Mea Culpa January 17, 2008
Posted by Paul Edwards in Huckabee, Huckabee for President, Mea Culpa, Mike Huckabee.5 comments
mea cul·pa noun Latin, through my fault
a formal acknowledgment of fault or error
On Wednesday’s program I was speaking with Joe Carter from the Evangelical Outpost (who himself is in no way implicated in what follows) about the Michigan Primary and specifically Mike Huckabee’s campaign rally in Warren, Michigan the evening before. Joe and I were talking about how the media and people who are outside the mainstream of the church sometimes do not understand the language of Mike Huckabee, to which I responded:
“That meeting in Warren (Michigan), his big rally ending his long day campaigning throughout Michigan the day before the primary, it had a feel of a revival service, quite honestly. I’m an evangelical pastor and I love Jesus with my whole heart and I agree with the governor when he said on my program on Monday that his “neck is red, his collar is blue, and his Bible is black.” I get all that. But you know what, even I was cringing a bit when they bring out a guy from Christians for Life (or something like that) in Michigan, somebody that split off from the Right to Life of Michigan, and they present Governor Huckabee with a certificate, their Life Achievement Award, or something, and this is a no name organization. And then another guy gets up (to introduce Luther Elliss) who quotes scripture after scripture after scripture, and basically says, you know, we need Mike Huckabee as the appointed Theologian-in-Chief, and I’m cringing at this. I mean, I’m just saying why, with national media on the platform behind me filming all this, would Governor Huckabee tolerate these kind of yahoos introducing him.”
First of all, I want to make it clear that I was not referring to Luther Elliss as the one who was quoting scripture after scripture, etc., but rather to the person who was introducing Luther Elliss. Nor did I mean to infer that Luther Elliss is “a yahoo.” Luther Elliss is a godly man, a great Christian leader in our community, and in no way did I intend to impugn his reputation. Upon listening to the audio, however, I can certainly see how anyone hearing it could certainly interpret that I was referring to Luther. I deeply regret that and I offer my sincerest and deepest apologies to Luther Elliss.
Secondly, while I do believe the speeches of the two gentleman prior to Luther contributed to a revival atmosphere, it was inappropriate for me as a Christian minister to call them yahoos or to in any way impugn their characters. I wish to also clarify that at no time did either of these men refer to Governor Huckabee as “Theologian-in-Chief.” That was merely my paraphrase of the sense of their speeches that Christians should be voting for no one else but a Christian. I sincerely apologize to those two men, as well.
And finally, I apologize to my audience who I know expects better of me. No excuses. Just a plain and simple mea culpa and the hope that you will find the grace to forgive me.
Jonah Goldberg and Republican Hypocrisy January 17, 2008
Posted by Paul Edwards in Huckabee, Jonah Goldberg, Mike Huckabee, National Review.3 comments
Jonah Goldberg, editor at large for National Review Online, has been hitting the talk show circuit peddling his new book. This morning on Morning Joe he actually put into words why the Republican establishment HATES Mike Huckabee.
To paraphrase Goldberg, Mike Huckabee is “Compassionate Conservatism” on steroids. According to Goldberg, George Bush used “Compassionate Conservatism” as a marketing slogan, but he didn’t really believe in it. Mike Huckabee on the other hand really believes it, and that makes him dangerous.
UPDATE: I just got the audio from MSNBC and here is Goldberg’s exact quote:
I think [Huckabee] represents Compassionate Conservatism on steroids. He really believes this stuff. At least the defense of Bush’s Compassionate Conservatism was, well, it was just a marketing slogan. I think Huckabee really does believe that the government is there to do whatever he thinks is good, and whatever he thinks is just, and nice, and kind, and all that kind of stuff. And so for me, I think it’s a kind of right wing progressivism and I don’t like it. I think he is an economic liberal.
There you have it: National Review’s Jonah Goldberg applauding hypocrisy in the Republican establishment, revealing the arrogance of those opposed to Huckabee. Bush’s talk of helping the poor was just that: talk. What worries establishment Republicans is that Huckabee might actually help the poor.
Of course the candidate of choice for people like Goldberg - Mitt Romney - can offer the auto industry a $20 BILLION DOLLAR government bailout, yet they still view Romney as an economic conservative. Giving your tax dollars to corporate America is ok, but God forbid we should use tax dollars to help the poor.
The Speech that won me to Huckabee January 16, 2008
Posted by Paul Edwards in Family Research Council Action, Huckabee, Mike Huckabee, Values Voter Summit.10 comments
When Mike Huckabee spoke to Family Research Council Action’s Values Voter’s Summit I knew little about him. After hearing this speech I knew everything I needed to know about him to throw my support behind him and publicly endorse him. Here is the speech in three parts:
Dick Morris on the Republican implosion January 16, 2008
Posted by Paul Edwards in Uncategorized.add a comment
Dick Morris was just on Hannity and Colmes with the best assessment I’ve heard so far of what’s happening to the Republican Party, though my friend Joe Carter at the Evangelical Outpost might disagree. Three primaries/caucuses have produced three different winners each representing 1/3 of the traditional conservative coalition: Huckabee takes the social conservative wing in Iowa; McCain takes the defense/security conservatives in New Hampshire; and Romney takes the fiscal conservatives in Michigan. Morris notes that we could get to Super Tuesday and still not know who the Republican nominee will be.
Which candidate has the best chance of bringing together the three strands of the conservative movement? It may indeed be NONE OF THE ABOVE. It may be an as yet undeclared candidate in the wings. It would be Mike Huckabee if the Republican establishment would A) tell the truth about his record on taxes and immigration, and B) repent of their bigotry against him because he (in his own words) has “a neck that’s red, a collar that’s blue, and a Bible that’s black.”
Romney takes Michigan on promises he can’t keep January 15, 2008
Posted by Paul Edwards in Huckabee, Huckabee for President, Michigan Primary, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney.2 comments
Fox News has just called Michigan for Romney with 11% of the precincts reporting. Romney successfully painted himself as “Michigan’s Favorite Son,” though he has been detached from this state for his entire career, evidence that he will say and do whatever is necessary to win. Being born here and living an advantaged life with access to the best private education in Southeastern Michigan is his only connection to this state. We made Romney who he is and there is nothing to indicate that Mitt Romney has ever returned the favor.
One of the “necessary” things he had to do to win tonight is promise a big federal government bail out to the ailing auto and manufacturing industry here. How that makes him a small government conservative I’ll wait for my friend Hugh Hewitt to answer. But his pandering has paid off tonight, even though Mitt Romney KNOWS he cannot deliver on anything he has promised the voters of Michigan, but he doesn’t care. He won’t see us again until he needs our vote again.
One caucus, two primaries, and three winners. The Republican Party is a mess.
Huckabee rocks Warren (MI) January 14, 2008
Posted by Paul Edwards in Huckabee, Huckabee for President, Mike Huckabee.3 comments
Governor Mike Huckabee finished his blitz across Michigan on the day before the Michigan Primary in the “Arsenal of Democracy” Warren, Michigan. A crowd of around 600 gathered in the Royalty House as the governor spoke about the issues that drive him to seek the presidency. Here are a few photos:
Click on the picture for a larger version.
Video from Huckabee in Birch Run January 13, 2008
Posted by Paul Edwards in Huckabee, Huckabee for President, Mike Huckabee.add a comment
Tom McMillin estimates the crowd at Friday’s Huckabee Rally in Birch Run at 2,500. Here’s video of the governor entering the venue:
Romney official defects to Huckabee in Michigan January 13, 2008
Posted by Paul Edwards in Huckabee for President, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Romney for President.2 comments
Frank Lockwood, religion editor for the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, has this news:
The Michigan chairman of Romney’s faith-and-values committee jumped ship and joined the Huckabee team during a rally in Grand Rapids. Michigan state Rep. Fulton Sheen says he changed sides primarily because Romney opposes replacing the income tax with a national sales tax.
But Sheen, the great-nephew and namesake of a legendary Roman Catholic bishop, also suggested Huckabee has a steadfastness on social issues such as abortion and gay marriage that Romney lacks.
“Our country needs a leader whose ‘yes’ is yes and whose ‘no’ is no,” said Sheen, paraphrasing the words of Jesus. “We need a leader who knows what he believes and doesn’t buckle down under political pressure or have polls tell him what to think and say.” Asked for the name of an evangelical pastor who supports Romney, Sheen told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: “I’m sure there’s got to be some. I just haven’t come across them.”
At campaign rallies, looks can be deceiving January 13, 2008
Posted by Paul Edwards in Frank Lockwood, Huckabee, Huckabee for President, Mike Huckabee.add a comment
Frank Lockwood, religion writer for the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, has this interesting observation from John McCain’s campaign rally last Wednesday in Grand Rapids:
The riotious welcome showed that McCain is on a roll in Grand Rapids. Or did it? It turns out that 285 members of the audience — roughly half those in attendance — are students at a local Christian school. I interviewed about a half-dozen kids at random and asked them who they support. Half of them — even though they were wearing McCain campaign stickers — said Mike Huckabee.
Governor Huckabee on The Paul Edwards Program January 13, 2008
Posted by Paul Edwards in Huckabee, Huckabee for President, Mike Huckabee.2 comments
I spoke with the Huckabee campaign at 6:00 pm tonight and they have given me every assurance that Governor Huckabee will be joining me for an interview tomorrow. Tune in LIVE from 4pm - 6pm ET; locally on AM 1500 WLQV, streaming via the Internet anywhere in the world at http://www.am1500wlqv.com.
