Sarah Palin for VP

I haven't been interested in posting to this blog in quite some time because the presidential race hadn't been exciting. With the most liberal senator in the senate running against a moderate republican, there wasn't much about which evangelicals could be excited. But the selection today by John McCain of Sarah Palin as his running mate changed that.

We are living in very historic times. We are watching history unfold before our eyes. Sure Geraldine Ferraro ran on Walter Mondale's ticket in 1984, but they had no chance of winning. Mondale's selection of Ferraro was viewed by many as a "hail mary". But in less than 24 hours we have seen two historical events. Barack Obama's nomination was historic but also is McCain's selection of Sarah Palin. In November we will either have the first African American as president or the first woman as vice president. Hopefully the latter.

And if you follow that out over the next 4 or 8 years, Sarah Palin could very well be the republican nominee for president in either 2012 (if John McCain only serves one term) or 2016. Wouldn't it be great for the first woman president to be a republican?

By all accounts, Sarah Palin should excite the social conservative base of the republican party. Already many religious leaders like Richard Land, James Dobson, Tony Perkins and Mat Staver are singing her praises.

McCain Palin 2008!! Time for evangelicals to get on board!

Jerome

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

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

Select a Candidate

On Thursday mornings, I do a 15 - 30 minute legal talk segment on Super Talk 97.7 with Stevie Ray Hemann. This morning Stevie Ray pointed out this quiz you can take on the WQAD website. Click on the Take the Quiz! link. I did and the result was that Fred Thompson most closely resembles my views. I encourage you to see how the candidates match up with your views and positions.

On a similar note, is the Religious Right marginalizing itself in this election? Some of the leaders of the Religious Right (James Dobson, Tony Perkins) are stating publicly that if neither political party nominates someone who is pro-life, then they plan to support a third party candidate. Here is an article in the American Spectator and another in Politico that discuss this topic. It is an interesting discussion but I hope it doesn't happen. If the Religious Right abandons the republican party then what will happen is that Hillary Clinton will be elected president. I don't think the republican party can win the White House without the religious right.

Lastly, this week the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Nobody by Creston Mapes. I hope you get a chance to pick up a copy of this book.

Jerome