Thursday July 31, 2008

McCain, Romney and the Evangelical Threat, Revisted

Two pieces today combat this week's Washington Times piece about the threat of Mitt Romney giving evangelicals more agita should John McCain draft him as a running mate. The first, a Politico story headlined "Romney could lift McCain in West" points out that Romney's evangelical problem matters a lot less out West:

He is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, considered a cult by some evangelical Christians and Southern Baptists. Despite his central-casting good looks, he often comes across as aloof. And he and McCain taunted each other in the primaries, which could be exploited by Democrats.

But in the West, those problems are molehills, not mountains. Romney raised millions of dollars in the region -- not known as a fundraising hot spot -- and Arizona, Colorado and Nevada have large Mormon populations. In GOP strongholds such as Utah and Idaho, many LDS members are expected to help in get-out-the-vote efforts in surrounding states....

Even Focus on the Family leader James Dobson -- who has softened his stance on McCain, a candidate he had said he would never vote for -- doesn't think Romney would be a bad VP choice.

"Dr. Dobson liked his speech about faith very much," said spokesman Gary Schneeberger, referring to Romney's December address, where he spoke about the importance of religion in American society but that it should be separate from public responsibilities. "He wants a pro-life running mate, and Romney qualifies for that."

The second plug for Romney comes from HorseRaceBlogger Jay Cost, who tackles the "Romney will alienate evangelicals" charge:

Maybe, but my feeling is that evangelical voters are going to vote. Again, turnout will be high if the election is close. So if they vote, who will they vote for? Barack Obama? Bob Barr? Ralph Nader? No, no, and no. Evangelicals are usually Republicans, which means we should expect them to vote Republican. Plus, Obama would never touch the "Mormon issue," not even with a ten-foot poll. That will minimize its salience.

Both lines of argument have merit. But they ignore a crucial fact of the modern Republican grassroots machine: it's made up largely of evangelical voters. It's no secret that those activists are underwhelmed by John McCain. But would they work to promote his candidacy if Mike Huckabee were his running mate? Probably. If Tim Pawlenty were his running mate? Probably. Bobby Jindal? Probably--and conservative Catholic activists would get on board, too.

But Mitt Romney? Sure, most evangelicals would vote for him. But a lot fewer would get out to knock on doors and talk him up at the Sunday church picnic. In a year when Democrats are much more enthusiastic about Barack Obama than Republicans are about McCain, that's a pretty big disadvantage from which to operate, and one that McCain could avoid with a handful of other picks.

Comments (6)

Filed Under: evangelicals, Focus on the Family, James Dobson, John McCain, Mitt Romney, the West, vice president

posted by Dan Gilgoff @ 5:00pm Permalink Email This Add to:

Monday April 7, 2008

Huck's Late-Breaking Support

A World Magazine recap of the Christian Right's stirringly ineffectual performance during the Republican presidential primaries reports that Paul Weyrich, cofounder of the Moral Majority, has admitted that he regrets backing Mitt Romney over Mike Huckabee. Huckabee could have really used such changes of hearts a couple months back, of course, but they could help improve his chances of becoming John McCain's running mate. World sets a dramatic scene for Weyrich's mea culpa:

NEW ORLEANS— Last month at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in New Orleans, several dozen leaders of the "Christian right" met to strategize next steps—but the meeting inevitably included discussion of missteps in the GOP presidential campaign. Michael Farris of the Home School Legal Defense Association, an early supporter of Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, chided the group for cold-shouldering his candidate until it was too late. Others, including Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, disagreed. The meeting quickly threatened to dissolve into accusations, rebuttals, and recriminations.

Then, venerable Paul Weyrich—a founder of the Heritage Foundation, the Moral Majority, and the Council for National Policy (CNP)—raised his hand to speak. Weyrich is a man whose mortality is plain to see. A freak accident several years ago left him with a spinal injury, which ultimately led to both his legs being amputated in 2005. He now gets around in a motorized wheelchair. He is visibly paler and grayer than he was just a few years ago, a fact not lost on many of his friends in the room, some of whom had fought in the political trenches with him since the 1960s.

The room—which had been taken over by argument and side-conversations—became suddenly quiet. Weyrich, a Romney supporter and one of those Farris had chastised for not supporting Huckabee, steered his wheelchair to the front of the room and slowly turned to face his compatriots. In a voice barely above a whisper, he said, "Friends, before all of you and before almighty God, I want to say I was wrong."

In a quiet, brief, but passionate speech, Weyrich essentially confessed that he and the other leaders should have backed Huckabee, a candidate who shared their values more fully than any other candidate in a generation. He agreed with Farris that many conservative leaders had blown it. By chasing other candidates with greater visibility, they failed to see what many of their supporters in the trenches saw clearly: Huckabee was their guy.

Comments (2)

Filed Under: Christian Right, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Paul Weyrich

posted by Dan Gilgoff @12:18am Permalink Email This Add to:

Wednesday March 5, 2008

God to Huck: Not Now

God-o-Meter just got off the phone with a prominent evangelical Mike Huckabee supporter who said Huck was telling friends last night that the message God was sending him with regards to his White House ambitions was, "not yet." Huck echoed the sentiment in the farewell email he just sent to supporters:

Throughout my life, I've found that there are sometimes three possible answers to our prayers--"Yes," "No," or "Not Now." I would like to think our prayers were answered with a "Not Now."

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Filed Under: Mike Huckabee, withdrawing

posted by Dan Gilgoff @ 3:53pm Permalink Email This Add to:

Monday February 25, 2008

Questions for Huck and Dobson

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Filed Under: Christian Right, Colorado Springs, evangelicals, James Dobson, Mike Huckabee

posted by Dan Gilgoff @ 2:00pm Permalink Email This Add to:

Thursday February 21, 2008

Mrs. Huck Goes to Hooters

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Filed Under: evangelicals, Hooters, Janet Huckabee, Las Vegas, Mike Huckabee

posted by Dan Gilgoff @ 1:55pm Permalink Email This Add to:

Tuesday February 19, 2008

What's Huck Thinking?

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Filed Under: Charmaine Yoest, Mike Huckabee

posted by Dan Gilgoff @11:12pm Permalink Email This Add to:

Tuesday February 19, 2008

Pastor for Huck Strikes Back

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Filed Under: endorsements, IRS, Mike Huckabee

posted by Dan Gilgoff @ 9:16pm Permalink Email This Add to:

Thursday February 14, 2008

IRS Investigates Pro-Huck Pastor

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Filed Under: IRS, Mike Huckabee, pastors

posted by Dan Gilgoff @ 3:08pm Permalink Email This Add to:

Wednesday February 13, 2008

Is it Huck's Fault?

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Comments (2)

Filed Under: evangelicals, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Todd Harris, values voters, Virginia

posted by Dan Gilgoff @ 2:01pm Permalink Email This Add to:

Wednesday February 13, 2008

Anti-Huck Discrimination?

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Comments (7)

Filed Under: Dennis Prager, discrimination, Faith in Public Life, Mike Huckabee, pastor

posted by Dan Gilgoff @ 1:23pm Permalink Email This Add to: