VIDEO: Andy Barnett as a guest on "Hardball" with Chris Matthews (MSNBC)
Wednesday, February 20th, 2008
Archive for February, 2008
This is the last time I’ll address this, I swear!
Tuesday, February 19th, 2008Once again, after a barrage of e-mails, I feel the need to clarify why I have been supporting Mike Huckabee over John McCain. (Yes, I’m aware that the nomination process is now over, and while I certainly didn’t major in math in college, I can do basic arithmetic!)
Let’s take a look once again at the three legs of Conservatism: Fiscal, Social, and National Security Issues.
Now, let’s take a look at the two candidates.
John McCain fails on social issues because he is not 100% pro-life, does not support protecting traditional marriage, and doesn’t seem to get that we’re in a culture war, John McCain also flunks out on fiscal issues, and John McCain has an average grade on national security issues because of his support for illegal immigration.
Mike Huckabee passes with flying colors on social issues, Mike Huckabee, despite his support of the Fair Tax which I love, doesn’t do much for conservatives concerned with fiscal issues because he seems content with bigger federal government programs, and Mike Huckabee has an average grade on national security issues because of his questionable past supporting illegal immigration college tuition breaks.
While all three legs of conservatism are necessary for the stool (conservatism) to remain standing strong, I’ll take a stool with one good leg over a stool with three bad legs any day of the week, won’t you?
The truth is (and I’ve outlined this previously) that some voters find the social issues to be of the utmost importance because we see them as matters of life and death. Therefore, while Mike Huckabee might not be the perfect all-around conservative candidate he was very appealing because of his strong stance on traditional family values.
Now, I will move forward with my plan to point out what’s wrong with Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. That’s who we should all be really scared of anyways!
Northern Illinois Shooting: It’s Time to Start Looking for Solutions
Friday, February 15th, 2008So I’ve been trying to put together some thoughts on this horrible shooting at Northern Illinois University. First let me say that my thoughts and prayers go out to the students affected and their families.
This type of incident is unfortunately becoming more and more common. Thanks to 24 hour cable news and the frequency of events that just a couple of decades ago would’ve seemed outside the realm of possibility in America, we’re starting to become numb to these things
I like to quote my dad, so I’ll do so again here.
“It’s getting to be just like the wild west again where you better own a gun or know someone who does.”
How could this incident have been stopped? No one knows for sure, but my immediate reaction is similar to how I felt after the Virginia Tech shootings. Allow students to carry guns on campus. If responsible students, maybe it’s law enforcement students, ROTC students, or others who have attended special training to carry and operate a firearm, if they were allowed to carry guns would these incidents suddenly become less frequent, or end up a little differently? Unfortunately we’ll never know because this type of situation simply isn’t allowed.
A lot of people will argue that this problem stems from the government getting involved in restricting the rights of citizens to bear arms. I agree that the constitution is very clear and the government has erred in this regard, but there is more to the problem than just the government. It’s a society problem.
The truth is that we’re living in a different era in our country. Guns have been demonized by the media and pop culture. Guns are associated with criminals, crazy rednecks, and gangster rappers. There was a time when fathers would spend time training their sons (and sometimes daughters) how to responsibly use a firearm. While this still occurs in rural areas, this practice has by and large ceased to exist among the general populace.
How do we change this? Can we change this? Should we change this? I’m not sure how, but I know we can, and I think we should. Just like a host of other problems that plague our society we need to have families step up to the plate in raising their kids.
Just like the loose morals epidemic that plagues our pop culture, the violence epidemic can be addressed by parents who teach their kids responsibility. That’s easier said than done though. There are two problems that develop when we focus on the strategy of parents raising their kids.
First, willing parents feel that they are fighting an uphill battle most of the time. The same media and pop culture that shoves casual sex, homosexuality, and other loose morals in the face of youngsters is also busy selling gory gruesome violence and associating guns with this horrific imagery. There is no John Wayne anymore.
Let’s face it being a parent is tough business. You’re fighting against the Internet, MTV, and even the biased news media which makes gross stereotypes. Something needs to be done to help enable willing parents to raise their kids without the negative influences that are propagated by corporate media and Hollywood which have their own depraved agenda.
It’s time to start speaking the language of these forces that seek to corrupt the moral climate of our nation while padding their pocketbooks. Let’s hit them in the wallet. Consumers have that ability by making educated purchases and the government could aid by providing tax incentives for companies that clean up their act.
The second problem that arises from putting the onus on parents and families to instill morals and responsible self defense methods is that so many parents have been brainwashed by the culture themselves and either have no interest in raising responsible families or are too lazy to take the time to do so.
I don’t know what you do to address this second problem. I know that some of my libertarian leaning readers will be ready to jump down my throat as if I’m insinuating that government should be the one responsible for dealing with this epidemic. I’m acutely aware that government is no less corrupt than the general public and is in fact more corrupt most of the time.
Therefore, ultimately, it’s up to people to get the job done. It’s up to individuals to reach out to others in their neighborhood. It’s up to people to reach out to their community. It’s up to churches to encourage, nurture, and inspire and to teach responsibility when it comes to morality and when it comes to using firearms.
If this was emphasized by families and they were allowed to do so without the interference of corporate forces in our culture, would this prevent incidents like the one at Northern Illinois? While there is no guarantee, it sure couldn’t hurt could it?
Social conservatives feel ignored and attacked by their own party.
Monday, February 11th, 2008I’ve had a ton of responses to my recent post about how Mike Huckabee is a conservative. Honestly, it was written with a lot of raw emotion and frustration. I’m glad I wrote it because I wanted to draw attention to a serious conflict within the Republican party. I’m referring to the actions by some conservatives who are ignoring, and sometimes outright attacking, the conservative Christian right.
Let me try to describe the conservative movement as I see it. I’ll start by examining the three legs of conservatism that are so often referenced. The three legs are: Fiscal Issues, National Security Issues, and Social Issues. All three of these legs make up the current party. There are people, like myself, who fit into all three categories, but there are also those who see themselves as fitting in with only one or two of these categories.
If you look closer at the conservatives that make up these various three main categories of conservatism you’ll see that there are several interesting demographics. There are men and there are women. There are the old and there are the young. There are evangelical Christians, there are Catholics, there are Jews, there are other faiths represented, and there are secularists.
Out of these demographics one of the largest groups is evangelical Christians. Primarily this group, but also other faith based social conservatives, have recently been completely ignored and have sometimes been the target of attacks by others within the Republican party. This could be due to the growth of secular conservatives (an oxymoron if you ask me) or the influence of country club Republicans (those who care only about fiscal matters) and this attitude is also demonstrated by those in the media. I’m sad to say this includes many conservative talk show hosts.
While this divide may have been festering for years it seems to have come out in full force this election cycle. No longer is there any attempt by the secularists within the conservative movement (or even those who may acknowledge a faith but don’t place much personal emphasis on social issues) to hide their anger toward the conservative Christian right.
There is animosity towards the conservative Christian right because of the intense focus on fighting the social issues of abortion, gay marriage and the homosexual agenda, declining family values, and the right to practice our faith in the public square. In the past these factions were able to tolerate each-other, but no longer it seems.
Members of the conservative Christian right are well aware of the attacks and we’re getting riled up. The rallying around Mike Huckabee is an example of this. We don’t see the social issues being addressed by others in the GOP and furthermore we see an actual attack on those who fight for them to be addressed. This is not a good sign of party unity.
If you want to truly understand the mindset of the conservative Christian right and why we place such emphasis on these social issues you have to understand that we are people of faith first. It is our relationship with Jesus Christ that defines who we are as people. We believe in the moral standards put forth in the Bible. We also believe that our country was founded on these Judeo-Christian principles.
While we have been open to cooperating with all members of the Republican party, we simply will not stand for an all out attack on our values. This must be addressed by the establishment and must be understood by all members of the GOP.
While the party is certainly a big tent, we cannot forsake the traditions upon which this republic was founded. The founding fathers understood this. It is my hope that members of the Republican party will wake up and realize this before we fall in division.
Huckaboom Part II: David vs. Goliath!
Sunday, February 10th, 2008Huckabee wins Louisiana!
If you want to know why conservatives all over the country are voting for Mike Huckabee, you’ve got to watch the speech that Mike Huckabee gave to CPAC on Saturday!
The big news media which covered John McCain and Mitt Romney’s speeches live at CPAC won’t give Mike Huckabee the time of day. Why? Maybe they’re scared of how powerful this man’s message is. Mike Huckabee is the best communicator for Republicans since Ronald Reagan!
If people actually take the time to listen to this man, instead of his critics and the pundits on both sides of the aisle, I think voters are in for a pleasant surprise! It’s not too late to make a difference! Watch the video, and get behind the only conservative traditionalist left running for president.
Most importantly you can be in prayer that God will bless our nation and give us a leader who understands and will fight for the right to life, the family, and the Judeo-Christian values our nation was founded upon!
Huckabee wins Kansas with 62% of the vote!!!
Saturday, February 9th, 2008
Conservatives from my home state have spoken! Mike Huckabee wins 62% of the vote in Kansas versus 22% for John McCain. It’s not over until it’s over. Let me assure you that Kansas is NOT the deep south. Huckabee is gaining the support of social conservatives all over the country.
The David vs. Goliath battle continues. Please join me in prayer for our nation that we can get a man who understands the culture war that we are in! Laus Deo!
Mike Huckabee is Conservative. Maybe You’re Not!
Friday, February 8th, 2008Conservatism is essentially traditionalism. In America that tradition goes back to our founding fathers views that they would sacrifice it all for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Notice that fighting for all life which we believe to be created equal is the first and most important issue which our nation was founded upon.
I’m sick and tired of people referring to Mike Huckabee as a big government, populist, who isn’t a conservative. I like a lot of the pundits and talk radio hosts, but I don’t live and die with them.
This idea that Mike Huckabee is not a conservative is a lie propagated by the country club Republicans, the liberal Republicans, and the human secularists who do not want an outspoken evangelical on the GOP ticket.
While I was torn between Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee sometimes previously because they are both pro-life social conservatives, the choice is very clear now and should be to everyone else who claims to be a true conservative. Mike Huckabee is our guy.
If I hear one more person claim that Mike Huckabee might not be fiscally conservative enough I’m going go smack them in the face. The simple truth is it does not matter.
I personally believe that calling Mike Huckabee a “fiscal liberal” is a gross exaggeration and a lie. However, who cares? I don’t care. I care about life. I care about the family. I care about the moral condition of our nation. I care about the character of the man who will be in the White House. Don’t you get it?
All you pretenders, you fake conservatives, you whiny, weak, foolish individuals can just sit this one out. If I was commanding an army I’d tell you to stay home. I don’t want someone joining the fight who isn’t willing to lay it all down for the important things in life.
National morality dictates far more than most individuals give it credit. This republic will fall without a focus on morality. That’s not my idea, that’s the idea of countless founding fathers of the United States of America.
We are in a culture war here folks. I want someone as president who understands that.
John McCain does not, Mike Huckabee does. It’s that simple.
Dr. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, and a respected voice for social conservatives has endorsed Mike Huckabee as the only conservative left in the race.
To read what Dr. Dobson has to say click here!
If you care about this republic and our future you’ll do whatever you can to fight in this culture war!
