God Strikes Again
At Liberty University, Mike Huckabee basically claims that he’s getting a helping hand from God.
God must really be wanting a smoking ban and a national sales tax. Naturally of course, we all thought God was already voting for Giuliani, seeing as how he wants all those terrorists dead.
Price Controls Are Back
Welcome back price controls, we missed you! George Bush has decided to freeze interest rates to “help out” poor people of course. But this rhetoric is not to be confused with the “save our economy” talk as well - isn’t it nice when these two things magically line up. Of course, no one is talking about the fact that interest rates were dramatically lowered in 2001 and 2002, likely well below market levels causing the very malinvestment that we are paying for today. Unintended consequences are already being predicted.
More Politics
John Edwards’ latest ad says the systems is rigged against you. (video)
Matthew Yglesias says Mitt Romney’s problem is that he did not decide to flip-flop on religion by abandoning his Mormon faith for something more palatable to the Republican base.
In Iraq, “The size of the corruption exceeds the imagination”.
A timeline has just been created of significant acts by the Bush Administration to curtail civil liberties and privacy rights.
Watch what you say on this and other blogs - you may be arrested.
An application for analyzing political values: http://idealog.org/
In Addition
Chris Tilling asks what “proof-texting” means.
An interesting look at Pullman’s Hid Dark Materials trilogy (you know, what the movie Golden Compass is based on): link
I’ve heard expectations that Romney’s Mormonism would hurt him, but I haven’t really seen it. I think he’s more hurt that he’s one of those New England Republicans, which makes you an automatic liberal in many eyes. Religious Right voters have made common cause in politics with Catholics (a huge leap for many) and even Mormons in the past (Utah is probably the most solidly Republican state). The base probably doesn’t buy Romney’s commitment to the pro-life cause.
“At Liberty University, Mike Huckabee basically claims that he’s getting a helping hand from God.”
If Huckabee is a believer, then there is no reason that he shouldn’t say he’s getting a helping hand from God. I mean, I get a helping hand from God every day, so why shouldn’t he? However, if he starts to go down in the polls, he will have to also say that is from God as well.
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I just figured out why I haven’t gotten so interested in the Romney-Mormon story–I grew up in Michigan when his father was governor. I knew George Romney was Mormon, but I guess I didn’t think too much of it. On the other hand, I do remember lots of hand-wringing when a Roman Catholic, JFK, was elected. And I dare say that Mitt Romney would make a better Mormon than JFK was Catholic.
You’re so right.
He should have taken all the credit himself.
Maybe something like.
Because I’m me. We’re surging in the polls because I’m so great. What’s not to like. I mean, I’ve got good ideas. I’m doing a better job than the others. When it really comes down to it, because I am… so great.
Of course I think Huckabee can claim God is helping him, but why would He? I didn’t know God was so in love with killing people overseas, national smoking bans and illegal immigration. Here I was ignorantly thinking God was concerned about a spiritual agenda!
Not to trumpet Ron Paul again, but this is a good example of what is wrong with Huckabee (first minute or so of the interview):
Colin, are you saying that God doesn’t care about political issues? If so, that is ignorant of the Bible, where repeatedly God involved himself in Middle Eastern politics, even going so far as to use secular rulers for His purposes.
Your libertarian mindset paints you into a corner.
Furthermore, Huckabee has actually gone out of his way to NOT bring religion into the discussion except obviously in certain circles. I’m actually warming up to Huck, especially now that Fred seems to be withering. Romney I also could vote for… anyone but Giuliani pretty much. I don’t agree with Huck’s national smoking ban, but that is relatively minor compared to issues like abortion.
The thing is, unless God has told Huckabee that He is helping - Huckabee is just looking at events and guessing. God is not the only one that influences events.
And it’s (fairly) common for people to say things like this when something good is happening for them, but seldom when things go against them.
I agree that Huckabee should likewise be willing to say that God is doing it if his poll numbers slip. But who’s to say that he wouldn’t??? God is the ONLY one in charge, not sure what you mean by “not the only one influences events.” Nothing happens except by God allowing it to happen or making it happen. So Huckabee’s poll numbers going up (for now) is because of God, but who’s to know if God is only allowing them to go up for a time but not intending Huck to win?
One thing is for sure, like the current president, he appears to be a genuine Christian who is trying to live out his faith as best he knows how. I don’t agree with all of his policies, but then, I never agree with any candidate 100%, not even Bush.
“God allowing it to happen” implies that other forces are making it happen (at least to some extent), which is the view of non-fatalists. That’s all I meant.
I have mixed feelings about that Huckabee clip…What he said doesn’t bother me as a Christian, but when I think of this in combination with his “Christian leader” ad, something rubs me the wrong way. It reminds me of how upset some people got about Bush’s comment about it being God’s will for him to be in office (or something like that). Colin, what do you think would have been the proper (or better) response from Huckabee?
I just don’t see why Huck or Bush saying that it’s God’s Will is unbiblical. After all, the Bible clearly states that no one has power except that which God has given them. So Bush was correct in saying that it was God’s Will that he be elected, just as Huck is correct that it is God’s will that his campaign should be doing so well. However, just because it is His will doesn’t mean that Bush’s or Huck’s policies are approved by God. God used Cyrus in the OT to bring about certain things, but He obviously didn’t “endorse” everything that the heathen king did. Likewise, even though Huck professes to be a Christian and even though it is God’s Will that he is doing well, it doesn’t mean that God is necessarily for a national smoking ban, etc. It seems that a lot of people are confusing God’s Will with God’s approval.
Colin, what do you think would have been the proper (or better) response from Huckabee?
cool mum, his answer to the question of how to explain his surge needs to be a rational answer. Huckabee is surging because he is resonating with middle America and the GOP base, especially in light of the fact that none of the other candidates with a couple of exceptions really have any conservative credentials. That is even a very political friendly answer. He can say that he thanks God for the success or that God has blessed him, but claiming that the sole reason for his ascendancy is because God seems to smile down on him I think goes a bit far.
I really like my political positions, in fact I think they are the most ethical and moral positions out there - but I am not going to add God’s endorsement just based on my own estimation.
You know, I hadn’t heard about Bush freezing the interest rates. That’s no good. I hate nanny state policies.
Steyn has something to say about it today…
http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/government-europe-church-1937587-religion-state
[quote=”ocregister.com”]I am in favor of a free market in religion and a free market in housing, but right now I’d like a conservative candidate with a clear-headed commitment to both.[/quote]
There is a candidate with that commitment. Bring on the RP bots!
If you know anything about Mark Steyn, you know that he considers RP to be a nutcase.
http://www.anncoulter.com/
For a biting denunciation of Huck, see above. It’s pretty funny.
Meanwhile, Ron Paul is stuck in a white supremacy maelstrom. It seems he has spoken at their meetings and posed with them for pictures. Interesting… I had heard that he used to work for a white supremacist, but didn’t know if that had any validity. I guess it’s not too surprising.