Mike Huckabee for President 2008!
November 5th, 2007 by natalie
After considerable delay in making a firm decision as to who I would support for the Republican Presidential nomination, I have finally been compelled to cast my vote for Mike Huckabee, former Arkansas Governor. The factor that compelled me? Yesterday Mom and I stopped by our church library to check out some books. My curiosity was piqued by one titled, “Character Is the Issue
One of the slogans being used in support of Mike Huckabee is “I like Mike.” But, as I told my family this morning, with the content of the book still fresh on my mind “I really like Mike!” Here are 8 reasons why:
1. Mike is unapologetically Christian. He meets the qualifications set forth in Exodus 18 for a leader: able man, fears God, man of truth, hates covetousness.
“My philosophy of life is to take God very seriously, but never to take myself very seriously. Fear God, honor Him, love Him, worship Him, and always remember He is the standard. He is personified in Jesus Christ; therefore, whatever He says He is, we take that seriously. On the other hand, I do not take myself too seriously. I can’t afford to feel self-important or indispensable. Other people have been governor of Arkansas and more will follow after I’m gone. There isn’t a job in this world somebody else hasn’t done, will do, and probably will do better. I could compare myself to others, but that is not my standard. My standard is Christ; I will have to answer to Him alone.“1
2. Mike is a good communicator. Whether television, radio or in writing, Mike has an ability to communicate effectively, exhibiting confident leadership and helping people understand the reasons behind his decisions and actions.
3. Mike understands the heart of true leadership. Servant leadership isn’t just a trendy term for him, it’s the philosophy undergirding his political ambitions.
“Servant leadership is the highest form of leadership. It’s not the same as doormat leadership. To see your role as servant leader is the ultimate biblical model of leadership. I expect our employees to treat others like they want to be treated, that they understand their job is not to be served but to serve, that they are never to be rude. The people out there who call, write, or visit are not our problem, irritation, or interruption; they are our job. Our challenge is not to get those people out of the way so that we can do our work; our work is to help those people.“2
4. Mike’s life of character and integrity is inspiring. He makes others want to do their work with excellence and encourages them to work together to plan and implement great ideas.
5. Mike brings about results. During his tenure as Governor of Arkansas, Mike led the state in some major reforms, tax cuts and cuts in government spending that ultimately left the state with over $800 million in state surplus. Boy could we use some of that in the federal government!
6. Mike is willing to address the root problems in our society. Rather than creating superficial programs to apply temporary bandages to problems - whether they be moral, economic, crisis/disaster, etc. - he calls for the return of government to people at a local level and initiatives that direct citizens to lasting solutions that will lead to greater individual freedom and success.
“We must come to see that our core problem is not lack of education but lack of righteousness. We don’t need more information as much as we need new hearts.“3
7. Mike is tolerant in the right sense of the word. While remaining unmoved in his personal beliefs and convictions, Mike advocates for the right of every citizen to hold and express their own personal beliefs. Rather than polarizing those who think differently, he respects them, persists in communicating openly with them and is committed to working with all for what he believes is right and best.
8. Mike’s positions on the issues that are most important to me are firmly grounded in the Word of God, the Constitution and a wealth of personal experience.
While I may not agree with Mike Huckabee on every theological, orthopraxical (it’s a word now… 
), or policy issue, I am confident that he is the absolute best candidate in the race for President of the United States of America in 2008. I love his hopeful, optimistic outlook on the future and his insightful and positive ideas for bringing about much-needed change in our country. I hope you will join me in supporting Mike Huckabee financially and through your prayers and campaign efforts.
Here are some links to help you track down additional information about Mike Huckabee:
Official Campaign Website: http://www.mikehuckabee.com/ - be sure to subscribe to the official blog
Team Huckabee: http://teamhuckabee.com/ - here you can find Mike’s written position on the different issues, as well as numerous other resources
Huck’s Army: http://hucksarmy.com/ - a helpful site with a great collection of videos, ideas for getting involved, an active forum, and more
Kansas will be holding its Presidential Caucus on Saturday, February 9. Be sure to check out the official site and sign up for the e-mail updates for more information.
“When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.”
Proverbs 29:2
Reference:
1. Character Is the Issue by Mike Huckabee, copyright 1997, pp.117-118
2. Character Is the Issue by Mike Huckabee, copyright 1997, pp.43
3. Character Is the Issue by Mike Huckabee, copyright 1997, pp.138
I’m very excited about reading the book, too! How I tremendously loved the content from the excerpts. Who knows, I might read the whole book in one day also?
I’m so EXCITED!:) Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Glad you’re excited, sis! You’ll have to let me know what you think once you’ve finished the book. Thanks for your comment!
~natalie
Hello!
Because of your political involvement I check in on your blog from time to time to see if there is anything I can help with or be a part of. Because of my respect for your political knowledge, I am curious what made you choose Huckabee over Ron Paul. I know Paul’s foreign policy seems a little drastic, but a with a democratic house things would be more even keeled. He is a Christian, an avid supporter of homeschoolers, has the most coservative voting record of all time, and is staunchly pro-life (was just endorsed by Norma McCorvey). He is for small government, and a return to the constitution. He is against the federal reserve (a parasitic entity, read “Creature from Jekyll Island,” an expose on the creation of the reserve by Griffin). What are your thoughts?
We have chatted before and I helped with a phone bank at your home. Im a friend of Ruth Baker’s… Hope that jogs your memory?
Hey Sandy!
Of course I remember you! I’m sure life is busy for you these days…
Good question. To be honest, as I’ve heard more things recently about Huckabee, I have wavered in my support. It is just so hard to sift through all the “news” to try to discern what is true, what is exaggerated, what is bias, etc.
There are some things that I really like about Ron Paul. There are other things that concern me. From what I can gather reading his writings and position on various issues, he seems to take an almost entirely hands-off approach with the federal government and instead leaves almost everything under the jurisdiction of the individual states. Granted, my understanding of constitutional law is very limited, but certain issues do rightfully belong under the jurisdiction of the federal government. For example, the federal government has the responsibility to protect the life of every citizen. Specifically, the 14th Amendment to the Constitution states, in part, “nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” While Ron Paul is personally pro-life and has supported some pro-life measures, he would leave this issue entirely to the states. He writes, “Under the 9th and 10th amendments, all authority over matters not specifically addressed in the Constitution remains with state legislatures. Therefore the federal government has no authority whatsoever to involve itself in the abortion issue. So while Roe v. Wade is invalid, a federal law banning abortion across all 50 states would be equally invalid.” At the Values Voter debate in September, Dr. Paul also indicated that he would oppose legislation that would protect cognitively-disabled people like Terri Schiavo from being starved to death. To me, this seems to be a gross contradiction. (Unless Dr. Paul does not believe that unborn babies or cognitively disabled people are living persons…which would be an equally untenable position for me to accept.) If allowing a state to legalize abortion or euthanasia is not in direct violation of the 14th amendment, I don’t know what it is.
Ron Paul takes similar positions on stem cell research and marriage – either letting communities, states or “the market” determine them, rather than upholding an absolute biblical position. These moral issues are so critical, and will become more so in the years ahead. As much as I appreciate his adherence to mostly constitutional principles, I am much more comfortable voting for a President whom I believe will uphold and advocate biblical standards on these issues. As much as I dislike Huckabee’s position on some of the other issues (I guess you could call it a hands-on approach…ugh), on these fundamental issues he seems to operate from a biblical standpoint (certainly more so than any of the other candidates still in the race, at least as far as I’m aware).
Anyway…that’s where I’m at right now. I’d be very interested to hear your thoughts in response. It sounds like you’ve been following this pretty closely and are supporting Ron Paul. What do you think?