My email box is slowly filling up with article after article connecting presidential candidate Mike Huckabee’s sudden rise to significance in Iowa to the organization of homeschoolers. A sampling:
Julie Roe, with characteristic homeschool thrift, is spotlighted in an article from the Washington Post:
With no buttons, no yard signs and no glossy literature from his nearly invisible Iowa campaign, she took a pair of scissors and cut out a photograph of the former Arkansas governor. She pasted it on a piece of paper, scribbled down some of his positions, made copies and launched the Huckabee for President campaign in rural Hardin County.
The Times Online (out of the UK) introduces us to the stealth campaign that rocketed the “hick that can beat Hillary Clinton” out of obscurity:
Huckabee outmanoeuvred his rivals by getting the faith-based home-school movement, the gun lobby and evangelical church groups in Iowa to use their organ-isational muscle on his behalf for free.
The Des Moines Register informs us that,
Thousands of evangelical Christians who school their children at home have found a candidate they can support in Huckabee, and they provide the former Arkansas governor’s outsider campaign with hundreds of volunteers.
The paragraph following this begins with an interesting phrase. “Although not monolithic…” And there I would like to pause for a moment. I like Mike. I really do. I don’t even know why, but I like him. Maybe it is just because that Chuck Norris ad made me laugh out loud. But I don’t know that I’ll be voting for him. I haven’t decided whom I’ll be voting for, yet. But rest assured, the candidate’s stand on homeschooling is on the bottom of my list of concerns.
That may come as a surprise to my readers, and a bigger surprise to those who think they know how conservative Christian homeschoolers make up their minds about whom to vote for. None of the candidates that even have a chance at my vote (along with most of the ones who do not) have ever said or done anything so egregious against homeschooling that I honestly fear what will happen to my educational liberties should they gain office.
I am more concerned about how they measure against basic constitutional principles than their specific stance on any one issue. And even at that, one thing must be remembered: The president is not the king.
I was personally disturbed by the fact that HSLDA PAC made any endorsement for a presidential candidate. A summary of their stances on educational issues, much like the NEA provides, would have been appreciated. But I do tire of being told how to think, who to call and what to say in their various alerts. Now I’m being instructed how to vote? I like information and an organization that can give me that in an easy to scan format will have my support. But I can make up my own mind, thank you.
Homeschooling, even conservative Christian homeschooling, is not monolithic. But I think the perception that we are is exactly what is driving the current media frenzy over Huckabee’s rise in the polls. Made most clear by The New York Times’ handling,
Christine and Chuck Hurley have raised and home-schooled their 10 children here, and five of those children will be eligible to vote in the Iowa caucus on Jan. 3.
If Mr. and Mrs. Hurley have anything to say about it — and they do, being evangelical Christians who have imbued their children with the mandates of the Ten Commandments, not least the one about honoring thy father and mother — those will be five votes for Mike Huckabee.
What does Christianity have anything to do with children voting like their parents? According to Electoral Politics (1992), by David Kavanaugh, the father’s party preference is the single most influential factor in how a person will vote, regardless of class (p. 133). I am glad that the Hurley’s are passionate about politics and sharing this with their children. Helping in the campaign is a wonderful opportunity for children to learn about and practice civic responsibility. But please, NYT, do not make us out to be a thoughtless, overzealous, hyper-organized army marching to the beat of a single drummer.
Even we Christians are a diverse bunch.
_____
Some other commentary of note:
No Fighting, No Biting shares his concerns with Huckabee.
Woody’s Woundup ruffles a little at the thought that Huckabee could be the “only logical choice for Christians.”
Valerie of Home Education Magazine has put together quite a few links of note regarding Huckabee. I found Spunky’s quote she linked to particularly insightful:
Huckabee is selling himself to conservative Christians as “one of us.” He surmises that if evangelicals don’t get behind his campaign then we will permanently lose our influence in politics. Huckabee is a Christian, but far from conservative on many of the issues that are of importance to us, notabley immigration and education.
Huckebee seeks our support based on the fact that he is a Christian and because he is, most don’t even question his policies. Said one Iowa Christian leader,
“We don’t question what he believes because he is one of us.”
As well as troubling. I would hope that more goes into our decision for who shall lead the nation than “He is one of us.”
[tags]homeschooling, homeschool, Huckabee, election, politics[/tags]
I wonder about the critical thinking skills of folks who will vote for a candidate because of one issue. Or simply because of their religious affiliation, or their gender. There is no *perfect* candidate, but the person has to give me more than one or two reasons to vote for them to get my support.
I used to really love the HSLDA, but the idea that they have set themselves up as representative of All Homeschoolers Everywhere just frosts my taters. It feeds the stereotype of homeschoolers as being rabid conservative Fundies or kooky evangelicals. And I *am* a conservative Fundie Baptist! But I don’t homeschool because public schools are Chock-Full-O-Demons. And neither do most HSing parents. I appreciate what the HSLDA has done to protect the rights of parents to educate their children, but I do think they often take too much upon themselves, and for the organization as a whole to endorse Huckabee (whom I happen to really like for Prez right now) IMO is not kosher with me.
I have watched interviews with Huckabee, and read alot of his stuff, and I have NOT seen him attempting to garner the ‘Christian vote’. I have seen him again and again talk about issues- how to resolve problems in our tax system (Yeah for the Fair Tax!
), addressing educational issues such as school choice and parental rights. I just watched an interview where he said he is happy to talk about his faith, but that is not why anyone should vote for him! So again- I think the media is being disingenuous.
IMO the media *want* to present Christians as being mindless buffalo who will follow any Christian alpha-buffalo over the cliff of reason. They won’t interview or print interviews with folks who don’t support their preconceived notions. And I think alot of the folks who get quoted probably said alot more than what was quoted.
Maybe we should start encouraging our kids to become journalists, and infuse some professionalism and integrity back into a once honorable profession.
I don’t follow too closely–politics make me angry and grumpy, but enough that I know that there are some issues that Huckabee pushes that I disagree with (we are a Libertarian/Constitution party household) and Huckabee leans too much towards big government for my taste. I say this in a whisper and not on my own blog because I have some dear friends who are all for Huckabee and I HATE debate–I can’t change their minds and they AREN’T changing mine.
Thank you for your insightful comments, Sunniemom.
IMO the media *want* to present Christians as being mindless buffalo who will follow any Christian alpha-buffalo over the cliff of reason.
There you captured the main point of my post rather well. : )
And while we are being painted this way, they are reporting as if they were. Across the nation and in different words, every major paper and most of the smaller ones seem to be saying almost exactly the same way.
This isn’t really for or against Huckabee. There are things I like and don’t like about each of the candidates. Last night, I was less convinced by the mantra of “Is Huckabee really a friend to homeschooling” because I don’t think what he did in Arkansas has much bearing on what he’ll be able to do as President. It only served to question why HSLDA chose to endorse him.
Which made a little more sense when I read their endorsement in the context of “Who can we vote for who might actually defeat Clinton?” I don’t know that this is their reasoning. I don’t remember where I read it put like that, but there will be a lot of people voting more against Clinton than for any candidate in Novemeber.
Urgh! I was so irritated over the weekend by all the “Huckabee is the Homeschooler’s Candidate” coverage.
I am a Baptist. I am a conservative Republican who was active in CR’s in college, and who campaigned actively for Bush. Twice.
No way in heck that I’d vote for Huckabee.
The False Conservative:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/25/AR2007112501547_pf.html
Who is Mike Huckabee?
http://www.opinionjournal.com/diary/?id=110010782
Who’s biggest tax raiser?
http://www.arkansasleader.com/2007/11/editorialswhos-biggest-tax-raiser.html
Huckabee Tries to Gloss Over Ark. Record
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8T6P2980&show_article=1
BTW, I’m in total agreement about HSLDA. I was a member for two years, but didn’t renew this year. They seem to have lost focus.
~Heather
I know how you feel, Heather. And I don’t even know who I’m voting for. I may eventually post a sort of summary of each of the candidates and what I like and don’t like about each, but I don’t know.
I appreciate your line, “The president is not the king.” Thank God! A king can do whatever he wants without question. Even if Ron Paul were elected he wouldn’t be able to make the sweeping changes he advocates in our system of government. But do we strengthen the presidents power by looking to the government to solve all of our problems?
LOL I really like Huckabee too–he is personable! But he does not get my vote.
And my husband being a retired Union member, the Union sends out that same kind of literature letting us know how to vote as well; and I have the same reaction that you do LOL I appreciate their thoughts, but I can think for myself and will vote what is best for me–thank you very much!
I always encourage my adult children to vote. I drive them to the polls…even knowing when they will vote in direct opposition to dad and I. I simply want them to participate in their constitutional right to vote, their civic responsibility to participate. They have their own causes, their own points of view and will vote their own conscious…I simply want them to participate!
Great post!
I’m still undecided, too, and I really appreciate this post! And I agree with you on this:
I am more concerned about how they measure against basic constitutional principles than their specific stance on any one issue.
I hate voting. Not that I do not vote. I do! However, the majority of the time, after I leave the voting booth, I feel a little queasy. You know, like that feeling you get after you eat too much chocolate? Or when you were little, and knew that you did something wrong, and you were gonna get it?
I’m tired of feeling like that after I vote. I doubt that Mike Huckabee will give me the voting warm fuzzies, but I don’t think any of the others will either.
Dana, you hit the nail on the head. Saying all homeschoolers vote alike is like saying that all dogs have spots.
And I agree that no one group has the right to represent (or try to think for) the whole.
There is a lot I like about Huckabee. There is a good deal that I don’t like about him, as a candidate as well. And then, there is that pesky problem of NOT KNOWING ENOUGH about him (or many of the other candidates as well).
Just because I’m a homeschooler does not mean I’m going to vote for Huckabee because “that is what the homeschoolers do.” Maybe those denim-wearin’, conversion van drivin’ types, but not necessarily me.
(I hate the whole homeschooler stereotype too, if you didn’t catch my dripping sarcasm)
I like his stance on many things, but his dumb comment about AIDS patients got me. Not the comment itself, but his unwillingness to apologize for it, admit ignorance, and move on. He still “stands by what he said” fifteen years ago which is crazy. Doing things like that makes him look like every politician out there—pandering, pandering, pandering, trying not to offend anyone.
He’s a big taxer. I don’t like that.
But, in all fairness I still have NO CLUE who I’ll be voting for in the primary. Doesn’t matter too much because by the time it arrives in NC, the GOP candidate has already been picked more times than not.
As far as education goes, the only thing bad I can say about Huckabee is that he proposed a plan giving illegal immigrant kids in-state tuition rates and scholarships for college. We’re going to have a tough enough time getting our own kids through college; I don’t want to have to pay for people who aren’t legally here.
I agree with you on the whole idea of not making the homeschooling issue the hill to die (or vote) on. What I really want to hear from the candidates regarding homeschooling (and all education issues, actually) is that it is a local issue, regulated by the 50 states. And other than ensuring that the constitutional rights of all citizens–including homeschoolers–are protected, the federal government doesn’t have much say in the matter.
I’m not gonna hold my breath waiting, though.
BTW, the anti-spam word was “straw”–coincidental with Huck’s activities in Iowa?
I am currently leaning toward Huckabee a bit more than Thompson–and, as has been said many times before, don’t look for the perfect candidate. Just look for the least of many evils. If you don’t speak up, your interests will be completely overlooked.
Just got my voter registration card today! This will be the first primary I vote in.
I won’t ever vote for a person because he says he is a “Christian.” I’m old enough to remember Jimmy Carter (and GW Bush).
Unfortunately, I think Huckabee is playing the politicians’ song, knowing that Christians are so gullible. Unfortunately, Huckabee seems to be getting a lot of endorsements for this very reason.
Personally, I’m going for Ron Paul. It’s about time we had a Constitutionalist back in the office.
Thank you, everyone, for the thoughtful discussion. Renae, you hit exactly on what my dismay is with elections of late.
But do we strengthen the presidents power by looking to the government to solve all of our problems?
That is also why I am not an “issues voter.” Nor am I a “values voter,” just for the record. Everyone has their issues and wants to use the power of the office to get it. But I don’t sit down with a list of issues important to me and check off each candidate.
What I am looking for is a general philosophy of limited government. Conservatives have lost sight of that goal recently, focusing more and their own set of issues and using the power of government to facilitate that. But that isn’t true conservatism. True conservatism recognizes the threat of government and seeks to limit it.
Hannah, you are right that there is no perfect candidate. There are things about each of them I like and things about each of them I am uncomfortable with.
DANA! Yes, yes, yes. Small government. That is it…for me, at least.
You know, his support of a nationwide smoking ban in public places may be an odd place to start with a disagreement, but for some reason that really bugs me. It is telling of a general philosophy that looks to the state as parent.
I can’t seem to decide on issues like smoking bans. It’s legal to smoke, so how can you restrict businesses from catering to people who wish to smoke? But smoking affects others, (it probably is the *real* cause of global warming :p) so why not limit it to outdoors or home? But restaurants and bars? You can just not go to a place that allows smoking- leave that up to the businesses and the customers.
I agree about looking to see which candidate is for limited gov’t. I look at attitude and effectiveness. Are they going to be able to get some good pieces of legislation passed, cut taxes and effect real change, or will they and Congress go back and forth- “I know you are but what am I?” Ugh.
Polls and the media compartmentalize voters into overly-simple chunks of data. I was happy to read your original post and the many comments. We’re a much more diverse group than pigeonholed.
As for me, I am looking for someone I think will be an effective executive. Positions are important, but what kind of management, negotiation, and conflict engagement skills does the want-to-be-President have?
Sunniemom, on a local level I tend to agree with you. I may mock our capital’s smoking ban, but it is a local issue and within local powers, even if I think it is overstepping the bounds of good government.
The Constitution doesn’t give the president that kind of power, and I’d have been much happier if he had said that.
I’ve been irritated by the way the elite media has been spinning this story. Michael Farris does not speak for all the Christian homeschoolers, let alone the entire homeschooling community.
I don’t know whom I’m going to vote for as I have concerns about all the candidates. Sadly enough, it doesn’t even really matter since California has not been competitive in years
Farris endorses Huckabee. To many people, Farris is the voice of HSLDA. To even more, HSLDA is the voice of homeschoolers.
Well, not this one anyway.
HSLDA is a non profit, tax-exempt organization. Endorsing a candidate is in direct violation of federal law. I’m guessing that it’s actually the HSLDA PAC that makes the endorsements – sneaky way to circumvent law.
Campaigning from the pulpit, the slippery slope that too many Christians ignore. Where’s the accountability? If a person googles HSLDA and Huckabee, you’ll see a number of entries around the net that leads the average reader to believe that HSLDA does indeed endorse a presidential candidate. Who’s to blame?
Not the liberals, for sure.
Doc,
That is probably an important distinction…it is actually HSLDA PAC making the endorsement. HSLDA operates under the same nonprofit status as the League of Conservation Voters which does allow for political education but not direct endorsement.
Campaigning from the pulpit is a separate issue, and I can’t say I haven’t seen liberals do it. Jesse Jackson has made his views known in churches as have other Democratic candidates in elections past.
What peeves me is that, even though I tend to vote conservative—-does my pastor, HSLDA, and whomever else think I’m TOO STUPID to make up my own mind?????
I don’t want their advice and endorsements. Ditto for Oprah and every other celebrity/talk show host/media outlet.
GOP or DEM—-I don’t care which side they’re on. There is a difference in “educating” us about a candidate and endorsing a candidate. Endorsement crosses the line when it comes to agencies like HSLDA.
In all the churches I have been in, I’ve never had a pastor endorse a candidate. The closest any have ever come was one elder who stated in the congregation that he would never vote for a pro-choice candidate, regardless of their other issues, and offered a list of pro-life candidates for anyone interested.
They have all taken their nonprofit status seriously…to the point that some won’t mention politics at all which leads me to other concerns.
It was a church in CA, I think, that got in trouble with the IRS for its criticism of Iraq. Under the same rules Doc is talking about.
“Campaigning from the pulpit, the slippery slope that too many Christians ignore. Where’s the accountability? If a person googles HSLDA and Huckabee, you’ll see a number of entries around the net that leads the average reader to believe that HSLDA does indeed endorse a presidential candidate. Who’s to blame?
Not the liberals, for sure.”
I’m not a liberal (I don’t know what I am and hate labels anyway). I try to follow Christ’s Way. I think the points that Dana made in her post are relevant, important and worth a discussion to find a better way.
There are many campaigns based at the pulpit. From the NY Daily News about Harlem’s Abyssinian Baptist Church:”The couple packed the famed church, a venue long considered a can’t-miss stop for pols hoping to win black support.”
Guess which couple.
Senator Obama has also campaigned from the Abyssinian Baptist Church pulpit.
From USA Today
http://www.usatoday.com/news/topstories/2007-10-07-4125943569_x.htm
“In an interview with The Associated Press last week, Obama was asked about walking the line where politics and the pulpit meet.
“There are no set guidelines or play book. When I go to church, I go there to worship. I am perfectly content to sit and listen to the music and pray and listen to the sermon,” Obama said after last weekend’s church services.
Other times — such as this Sunday — Obama takes to the pulpit.
In those instances, he said, “my job is to try to draw a connection between the values that I express to the church and the challenges and issues that we face in politics. … I don’t think there’s anything wrong with expressing faith in the public square and I think there’s nothing wrong public servants expressing religiously rooted values.”
As was pointed out, the only problem with that is it compromises a church’s non-profit status. But that law is apparently not enforced in particular circumstances. Unfortunately, there is no accountability to the law (or Constitution) anymore than with the circumstances of HSLDA supporting Governor Huckabee. Definitely a slippery slope.
Another good read is in the Chicago Sun Times Feb 20, 2007 by Mary Mitchell:
Obama’s better off not playing pulpit politics with S.C. pastor
I didn’t want to list all that for a tit for tat. I think our country has been compromised by the high price (financially and in loss of integrity) with the current state of politics. Using one’s faith for politics isn’t sitting right with me.
Sorry to be SO long. Btw Dana, I got a big kick out of the Chuck Norris ads too.
There was a comment back there a ways about Huckabee being a taxer….and all this talk about who will do what makes me wish we could just put a tax on politician’s hot air. Then the rest of us would get a huge tax cut b/c the politicians would cover all that and the deficit besides.
**I am more concerned about how they measure against basic constitutional principles than their specific stance on any one issue.**
Ditto. I haven’t a clue yet whom I’ll vote for. I’m not happy with the choices. I’m happy that Huckabee is a homeschooler and a Christian – but frankly his record leaves me concerned. And I’m still not sure – the more I hear from all the candidates who will get my vote.
i agree with you that homeschooling is low on my list of why i would or would not vote for a candidate.
i like huckabee also, but many of his ideas limit freedoms (you mentioned the smoking ban, that too) like when he lost weight and wanted the schools to measure the bmi of students. i think that’s reaching too far into the realm of personal choice.
But Huckabee isn’t homeschool in the first place. His strategy makes no sense. All of the issues that he claims to cover are already better covered by other candidates.
I agree with you there, Ayn. : )
And Chickadee, those were the kinds of things that turned me off from him from the start. He has an entirely different philosophy of government from me.