I questioned whether Jerry Falwell was still relevant to the question of what religious leaders have influence on the political process. This article in Newsweek discusses the Three Kingmakers (Jerry Falwell, Pat Roberston and James Dobson). According to this article Falwell appears to be in McCain's camp; Robertson appears to be leaning toward Romney; and Dobson hasn't settled on a candidate yet. Huckabee might ultimately be Dobson's choice.

It will be interesting to see which candidate these three support. None appear to be behind Guiliani, and it doesn't appear that Guiliani is courting any of the three. Other republican candidates are trying to secure endorsements from these religious leaders. McCain realizes the necessity of the religious right because he is attempting to repair damage he did to the relationship with religious leaders during the 2000 presidential primaries. However, none of the democratic candidates are seeking endorsements from conservative Christian leaders. I think that speaks volumes.

Jerome