POLL RESULTS: Your Course of Action, if Huckabee Fails to Win Nomination

Thank you for the record participation in WWCP's latest poll. 134 votes!!!

The question is one weighing on many conservative minds right about now: If Mike Huckabee doesn't win the Republican nomination, what will you do?

You didn't have to be a Huckabee supporter to vote in the poll. The point was, IF McCain gets the nomination, what will your course of action be?

The vote was extremely split, which is bad news for John McCain.

"Vote for McCain" was still the most popular answer, but it only garnered 29% (39 votes).

27% (37 votes) are still undecided, but they aren't happy with their options. "I don't know which; in any case, I'd feel terrible."

19% (26 votes) will go with Obama or Clinton. This is extremely bad news for McCain, unless these voters were Democrats to begin with.

14% (19 votes) will simply sit out this election.

9% (13 votes) will vote third-party.

If McCain wins the nomination, he's going to have to work himself to death trying to get the votes (and support) of the undecided, the sitters-out, the third-party voters, and those about to cross-over to the Democrats.

A new poll will be up shortly.

POLL RESULTS: Faith and the Presidential Campaign

I've been too busy lately to post the results of the last poll, so now I have two polls to cover. This post covers the first.

Question: When you hear presidential candidates say they are Christians or speak of Judeo-Christian principles, what do you do?

Total Votes: 73

In a victory through a plurality of votes, 32 (43%) of you said, "If they have consistently acted and spoken in such a way, I believe them. Otherwise, I don't."

In second place, 27 (36%) of you chose a somewhat similar answer, saying, "I listen carefully to see whether or not it sounds like they know what they are talking about."

Coming in at a distant third, 9 (12%) of you said that faith shouldn't have a part in the presidential campaign. "I don't like it: candidates shouldn't be talking about faith and religion."

A few (4%) of you find it amusing, saying, "I usually burst out laughing. I just can't take most of them seriously."

Finally, a couple (2%) of you feel cynical about politicians trying to come off as religious. "I usually shrug it off with some or a lot cynicism/skepticism."

Open Letter to Sen. McCain: Explain How You're BETTER

I don't know if it's worth my while to actually send this to McCain, but I decided to write it in an "open letter" style anyway. The gist of the letter is that the biggest thing going for McCain is that he has the delegate lead--not that he is the best candidate.

Dear Senator McCain,

It seems to me that you expect all conservatives to unite behind you simply because you are the so-called “presumptive nominee” and because the establishmentarians of the Republican Party are telling us to do so. Well, I am writing to let you know that that’s not going to cut it for this conservative. Before you can capture my vote—and, more importantly, my active support—you have to explain to me why you’re a better candidate than Governor Mike Huckabee.

How are your position and record on life better? You don’t support a Human Life Amendment, and you have wavered on embryonic stem-cell research.

How are your position and record on marriage better? You oppose a federal marriage amendment.

How are your position and record on the Second Amendment better? You have fought for regulations on gun shows, mandatory trigger locks, and other anti-gun measures.

How are your position and record on the First Amendment better? Through your campaign finance reform, you have hampered the grassroots efforts of pro-life, pro-family, and pro-Second Amendment groups, restricting one of our most fundamental rights—that of free speech.

How are your position and record on immigration better? You wanted to give instant amnesty to millions of illegal aliens, and, when your bill was brutally defeated by a massive uprising of the American people, you simply decided to tell yourself that it’s because Americans don’t trust the government. You don’t understand that Americans—conservative ones, at least—will not accept what is, in reality, amnesty, regardless of how you try to parse definitions.

How are your position and record on the economy better? You opposed the Bush tax cuts, though you now say you want to make them permanent; you want to impose burdensome environmental regulations; and you want to keep, for the most part, the same old broken system of income taxes, corporate taxes, and unfair trade.

Saying that you’re the “presumptive nominee” is not a case-proof for your candidacy’s superiority. Leading the pack does not automatically make one more suitable to be president, unless you want to concede that George W. Bush was a better candidate than you in 2000. You know as well as I that you won South Carolina by the assistance of Fred Thompson; Florida because of momentum coming out of South Carolina; Oklahoma and Missouri due to the conservative split between Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney; and California, Illinois, and the northeastern states partially because of Rudy Giulani’s political demise and partly because you’re not as conservative as you want people to believe. Since then, you’ve won primaries and caucuses largely on the basis of media imbalance and the presumption that the nomination is already yours.

I’m tired of you pointing to endless endorsements by those considered conservative, for two reasons. First of all, the door swings both ways. If you want to tout conservative endorsements as proving that you are a conservative, then what are we to think when you are backed by moderates and liberals like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rudy Giulani, and Joe Liebermann? Secondly, although endorsements do mean something, other factors come into play, and to rely on endorsers for the affirmation of your credentials is to rely on a common logical fallacy. We are living in the age of the Internet, talk radio, and 24/7 cable news channels. An endorsee can no longer hide behind the reputation of his endorsers.

You could just point out the fact that you think, in your own mind, that your positions are better. I’m sure that such a proclamation would be honest. But I know you're too savvy to try to persuade the conservative base of the Republican Party that it’s been wrong all along.

Instead, you’ve been emphasizing your military expertise throughout the entire campaign season. I respect your service, but no great military leader says, “Keep your heads up, boys. We’re only going to be here for 100 more years.” And, as noble as it sounds when you say, “I’d rather lose an election than a war,” the fact is, if you lose to the Democrats, you will effectively lose the war. Sometimes, you have to temper your rhetoric a bit for the sake of the long-term, greater good. You are not going to be victorious in November with the platform that the vast majority of newborn babies will not see the end of our military presence in Iraq before they die.

Senator McCain, I understand that you are more conservative than Senator Obama. But who isn’t? I’m not interested in picking the lesser of two evils at this point. In fact, I may never be, but that’s beside the point. There’s still a “good” in this race: Mike Huckabee. I’m voting for him.

If you want to convince me to act otherwise, perhaps you should demand a debate with Governor Huckabee. Then, you can explain why you're better.

Fundamental Reasons to Vote for Huckabee over McCain

I believe that the reasons to vote for Mike Huckabeee over John McCain come down to fundamental, foundational, traditional, classic values.

Our First Unalienable Right: Life

McCain thinks the states should decide for themselves. Huckabee thinks God has already decided.

Our Third Unalienable Right: The Pursuit of Happiness

Our tax system tries pretty hard to hinder people in their pursuit of happiness. Not that happiness is all about money, but your money should not be plundered from you by the government. Huckabee wants to make it so that you decide the taxes you pay. With the Fair Tax, you only get taxed when you consume, not when you produce. The Fair Tax would also eliminate other unfair ways which the government pilfers its people. McCain says he wants lower taxes, but he also voted against the Bush tax cuts. And, regardless of how much he wants to lower taxes, he still wants to keep the same old broken, unjust system for the most part.

The First Amendment

Through veiled "campaign finance reform," McCain thinks that the government should have the authority to tell you how you are allowed to say something, when you are allowed to say it, and what you have to do before you can say it. Huckabee believes in free speech and the Constitution.

The Second Amendment

Huckabee understands that the Second Amendment isn't something to be toyed with. He knows that our right to keep and bear arms is a check on tyranny. Any regulation or restriction on that right is extremely risky. McCain obviously doesn't realize that, and he's not afraid to hamper Second Amendment activist efforts through his "campaign finance reform."

The Cornerstone of the Family

McCain believes that marriage is between a man and a woman, but he opposes a marriage amendment. Huckabee knows marriage is between a man and a woman, and he's willing to fight for it.

The Rule of Law

Apparently, John McCain does not understand that, in America, we are not in the business of rewarding lawbreakers. We do not assist people in achieving profitable ends by bad means.

It's not just about getting a secure border first, although McCain botched that principle when he teamed up with one of the most liberal senators in the history of the United States--Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts--to design comprehensive immigration "reform," or, more accurately, "deform" or "ill-informed."

It's not just about being a heavy-handed law-enforcer, either. It's about fairness, and it's about people starting their lives in America with their heads held high.

Those are not the only reasons why I am voting for Huckabee over McCain. Huckabee is a fresh face. Unlike McCain, he is not a Washington insider. Huckabee has over ten years of executive experience. McCain has none. Huckabee is compassionate and coolheaded. McCain is known to be hotheaded with a foul tongue.

Finally, in my humble opinion, McCain doesn't have much of a chance at winning in a general election. He probably can't inspire conservatives; he probably can't rally evangelicals; he can't attract the youth vote; and he's not a great, articulate debater. Huckabee is much younger than McCain; he's a spectacular communicator. He can inspire conservatives, and many evangelicals have rallied around him.