The Huckabee Crusade

In Iowa, the growing appeal of the Mike Huckabee phenomenon can be largely attributed to the way his style and manner contrasts with Mitt Romney. Romney is the Ken Doll of presidential candidates – his shameless pandering and flexible principles, as well as his perfect hair and expensive suits, embody everything we have grown to distrust in politicians. On the other hand, Huckabee is one of the rare candidates who can draw you in with his eloquence, his genuineness, and his natural charm. If Romney was cold and calculating, many saw Huckabee as sincere and principled. If Romney is ivory towers and country clubs, Huckabee is the neighbor you’d invite over for dinner. And to top things off, he was the candidate who ushered in the much-anticipated arrival of Chuck Norris into presidential politics.

But as the issue of faith becomes more prominent in this campaign, some of Huckabee’s luster is wearing off and he’s beginning to resemble the typical politician we so desperately hoped he wasn’t. Don’t get me wrong, I respect Huckabee because I truly believe his sincerity of faith may run deeper than anyone else in the race. And it’s important that he has invoked the tenants of his faith in commendable efforts as Governor to provide health insurance for lower income children, alleviate poverty, and support a humane immigration policy…even if he distances himself from those stances today. Until recently, he spoke of his faith sincerely and articulately, and in a way that even secular Americans could clearly understand and appreciate.

Sadly, to cement his base of support among Iowa Evangelicals and fend off Romney down the home stretch, he has resorted to the politicization of his faith – a disturbing and growing trend in Republican politics. Americans have almost become resigned to these tactics but we also thought Mike Huckabee was different. He was the Baptist Minister with the theology degree who relied on his faith to bring us together, not tear us apart. Now he is the candidate who plays the religion card to exploit the insecurities of those who hold prejudice against others who may or may not be “Christians.”

The temptation for Huckabee to employ these tactics was inevitable but we hoped he wouldn’t take the bait. Now that he has, it has cheapened his campaign and it has cheapened the very faith he espouses. In the end, is it more about the origins of a particular faith and which bible you read (or do not read), or is it more about how the followers of a particular faith, or even those who don’t adhere to a particular faith, choose to live their lives? Calling someone out for falling under a different religious category, especially if you are a “Christian leader” such as a Baptist Minister, is nothing more than a shameless way of appealing to the worst in people.

His tactics may ultimately appeal in a Republican primary where a number of ideologues genuinely believe someone is a lesser person because of their particular faith, but it will surely backfire. When it comes to faith and politics, I believe the American people, even a good number of Republicans, want change. We are tired of a president who uses his faith to justify waging war, to veto vital funding for medical research, and to write discrimination into the Constitution. We want someone to bring us together, not someone to tear us farther apart.