I wrote the following as a comment on TheMartimeSentry's blog. It's in response mainly to some comments that Mike Huckabee should under no circumstances accept a position on a ticket headed by Giuliani. If Mike agrees with that sentiment, it would be disastrous to his campaign and make him unelectable in a national election -- ever.
I think OneMom's column (which The Martime Sentry reprints) touches on some extremely important issues. We Republicans need to stop defending things that are indefensible, such as our high-cost, low-performance health system. We have an infant mortality rate that is shameful, and that should deeply concern everyone who is pro-life.
At the same time, some of the comments in the blog (such as the ones about how terrible Giuliani is) strike me as politically naive. Frankly, if Mike is NOT the nominee this year and decides to take a walk, he might return in 2012 or 2016 with no one following him.
In fact, it's entirely proper for people to ask Mike to "take the pledge": that is, to support strongly whoever the nominee is. If he in fact is the nominee, he would expect no less from the other candidates.
Mike's goal is not to win Arkansas or to be "President of the Bible Belt." It is to win 35-plus states. Many of those states outside the South associate evangelicals not with Mike Huckabee but with Jimmy Swaggert and "Jim and Tammy Faye." He needs to convince people that he is not a narrow-minded ideologue.
We Republicans have a Herculean job of rebuilding to do. Many of the people Mike Huckabee is going to ask to support him DO NOT agree with him on all issues, including some important ones. He must make people aware that he has no intention of continuing the political "food fight" in Washington, DC.
Unlike Democrats, we Republicans tend to go around with a long list of groups whose support we don't want. That is a destructive act. When Jesus talked about loving our neighbors, He wasn't just referencing those who agree with us.
steve maloney
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2 comments:
Hi Steve - I just want to clarify something in this post ... it was not my blog that talked negatively about Giuliani. I am trying very hard to take my cue from Mike Huckabee and focus on him, his character, his ideas and his stand on the issues. He said last week, that he is running FOR President, not AGAINST anyone.
I have heard about the petition to get Governor Huckabee to promise not to be Mayor Giuliani's running mate, but personally I think any talk of Huckabee being a vice-president is hugely premature. Presidents and Vice-Presidents rarely agree on everything. My gut reaction is that IF it came down to it, wouldn't it be better to have Huckabee in Washington DC as the VP on a Republican ticket, than to not have him in Washington at all? His terms as Governor in Arkansas were all marked by his amazing ability to work with people with diverse views and bring them together for the good of the people of Arkansas ... I expect no less from him in DC as our President (or VP if it comes to that, but it is truly not the time to even think of that, because his campaign to be President is just beginning to soar!)
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