Evangelicals pleased to vote for a co-religionist need to be smart if they want to have the secularization of America trend reversed instead of have a Democrat president appoint United States Supreme Court Justices who will embrace absolute separation of church and state and order "under God" stricken from "The Pledge of Allegiance" and "In God We Trust" from America's currency and coin.
Mike Huckabee, a Baptist minister-turned-politician who was almost unknown outside his home state of Arkansas as recently as last summer, drew the votes of thousands of self-described evangelical Christians to win the Iowa Republican caucuses.
Sure. Sixty percent of those who participated in the Iowa Republican caucuses identified themselves as Evangelical Christians. Mr. Huckabee billed himself as a "Christian Leader" and is one of them. In addition, he can be amusing, entertaining and glib and he had made himself look presentable and self-controlled by losing more than 100 pounds.
But Mr. Huckabee's political record is not generally known and as soon as Mitt Romney ran a contrast ad, Mr. Huckabee cynically, but successfully, posed as a victim of "negative campaigning."
Emailer John Forman chided me for my article titled "Beware Mike Huckabee, Another Hope, Arkansas Huckster."
Mr. Forman:
"You are obviously eloquent in your ability to address people about that which concerns you...that being said, I disagree with your attempt to smear a Republican candidate so much so that it leaves one to believe you obviously have another candidate you favor instead of Mike Huckabee.
"Please stop smearing Republican candidates on the day we have a great need to support the Republican party...not give the ever-watchful eyes of the Democrats fire to fuel their liberal candidates.
"Don't you believe they (the Democrats) are looking for anything to use as smear tactics against our own party? What if Huckabee wins the Iowa caucus? Every news article you print in disgust toward your own party affiliate will only be used against our party at a later date. It hurts us in the end. I do not know you personally, but I do respect your opinion...but to plaster it out there for the world to see has the potential to do harm toward the Republican party and gives the Democrats a weapon to attack.
"So, you don't like Huckabee. Fine...that's your right. But if he moves forward and potentially becomes the Republican candidate...what will you do then? Will you continue to attack him... or his opponent on the Democratic party? In your case it would seem that Huckabee would be the lesser of two evils. So, why not find issues today that disappoint you about the Democratic party instead beating down the Republican party?
Mr. Forman, I seek more than "the lesser of two evils" in a Republican presidential candidate. I want a candidate with personal integrity, intelligence and experience who is as close to my political views as possible and I welcome converts. That's why I support Mitt Romney. I'm an orthodox Roman Catholic, not a Mormon, but I'm looking for a Commander-in-Chief who shares my basic values, not a Pastor-in-Chief who shares my theology.
In addition, I want a candidate who can win as well as one who should win.
That's Mitt Romney, not Mike Huckabee.
See Matt Drudge's December 11, 2007 report titled "DEMS HOLD FIRE ON HUCKABEE; SEE 'EASY KILL' IN GENERAL ELECTION."
Mr. Drudge:
"Democrat party officials are avoiding any and all criticism of Republican presidential contender Mike Huckabee, insiders reveal.
"The Democratic National Committee has told staffers to hold all fire, until he secures the party's nomination.
"The directive has come down from the highest levels within the party, according to a top source.
"Within the DNC, Huckabee is known as the 'glass jaw -- and they're just waiting to break it.'
"In the last three weeks since Huckabee's surge kicked in, the DNC hasn't released a single press release criticizing his rising candidacy.
"The last DNC press release critical of Huckabee appeared back on March 2nd.
"In fact, as the story broke over the weekend that Huckabee said he wanted to isolate AIDS patients back in 1992, the DNC ignored the opportunity to slam the candidate from the left.
"'He'll easily be their McGovern, an easy kill,' mocked one senior Democrat operative Tuesday morning from Washington.
"'His letting out murderers because they shout "Jesus", his wanting to put 300,000 AIDS patients and Magic Johnson into isolation, ain't even scratching the surface of what we've got on him.'"
The Republican the Democrats DON'T want Republicans to nominate is Mitt Romney.
Evangelicals pleased to vote for a co-religionist need to be smart if they want to have the secularization of America trend reversed instead of have a Democrat president appoint United States Supreme Court Justices who will embrace absolute separation of church and state and order "under God" stricken from "The Pledge of Allegiance" and "In God We Trust" from America's currency and coin.
In his formidable "Faith in America" speech, Mitt Romney emphatically and eloquently explained that he shares the basic American values so cherished by Evangelicals as well as many others, including me.
Mr. Romney:
"[I]n recent years, the notion of the separation of church and state has been taken by some well beyond its original meaning. They seek to remove from the public domain any acknowledgment of God. Religion is seen as merely a private affair with no place in public life. It is as if they are intent on establishing a new religion in America – the religion of secularism. They are wrong.
"The founders proscribed the establishment of a state religion, but they did not countenance the elimination of religion from the public square. We are a nation 'Under God' and in God, we do indeed trust.
"We should acknowledge the Creator as did the Founders – in ceremony and word. He should remain on our currency, in our pledge, in the teaching of our history, and during the holiday season, nativity scenes and menorahs should be welcome in our public places. Our greatness would not long endure without judges who respect the foundation of faith upon which our constitution rests. I will take care to separate the affairs of government from any religion, but I will not separate us from 'the God who gave us liberty.'
"Nor would I separate us from our religious heritage. Perhaps the most important question to ask a person of faith who seeks a political office, is this: does he share these American values: the equality of human kind, the obligation to serve one another, and a steadfast commitment to liberty?
"They are not unique to any one denomination. They belong to the great moral inheritance we hold in common. They are the firm ground on which Americans of different faiths meet and stand as a nation, united.
"We believe that every single human being is a child of God – we are all part of the human family. The conviction of the inherent and inalienable worth of every life is still the most revolutionary political proposition ever advanced. John Adams put it that we are 'thrown into the world all equal and alike.'
"The consequence of our common humanity is our responsibility to one another, to our fellow Americans foremost, but also to every child of God. It is an obligation which is fulfilled by Americans every day, here and across the globe, without regard to creed or race or nationality."
Democrats WANT Republicans to nominate Huckabee, NOT Romney.
Michael J. Gaynor has been practicing law in New York since 1973. A former partner at Fulton, Duncombe & Rowe and Gaynor & Bass, he is a solo practitioner admitted to practice in New York state and federal courts and an Association of the Bar of the City of New York member.
Gaynor graduated magna cum laude, with Honors in Social Science, from Hofstra University's New College, and received his J.D. degree from St. John's Law School, where he won the American Jurisprudence Award in Evidence and served as an editor of the Law Review and the St. Thomas More Institute for Legal Research. He wrote on the Pentagon Papers case for the Review and obscenity law for The Catholic Lawyer and edited the Law Review's commentary on significant developments in New York law.
The day after graduating, Gaynor joined the Fulton firm, where he focused on litigation and corporate law. In 1997 Gaynor and Emily Bass formed Gaynor & Bass and then conducted a general legal practice, emphasizing litigation, and represented corporations, individuals and a New York City labor union. Notably, Gaynor & Bass prevailed in the Second Circuit in a seminal copyright infringement case, Tasini v. New York Times, against newspaper and magazine publishers and Lexis-Nexis. The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed, 7 to 2, holding that the copyrights of freelance writers had been infringed when their work was put online without permission or compensation.
Gaynor currently contributes regularly to www.MichNews.com, www.RenewAmerica.com, www.WebCommentary.com, www.PostChronicle.com and www.therealitycheck.org and has contributed to many other websites. He has written extensively on political and religious issues, notably the Terry Schiavo case, the Duke "no rape" case, ACORN and canon law, and appeared as a guest on television and radio. He was acknowledged in Until Proven Innocent, by Stuart Taylor and KC Johnson, and Culture of Corruption, by Michelle Malkin. He appeared on "Your World With Cavuto" to promote an eBay boycott that he initiated and "The World Over With Raymond Arroyo" (EWTN) to discuss the legal implications of the Schiavo case. On October 22, 2008, Gaynor was the first to report that The New York Times had killed an Obama/ACORN expose on which a Times reporter had been working with ACORN whistleblower Anita MonCrief.
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