Huckabee speaks their language

By Lee Bandy
SouthCarolina Insider

(12/14/07) Why should evangelical Christians support Mitt Romney, a Mormon, for president when they have the “real deal” in former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, an ordained Baptist preacher?

Simple, they consider the Arkansan an authentic Christian leader. He speaks their language. They don’t have to ask what he stands for.

His recent rise is partly because of uncertainty among activists about Romney’s social conservative credentials.

Huckabee, a Southern Baptist preacher before entering politics, is viewed by evangelicals as solidly with them on issues such as abortion rights and gay marriage.

He openly campaigns as a “Christian leader.”

He speaks passionately about family and the need to secure “a better America” for future generations.

His message resonates with voters.

“He knows how to speak their language,” said Oran Smith, president of the Palmetto Family Life Council.

Huckabee told a gathering of Christian conservatives in South Carolina recently that he had the toughest position against gay marriage of any Republican candidate.

“Unless Moses comes down with two stone tablets from Brokeback Mountain to tell us something different, we need to keep that understanding of marriage,” he said, referring to the movie about two gay cowboys.

The audience loved it.

“That comment is worth 10,000 votes in South Carolina,” remarked Clemson University political scientist Dave Woodard.

“Every time he speaks to these social conservatives, he peels the paint off the wall with his comments.”

In recent days social conservatives have been flocking to Huckabees’ campaign in Iowa and South Carolina.

The folksy former Arkansas governor has vaulted from single-digit figures just a few short weeks ago to the lead spot in opinion polls in the crucial states of Iowa and South Carolina.

Until recently, the Republican Party’s conservative Christian base had sat back observing, hesitant to unite a round a single candidate. They wanted to see how the field was going to develop. They wanted to hear what Romney was going to say about faith in politics.

Well, they heard and were disappointed. The next day, Romney’s numbers tumbled as conservative Christians flocked to Huckabee’s candidacy.

“We’ve been swamped with calls from people wanting to join the campaign,” said Mike Campbell, state campaign director for Huckabee. “It’s like drinking from a fire house.”

Social conservatives, who comprise a voting bloc that now makes up nearly a quarter of the Republican electorate, are politically active and well connected to a powerful network that includes a number of mega churches.

Given an extra lease on life, these religious conservatives are now operating on a newfound belief that Huckabee can win the nomination, and that their efforts on his behalf will not be wasted.

Political observers want to think Romney’s religion won’t be a problem. He’s an appealing candidate with compassionate conservative allure.

But a recent poll found that 17 percent of Americans said they would have qualms electing a Mormon to the White House.

Romney’s Mormon faith threatens to derail his candidacy. His obstacle is the evangelical base - a voting bloc that wields a lot of influence in a primary state like South Carolina.

For many evangelicals it is a doctrinal thing based on very specific theological disputes that can’t be overcome by personality or charm.

To evangelicals, Mormonism isn’t just another religion. It’s a cult. The Southern Baptist church – the largest denomination in South Carolina - has branded it as such.

Many evangelicals are taking the high road, avoiding any public attacks on Romney or his faith. Many remain tight-lipped on the issue.

But they make no secret of what they will do when they walk into that voting booth on primary election day. They will vote for Huckabee.