Faith and Politics--Mike Huckabee

“Mike Huckabee is out to show people that the American dream is still alive,” proclaims the opening of the Huckabee for President website. Now, I love a good “American Dream” story—as all of my friends will tell you (I love the stuff). However, Huckabee’s blatant beginning to his website caught me off guard. As a second tier Republican candidate, running behind both Giuliani and Romney it makes me wonder: Is third place the American Dream?”

Okay…I guess that isn’t really the point. The point is that Mike Huckabee really could be considered the American Dream to some. He has come from behind in the polls, even taking second in the Iowa Straw Polls, ahead of some who have spend millions more than he has.

In an article to appear this week in the New York Times Magazine, Huckabee is interviewed while taking a commercial flight from Boston to Chicago--something Obama or Giuliani probably wouldn't be caught dead doing. Although he appears a humble candidate, his recent emergence in the polls may get him into a private plane sooner than expected.

Huckabee is a former Arkansas Governor (sound familiar?) and is looking to change the way the government, education system and the nation’s infrastructure are running, including changing what he calls a “failing energy policy.”

Huckabee served as Arkansas’ Governor for eleven year (1996-2007) and capped off his term with the obligatory presidential-exploratory book tour for his 2007 book, From Hope to Higher Ground: 12 Steps to Restoring America’s Greatness. In his book, Huckabee explains that America can return to its former glory through clear and honest leadership.

Although he doesn’t have the spending power of Romney and Giuliani, Huckabee is winning votes for being a true conservative. A former minister, Huckabee will be able to appeal to conservative Christians in a way that neither of the aforementioned candidates could.

One of his most important issues is Faith and Politics claiming, “My faith is my life-it defines me. My faith doesn’t influence my decisions it drives them.” This will certainly go over well with religious voters however his ideas of public forums for faith may be a non-negotiable for secular voters. Huckabee believes that real faith breeds humility and allowing others to share their views as well. Huckabee says that he cannot separate his faith life from his personal or professional life and hopes that it will be a tool for him during his presidency.

Although I don’t usually identify with Republicans, I do appreciate this portion of Huckabee’s platform. As a religious person, I do think that faith has a place in politics as long as it encompasses all faiths. America is a religious nation. With around 80 percent of Americans believing in some sort of “higher power,” Huckabee may stand to earn some votes with his Faith and Politics platform.

Although he certainly doesn’t have the star power of Rudy Giuliani or Hillary Clinton, Huckabee may be able to sell himself to the American faithful on his religious values. As it was shown in the polls…its certainly isn’t hurting him.

Chris Dodd

Chris Dodd is making the most of the last days before the First in the Nation Iowa Caucuses begin. However, many people may not be paying that much attention. Many people (myself included) have a hard time distinguishing Mr. Dodd and his look-alike candidate Joe Biden. However, the two Democrats would like to get past being candidates who “cancel each other out.”

Dodd will be spending the next week canvassing the state of Iowa and reaching out to voters in this month before the caucus. With stops in Pella, Oskaloosa, Cedar Falls, Burlington, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Johnston and Iowa City, Dodd certainly may see more of Iowa than some life-long residents do. However, is his exposure to Iowa voters going to win him votes?

Especially for students, it is hard to see past the shiny candidates like Obama, Giuliani, Clinton and Romney; all with large amounts of money and funding to get their message to the young, media savvy demographic. However, Dodd a Senior Senator from Connecticut has spent years in government and heads the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Although he may not be as glamorous or as newsworthy as some of his opponents, his stance on ending the war and creating a safer environment are things that students can relate to.

Dodd’s father was one of the lead prosecutors in the criminal trials at Nuremberg and helped to “set the standard for America’s moral authority.” His inspiration from his father, outlined in his book Letters from Nuremberg, he developed his own stance on foreign relations as well as human rights. Dodd also spend time in the Peace Corps during the late sixties that taught him about open engagement with all nations. Although he acknowledges that there are pressing issues with the war in Iraq there are also issues such as the world struggle with HIV/AIDS that needs as much attention.

Also, Dodd touches on the energy crisis on his “issues” page; but lets face it, no viable candidate wouldn’t since Green issues seem to be a necessity in this election. Dodd proposes a Corporate Carbon Tax to keep companies accountable for their emissions as well as his projection to be independent from foreign oil by 2015. Although these are lofty goals they are something that will certainly appeal to the post Inconvenient Truth electorate.

Even though Dodd seems to be flying under the radar and may have little chance of winning the party’s nomination; his experience is nothing to look down upon. It makes me wonder why some of the most experienced, probably most qualified candidates for the presidency seem to be sitting at the bottom of the nomination? Lets just hope whomever wins give some of them a place in the Cabinet.

Joe Biden

Joe Biden, Democratic candidate for President is not considered a front-runner for the nomination. However, from what I have learned about the candidates he may have just as much viable experience as those top tier contenders. Biden, an Irish-Catholic from Scranton, Pennsylvania touts himself as a devout family man who uses public transportation to leave Washington every night to see his wife of 30 years.

In 1972 Biden lost his first wife and daughter in a car accident. After their deaths he acted as a single dad, raising his two sons. According to his biography, this has made him sympathetic to the plight of single parents and he has continued to fight for them ever since.

Although Biden is not considered a front-runner, his website is interesting if nothing else. His background is different from many of the other candidates and he promotes himself on a personal level rather than on a political level. He speaks about how he quotes poetry on the senate floor. He says that he started reading and reciting poetry while a child to help him overcome a debilitating stutter.

Biden also says that the most cruel crime is that of abused women. He says that his proudest piece of legislation is the Violence Against Women act which he helped pass to stop the abuse of women.


Besides his interesting background and noteworthy causes, Biden has an admirable stance on the global energy crisis. Biden believes that our dependence on foreign oil defeats the purpose of those who we are opposing in the middle east; that our dependence on them for oil encourages and supports many terrorist and fundamentalist organizations.

According to his energy plan, Biden says that past the war in Iraq, comprehensive energy and climate change policy should be the country’s first national security priority. He says that climate change poses a major threat to millions of people living in coastal cities that could be displaced. This is an interesting position because many candidates are vocal about the importance of environmental issues whereas Biden makes it a priority.

One issue that is becoming increasingly important to the student population is the energy crisis and how to improve our environment. I think that Biden’s emphasis on finding new ways to deal with the energy crisis makes him a candidate that more people (especially students) should pay more attention to.

Bill Richardson

Bill Richardson, two-time governor of New Mexico is running for the Democratic nomination for the 2008 election. He may be considered a second tier candidate behind Clinton, Obama, and Edwards—he just may not know it.

Running under the slogan “Real Experience. Real Accomplishments,” Richardson often touts his experience as a governor as well as congressman, Secretary of Energy and a US ambassador to the United Nations. My only question is if he truly has so much experience why have so few people heard of him?

Although he may be known in the Southwest as well as in diplomatic circles for his work in many government agencies it seems that few people in the general electorate have a clue who he is.

While writing this blog I usually know a bit about each candidate before I research him or her. In Richardson’s case I really had no clue who he was or what he had done. The only think that I have heard of Richardson is his commandeering nature during Democratic debates. He usually interrupts the commentators and remarks how he has freed people from Guantanamo Bay and negotiated ceasefire in Darfur. Although those are definitely important accomplishments his boisterous declaration of them during the debates comes off as boastful and almost pathetic.

One thing that Richardson speaks quite a bit about on his campaign website is his dedication to improving jobs and the economy.

During his time as the governor of New Mexico, he claims to have restored fiscal discipline to the government. He also created 80,000 jobs in New Mexico. This is an impressive statistic that could implicate how he would help to improve the employment field in future years.

With many students (myself included) graduating in May, there is a feeling of uncertainty when thinking about finding a job. If we had a president who could guarantee that there would be more jobs by the time that people graduate it would give those who work hard and pursue higher education and better jobs could have some reassurance that their hard work will pay off.

Richardson may not win the nomination, however I think that he is talking about issues that students care about. Of course Iraq and universal health care are important issues I think that candidates need to have strong stances on issues that are important to young Americans.

Little Big Man- Dennis Kucinich

U.S. Representative from Ohio, Dennis Kucinich is taking one more run for the White House. In this his second election (first was 2004) he is running for the Democratic ticket and despite his small stature, he has big plans.

Kucinich, who grew up poor in Cleveland, Ohio claims that he and his family moved quite a bit when he was a child, even living out of a few cars and scrounging to make ends-meet. Although he may not be a front-runner, he certainly has come a long way.

With a campaign slogan "Strength Through Peace" Kucinich is hoping to capitalize on a portion of the population's anti-Iraq sentiments by emphasizing his history of standing out against George W. Bush and the war. Kucinich has called for Bush's impeachment as well as spoken out on Meet the Press stating that the war in Iraq is based on oil. According to his website, "[Dennis] has ignored political dangers to do the right thing. After all...it is his life story."

As former mayor of Cleveland, Ohio, Kucinich fell into political scrutiny after refusing to sell the city's municipal electrical company in order to save "millions of dollars" for Cleveland citizens. However, years later the city honored him for his foresight for what would have cost the citizens in the long run.

Kucinich's main campaign issues include; Strength through Peace, his promise to end the Iraq war, A Healthy Nation, making health care affordable for all Americans, Survival of Middle Class, Securing Constitutional Democracy, A Sustainable Future (promoting energy efficiency,) putting an End to Poverty, and Saving Capitalism.

Although he does not have the spending power of front-runners Obama and Clinton, Kucinich came in second among democrats in a California straw poll just behind John Edwards. He has also made an appearance on fellow candidate Stephen Colbert's show, accepting his challenge to empty his pockets on national television.

Although it would be nice to think that an underdog candidate could win in the Presidential election, it seems that Kucinich may need to start planning ahead for his next run in 2012.

Hillary Clinton-can anyone beat her?

It has been made quite clear that for the first time, the candidate to beat is a woman. Former First Lady and Senator, Hillary Clinton has her sights on the White House and it seems that very few can bring her down.

Gaining popularity in straw polls and with an ever growing lead against other Democratic Front-runners Barack Obama and John Edwards , Hillary is following in the footsteps of her popular and very beloved husband, former President Bill Clinton.

On her campaign website, Clinton discusses her major issues; strengthening the middle class, providing affordable and accessible health care, ending the war in Iraq, promoting energy independence and fighting global warming, fulfilling our promises to veterans, supporting parents and caring for children, restoring America's standing in the world, a champion for women, comprehensive government reform, and strengthening our democracy.

Many of her issues are general and far reaching, pitching perhaps not to the far-left liberals but to to the undecided voter. However, will she be able to reach those voters as a female presidential candidate? Although she is the first, she does have quite a bit of experience in Washington politics as the First Lady and also as a Junior Senator from New York.

However, a lot of the things that may turn democratic voters off about her is her no-holds-barred powerful stance. She comes off as authoritarian in many ways, which may have spawned the apple-spoof campaign video against her.

However, with her popularity and her lead in the polls, it seems that Senator Clinton may be a tough contender.

Some may question her experience and her ability to hold her own among what seems to be an "all boys club" of international leaders. However, Clinton, who calls herself "a champion for women" does not seem concerned about her standing as a strong woman, saying on the popular show The View last week that she thought that even in countries where they do not respect women's rights that she has always been welcomed and respected. It also surprises me that more women's groups haven't latched on to the fact that this "champion for women" has stayed with her husband after half a dozen allegations of cheating or sexual harassment on his part.

I have to admit that there is something about Hillary that rubs me the wrong way. Maybe its her authoritarian attitude, her love of pantsuits or her seemingly gruff demeanor. I'm not sure. However, the point keeps coming up that she has more experience than candidates like Obama who really has only four less years in the Senate and is almost 15 years younger than her. Although I'm sure that you receive a big education from being a first lady, I don't think that should be her ticket to the presidency.

Stephen Colbert enters the race

Mock-conservative pundit and host of The Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert announced Wednesday that he will enter the Presidential race in South Carolina as a "favorite son" candidate. Although nearly no one believes that his candidacy is real, it is generating some serious buzz.

Colbert, who is famous for his O'Reilly-esque rantings on liberal politicians as well as his popular series "Better Know a District" coyly announced that he was thinking about-thinking about running on John Stewart's The Daily Show.

He rode into the popular Comedy Central late night show on a wagon driven by a sparkly Uncle Sam. He then opened a cold beer and propped his feet up on a bale of hay to prove that hey was a regular Joe. However, Colbert declined to announce on the Daily Show, saying that he wanted to do it on a "more prestigious show." Half an hour later, he announced his candidacy among a red, white, and blue balloon drop.

Colbert, who hasn't actually lives in South Carolina for years, has decided to run as both a Democrat and a Republican, which means he could "lose twice" he said to the Associated Press.

Colbert also has an interesting new take on campaign finance. He said on Wednesday that he could use a sponsor as he slowly lifted up a bag of Doritos. He proceeded to take a few bites claiming that he just loves the popular snack food.

The popular television host, famous for bashing the President at the White House Correspondents' Dinner in 2006, who is obviously mocking the coyness of candidates when announcing their bids for the White House may be a surprising dark horse in the Palmetto State. Although it is yet to be seen whether or not Colbert will actually win any delegates in South Carolina--he may have some second tier candidates shaking in their boots.