Huckabee: Christian Issues Nation's Top Priority

Although former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has not declared his candidacy for president, he is statistically tied for the GOP primary lead with Mitt Romney.

[Huckabee] argued paying for social services to help children who have grown up without fathers is a drain on the economy and has helped increase government spending. [See Liberalism Causes Poverty in America: Study]

For background, read Pres. Candidates: Abortion & Marriage Top Issues and also read Defund Abortionists, Say All Pres. Candidates

UPDATE 5/11/11: Liberal media says Huckabee wants prayers over money

-- From "Huckabee tells NRA members that social issues are an economic issue; lambastes Obama" by Rosalind S. Helderman, Washington Post 5/1/11

Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee (R) told thousands of members of the National Rifle Association Saturday night that social issues should not take a back seat to the economy in the national political debate, but he offered no hints about whether he might run for president and push such issues.

“When I hear people say the issues of family and marriage don’t really matter because we need to focus on the economy, I agree,” he said. “We ought to focus on the economy. But let’s focus on an economy that is robbing us as taxpayers blind because we have a lot of men who have irresponsibly abandoned their wives and their children and left the rest of us as taxpayers with the cost of doing what dads ought to properly do. It is an economic issue.”

The message stands in contrast to an assertion by Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R), also considering a presidential run, who has argued that Republicans should offer a “truce” on social issues that have divided the party and at times alienated independent voters.

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From "Sounding like a candidate, Mike Huckabee rouses NRA crowd" by James Hohmann, Politico 4/30/11

“Well, I want you to know that I stand here tonight as a gun-clinger and as a God-clinger unapologetically,” he told thousands of NRA members at the Consol Energy Center.

Huckabee spoke forcefully about the right to bear arms, stressing the right to self-defense and warning that even developed societies can quickly fall into chaos. He called on Obama to read the Militia Act that George Washington wrote in 1792, which he said required every male older than 18 to own a gun and some ammunition.

[Talking] to social conservatives – Huckabee’s main constituency within the party – brought him some of the loudest cheers of the night . . .

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From "Fox News Poll: Romney, Huckabee Top GOP 2012 Contenders for President" posted at FoxNews.com 4/28/11

With the Republican field for the 2012 presidential nomination still in flux, the two major candidates who ran for president in 2008 -- Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee -- receive the most backing among GOP voters nationally.

Romney garners the support of 19 percent of Republicans and Huckabee 17 percent, according to a Fox News poll released Thursday. The next group of candidates is bunched together: Sarah Palin at nine percent, Donald Trump at eight percent, and Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul receive seven percent a piece.

Earlier this month, Huckabee was at 15 percent among Republican voters, Romney 14 percent, Palin 12 percent, Trump 11 percent and Gingrich 7 percent (April 3-5).

Among voters who consider themselves part of the Tea Party movement, Huckabee (19 percent) and Romney (17 percent) are still the top two choices, followed by Palin (10 percent) and Trump (10 percent). No other contenders receive double-digit support.

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Defund Abortionists, Say All Pres. Candidates

The liberal media appear stunned by the solid GOP support to defund Planned Parenthood, despite the media drumbeat that Americans don't care about social issues like abortion.

For background, read America Hinges on Defunding Planned Parenthood, and also read 'Culture War' Suddenly Erupts, Says Liberal Media

-- From "Anti-abortion group touts 2012-ers on Planned Parenthood" by Andy Barr, Politico 4/4/11

Looking to show off its influence over the 2012 field early in the game, the anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony List sent out an email Monday putting each of the leading GOP presidential contenders on record in support of pulling federal funds for Planned Parenthood.

Sarah Palin, Haley Barbour, Mike Huckabee and Tim Pawlenty each provided statements to the group, while the rest of the field was able to point to previous comments making their positions clear.

Leaders of SBA List have indicated several times to POLITICO that they intend to play a major role in the 2012 campaign — starting with the group’s sponsoring of one of the few RNC candidate forums ahead of Reince Priebus’s election as chairman in January.

Responding to the Republicans who provided statements to SBA List, Planned Parenthood spokesperson Tait Sye attacked the GOP for backing a “misguided proposal.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Potential GOP Presidential Contenders: Defund Planned Parenthood" by Laura Bassett, Huffington Post 4/4/11

Other potential big-name presidential contenders, including former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (Ga.), have also expressed their support for defunding Planned Parenthood in recent months.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-Fla.), a breast cancer survivor and women's health advocate, said in a conference call on Monday that the recent GOP attacks on Planned Parenthood are politically driven.

Planned Parenthood "is facing unparalleled and purely political attacks under the guise of deficit reduction," she said.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read Pres. Candidates: Abortion & Marriage Top Issues

Pastors May Engage Culture, Liberal Media Warns

More and more mainstream media reporting of Christian Americans and the Tea Party demonstrates that liberal journalists are very fearful of a return of 'the moral majority,' as they print quotes from Christian leaders, like this: “From my perspective, our country is going to hell because pastors won’t lead from the pulpits.”

For background, read Christian Tea Party Analysis is Media Priority and also read Proved: Tea Party Movement is Christian

-- From "An Iowa Stop in a Broad Effort to Revitalize the Religious Right" by Erik Eckholm, New York Times 4/3/11

Nearly 400 Iowa ministers [filled] a ballroom here on March 24 and 25. . . .

These meetings are part of a largely quiet drive to revitalize the religious right by drawing evangelical pastors and their flocks more deeply into politics — an effort given new energy by what conservative church leaders see as the ominous creep of laws allowing same-sex marriage and their sense that America is, literally, heading toward hell.

Support from many of the pastors in the audience here helped Mr. Huckabee, an evangelical minister, win the Iowa Republican caucuses in 2008. He had been the only candidate to appear at a pastors’ meeting before the Republican caucuses and went on to gain a surprise victory, with 60 percent of the caucus voters describing themselves in exit polls as evangelicals.

Mr. Huckabee, of course, was warmly welcomed back at the event here as he declared: “We face a spiritual war in this country. Let this weekend be a time when you say, ‘We will not fail, and America will not fall.’ ”

. . . Mr. Huckabee lavished praise on [meeting organizers] for “bringing pastors together so they go back to their pulpits and light them on fire with enthusiasm, to make America once again the greatest country on earth under God.”

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

Evangelicals' Choices for President (Hint: NOT Obama)

A new survey by the Barna Group shows that more Bible-believing Christians (as opposed to liberal "christians") favor GOP Mike Huckabee for president in 2012, while 94% of evangelicals consider Barack Obama unfavorably.

UPDATE 8/6/11: Texas-sized Prayers to God - Gov. Perry

UPDATE 7/29/11: Michele Bachmann Exposed as Christian by Liberals

UPDATE 5/21/11: Herman Cain: Christian Tea Party Candidate

-- From "Mike Huckabee Holds Strong Lead Among Conservative Christian Bloc" by David Gibson, Religion Reporter, Politics Daily 3/4/11

Huckabee, a former Baptist pastor, is strongest among evangelical Christians -- the 7 percent of the population that Barna defines by the strictest criteria of traditional faith and biblical literalism -- with an 88 percent favorable rating, followed by former Alaska governor and 2008 GOP vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin, with a 79 percent favorable ranking.

The field tails off considerably from there among evangelicals, with Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney -- who are widely expected to be among the first to throw their hats in the ring -- clocking 57 and 56 percent favorability ratings, respectively.

President Obama registers a meager 6 percent approval rating among this group, and an eye-opening 94 percent unfavorability rating.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Poll: Evangelicals have high views of Huckabee, low of Obama" by Michael Foust, Associate Editor, Baptist Press 3/4/11

The fact that [Huckabee] leads among evangelicals is no surprise -- he rode the wave of evangelical support in 2008 to a second-place primary finish -- but it does show that his base of support has not eroded.

Huckabee has led in several major polls examining Republicans' preference for the 2012 nomination:

-- A Gallup Poll of 1,326 Republican voters and Republican-leaning independents showed Huckabee at 18 percent, Romney and Palin at 16 percent each and Gingrich at 9 percent.

-- A Winthrop Poll of only Southern state voters listed Huckabee at 20 percent, Gingrich at 11 percent, Palin at 10 percent, Chris Christie at 8 percent and Romney at 7 percent. The poll surveyed 825 adults Feb. 21-27.

-- An NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll of 282 GOP voters Feb. 24-28 showed Huckabee leading with 25 percent, followed by Romney (21 percent), Gingrich (13 percent) and Palin (12 percent).

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Christian Preferences for 2012 Republican Nomination" by The Barna Group 3/3/11

In the most recent presidential elections, the faith communities of America have played a major role in electing presidents and other important public figures. Breaking down the survey data by more than a dozen religious segments regularly tracked by The Barna Group, the numbers take on yet a different contour. For instance, among evangelical Christians – the 7% of the population who are most concerned about moral issues (among other considerations) and are most involved in religious activity – the favorites are clearly Mr. Huckabee (88% favorable, 11% unfavorable) and Mrs. Palin (79% favorable, 21% unfavorable). There is less warmth directed towards Mr. Gingrich (57% - 37%), Mr. Romney (56% - 29%) and Mr. Paul (51% - 26%).

A larger religious segment – and a pivotal group in the last three elections and a group that is considerably less conservative than its evangelical subset – are born again Christians. Currently, the best favorability numbers from this group have been earned by Mr. Huckabee (58% favorable, 27% unfavorable) and Mr. Romney (49% - 33%). Mrs. Palin is somewhat less popular among born again adults (53% - 45%), while Mr. Gingrich struggles with this group (43% - 47%). Dr. Paul is generally viewed favorably by born agains, but is less well-known among them (39% - 31%).

Those who are from non-Christian faith communities generally like President Obama. His favorability rating among them is 61% positive, 38% negative. In contrast, not a single Republican potential candidate has a favorability rating that is more positive than negative among this faith audience: Gingrich (20% - 67%), Huckabee (30% - 59%), Palin (17% - 80%), Paul (31% - 53%), Romney (35% - 54%).

To read the entire survey results, CLICK HERE.

From "Huck tops Sarah in Fox poll" by Andy Barr, Politico 3/4/11

Sarah Palin . . . The former Alaska governor places third in a new Gallup poll out Friday of regular Fox News viewers’ choice for president.

Her 13 percent among regular Fox watchers ties her with Newt Gingrich and places her behind Mike Huckabee's 18 percent, and Mitt Romney's 17 percent.

“Given that viewership of the channel is common among Republicans, Fox News provides a unique opportunity for possible Republican candidates to raise their profile and increase their potential support,” wrote Gallup’s

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Who Cares About Same-Sex Marriage Anymore?

Where'd the Christians go? It seems they've left the "sleeping Jonah" (The Church) behind, in favor of the Tea Party movement.

Unlike abortion, gay marriage is not the automatic winner for the [political] right that it was as recently as the 1990s when Bill Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act . . .

For background read, Obama 'Throws Marriage Under the Bus' and also read Tea Party Movement vs. 'Gay Agenda Tea Party'

UPDATE 3/27/11: Same-sex marriage no longer such a divisive political issue

-- From "Gay Marriage Seems to Wane as Conservative Issue" by Michael D. Shear and Sheryl Gay Stolberg, New York Times 2/24/11

President Obama’s decision to abandon his legal support for the Defense of Marriage Act has generated only mild rebukes from the Republicans hoping to succeed him in 2012, evidence of a shifting political climate in which social issues are being crowded out by economic concerns.

In the hours [after Obama's decision], Sarah Palin’s Facebook site was silent. Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, was close-mouthed. Tim Pawlenty, the former governor of Minnesota, released a Web video — on the labor union protests in Wisconsin — and waited a day before issuing a marriage statement saying he was “disappointed.”

Others, like Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker, and Haley Barbour, the governor of Mississippi, took their time weighing in, and then did so only in the most tepid terms. “The Justice Department is supposed to defend our laws,” Mr. Barbour said.

Asked if Mitch Daniels, the Republican governor of Indiana and a possible presidential candidate, had commented on the marriage decision, a spokeswoman said that he “hasn’t, and with other things we have going on here right now, he has no plans.”

The sharpest reaction came from Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor, in an interview here during a stop to promote his new book, who called the administration’s decision “utterly inexplicable.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "2012: Gay marriage no longer a potent political issue?" posted at MSNBC.com 2/25/11

SANTORUM: “Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum said Thursday in Iowa that President Obama’s decision to instruct his administration not to prosecute violations of the federal ban on same-sex marriage would ignite the issue in the 2012 Republican presidential campaign,” the Des Moines Register writes.

HUCKABEE: “Mike Huckabee thinks all the early evidence suggests he, not the former Massachusetts governor [Mitt Romney], is the Republican Party’s presidential front-runner,” National Journal writes of an interview with the former governor.

PALIN: Republican activists in key conservative early primary states are turning on Sarah Palin, McClatchy writes. “At a recent gathering in South Carolina, the site of a crucial early presidential primary next year, party activists said the former Alaska governor didn't have the experience, the knowledge of issues or the ability to get beyond folksy slang and bumper-sticker generalities that they think is needed to win and govern.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Gay Marriage Decision May Not Hurt Obama or Help the Religious Right" by David Gibson, Religion Reporter, Politics Daily 2/25/11

Even among evangelicals and other conservatives, opposition [to same-sex 'marriage'] is eroding, especially among a younger generation that doesn't see anything all that wrong with gay and lesbian couples.

Mike Huckabee, a possible 2012 presidential candidate who is far and away the front runner among Republican voters when it comes to social issues and moral values, this week conceded that reality. The former Baptist pastor noted that younger evangelicals have shown an "alarming" trend toward acceptance of homosexual relationships that could complicate political prospects for a candidate like himself who sees gay marriage as a moral threat on par with abortion.

As authors Robert Putnam and David Campbell write in their sweeping new study of faith in the United States, "American Grace," given these trends "homosexuality will become less attractive as a wedge issue in politics and will likely cease to be a potent issue at all." If anything, homosexuality is becoming a dividing line within the Republican Party rather than between Republicans and Democrats, as shown by the boycott of the annual Conservative Political Action Conference by some groups of social conservatives (and not others) over the presence of the conservative gay organization, GOProud.

White evangelicals who form the core of the Republican right (and the tea party movement) remain the most opposed to gay marriage. . . .

To read the entire opinion column above, CLICK HERE.

Will GOP Call 'Truce' in Culture War?

Possible GOP presidential hopeful, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, suggests that Christians set aside hot button social issues to turn focus to more critical issues in America.

UPDATE 3/9/11 Gov. Daniels insists truce is warranted (video):


-- From "Right attacks Daniels comment" by Niki Kelly, Fort Wayne Journal Gazette 6/12/10

He was quoted in a Weekly Standard cover story as saying the next president “would have to call a truce on the so-called social issues,” such as abortion and gay marriage, until the economic crisis is resolved.

The response from prominent Republicans concerned about social issues was swift.

First, Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, took offense to the statements in a newsletter sent out Thursday, noting many of the social issues at hand are supported by the majority of Americans such as not using federal funding to support abortion.

Mike Huckabee, former Arkansas governor and 2012 presidential hopeful, followed up Friday in a fundraising plea on his website by saying Daniels’ suggestion of a truce is “absolutely heartbreaking.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "No 'truce' in sight" by Mary Beth Schneider, Indianapolis Star 6/12/10

"For those of us who have labored long and hard in the fight to educate the Democrats, voters, the media and even some Republicans on the importance of strong families, traditional marriage and life to our society, this is absolutely heartbreaking," Huckabee said. "And that one of our Republican leaders would suggest this truce, even more so."
. . .

Although the comment has rankled some national conservatives, it mirrors Daniels' 5 1/2 years as Indiana's leader -- not pushing hot-button social issues but making fiscal matters a priority.

During a 2005 partisan battle over the right to pray to Jesus in the General Assembly, Daniels said prayers in government venues must be inclusive, though he called a court decision mandating inclusion "regrettable." In the same session, property tax reform was the No. 1 issue.

Daniels warned lawmakers in the last legislative session to be wary of making it harder for businesses to hire employees when a measure was proposed that penalized businesses that knowingly hired illegal immigrants.

Of a measure that would have made it illegal for most Hoosier women, including victims of rape and incest, to have an abortion, Daniels said he opposed abortion rights but questioned whether Indiana should devote time and money to overturning the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision that made the procedure legal.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Righting America: The Call to Christians

". . . the problems that this country has are with us, who claim we know the Lord but have not lived it, and we've not been as faithful," [Mike] Huckabee told the crowd. "So, repentance and revival cannot start in the [U.S. Capitol] building behind me until it starts in the temple inside me."

-- From "Evangelicals gather in the nation's capital" From CNN's Kate Bolduan and Eric Marrapodi 8/16/08

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Evangelicals from across the country gathered by the thousands on the National Mall in Washington Saturday in support of returning to core Evangelical issues — but also addressing some political ones.

The event was organized by a religious group known as "The Call." It was described as a time for prayer and fasting. But some participants talked politics as well.

"Those issues have historically not been political, they have been made political. When court imposed abortion, it became a political issue. When courts impose same sex marriage, it becomes a political issue, but those were issues within the realm of the church for years. They become political issues only in terms of how they are being discussed today," Tony Perkins, head of the Family Research Council, told CNN.

Mike Huckabee, former GOP presidential candidate, former Arkansas governor and an ordained Baptist minister, made an appearance, telling the crowd he was appearing as a pastor, not a politician.

-- From "America Needs New ‘Great Awakening,’ Huckabee and Evangelicals Say" by Kevin Mooney, Staff Writer CNSNews.com 8/17/08

Huckabee, a former Republican contender for the presidential nomination, said the “Great Awakening” is needed to help revitalize the nation’s founding principles and cultural standing so that innocent life can be spared.

He told reporters that, in many respects, the notion of “inalienable rights,” as expressed by Thomas Jefferson, is just as radical now as it was in the founding period and must be vigorously defended – especially the right to life.

“Every single life has intrinsic worth and value,” Huckabee said. “No human life is worth more than another and no human life is worth less than another. If we truly believe that, then we have to stand up unapologetically for life against this wholesale destruction.”

The success or failure of the pro-life cause is directly tied to the spiritual health and well-being of American civilization, Huckabee said.

“We should never forget that the manner in which we treat others is the manner in which we invite others to treat us,” he continued. “If we are a society that makes it OK to slaughter innocent life and vulnerable life we are in essence inviting others to feel that way toward us. That’s why this issue has never been a political one for me.”

The separation that exists now between contemporary Americans and the Founding Fathers can be traced in large part to judicial activism and historical revision, Huckabee said in response to a question from CNSNews.com.

Out of the 56 signers to the Declaration of Independence, 26 had biblical or seminary degrees, Huckabee pointed out. This simple fact is routinely overlooked in educational institutions, he lamented.

“Go down to the Mall and look at any of the monuments and you will see that they [the Founders] often spoke of providence,” he said. “There has been a rewriting of history to pretend this isn’t true.”

The cross-denominational assembly scheduled to take place Saturday on the National Mall should not be viewed as a political event, Huckabee observed.

Instead, he said, it is intended to “transcend political ideology” and to raise awareness about issues of life and death that will impact the long-term health of American culture.

Bishop Harry Jackson, meanwhile, said the country is “on the verge of tremendous problems” if certain cultural trends are not reversed.

Jackson also told CNSNews.com that the partnership between evangelicals and Roman Catholics on pro-life issues and other cultural questions is critically important and will figure prominently in the years ahead.

“We would not have as much strength, force and vitality without Roman Catholics,” he said.

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.