I Am Appalled.

One thing that really eats me up with all the critics in the election (all of them, not just critics of Huckabee, they just triggered this post), is the misdirected refutation. I was listening to a talk radio show earlier called, “The American View“, and one of the things I noticed was that they seemed to think there was only one American view. I understand being and absolutist, but there’s a difference between there only being one way to heaven, and there only being one way to view America, or to view the Constitution, or to view a policy. But that’s a side note. What I really wanted to address is some of the things they said against Huckabee in this broadcast. They took clips of Huckabee’s interview with Tim Russert on Meet the Press and they critiqued it. I want to look at some of the things they said. Some of it absolutely appalled me. Not because they were critiquing a the candidate I’m supporting, but because of the way they did it, it was a beautiful example of miss-the-mark refutation, and a display of narrow mindedness. It was such a bad witness. 

If somebody says they are a Christian, and they believe in these certain values, don’t tell them they are not. These talk show hosts insinuated that Huckabee was not a Christian by saying, “If you are a Christian you understand these things. And he doesn’t get it.” You may not agree with his policies, and that’s fine. That’s your right. But just because you don’t think his ideas advance the values he’s claiming doesn’t mean that he’s lying when he says he values that. It just means you have different ideas about how to uphold that value. Just because he answers the question differently than you think you would have doesn’t mean that he’s not a Christian. The talk show hosts started talking about the scripture in which Jesus says, “if you don’t confess me before men”, and they actually tried to convince the audience that Huckabee “ran away” from professing Christ because he tried to take the attention off of the fact that he was a pastor and put it onto the fact that he was a governor for longer. He wasn’t running from Christ. He was redirecting the conversation back to the reason the conversation was even happening: the Presidency. He’s running for President of the United States, not pastor of the United States.

The communication on this talk show was horrible.  I don’t know about you, but I’m thinking it’s probably not a good witness to be comparing a professing Christian to a snake charmer because he is a smooth speaker and he can answer the question without offending people. 

Huckabee was talking about how he gets asked the God question a lot, and how he wishes that didn’t always come up, and the talk show hosts were trying to convince their audience that those are wonderful opportunities for Huckabee to “give a thirty minute sermon”. (Now I understand that the 30 minutes was sarcastic.) But the thought that every question about God is an opportunity for a sermon is just false. It’s a platform, not a pulpit. There’s a difference. A big one. I applaud Huckabee for NOT giving a sermon every time somebody asks a question about God. You cannot do that as President of the United States and expect to win respect of other countries’ leaders, especially ones that disagree with you. Again, he’s not running to be the pastor of the United States, he’s running to be the President of the United States. That being said, I think Huckabee should expect to be asked those questions, he is the only preacher up there, so naturally the questions will go to him. (That doesn’t make it right, but it’s reality.)

When asked about his quote from his book on homosexuality, and told that it could be perceived as him trying to push his faith on other people, Huckabee responded “It’s not a faith issue, it’s deeper than that.” Their response was, “What? It’s deeper than a spiritual issue? Nothing is deeper than a spiritual issue.” Two logical fallacies in that.

1.) Straw Man fallacy: (Twisting the argument and attacking the twisted argument) He said “faith” issue, not “spiritual” issue. There’s a difference. The twisted the his point and then attacked it. Faith doesn’t equal spiritual. I have faith in the Constitution. It is definitely not a spiritual issue. Your convictions don’t always translate into the spiritual realm. 

2.) Second logical fallacy: Equivocation. (Changing the meaning of a word in the middle of an argument) Huckabee was finding the most common ground with as many people as possible. His point was that it’s not wrong because his religion said so, it’s wrong because at a human level it’s violating a right, a natural order, etc. When Huckabee said “faith” he was referring to religion, not “values”, “God”, or “the substance of things not seen”.

I don’t have a problem with people who disagree with me, or a candidate I support. Go for it. You have that right. But don’t attack their character because you don’t like their policies. Not only is that a bad witness. It’s also unethical. Can you say “ad hominem”?

 

Oooh, look, another fallacy.

 

I’m not saying everything the hosts said was false, or wrong (though a large percentage of it was). But the way the presented it made me ashamed to be associated with them as a Christian. It’s not enough to be right. You have to be able to present it. Professionally. And making judgements about a person’s commitment to Christ because you disagree with their policies or the way they answered the question is not it. 

 

Issue-by-issue breakdown

I realize that I’ve been sending e-mails telling you to vote for Huckabee, but haven’t really provided much of a reason why beyond the vague, “he’s-a-Christian-conservative-that-has-some-good-ideas”. So let me expound a little bit in an issue-by-issue format. I will borrow heavily from the page on his website on the “Issues”. I’ll keep this as short as I can, but I do want to put as much information in here as I can. I won’t be able to cover every issue, because understandably there isn’t time to read it. But I do want to provide you with some of the biggest ones. These are not in order of importance.

Reason #1, His Faith and Politics:
One of the most important things about a candidate is the way they believe, and whether or not that does, or should influence the decisions that they make. This is what Gov. Huckabee has to say about that:

My faith is my life – it defines me. My faith doesn’t influence my decisions, it drives them. For example, when it comes to the environment, I believe in being a good steward of the earth. I
don’t separate my faith from my personal and professional lives.

He is right. What you believe about God, and whether or not He exists, (and if you think He does) what He’s like, will shape your actions. Huckabee rightly recognizes that his faith more than influences his decisions, it drives them. We need a person like that in the White House.

Reason #2, His Belief in the Sanctity of Life:
Mike Huckabee firmly supports a right to life amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Since we are guaranteed rights to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”, a constitutional amendment sounds like it would be right in line with everything every true American stands for. In fact, Gov. Huckabee first got involved in politics because of his belief about he sanctity of life, when he helped to pass Arkansas’ Unborn Child Amendment, which requires the state to do everything it legally can to protect life.

Reason #3, His Educational Stance:
Gov. Huckabee has a very strong educational stance. He believes that music and the arts are not extraneous or extra-curricular, they are essential, and he wants to provide every student with these. He calls them “Weapons of Mass Instruction”. Test scores rose dramatically while he was Governor of Arkansas because of his education reforms.
- He supports homeschoolers, and believes that the choice between charter, public, and homeschools should be available. From his website:

I have been a strong, consistent supporter of the rights of parents to home school their children, of creating more charter schools, and of public school choice.

We need somebody with these beliefs, with that record for our President. Huckabee has both.

Reason #4, His Stance on Health Care:
I’ll let Gov. Huckabee speak for himself:

- The health care system in this country is irrevocably broken, in part because it is only a “health care” system, not a “health” system.
- We don’t need universal health care mandated by federal edict.
- We do need to get serious about preventive health care.
- I advocate policies that will encourage the private sector to seek innovative ways to bring down costs.
- I value the states’ role as laboratories for new market-based approaches.
- When I’m President, Americans will have more control of their health care options, not less.
- As President, I will work with the private sector, Congress, health care providers, and other concerned parties to lead a complete overhaul of our health care system.
- Our health care system is making our businesses non-competitive in the global economy. It is time to recognize that jobs don’t need health care, people do, and move from employer-based to consumer-based health care.

Of all the candidates he has the strongest stance on health care and he’s absolutely right.

Reason #5, His Stance on Taxes and the Economy:
Gov. Huckabee supports the FairTax. (For more explanation of the FairTax, read below.) As Governor of Arkansas, he cut taxes and fees almost 94 times, saving the taxpayers almost $380 million, and when he left office, he left a surplus of nearly $850 million, which he urged should go back to the people. He believes that our massive deficit is not due to Americans’ being under-taxed, but to the government’s over-spending.

The FairTax will replace the Internal Revenue Code with a consumption tax, like the taxes on retail sales forty-five states and the District of Columbia have now. All of us will get a monthly rebate that will reimburse us for taxes on purchases up to the poverty line, so that we’re not taxed on necessities. That means people below the poverty line won’t be taxed at all. We’ll be taxed on what we decide to buy, not what we happen to earn. We won’t be taxed on what we choose to save or the interest those savings earn. The tax will apply only to new goods, so we can reduce our taxes further by buying a used car or computer.

As always, you can find more information on his website. His record clearly shows that his ideas work. There are rumors out there that he raised this tax or that. But when you look at the overall record: 94 tax cuts, saving taxpayers $380 million, and a surplus of nearly $1 billion dollars, that’s a great record. Let’s give that opportunity to the federal government by putting a man in office that knows how to do that kind of job.

Reason #6, His Stance on the War in Iraq:
Gov. Huckabee’s website:

Iraq is a battle in our generational, ideological war on terror. The Democrats deny that the war in Iraq is part of the war on terror even as we fight Al Qaeda there. Al Qaeda seeks permanent bases in Anbar province to plot and train against us. General Petraeus and our troops are giving their all to provide a window of opportunity for the Iraq government to succeed, while the Democrats are running for the exit doors. The surge is a military means to achieve the political end of sectarian reconciliation. Setting a timetable for withdrawal is a mistake. This country has never declared war until “a week from Wednesday,” we have always declared war until victory. I am focused on winning. Withdrawal would have serious strategic consequences for us and horrific humanitarian consequences for the Iraqis. I support a regional summit so that Iraq’s neighbors become militarily and financially committed to stabilizing Iraq.

Reason #7, His Stance on Immigration:
This is a big issue, so I want to give you the main points of his stance as taken from his website:

* Securing our borders must be our top priority and has reached the level of a national emergency.

* I support the $3 billion the Senate has voted for border security. This money will train and deploy 23,000 more agents, add four drone planes, build 700 miles of fence and 300 miles of vehicle barriers, and put up 105 radar and camera towers. This money will turn “catch and release” into “catch and detain” of those entering illegally, and crack down on those who overstay their visas.

* In this age of terror, immigration is not only an economic issue, but also a national security issue. Those caught trying to enter illegally must be detained, processed, and deported. As Governor, I ordered my state troopers to work with the Department of Homeland Security to arrest illegals and enforce federal immigration law.

* I oppose and will never allow amnesty. I opposed the amnesty President Bush and Senator McCain tried to ram through Congress this summer, and opposed the misnamed DREAM Act, which would have put us on the slippery slope to amnesty for all.

* I oppose and will not tolerate sanctuaries for illegals. The federal government must crack down on rogue cities that willfully undermine our economy and national security.

* I oppose giving driver’s licenses to illegals and supports legislation to prevent states from doing so. In 2005, I signed legislation that prevents illegals in Arkansas from getting driver’s licenses.

* I will stop punishing cities which try to enforce our laws and protect the economic well-being, physical safety, and quality of life of their citizens.

* I oppose and will not tolerate employers who hire illegals. They must be punished with fines and penalties so large that they will see it is not worth the risk.

* I oppose the economic integration of North America that would create open borders among the United States, Canada, and Mexico. I will never yield one iota or one inch of our sovereignty.

* I will take our country back for those who belong here. No open borders, no amnesty, no sanctuary, no false Social Security numbers, no driver’s licenses for illegals.

It’s a tough stance for a tough issue, and we need this man in the White House.

Reason #8, His Ability to Communicate:
One of the most impressive things about Huckabee is his ability to communicate. No, I’m not talking about his suave speaking style or his tendency to be funny and likable. That’s a part of it, but when I talk about his ability to communicate, I’m talking about his ability to state the truth concisely and make others see the beauty in it.

Reason #9, Let’s Face It, This is the Best Reason:
He plays the bass. Plain and simple, that rocks. (And the name of his band is Capitol Offense, if that isn’t brilliant, I don’t know what is!) But in all seriousness, what it does demonstrate is that Gov. Huckabee is real. He has put time into mastering something else besides politics. It shows that his life hasn’t been consumed with his public image and the political world. It shows that he is a normal person, and that he can relate with people because he shares something in common with many of them.

Gov. Huckabee is humble, but he a patriot. He’s gentle, but he’s firm. He will stand up for the truth, because that’s worth standing up for. He has nothing to hide and he hides nothing. He has long held these convictions and he didn’t just find them in time to run for President. If you have any questions about any of his platforms, you can always find out more on his website: http://www.mikehuckabee.com, and then click on Issues.

God bless you all, and don’t forget to vote!