Comments on: Huck on Evangelical Leadership http://www.logipundit.com/2008/01/huck-on-evangelical-leadership.html A Bastion of Reason Mon, 08 Sep 2008 17:45:43 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: admin http://www.logipundit.com/2008/01/huck-on-evangelical-leadership.html#comment-4117 admin Fri, 18 Jan 2008 14:35:49 +0000 http://www.logipundit.com/2008/01/huck-on-evangelical-leadership.html#comment-4117 You're absolutely right, except you're missing the social/moral part of the equation as well. What Ron Paul is missing (and honestly what Barry Goldwater was missing) was a call for social conservatism and family values as well. And I don't mean gay marriage and abortion (the depressing part is that I feel I have to explain that); I mean family values in the classical sense--meaning valuing family over government, valuing faith over government, and valuing personal morality over government's right to enforce their own morality. It's essentially a three legged stool: Family Values, Economic Freedom, Strong National Defense. And I don't think ANY of the candidates has all three of those in spades. Reagan did, and that's how it worked. Huck claims two of them, but he lacks credibility (or experience maybe) on the foreign affairs part, which makes the economic leg (which he is up till now missing) that much more important. But the reason Huckabee has been so successful is he is the only one that effectively talks the Family Values game, and believe it or not, it was Reagan's speeches on those subjects that were often the most inspiring, and as you may have already picked up, my family values tendencies run dead in line with my Libertarian tendencies, and I unlike many find them inexorably linked. The reason why the core conservatives of the Republican party supported Reagan was the same reason that they supported Barry Goldwater. The difference is, Reagan tapped into social conservatism (on both sides of the aisle) and that's what got him elected. The real secret here, I think is that many people more closely link morality and family values with national security (as in wiretaps and Patriot Act is somehow an indication that the RWNJs want to regulate our morality)... I have a tendency to link family values more to economic principles (as in, don't think you can dictate to me what is right and what is wrong by taking my money and giving it to someone you feel deserves it more). I'm rambling, but I hope you get my point. You’re absolutely right, except you’re missing the social/moral part of the equation as well. What Ron Paul is missing (and honestly what Barry Goldwater was missing) was a call for social conservatism and family values as well.

And I don’t mean gay marriage and abortion (the depressing part is that I feel I have to explain that); I mean family values in the classical sense–meaning valuing family over government, valuing faith over government, and valuing personal morality over government’s right to enforce their own morality.

It’s essentially a three legged stool: Family Values, Economic Freedom, Strong National Defense.

And I don’t think ANY of the candidates has all three of those in spades. Reagan did, and that’s how it worked. Huck claims two of them, but he lacks credibility (or experience maybe) on the foreign affairs part, which makes the economic leg (which he is up till now missing) that much more important.

But the reason Huckabee has been so successful is he is the only one that effectively talks the Family Values game, and believe it or not, it was Reagan’s speeches on those subjects that were often the most inspiring, and as you may have already picked up, my family values tendencies run dead in line with my Libertarian tendencies, and I unlike many find them inexorably linked.

The reason why the core conservatives of the Republican party supported Reagan was the same reason that they supported Barry Goldwater. The difference is, Reagan tapped into social conservatism (on both sides of the aisle) and that’s what got him elected.

The real secret here, I think is that many people more closely link morality and family values with national security (as in wiretaps and Patriot Act is somehow an indication that the RWNJs want to regulate our morality)…

I have a tendency to link family values more to economic principles (as in, don’t think you can dictate to me what is right and what is wrong by taking my money and giving it to someone you feel deserves it more).

I’m rambling, but I hope you get my point.

]]> By: Rip http://www.logipundit.com/2008/01/huck-on-evangelical-leadership.html#comment-4115 Rip Fri, 18 Jan 2008 12:10:19 +0000 http://www.logipundit.com/2008/01/huck-on-evangelical-leadership.html#comment-4115 The notion of the small gov't conservative versus the social conservative got me thinking...just who is the mainstream (translated as popular/not Ron Paul) small gov't conservative for this cycle? McCain? Romney? I think it is indeed correct that the small gov't constituency of the Republican party is in peril. Where to turn to feel assured that the gov't will not continue the bloating? I'm not sure that the Republican Party consistently stands for either of these things anymore. Their identity to me right now is their foreign policy and not much else. The notion of the small gov’t conservative versus the social conservative got me thinking…just who is the mainstream (translated as popular/not Ron Paul) small gov’t conservative for this cycle? McCain? Romney?

I think it is indeed correct that the small gov’t constituency of the Republican party is in peril. Where to turn to feel assured that the gov’t will not continue the bloating?

I’m not sure that the Republican Party consistently stands for either of these things anymore. Their identity to me right now is their foreign policy and not much else.

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