The Inflexibility Of Some Conservatives Is Also Shared By Others

Mike Huckabee (click here for bio) has a few words for those Republicans who are considering not voting for the presumptive Republican nominee in an article on his blog (click here for the article). The gist of his words say "Shut up and support the  presumptive nominee." That nominee is Donald Trump and such is not good news to many Republicans.

Why is Huckabee throwing his support behind Trump? It isn't because of Trump's pro-life credentials. Neither is it because Trump's position on marriage or Israel. In fact, Huckabee does not provide a single positive quality for why anyone should support Trump in his article. His interview that accompanies the article does mention a couple of positive attributes but he has to stretch points to do so.

The main reason why Huckabee is supporting Donald Trump  is because Donald Trump is not Hillary Clinton. In another typical election where we will be asked to vote for the presidential candidates from the them and not them political parties, Huckabee wants his fellow conservatives to vote for the candidate from the not them party. He wants his fellow Republicans to support Trump whatever their misgivings are. In fact, Huckabee seems to be in denial of any significant reasons why some Republicans oppose Trump. And he claims that the 'Never Trump' movement is sham to provide employment for some consultants.

However, it is the misgivings that many Republicans have regarding Donald Trump that is the real issue. How can some Republicans support Trump when they have too many misgivings to support him? Huckabee has no answer for this question other than to say be loyal and stop the not them candidate. It is at this point that Huckabee and what will be many from the Republican Party have failed to answer the concerns of their fellow Republicans regardless of their support for Trump. 

The reason why the Republican establishment could not convince Trump supporters to vote for someone else was because they could not answer the concerns that his supporters had. His supporters consisted of anti-establishment conservatives who knew that their party had become part of the establishment his supporters hated. And because they would have to admit that the establishment, including themselves, had failed in order to get the ear of Trump supporters, they could not give his supporters a reason to vote for someone else  Trump's support had little to do with Trump's expertise in working the media or his savvy in speaking tot he people as Huckabee claims. Trump's support was a vote for the intramural not them candidate.

Huckabee's answer to conservatives who have too many problems with Trump to support him says "suck it up." That is because Huckabee's approach combines some authoritarianism--'the voters have spoken' in this case-- with a tribal appeal to loyalty to the Republican Party with the last resort appeal saying vote against the them candidate starring Hillary Clinton in 2016. Thus, there is no way that Huckabee's approach to the 2016 election can give a satisfactory answer to those conservatives opposing Trump. That is because Huckabee's approach provides no alternatives to Trump. And because he is unable to provide any alternatives to the concerns of conservatives who oppose Trump, he has shown that his own approach is inflexible.

Should we be surprised that Huckabee's approach to voting in the 2016 is inflexible? No, not with his reliance on authoritarian and tribal appeals. Such appeals are based on maintaining a rigidity in thinking. However, we should note that political conservatives will not hold a monopoly on inflexibility this election. It is likely that Sanders supporters will be given the same option that is being given to those conservatives opposing Trump. That option says that one must vote for Hillary in order to stop Trump.  And that option is no less based on authoritarian and tribal appeals than Huckabee's appeals are. Liberal leaders will be unable to provide any alternatives to those anti-establishment nonconservatives who find Hillary to be as objectionable as conservatives who oppose Trump find Trump to be.

In the end, our having fallen for these authoritarian and tribal appeals too many times in the past is the reason why we will be choosing between Trump and Hillary this year. It is because of our past inflexibility that we find ourselves limited to these two candidates. So in the end, Huckabee is not saying anything new to conservatives who oppose Trump that has not been said to liberals and conservatives in the past. The question is this: Will we find a way to be flexible by voting for the third party candidate who best represents us and our own concerns, or will we follow tradition and do the same old, same old was done in the past?

How Christians Should Not Campaign For Political Office

Being both a Christian and a politician has to provide for many tearing moments. For the qualities that most often makes for good politicians also makes for struggling Christians. Whereas Jesus told us not to 'lord it over others,' most of our politicians claim to be excellent leaders. And we know what leaders do. They lord it over others.

In addition, while the parable of the two men praying warns against being the person who sees faults in others only. Politicians must  sell themselves while discrediting their opponents. 

And while the Scriptures teach us that the 'last shall be first,' politicians, to improve their visibility and public image must always seek the seat of honor and prestige.

Finally, while we are exhorted to be completely honest and to not mislead people, politicians have learned that they must become word artists who excel in the art of being selective.  They must tell us enough information so that we believe what they want us to believe, but not too much information lest the claims they make about themselves are shattered by context and full truth. Please note that the use of 'finally' in this paragraph only means that the above are the only contradictions between being a Christian and a politician which we will introduce here. There are others.

This week, we will give a light review of a speech made by Mike Huckabee (click here and then scroll down to select Huckabee's speech). Former governor Mike Huckabee is pretty well known (click here for a short bio). The speech we will be reviewing was recently given to those attending the Values Voter Summit.

In the middle of Huckabee's speech, he talks about how he and his administration prosecuted corruption. Though he might have done what he said he did, there is a problem. The problem is documented (click here and there and another there) and can be found in the claims made about his fast and loose use of some gifts and campaign funds. He has received five warnings and fined $1,000 for the 14 ethics complaints made about him.

In a short video that preceded his speech, he claimed that he cut taxes and raised family income by 50% over a 10 year period. However, there are some problems with those accounts. First, it depends on which set of statistics one uses. The statistics provided by they Huckabee campaign pointed to a 59% increase in per capita income. But when inflation is factored in, the increase is only around 22% (click here).  When using data from the Census Bureau, the not-adjust increase was  44% while the adjusted rate of increase was around 9% (click here). 

Another problem is found in how Huckabee brags of how he cut taxes. The problem is that he also raised taxes both before he cut them and afterwards (click here).

But more important than that, it is Huckabee's worldview that is most disturbing. For whether he is describing the corruption in Washington and Wall Street, or whether he is talking about groups like ISIS, Huckabee demonstrates a bipolar world of those who are good and those who are evil. Such a view encourages us to externalize evil rather than trying to courageously  confront our own dark side.

In addition, his belief in domination is found in how he wants the US to compete with nations like the Soviet Union with the hopes of wiping out their ability to compete with us in selling oil. The end result is so that others look to us, rather than nations like Russia, for help purchasing oil. It was a message that played well to the audience, but is not realistic and one that shows little concern for the environment.

Except for what he said about abortion, I tend to disagree with what he says. Huckabee seems to view himself as a Mr. Clean in a world full of dirty competitors.  His filtered claims about what he has done while governor are areas of concern because it shows a lack of full honesty. His bipolar view of the world around him is another cause for concern as mentioned earlier when speaking of the parable of the two men praying. In other words, the Scriptures we cited at the beginning as causing at least a hindrance to being both a Christian and a politician and this proves to be true in Huckabee's case. Now if only he would start looking to be more Scriptural than political, a more favorable review of his speech could have been made.



 

ONIM For September 28, 2015

Christian News

•  America Is Not A Christian Country. So Why Is Religion So Important In The Presidential Election -- ChristianToday (UK)
• The Sustainable Development Goals Lack A Christian Perspective -- Christian Today (UK)
• We Need A New Battle For The Bible -- Christianity Today
• From AntiChrist To Brother In Christ: How Protestant Pastors View The Pope -- Christianity Today
• God First, Then Country -- The Christian Post
• Correction: Pope Story -- Yahoo News
• Pope Rejects Lunch With Boehner, Pelosi, McConnell, Reid, He Will Be Dining With The Homeless -- Ring Of Fire
• Pope Decries "Shameful And Culpable Silence" On Arms Sales -- The Intercept
• Transcript Of Pope Francis' Speech To Congress -- Religion News Service
• Katie Couric: When The Pope Goes To Prison -- Yahoo News 
• The People's Pope In The Land Of The Dollar -- Democracy Now
• I Am The Man -- The Christian Curmudgeon
• Mike Huckabee: Obama Has No Right To 'Believe He's A Christian' After Inviting Gays To Meet Pope -- Raw Story

World News

• A Huge Overnight Increase In A Drug's Price Raises Protests -- Bernie Sanders' Website
• Price-Gouging Pharma CEO Under Investigation For Insider Trading And Fraud -- U.S. Uncut
• Media Blackout As France And Russia Both Announce Monsanto GMO Bans -- March Against Monsanto
• Carly Fiorina Lies To Fox, Has Bri-Wi Problem -- Huffington Post
• Land Degradation Could Create 50 Million Climate Refugees Within A Decade -- Truthdig
• Noam Chomsky On Trump -- "We Should Recognize The Other Candidates Are Not That Different" -- Truthout
• The 8 Groups In America That Are The Most Screwed-Over By Predatory Capitalism -- Alternet
• Amnesty International USA Files Complaint Requesting Investigation Of DOJ Response To CIA Torture Program -- Amnesty International
• Pope Francis Reverses Position On Capitalism After Seeing Wide Variety Of American Oreos -- The Onion
• Gaps In Earnings Stand Out In Release Of College Data -- The New York Times
• Singing Her Own Song For Decades, Buffy Saint-Marie Picks Up Prestigious Prize -- Common Dreams
• Confronting Rape And Patriarchy In India And Beyond -- This Is Hell
• Noam Chomsky On Jeremy Corbyn, Bernie Sanders, Syriza, And The Power Of Activism -- Truthdig
• Hillary Clinton's Biggest Campaign Bundlers Are Fossil Fuel Lobbyists -- Huffington Post
• IDF Shoots 18yo Palestinian Woman 10 Times, Lets Her Die In Street -- RT
• The Most Profoundly Evil Crime Committed By ExxonMobil To Date -- BuzzFlash
• Activists Group Says Pictures Show Moment Before Israeli Forces Should Dead Palestinian Woman -- Yahoo News
• Why Is College So Expensive If Professors Are Paid So Little? -- Truthout
• Chris Hedges And Laila El-Haddad: Israel's War On Children -- Dandelion Salad
• Pope Tells World's Top Arms Dealers To End Arms Trade -- Dandelion Salad
• Mother Calls Police Shooting Of Son in Wheelchair 'Unjust' -- Yahoo News
• Israeli Soldiers Assault AFP Team At West Bank Demo -- Yahoo News
• Jeb Bush's "Free Stuff" Racial Slur Was A Shrewd Calculation -- Huffington Post
• Bill Clinton Says GOP, Media At Fault For Wife's Email Woes -- Yahoo News
• Chicago Police Turn Off Dashcam During Abusive Traffic Stop After Learning Driver Is Police Investigator -- Photography Is Not A Crime
• Israel's Starvation Diet For Gaza -- Electronic Intifada
• Saudi Prisoner, Arrested At Age 17, Faces Death By Crucifixion -- The Washington Times
• How Israel Keeps Palestinians Off A Third Of All West Bank  Land -- Haaretz
• Ted Cruz At The Values Voter Summit -- YouTube
• Noam Chomsky: The United States, Not Iran, Poses Greatest Thread To World Peace -- Democracy Now
• With Power Of Social Media Growing, Police Now Monitoring And Criminalizing Online Speech -- The Intercept
• Head Of South Madison's Farmers' Market Will Train Formerly Incarcerated Men To Farm -- Madison.Com 
• Evo Morales: War Is The Most Lucrative Business For Capitalism -- Telesur TV
• Mayan People's Movement Defeats Monsanto Law In Guatemala -- Intercontinental Cry
• Chevron May Yet Have To Pay Billions For Its Ecuadorian Catastrophe -- Truthout

Pick(s) Of The Litter

• What It Means To Be A Socialist -- Truthdig
• Most Palestinians No Longer Support Two-State Solution -- Reuters
• Analysis: Why Israel Wants A Religious War Over Al-Aqsa -- Aljazeera
• Pope Francis: "Bold Cultural Revolution" Needed To Save Planet From Climate Change & Consumerism -- Democracy Now
• Video: Israeli Soldiers Fire Tear Gas At 6-Year-Old Children On Their Way To School -- Electronic Intifada
• Jimmy Carter: The U.S. Is An "Oligarchy With Unlimited Political Bribery -- The Intercept 
• How Women Of Color Bear The Costs Of Mass Incarceration -- Popular Resistance
• Cleanup For Pope's Philadelphia Mass Sweeps Homeless Aside -- RawStory
  
  
  
  

ONIM For May 11, 2015

Christian News

• Jeb Bush Praises 'Daring, Untamed' Christian Faith, Defends Religious Freedom -- Christian Today (UK)
• Religious Freedom In China: 'Alarming Increase In Systematic, Ongoing Abuses' -- Christian Today (UK)
• Rick Warren: Government And Church Must Work Together On Foreign Aid -- Christian Today (UK)
• If You See Something, Say Something -- Christianity Today
• Angola Crackdown On Apocalyptic Christians Turns Deadly -- Christianity Today
• The Attempt To Sell Hispanic Evangelicals On Israel -- Christianity Today
• Christians Who Have Avoided The Culture Wars May No Longer Have A Choice -- The Christian Post
• Ben Carson Says God Helped Him Ace College Chemistry Exam By Giving Answers In Dream -- The Christian Post
• Christian Mother Meriam Ibrihim Reveals She Was Heavily Pressured To Deny Christ For Three Days Straight In Prison, But Refused Each Time -- The Christian Post
• Everything Must Change: On Baltimore, Drones, And Resurrection -- Sojourners
• The American War On Christianity -- Huffington Post
• Mike Huckabee: "We're Moving Rapidly Toward The Criminalization Of Christianity" -- Huffington Post
• Student: Professor Gave Me Zeros For Refusing To Condemn Christianity -- Fox News

World News

• Israel Did 'Massive And Unusual Harm' To Civilians In Gaza War, Report Says -- Newsweek
• Israeli Soldiers Reveal They Were Ordered To Shoot To Kill In Gaza--Even If The Targets May Have Been Civilian -- The Independent
• This Day In History: Four Students Killed at Kent State -- History.com
• 14 Things You Should Know About Bernie Sanders -- Newsweek
• Fracking Chemicals Detected In Pennsylvania Drinking Water -- New York Times
• Corporate Media Blacks Out Coverage Of Bill To Overturn Corporate Personhood -- Wall Street On Parade
• US Senate Approves Bill Protecting Israeli Settlements -- Middle East Monitor
• Islamic State Claims Responsibility For Texas Cartoon Attack -- Yahoo News
• Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee Announces White House Bid -- Yahoo News
• California Farmers Are Watering Their Crops With Oil Wastewater, And No One Knows What's In It -- Think Progress
• The Problem With Bernie Sanders -- ZNet
• Drought Kills 12 Million Trees In California's National Forests -- LA Times
• The Edward Snowden Interview The U.S. Media Didn't Want You To Watch -- Truthdig
• GOP Prosecutor Defends Scott Walker Criminal Probe -- Truthout
• "Kill Anything": Israeli Soldiers Say Gaza Atrocities Came From Orders For Indiscriminate Fire -- Democracy Now
• Jails Are A Cash Cow For The Rich -- Truthout
• N.S.A. Collection Of Bulk Call Data Is Ruled Illegal -- New York Times
• Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders: Sheepdogging For Hillary And The Democrats In 2016 -- Black Agenda Report
• Help The Tsleil-Waututh Nation Stop Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain Pipeline -- Sum Of Us
• Kinder Morgan Gas Leak Tops 250,000 Gallons -- Statesboroherald.com
• 80 Percent Of U.S. Adults Face Near Poverty, Unemployment, Survey Finds -- CBS News
• With Support From Liberals, Tories Pass Controversial Bill C-51 -- Macleans
• That's What You Get For Filming The Police -- Truthout
• Supreme Court Allows State To Replace Bedouin Village With Jewish One -- Haaretz
• US Is World Leader In Child Poverty -- Raw Story
• Army Struggles To Cope With Rampant Fraud In The Military -- Mint Press News
• Is The News Behaving More Like Advertising -- Columbia Journalism Review
• Baltimore Probe Into Black Man's Death Fails To Support Charges -- Reuters
• Video Shows White Officer Kicking Black Man In Face -- Yahoo
• U.S. To Launch Federal Probe Into Baltimore Police Practices -- Reuters
• Texas Approves Textbooks With Moses As Honorary Founding Father -- Alternet
• Meet Jeb Bush's New Foreign Policy Advisor: His Brother -- MSNBC
• The Trans-Pacific Partnership Suggests Obama Has No Sense Of Irony -- The Guardian
• Israeli Soldier: We Bombed Civilian Targets In Gaza For Entertainment -- Middle East Monitor
• 2 Slain Police Officers Mourned In Mississippi Town -- Yahoo News
• Why Should Atheists Have To Show Respect For Religion -- Raw Story
• Suppressing Science For Monsanto? Groups Demand Investigation Of USDA -- Mint Press News
• The Real Reason America Dropped The Atomic Bomb -- Collective Evolution
• Clarence Thomas Argues States Can Establish Official Religion -- Progressive Secular Humanist

Pick(s) Of The Litter

• NYPD Officer Remembered For 'Selflessness And Courage' -- CNN
• Countries Around The World Are Revoking Freedom Of Assembly -- Aljazeera
• The Chickens Come Home To Roost In Baltimore -- ZCommentaries
• Science At MIT: From The Cold War To Climate Change -- ZVideos
• Meet The Families Affected By Police Violence Who Are Organizing To Stop The Killing -- Waging NonViolence
• Gloucester Police Chief Leonard Campanello: Addicts Who Surrender Drugs And Ask For Help Won't Be Charged, They'll Be Helped -- Mass Live
• John Cleese Explains The U.K. Elections -- Bloomberg Politics
• Black Faces In High Places Haven't Helped Average Black People -- ZNet
• Private Prisons Suing States For Millions If They Don't Stay Full -- Rollingout

ONIM For January 12, 2015

Christian News

• Oscar Romero Was A True Martyr, Says Vatican -- Christian Today (UK)
• Remembering Andre Crouch, Dead At 72 -- Christianity Today
• The Top 50 Countries Where It Is Most Difficult To Be A Christian -- Christianity Today
• Why Russia's Evangelicals Thank God For Putin -- Christianity Today
• Christian Philosopher: Why The 2014 Protests Missed Their Mark -- The Christian Post
• True Or False?: Evangelicals Like Mike Huckabee The Most -- The Christian Post
• 'God And His Rule Is America's Only Hope,' Says Pastor Tony Evans As He Calls Christians To Repentance -- The Christian Post
• The No-Selfie Doctrine: A Theological New Year's Resolution -- Religion Dispatches
• The Cowardice Of Atheistic Secularists Using Charlie Hebdo To Attack Christianity -- The WeeFlea
• Race, Inclusion, And Unity In Christ -- Political Jesus
• An Open Letter To Communities of Faith, Religious Leaders And Justice Seekers -- Theology Of Ferguson
• Newsweek On The Bible--So Misrepresented It's A Sin -- Albert Mohler
• The Absolutely Real Reason Why People Are Leaving The Church -- Unsettled Christianity

World News

• NYPD Cops Again Turn Backs On Mayor At Second Slain Officer's Funeral -- ABC News
• Israel Withholds Funds, Weighs Lawsuits Against Palestinians -- Reuters
• Israel Withholds Tax Revenue From Palestinian Authority As Dispute Escalates -- The Washington Post
• Native Americans Put GOP On Notice: Keystone Pipeline Is 'An Act Of War Against Our People -- Addicting Info
• 21st Century Censorship: Governments Around The World Are Using Stealthy Strategies To Manipulate The Media -- Columbia Journalism Review
• Study Finds GMO Soy Toxic To Kidneys, Liver, And Reproduction -- Natural Society
• British Chinese People Say Racism Against Them Is 'Ignored' -- BBC
• Wind Supplied 98% Of Scotland's 2014 Household Power And Other Amazing Green Energy Stories -- Truthdig
• The Stock Market And Oil Prices -- Wall Street Journal
• NYPD Work Slowdown Will Be Dealt With 'Very Forcefully,' Bratton Says -- Yahoo News
• France Warns Palestinians Over Escalating Crisis With U.N. Bid -- Reuters
• Sell-Side Sours On U.S. Energy Stocks More Than Any Other Sector -- Reuters
• The Greatest Trick Obama Ever Pulled Was Convincing The World America Isn't Still At War -- The Guardian
• Vladimir Putin Predicted To Resign Amid Economic Crisis -- International Business Times
• Obama Poised To Veto Keystone Pipeline Legislation -- Truthdig
• The Obama Administration Is Not Saying That It Will Veto The Keyston XL -- Daily Kos
• Group Seeks New Grand Jury In Ferguson Police Shooting Case -- Yahoo News
• Israel's Top Court Gives Temporary Reprieve To Palestinian UNESCO Site -- 972 Mag
• 97% Of Fracking Now Operating At A Loss At Current Oil Prices -- Daily Kos
• Gun Attack On French Magazine Kills 12 -- BBC
• UN Chief Says Palestine Will Join Int'l Court On April 1 -- Yahoo News
• In Solidarity Against Hate, Germans Turn Out The Lights On Islamaphobic, Far-Right Rallies -- Common Dreams
• Muslims Around The World Condemn Charlie Hebdo Attack -- Huffington Post
• Senator Introduces Bill That Would Cut Aid To Palestinians -- Yahoo News
• Palestinians Not Eligible To Join ICC: US --- Yahoo News
• Israel Prepares To Cut Electricity To Palestinians: Cites Inability To Pay After Withholding Palestinian Tax Money -- AntiWar.Com
• French Police Kill Gunmen In Twin Attacks, Free 16 Hostages -- Yahoo News
• Nigeria: Hundreds Killed In Boko Haram Attack -- Christian Today (UK)

Pick(s) Of The Litter

• Gun Deaths For U.S. Officers Rose By 56 Percent In 2014 -- Reuters
• The Torture Debate In The USA -- ZNet
• Israel And Palestine Need A One-State Solution -- Aljazeera
• Ten Things You Should Know About Selma Before You See The Film -- CommonDreams
• CNBC's Cramer Boasts Of Manipulating Markets -- USA Today
• Sharpening Contradictions: Why Al-Qaeda Attacked Satirists In Paris -- Informed Comment
• It's Critics Of 'Selma' Who Are Distorting Civil Rights History -- Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting