Ballot Box

Super Tuesday has come and gone. The waters are a little less muddy but they are still muddy.

For the Democrats Hillary asserted herself as a front runner however by no means eliminated Obama from nipping at her feet.

For the Republicans the once down for the count McCain has beat the ten-count to be ahead in points. Romney had a surprisingly disappointing showing and Huckabee had a surprisingly strong showing; however that combination seems to have cancelled each other out giving the old man McCain new vigor toward a nomination win.

In politics things can change but it appears Huck's strong show may embolden him to go all the way through the primary process even if it is a loosing effort in the hope that miracles will continue to boost him toward an unlikely nomination.

Romney was seriously hurt by Super Tuesday. He has the money to stay in the race; however at this point the businessman needs to calculate the profit and loss and decide on a strategy that could make him a king maker or part of the winning nominee's team in some influential manner. Of course as I have said, politics change. Any unforeseen occurrence could rearrange the fortunes of the Republicans top three candidates at any moment.

Which Republican do I support? I just cannot come up with a clear choice; however I do not suffer from a McCain Derangement Syndrome that might lead to a certain Democratic Party victory. A Dem victory although expected is not a shoe-in and is abhorrent to me.

I cannot vote for a Mormon to win the nomination because of my religious beliefs; however I will vote for a Mormon over a Democrat any day of the week especially in November 2008.

I like Huck’s self-proclaimed Social Conservatism and his stand of not being ashamed to be a Christian; however there are elements of taxation and immigration that bother me about Huck. Still I will vote Huckabee in November above any Democrat nominated. The Democrats are simply to fringe to the Left and although I know they think they are helping Americans by denigrating military confrontation with Islamofascists they are really emboldening the Islamofascists with greater confidence to continue acts of terrorism that could once again reach the land of Purple Mountain’s Majesty.

I’ll see at the Republican Convention who I will ultimately vote for in November. And may all Republicans set aside their differences and stand united behind whoever that winner is. The Democratic Party platform of “Change” is a change to the Left and that will not be good for America.

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Look today is Super Tuesday. Since Fred Thompson dropped out because of a lack of support from those who should have supported the only true Conservative in the Republican race, I have been in a disappointing funk as to who I should support.

Frankly all the remaining candidates have just as many knocks as plusses and I truly do not know who the best is.

Although McCain has a history of teaming up with Leftists, he does have a decent Senatorial voting record on Conservative causes. The many pundits that are hysterical about McCain being the front runner as of this date are way overboard on the venom if you look at McCain in balance. Some pro-McCain Republicans have called this McCain Derangement Syndrome.

Romney has a solid record as an administrative person in the private sector and in government as the Governor of Massachusetts. However as a politician he has had to comply with a mostly liberal voter constituency in the State of Massachusetts thus he has made some politically social stands that are abhorrent to the social Conservative; viz. on abortion and homosexual rights. Being a politician and seeking to gratify a larger constituency – viz. the entire USA. This has given him the appearance of a flip flopper as Romney has recanted on some of his gubernatorial stands. The issue for me about Romney though is his religious faith. Yeah I know, to the secularist it sounds bigoted; however I am a Bible believing Christian that has always viewed Mormon theology as not even close to Christian basic theology that even Catholics, Protestants and Eastern Orthodox Christians agree on. Saying all that, if Romney was to pull out the Republican nomination, I would vote for him. Any Republican is way better that than the obviously Socially Left moral relativists who continue a Secular Humanist transformation of American society.

Then there is Mike Huckabee. At this stage Huckabee probably does not have enough money to make his case to the American people. Ironically Conservatives criticize Huckabee for being fiscally Leftist and acknowledge his Social Conservatism. Just today I ran into a website that is critical of Huckabee’s potential connection to “Reconstructionist Christianity.” The Reconstructionists (aka Dominionists) believe the Law of the land in America should be closer to that of Old Testament laws (bad news since Christ redeemed Believers from the curse of the Law in the Old Testament) than the Bill of Rights in the U.S. Constitution. That is the knock; however from actual readings of Rushdoony’s (father of Reconstructionism) writings, he appears to be more of an advocate of inserting Christian principles into the Constitution rather than abolishing the Constitution of or the Bill of Rights. One other Huckabee gaffe was a December 30, 2007 interview with Leftist Tim Russert in which Huckabee is caught saying homosexuality is a matter of personal choice. Of course anti-Huckabee people wanted to make the Christian Right aware that Huckabee might not be as Socially Conservative as he proclaims.

I call it a gaffe because what the anti-Huckabee people fail to point out is Huckabee’s explanation of his “homosexual statement.”

Although Huckabee asked Russert to understand that "when a Christian speaks of sin, a Christian says all of us are sinners," he asserted that "the perfection of God is seen in a marriage in which one man, one woman live together as a couple committed to each other as life partners."

 So here’s the thing. I am voting Republican in 2008 for whoever wins the nomination. For me there is no clear cut choice. However if I was pinned down on who to vote for today, I would lean toward Christian Social Conservatism and that would be Mike Huckabee.

Here is a good clip for a Christian to vote for Huckabee:

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I owe a hat tip to the information to Jim Phelan.

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Mitt Romney-Ann Romney-Ann Coulter-CPAC

I love Ann Coulter’s stinging wit and prose that are most often reserved for moonbats on the Left. Coulter is caught up in the GOP race for President which is understandable since she is obviously a Conservative.

Thus the Candidates that Ann does not endorse on the GOP side have been the recipients of the usually magnificent vitriol reserved for Leftists. Ann has been railing on McCain for some time; here is her latest post on Senator McCain. Here is a piece critical of Huckabee. And way back in October 2007 she tag teamed on my man Fred (since folded) and Huckabee together.

As of mid January it appears that Ann has settled to write favorably about Mitt Romney as a true Conservative.

In some of her articles attacking other Republicans Ann (and remember I think she is a sharp double edged sword for Dems) harangues Republican voters for not doing their home work when Romney lost or came in a close second.

If you have read my posts about Romney, the biggest negative I have against him is his Mormon faith which I consider a cultic knock-off of Christianity. Incidentally I do support Romney’s choice of practicing Mormonism for there is Freedom of Religion in America; however as a Christian I have to point out the attributes of Mormonism do not run true to Christian Faith (Catholic, Protestant or Eastern Orthodox). Secularists would say religion should not be a factor in voting. I say if a Candidate contradicts your values and faith, then religion is a factor.

Here is the irony about Mitt Romney. As Governor of Massachusetts he often voted on the side of social Liberalism and not social Conservatism as a good Mormon should. Mormon’s may be a cult; however they endorse good Christian morality such as pro-life and anti-abortion as one example. As a Governor, Romney voted pro-abortion. Romney has claimed to have a moral transformation in his beliefs in 2004; however it sounds like a political transformation to hook the Christian Right.

Do I think Romney would be a good Administrative President? I would have to say yes. AND if he was the nominee for the GOP I would vote for him; however in the GOP selection stage Romney is not the guy.

I don’t know who the GOP guy is either. McCain would also be a good Administrator but he leans toward too many Leftist causes. I think McCain would be excellent to steer America toward victory on the War on Terror. Huckabee has become the darling of the Christian Right because of his open support of for social Conservatism; however like McCain and Giuliani he has a past of aiding illegal aliens. Huck has sounded profoundly ignorant on foreign affairs and he has a reputation for raising taxes (even if the taxes were mandated by the Courts). Giuliani is also a social Liberal and soft on illegal immigration; however he is tough on crime and would at least be a leader to win the War on Terror.

When the primary hits my neck of the woods, I won’t vote for Romney and I am extremely uncertain about whom else to vote for. I do no I will not vote for Ron Paul because he has not been forthcoming about Newsletters written in his name that were racist in his past. Paul has only taken responsibility for an error he was unaware of and that is not a believable defense. I would be more impressed if he disavowed the Newsletters as an aberration of a Southern cultural past and he has moved into the 21^st century as many Southerners have indeed transformed from bigotry of the past to a more equality minded bent in the present. This has not happened.

Back to Coulter’s support of Romney: in this case I do not think she has done her homework or if she has, Coulter is less a social Conservative and more a fiscal and political/secular Conservative. This would disappointingly mean Coulter does not place a premium on Biblical morality and values.

The President of the American Right to Life Action has criticized Coulter for supporting a pro-abortionist in Mitt Romney. I would add Mormonism.

JRH

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Romney and Huckabee at GOP debate 12-11-07

Remember to vote for Fred in ’08. That being said and knowing the current polls in Iowa seem to favor Huckabee, Romney and McCain and not my man Fred; I have to talk about the political war between Romney and Huckabee.

Do you recall at the end of one the Republican Debates Huckabee came up to Romney to apologize about an interview that would appear in the NYT Magazine that be construed as publicly criticizing Mormonism yet that was not the intent? And that Romney accepted that apology with a brandishment that one’s religion should not be an issue among legitimate issues in the electoral process.

Now Huckabee is saying that Romney owes him an apology for the negative campaign ads that blatantly are lying about Huckabee and making claims for Romney that are outrageously untrue.

JRH 12/31/07

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Fred Thompson 7

The Mainstream Media seems to have predicted Huckabee will win in Iowa on January 4^th.

The prediction places Romney a close second.

Rasmussen Reports as of December 11 has Huckabee at 39%, Romney at 23% and my man Thompson and Giuliani tied at third with 8%.

McCain is at 6% and Paul one point behind at 5%.

I heard on Fox News this morning that Huckabee is taking the strength of his poll numbers in Iowa and will do a three day media blitz in New Hampshire to make a solid challenge to Romney’s numbers there.

Since I am a Thompson man, the numbers look disappointing to me; however I came across a Quinn Hillyer article in the American Spectator that raised my political spirits.

Hillyer says, “Fred Ain’t Dead.”

Again it is the comparison to Ronald Reagan coming from behind to beat George Bush I to win the GOP nomination in 1980.

JRH

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America Wake-up Bless God

Rasmussen has published the numbers within the GOP about which candidate is viewed as the most conservative to date.

My Thompson has lost ground and is at a 40% perception as a Conservative. You Thompson supporters had better start reading and sharing why Thompson would make a good President. Have an answer for a couple of black marks:

1.      Thompson supported McCain/Feingold, which was a bi-partisan attempt at campaign reform. Unfortunately the reform favored Leftists more than the Slanted Right because the Right dominates grass roots campaigning via Blogs and Talk Radio. The Left controls the Mainstream Media. McCain/Feingold was not good legislation and might even be unconstitutional.

2.      When Thompson revamped his staff in preparation for bigger scale Administration and planning for his campaign, he had image problems. At first he hired Spencer Abraham as the Campaign Manager. Oops Abraham is known as Jihad Spence among the Slanted Right anti-Jihadist pundits in America for his support of Arabs in his lobbying days. Thompson moved quickly to diffuse the backlash and Abraham was demoted to third on his Campaign leadership with Bill Lacy becoming the new Campaign Manager.

3.      Another campaign “oops” was having friend Phil Martin involved in the campaign. Martin is a guy that has changed his life around and has become a respected businessman; however Martin has a past with drugs and a felony conviction. Once the good ole’ Mainstream Media pointed out that Thompson’s friend was a felon; Martin resigned to prevent mudslinging toward Thompson.

Amazingly Mitt Romney has a 46% rating as a perceived Conservative. Certainly Romney is a Conservative; however from a Christian Right perspective Romney’s faith as a Mormon comes into play. Most on the Christian Right view Mormonism as a cult based on Christianity yet not part of Christianity as say Roman Catholics or Eastern Orthodox are viewed as Christians.

Mormonism itself has all the moral values of Christianity (except the rogue spin-off Mormons that push polygamy); however the theology is definitely different placing more emphasis on the Book of Mormon rather than the Bible as the Word of God.

Romney as a former Governor of Massachusetts has social Conservative issues that he supported in the past but has changed his line in the present to boost a potential attraction to the Christian Right. The attraction seems to be scoring points for some on the Christian Right are beginning to endorse Romney, most significantly Weyrich and Jones.

Robertson is endorsing Giuliani to win the GOP nomination. Robertson’s endorsement could split the cohesion of the Christian Right because Giuliani is openly pro-abortion, pro-homosexual rights and made New York City a sanctuary city for illegal aliens. Zero of those aspects are amenable to the Christian Right. In fact there are those on the Christian Right which feel vehemently that Robertson and Weyrich are playing the role of Judas in the Republican Candidate selection.

My man Thompson is receiving a Christian Right organization’s endorsement allegedly in the very near future. Unnamed Republican sources are claiming the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) will announce their endorsement for Thompson tomorrow. We will see if that pans out. If indeed that happens that will be nearly as huge an endorsement for a Candidate as Robertson’s endorsement for Giuliani.

The GOP selection process is splintering the group that is responsible for electing President Bush to two terms of Office. My wonder is this: can the Christian Right re-unite when the GOP candidate is crowned as the Republican nominee for the Office of President of the United States? A disunited Christian Right could give a PR election advantage to the evil moral relativism of the Democratic Party which definitely stands for everything the Christian Right despises.

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Mitt and Ann Romney

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Christ Appears to Nephite (Indians - Lost Tribes of Israel)

I am not a Mormon. I believe Mormon beliefs are not Christian beliefs. I believe Mormon beliefs place Mormonism in the realm of a cult that is closer to Gnostic-Christianity rather legitimate Christianity.

Having said that: What about Mitt Romney?

I believe Romney is a good man with morals that many Christians in this day and age fail to live up to. I say that not knowing Romney; however I have known some Mormons (via work etc.) in my time. The Mormons I have known have a moral system that is conducive to the Christian Right.

I consider Mormonism to be a Christian heresy. I believe practicing Mormons to be engaged in a theology that even many of them do not comprehend. Sensitive questions are rarely answered with a straight answer but rather with a defensive deflection move the questioner off the point.

Knowing how I feel about Mormonism, would I vote for Mitt Romney for President?

During the primaries the answer would be NO. If Romney is the Republican nominee, the answer is a diminutive yes. A moral/Conservative Romney would be a better President than a so-called Progressive (oft times godless) Democrat that believes that Christian morality is an archaic belief system.

The Stiletto has some comments on Mitt and Mormonism. You really should read The Stiletto on Mormonism and Mitt’s candidacy.

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Al Sharpton (caricatures by Lisa)

Bernard McGuirk the former Producer for Don Imus has called Al Sharpton a “race baiter.” Although I am no supporter of Don Imus, Sharpton is a hypocrite. He calls Imus a racist and turns around and says Mormons and Mitt Romney do not believe in God. Where is the MSM clamor to have Sharpton censured? There is no such clamor, and if there is a clamor from the Slanted Right it is doubtful the MSM will draw attention.

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Fred Thompson

I was reading an article attributed to Dick Morris and Eileen McGann in the Jewish World Review today. The article seemed very supportive of Fred Thompson to commit for a run for the Republican nomination for President. I myself believe that Thompson is an articulate persona as President Reagan was. I believe he will appeal to the Christian Right, right wingers such as the NRA and so forth.

The Morris/McGann article questions Thompson’s reluctance to enter the race early might be a death knell to a later entry. The article reasons a later entrance will imply an image of lack of stick to it-ness which portrays leadership fragility in confronting a wild cat say like Hillary Clinton.

Morris/McGann point out that an early entrance by Obama circumscribed a Gore entry on the Democratic side; thus Thompson entrance NOW could circumscribe a possible Newt Gingrich (who I also like) entrance into Presidential politics.

Then Morris/McGann goes into all the what-ifs the Republicans and Thompson might face as Super Tuesday approaches in February 2008. Morris/McGann accuses Rudy Giuliani as being in the mold of old Rockefeller (pro-business yet center/left). The implication being if Thompson does not enter soon, Giuliani will have nearly unstoppable momentum. Giuliani is quite popular with everyday Joe Republican because of the strength of leadership he demonstrated during 9/11.

I personally think that Giuliani has too many skeletons in his closet to defeat a cagey Clinton gang. Because of Giuliani’s skeletons it would be tough to attack Clinton skeletons. I don’t think Newt Gingrich can defeat the Clinton Gang; he just comes across as too nice of guy for the old wild cat Clinton gang. I do believe Gingrich would make an excellent leader as President; one does not acquire Speaker of the House without skills. Unfortunately those are closed door skills that politicians rarely show publicly. I do not think Newt’s open door election skills can compete with the Clinton gang. I betray my disdain for Mormonism as a cultic off-shoot from Christianity that has the appearance of ancient Gnostics more than the orthodoxy practiced by Christians. Mitt Romney morals may be impeccable, but it would be like voting for an anti-Christian. However I have to tell you, I would vote for Romney before I would for any Left Wing Democrat.

I am sure there are other Republicans I am leaving out; however the ones I have written about are the ones I am thinking about (I guess I could throw Brownback in there and maybe others). It is the idea of a slick speaker and a quick wit like Fred Thompson that I am really drawn to. In that I am like Morris/McGann: RUN FRED, RUN…NOW!  

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