Taking The Church Out Of His Campaign?

The Nation: From "Christian Leader" To Just "Leader," Mike Huckabee Revises Pre-N.H. Strategy

(The Nation)  This column was written by John Nichols.

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Hypocrite Huckabee leaves his cross in Iowa.

It is no secret that Southern Baptist preacher Mike Huckabee positioned himself as a "Christian leader" to win Thursday's Iowa Republican presidential caucuses. Huckabee's campaign featured a glowing cross in one television commercial and the ancient Christian symbol of a fish as the backdrop in another. And he slipped Biblical quotes and paraphrases into his campaign rap -- even suggesting when he pulled an attack ad that he did so because "we want to do unto others as we wish they would do unto us."

It worked in Iowa, where evangelical Christians have been prime players in Republican politics for three decades.

A CNN survey of Republican caucusgoers Thursday found that six in 10 identified themselves as "born-again" Christians. Huckabee won the support of 46 percent of them, while just 19 percent backed Mitt Romney.

So it was that, while he was outspent by what he estimated to be a 15-1 margin, and while he faced withering attacks from rival Mitt Romney's camp and independent groups, Huckabee was able to hold his position and score a remarkable statewide win in Iowa.

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, a Republican who did not endorse a candidate, bluntly said after Huckabee beat Romney by 10 points that the victory of the former Arkansas governor could be attributed to "loyalty from evangelical Christians."

To Grassley's view, Huckabee's scripture-sampling campaign was a smooth "fit" with Iowa evangelicals -- both stylistically and emotionally.

But now the campaign moves to New Hampshire, a state where the religious right has never enjoyed a political foothold. New Hampshire Republicans are anti-tax and anti-government crusaders, but they have never been Christian crusaders.

They also vote in a primary, as opposed to caucuses that favor campaigns with committed supporters who are willing to give not just a vote but a full evening to the cause.

So the Huckabee campaign is retooling itself fast.

Suddenly, the "Christian leader" is just a "leader."

Huckabee arrived in New Hampshire Friday morning with new literature that drops the religious references used in Iowa and plans for a television advertising campaign that will eschew the crosses and fish that meant so much to his Iowa base.

Huckabee is nothing if not consistent. Sure, he losing the religious trappings that served him well in Iowa, but he's remaining every bit the crassly calculating and cynically manipulative politician that he has proven himself to be from the start of this campaign.

[myidoncbs]

"Insulting the folks in Iowa does nothing to change their opinions."

Sad, but true!

[aldee41]

The next President will be a Democrat.
Chose wisely. Chose Richardson.

[michellem99-2009]

grmpas, We have sep of church and state. There is a reason for that. Christians that push it can''t handle it but that is the way it is. America is not and have never been a Christian nation. THE PURTIANS TRIED AND FAILED. They started the whitch hunts in my beloved New England. They. We have the constution that tell us there must not be a state church. I never voted for Bush. They bang on my door I tell them not interested.

[cfin5]

Mike Huckabee is just another Jimmy Carter/George Bush. Look folks, it''s easy to spot a neocon and a neolib by closing your political party eyes if you will and judge your favorite candidate by what the Constitution "SAYS",....not by what the candidate says the Constitution says. Be honest with yourself,......when we all do that, this country will rid itself of fascism faster than you think!.........Ron Paul, student of the Constitution in 2008!

[roger3815]

I really growing tired of all the candidates I love Jesus more than you foolishness. The disturbing part for me is how easily the sheep seem to be falling for it. It never ceases to amaze me how far you can go in the world with false piety.

[quatrops]

I suppose Nation felt an obligation to publish this article in the same way newspapers publish "human interest" stories and other inconsequential fluff: because some readers "expect" it.

Who CARES about ANY GOP candidates? The Republican party is SO out of touch with the direction the American people want to go that NO GOP candidate has the ghost of a chance at winning the presidency. I suggest that any die-hard Republican voter would do best by getting behind the Democratic candidate that is least offensive to you.

Why did any of us even bother to comment on this article? Let''s do something constructive . . like, re-arrange our sock drawers!

[grumpas]

It''s the presence of people like Huckabee in the Republican party and their platform that was one of the biggest reasons why I stopped voting Republican over 20 years ago. Religion and Politics do not mix under any circumstances. It''s bad news for everyone involved to allow religion that much of a platform. When a man''s religion becomes the only qualification he has for the job of President. The results are disastrous. Bush is a shining example of that one. Which is the only reason this crowd voted him in. Bush was not suited for the job in anyway or qualified to lead this country. But these folks wanted him in office because he was willing to force their agenda upon the American people. It''s the beginning of the end for any democracy when religion takes over in that fashion. So I won''t vote Republican until they lose this crowd of hanger-on''s!

[sleepyric]

Aren''t you just TOO tired of "morphing" politicians? Don''t the voters of Iowa feel duped by this guy? Feed the masses what they want, and move on to the next group of gullible people....Beware of this guy,,he ain''t what he seems. Sort of reminds me of another smarmy mouthed "uniter" who we''ve been punished with for nearly 8 years!..

[jdweymouth]

I don''t like Huckabee. Though I''m an evangelical Christian, and would like to see one in office, that can''t be prime motivation for support.

I like Ron Paul. Anti-war, but a classic paleoconservative.

However the GOP MUST nominate the most electable, or the dems will win, and the nation will be dead.

[logicanada]

Quit your whining about the Iowa caucus results and voice your opinions by voting when it comes around to your town.
Insulting the folks in Iowa does nothing to change their opinions.

[rowdytexan2]

This may be a sorry piece of journalism, but no less true.

Neither Huckabee nor Romney has raised a hue nor cry about the corruptness of the republican Neocons...they are hypocrits. If they were men of character, they would speak up for what they know is right, not support what is wrong!

[adiant-2009]

Mr. Nichols seems not to like Huckabee too much. Problem: which one is good in the field where Mr. Huckabee is playing? To pick an apple out of a bag where all are rotten is no easy task. Democrats must be the envy of thinking Republicans. The task for Democrats is a lot easier: to pick up the best apple out of a bag of fine apples.

[mcvet]

Huckabee did well in Iowa and will do well in S. Carolina. When Feb. 5th. comes around, he''''ll disappear from sight.


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Posted by USBrit at 04:14 PM : Jan 04, 2008
+ report abuse

Who else are they going to put out there. The PEOPLE of this Country are looking for CHANGE and all I see, except for Paul, on the Republican side is more of the same. We''ve got some REAL serious problems facing this nation AND the Republican''s showed NO ability to lead or work with the other side to accomplish anything.

[mcvet]

Huckabee is a "former Baptist Preacher" an incidental notation pointed out to the point that one wonders if his last name isn''''t "former Baptist Preacher". The Iowa population is a predominantly evangelical state and so it is natural for them to vote for "their kind". Some would call it bigotry. I wouldn''''t, unless a person voted against Romney solely on the fact that he is Mormon.
Last nights results means nothing more.


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Posted by hosers22 at 06:20 PM : Jan 04, 2008
+ report abuse

This is the message you got out of that? I saw a whole NEW generation and a NEW mood in this nation coming out of there. Everyone expected the Religious Extremist, those who vote because of a person''s religion, backing Huckabee but NO ONE expected the young to come out, to get involved. NO ONE expected the New Generation to show up and have a voice. They did and it WAS big. I do not know if it was big enough to get their guy in but it sure was great to see that youth and belief in the future.

[gkc99]

No matter how many cross-eyed fish Huckleberry subliminally shows in the background, it won''t play well in NH. Only in backwards midwest states where buggery is a popular pastime does the tent revival meeting style fly well. Smooth-talking Huckleberry is in for an a$$-whuppin.

[hosers22]

The only conclusion that can be made from the results of last nights caucus results is that a lot of time and effort was made to educate the people of Iowa to no avail. Of all of the candidates from both parties, Obama and Hucklebee are undoubtedly the least qualified to run the country, have the least knowledge about foreign affairs, and have absolutely no experience in managing any type of business or organization.
Did the women vote for Obama because he is young and good looking? Or because Ophray is their idol? Who knows! It surely wasn''t because Obama is qualified.
Huckabee is a different story. For instance, if the caucus had been held in the State of Utah, would it have been of any surprise that Mitt Romney would have prevailed? Of course not. Huckabee is a "former Baptist Preacher" an incidental notation pointed out to the point that one wonders if his last name isn''t "former Baptist Preacher". The Iowa population is a predominantly evangelical state and so it is natural for them to vote for "their kind". Some would call it bigotry. I wouldn''t, unless a person voted against Romney solely on the fact that he is Mormon.
Last nights results means nothing more.

[clestes-2009]

Too late, Mike! People are already aware of your religious affiliation and it work work.

There is no way he can redo himself in 4 days! NH will go to that dino McCain. He might do OK in SC but he won''t carry enough reps to win the nomination.

That will be McCain and that pro-war candidate will not win in the current anti-war environment. He will not carry the religious conservatives and he won''t carry the anti-immigration.

Those folks will be so pissed off they won''t even vote.

Dem turnout will be huge and that will carry the day.

[usbrit-2009]

Huckabee did well in Iowa and will do well in S. Carolina. When Feb. 5th. comes around, he''ll disappear from sight.

[davidlar2]

I don''t support Huckabee, but I don''t think a case can be made that he is more calculating than candidates like Romney, Clinton, or Edwards- who seem to be the worst out there in this regard.

Again I don''t like Huckabee as a candidate, but I find this article to be the kind of low level nonsense journalism that does America a disservice.