Huckabee's Faith Cuts Both Ways

Washington Post: GOP Candidate's Faith-Based Views Find Critics, Fans In Both Parties

(Washingtonpost.com)  This story was written by Perry Bacon Jr..

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When the idea for a proclamation declaring Christian Heritage Week came up in 1994, Jim Guy Tucker, the Democratic governor of Arkansas, would not sign it. His aides said he did not think it was appropriate to honor a particular faith.

But when Tucker went out of town for a week and Republican Lt. Gov. Mike Huckabee became the acting chief executive, the Baptist minister enthusiastically signed the proclamation, declaring at a later celebration that he was taking a stand against "Christophobia."

"It's a new word. I just made it up," Huckabee said, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. "Some people talk about homophobia; I've been hearing Christophobia."

Other executives have signed similar proclamations, but in Huckabee's case his aggressive, in-your-face efforts for the symbolic cause exemplify the central role his religious beliefs played in setting policy in Arkansas, first as lieutenant governor and then as governor.

Huckabee's moral certainty revealed a public official quite different from the affable, folksy campaigner who describes himself as a conservative, but one who is "not angry about it." His decisions have opened him to criticism from the left and the right, as liberals and conservatives have complained that his religious devotion has clouded good judgment.

His detractors point to a governor who became indignant at criticism of his personal behavior, particularly after it was disclosed that he had accepted tens of thousands of dollars in gifts from supporters. And they say his views resulted in petty conflicts over matters such as Christian Heritage Week or his refusal to sign a disaster relief bill until legislators removed the words "acts of God" to describe tornadoes because Huckabee argued that God was protecting people from tornadoes, not causing them.

To his admirers, both liberal and conservative, his religious views have been an asset. Supporters have seen Huckabee's strong opposition to abortion, his push to get health insurance for lower-income children and an unsuccessful initiative to allow the children of illegal immigrants to get college tuition breaks as expressions of the compassion he has drawn from his faith.

"He's very concerned about children and people who are less fortunate," said Jerry Cox, a Huckabee supporter who runs the conservative Family Council of Arkansas. "He's a compassionate person towards individuals who need a second chance, which I suppose can be good and bad."

Huckabee, whose sudden rise in the polls has transformed the Republican presidential race, won four elections in this unusual Southern state, where the governor's office, both U.S. Senate seats and the legislature are controlled by Democrats.

After a stint as the head of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention, Huckabee's first run for public office was a 1992 bid for the Senate on a platform that included many of the issues of the emerging religious right, particularly limiting abortion rights.

He lost that race, but Huckabee won a special election for lieutenant governor the next year. Three years later, Huckabee became governor after Tucker resigned following convictions for conspiracy and mail fraud as part of the Whitewater investigation.

Huckabee's political career started in the antiabortion movement. While a pastor in the 1980s, he worked as a local organizer for an Arkansas ballot amendment that would ban all public funding for abortions except those required to save the life of the woman.

Early in Huckabee's tenure as governor, an unidentified 15-year-old girl had an abortion after being raped by her stepfather. When the clinic sought reimbursement for the procedure through Medicaid, the state declined.

The amendment to the state constitution that Huckabee had worked to get passed did not include an exception for rape or incest. Federal law allows Medicaid funds to be used for abortions in such ases, but Huckabee stood firm, saying he did not want to violate the state's antiabortion measure.

As a compromise, Huckabee set up a special private fund where donors could help fund abortions for women who could not afford them.

Huckabee's effectiveness on restricting abortions was nearly absolute. Cox said he remembers chatting with Huckabee's aides about what antiabortion measures they should pursue, and everyone reaching the same conclusion: After almost a decade with Huckabee as governor, Arkansas had done everything it could to limit abortion as long as Roe v. Wade was still in force.

But Huckabee did not solely focus on abortion and other social issues, and his positions were not always typical of a conservative. His proposal to offer in-state tuition to the children of illegal immigrants, for example, was not just opposed by Republicans, it was more liberal than the position of many Democrats in the legislature.

Likewise, expanding health insurance to low-income children was not a priority when Huckabee entered office. But after a 1997 meeting with Amy Rossi, a children's rights advocate, the governor dropped plans for a $25 tax rebate to everyone in the state, persuaded instead to back expanded health insurance to uninsured children who did not qualify for Medicaid. It was an achievement he now singles out as one of the most important of his governorship.

And to fund programs to improve roads and schools, Huckabee advocated a policy that has left him open to attacks from his GOP primary opponents: raising taxes.

"If you deem that all new revenue sources, your proposals or mine, are indeed dead on arrival, then you'll be saying that teacher pay increases are dead, scholarships are dead, medicine for the elderly is dead," he said in a 2003 speech to Arkansas lawmakers that his GOP opponents have seized on.

Huckabee has signed a pledge not to raise taxes as president, though in Arkansas he supported several increases, including in taxes on gas, nursing homes and sales.

As governor, Huckabee was unusually active in another area: reducing prison sentences. Huckabee not only pardoned or reduced 1,033 sentences, more than double the actions by his three predecessors, but he reduced the sentences of 11 convicted murderers, according to a tally by the Democrat-Gazette. A Huckabee spokeswoman said that because of changes in state law, Huckabee had many more applicants than his predecessors and denied the vast majority of requests.

Huckabee's push for the release of convicted rapist Wayne Dumond, who killed a woman after he left prison, became a campaign issue this month when victims' families criticized him.

On the stump, Huckabee has defended his record, arguing that many of the people whose sentences he reduced deserved second chances.

Chris Pyle, Huckabee's liaison to the state's religious community, said, "I don't think it was a notion of forgiveness as much as desire to see justice executed evenly, which is a component of his faith."

But victims' rights advocates worried that Huckabee personalized the pardon process. Two men convicted of violent crimes, one for armed robbery, another for murder, got reduced sentences after they served as helpers in the governor's mansion as part of their incarceration and got to know people around Huckabee.

One family was furious to find that the governor referred to the man who had killed their relative by his first name.

"I always liked Huckabee. I was one of those who voted for him until he started letting murderers and rapists out," said Dee Engle, who works for a group in Little Rock that represents families of murdered children. "Calling them by their first name is unacceptable."

In 1999, explaining a decision to reduce the sentence of a man on death row to life in prison, Huckabee said: "I am fully aware of the likely reaction to this decision and further realize the graity of such a decision. But I must stand ultimately before God and account for my decision. I'd rather face the anger of people than the anger of God."

Still, nothing opened him to more criticism than his acceptance of thousands of dollars in gifts, even though they were legal. The Huckabees used a state fund for improving the governor's mansion to buy personal items such as pantyhose. When Huckabee was leaving office, the couple set up a registry for people to give them gifts for their post-gubernatorial home. An ethics board here found that Huckabee violated the law five times in not disclosing income on time or not filling out the proper paperwork for gifts and money earned from speeches.

[Ruidu]

In response to the false allegations and double standards used against Mike Huckabee by the so-called conservative %u201CElite Talk Show Hosts%u201D and writers, consider the following;
Did the current President and their elected pals in the US Congress uphold their responsibility by holding the line on spending starting in the early 90s? Did the %u201CElite Talk Show Hosts%u201D and writers help vote them out of office by working night and day mocking their names as dreadfully has they have smeared Mike Huckabee%u2019s name, only after his rise in the polls?
Their %u201CTalking Points%u201D propaganda warfare used against a fellow conservative who could very well be more of a conservative than they are provides a good look at their true colors.
Comments like %u201Ctax and spender%u201D, %u201Cnot a conservative%u201D, and %u201Csoft on immigration%u201D are merely %u201CTalking Points%u201D without specifics and offered in the style of propaganda as Dictators who employ the same tactics to spread only their message with little facts or specifics and/or direct rebuttal from the opposing candidate/s.
I have seen enough and prefer not to lessen or watch Rush Limbaugh, Michael Reagan, Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham until after the 2008 election. I prefer my news and entertainment %u201CUN-FILTERED!%u201D

[giantrobot2]

Mike Huckabee is skyrocketing in the polls like Ronald Reagan did to win 49 out of 50 States.

Dec 19th NH poll:
Mike Huckabee 28%
Mitt Romeny 22%

Mike is now taking charge in New Hampshire too, the hardest state to win for him. This goes to show that his uplifting, kind, honest and trustworthy message is the message Americans are looking for in a candidate.

Even the staunch Dallas Morning Newspaper endorsed Mike Huckabee this morning.

Mike''''s Huck-a-Bus is traveling faster than a super high speed train now, the other candidates are burning their fingers trying to touch it now.

Mike is waving to all the Americans now and saying "All Aboard". Let''''s take a ride on the Huck-a-Bus and watch another huge underdog upset in the making happen.

America is back in the running now, and the American voters are feeling Mike''''s blazing energy!

GO MIKE GO!!! GO MIKE GO!!!!!!!!

[alanrobisch]

There is nothing in the Christianity that I know that says go forth, lie, cheat, steal and murder so you can live rich and make slaves of your fellow man.


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Posted by RowdyTexan2 at 05:27 PM : Dec 22, 2007


Please tell me where you heard this about Huckabee. You seem to just be against anyone who is republican. I don''t know if Huck should be president but the characteristics you attribute to him and bush seem vile and not accurate. Just your usual venting spleen.

[rowdytexan2]

Good Lord. I didn''''''''t realize this guy was certifiable. I would never have voted for him, but this kind of rubbish is insane. Not only is he nuts, he obviously hasn''''''''t read his Bible.

Posted by kansas1946 at 07:42 PM : Dec 21, 2007

He is dangerously crazy. Much like Bush he sees the war as a modern day christian crusade and he''''ll also murder people to "win" it.
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Posted by SgtRDS at 10:41 PM : Dec 21, 2007

I agree with both of you. I will defend Christianity to the teeth. But when put in the hands of the corrupt it''s just vile.

There is nothing in the Christianity that I know that says go forth, lie, cheat, steal and murder so you can live rich and make slaves of your fellow man.

[jaykay3141]

Yo, Mikey! My ancestors and relatives are Anglican, Catholic, Methodist, Lutheran, and Jewish. So what part of my family - and what part of my body - is evil and will be damned forever, and what part will go to Heaven? C''mon, tell me. It''s gotta be in the Bible somewhere, because you''ve said that''s the one book that has all the answers. How ''bout it?

============================================

This guy is beyond scary, and half the country can''t see it. What is wrong with us??? Are we so fed up with the current mess in Washington that we''ll take ANYONE from outside, no matter how far over the edge he is?? There was once some other countries that had horrible economic and social problems, ones that were far worse than anything we face today. When someone came on the scene who promised to fix it all and make them great again, the citizens couldn''t wait to hand over their governments. Those "saviors''" original names were Ulyanov and Schicklgruber. You can look up how history recorded their names and deeds.

Don''t think that it can''t happen here. It can can, and looks like it might.

[actornaught]

Huck is only getting a boost because he''s unknown. Once he''s known as the nut that he is, he''ll fall off the radar, except for the church-simple crowd.

This guy, and obsessed loonies like s''ick, are fine examples of this:

Religion without morality is pure evil.

[krisd999-2009]

Huckabee likes gifts for himself so it''s no surprise he hands them out too, with other people''s money. I''m surprised he didn''t dress like Santa too. He will bankrupt this country spreading gifts to the world. Handing out taxpayer''s money to illegals was just the beggining.It''s his foreign policy in action. This explains why Republicans have been incapable of cutting government spending-they want to be Santa just like the Democrats. I mentioned to my county GOP chair that taxes are theft collected at gun point and she just about bit my head off. I would vote for Ron Paul. Anyone else will have to become president without my help and for Huck it will take a miracle.

[jonesforch]

MERRY CHRISTMAS !!!

[sgtrds]

Good Lord. I didn''''t realize this guy was certifiable. I would never have voted for him, but this kind of rubbish is insane. Not only is he nuts, he obviously hasn''''t read his Bible.

Posted by kansas1946 at 07:42 PM : Dec 21, 2007

He is dangerously crazy. Much like Bush he sees the war as a modern day christian crusade and he''ll also murder people to "win" it.

[srstowe]

One thing I find very interesting is Huck''s sudden surge. If I remember right he had just met with a group of church leaders prior to and during the surge. He has been around the entire time. Yet the surge occurs after meeting with church leaders. This is followed by ads that state "I am a Christian". Is this really how American politics are supposed to work?? Do these people really think for themselves. It is unbelievable. I also find it hard to believe that the media hasn''t been more outraged by anti-mormon BS. If similar sentiment was expressed toward currently running African-American or female candidates the media would be up in arms. They cite numbers like "Only 16% say they won''t vote" Hello - 16% That is crazy. 1/5 of Americans are bigots. What kind of country is this anyway. Unbelievable!

[starleo146]

starleo14672, If you are going to lift a story word for word from Rolling Stone magazine and post it here, in 10 or 15 parts, at least you could acknowledge that!

Posted by nolalou at 11:01 AM : Dec 21, 2007
+ rep

This article came on my e-mail I did recognize it was an article

[srstowe]

One thing I find very interesting is Huck''s sudden surge. If I remember right he had just met with a group of church leaders prior to and during the surge. He has been around the entire time. Yet the surge occurs after meeting with church leaders. This is followed by ads that state "I am a Christian". Is this really how American politics are supposed to work?? Do these people really think for themselves. It is unbelievable. I also find it hard to believe that the media hasn''t been more outraged by anti-mormon BS. If similar sentiment was expressed toward currently running African-American or female candidates the media would be up in arms. They cite numbers like "Only 16% say they won''t vote" Hello - 16% That is crazy. 1/5 of Americans are bigots. What kind of country is this anyway. Unbelievable!

[starleo146]

I saw this article and thought it was timely and see how insane these candidates are and how these people see he is a preacher so he has to be a good president, all I can say is be careful what you wish for.

Posted by starleo14672 at 10:23 AM : Dec 21, 2007

[srstowe]

One thing I find very interesting is Huck''s sudden surge. If I remember right he had just met with a group of church leaders prior to and during the surge. He has been around the entire time. Yet the surge occurs after meeting with church leaders. This is followed by ads that state "I am a Christian". Is this really how American politics are supposed to work?? Do these people really think for themselves. It is unbelievable. I also find it hard to believe that the media hasn''t been more outraged by anti-mormon BS. If similar sentiment was expressed toward currently running African-American or female candidates the media would be up in arms. They cite numbers like "Only 16% say they won''t vote" Hello - 16% That is crazy. 1/5 of Americans are bigots. Are you kidding. What kind of country is this anyway. Unbelievable.

[kansas1946]

his refusal to sign a disaster relief bill until legislators removed the words "acts of God" to describe tornadoes because Huckabee argued that God was protecting people from tornadoes, not causing them.
************************************************

Good Lord. I didn''t realize this guy was certifiable. I would never have voted for him, but this kind of rubbish is insane. Not only is he nuts, he obviously hasn''t read his Bible.

[realpatriot1]

Coolprophet,

The Bible is full of allegory and parable and requires people to use their minds to grasp the message which God intends for us to receive from it.

You can be a Christian and follow Christ and believe the word of God is in the Bible without accepting the premise that every word from every source within the Bible is God-inspired. THe inconsistencies within the Bible render that view to be more superstition than true faith.

Neither you or your father are the authority on who believes and who doesn''t unless you are clairvoyant and can see into the hearts and minds of others.

I''m glad Huckabee doesn''t think his Pastoral position gives him the right to speak for Christ on matters which Christ never spoke about like the death penalty,
taxes, immigration,etc.

The underlying premise of your arguments is that a conservative contemporary political agenda is the measure of how devout a Christian is. I respectfully disagree.

It should be clear to anyone who reads the Bible that Christ was careful to not directly challenge the legal and political authority of the Romans("Render unto Caesar what is Caesar''s...."). Christ didn''t seek to be King of the Jews as Herod accused, he sought to change men''s hearts directly. He left the conduct of worldly affairs to mankind but gave us the wisdom to fulfill our own promise then died for our sins.

[sgtrds]

jmcgilvray

Opps...Madison...sorry......my bad.....

[sgtrds]

jmcgilvray

Aw now, why do you have to post that? Don''t you know that according to some of the more lunatic posters here this country was founded by bible thumping, born again, evangelical, prehistoric Jerry Falwells? Why quote Jefferson and destroy their pathetic little fantasy? That''s mean! LOL!

[coolprophet]

CHRISTIANS ARE HOODWINKED BY HUCKABEE
My Dad is a evangelical Baptist Pastor, and he said he was taken aback by Huckabee''s response to the CNN/YouTube debate question about the Bible and what Jesus would do in the case of capital punishment. Instead of answer the question directly, "What would Jesus do?" like any good Minister should, he instead, avoided the issue entirely and skirted-around it with a disarming joke about how Jesus would have "never ran for public office." What a complete cop-out! You should never get that sort of response from someone who claims to be a minister. When asked whether or not he believed the contents of the Bible were literally the word of God, he failed that test as well. He pointed to the "pluck out your eye story" story as an example of the Bible being "allegorical." The Bible is the word of God. You either believe it en todo, or you don''t.

[coolprophet]

Having been raised in an evengelical household, I know a devout Christian when I see one. Huckabee is a pretender, and many Christians are hoodwinked by his Southern, ministerial charm. Ron Paul, on the other hand, is a truly devout Christian who doesn''t believe the Bible is an allegory like Huckabee does. He doesn''t even watch TV. Instead, he reads his Bible everyday in private devotional, and spends what ever free time he has left writing articles and books about issues facing this country. What he never does, however, is go around parading his personal religious beliefs as if they somehow qualify him to be President over all others. In my opinion, that''s the only leg Huckabee stands his campaign upon. He''s soft on immigration, national sovereignty, taxes and a host of other issues true conservatives hold dear. At best, he''s a Moderate Conservative. Even "old school" Southern Democrats are more conservative than he is. youtube.com/watch?v=Q6ckq_QlqrA