Saturday, January 12, 2008

Why Huckabee?

I must admit I have been surprised at some of the homeschoolers reactions against Mike Huckabee. The articles written by those who oppose him have left me very disappointed with the lack of sound reasoning. My disappointment has only been keener because some of these writings have been by people I have respected. One article,by a very renowned homeschooler, suggests we not vote for Huckabee out of fear of what others will think about us if he makes unpopular decisions:

"Think of it. If Huckabee is elected, and then (like George W. Bush) takes actions that are deservedly unpopular (e.g., Bush's refusing to close our borders to illegal invasion), people might start saying, "It's the homeschoolers' fault!" They might say this even if we, personally, don't agree with Huckabee's post-election actions."

This has got to be some of the most ridiculous reasoning I have ever heard.

Over and over I read others saying he imposed more restrictions on homeschoolers in Arkansas, restrictions that HSLDA opposed. Doesn't that make anyone ask the question why HSDLA would endorse him now? When HSLDA and the men who have worked tirelessly to defend homeschooling support someone, doesn't that merit something? Doesn't that raise the idea in anyone's head that maybe there is a good explanation? I emailed HSLDA and asked why they were supporting Huckabee and what was all this controversy in the homeschooling camp. They replied to me and sent a link to this explanation of Mike Huckabee's record on Arkansas homeschooling laws on the their site. It made sense to me. I also watched a video on YouTube of some homeschooling pioneers giving their reasons they support Mike Huckabee. Maybe I'm naive, but I have a hard time believing these people are liars.

Now, I am not suggesting just trusting someone else's judgment or blindly taking someone at their word. But come on people. Are we just going to mistrust everyone? If I go that route, I will not have any incentive to vote at all.

I admit it does get frustrating at times. How can I really know what the truth is? How can I know if people are trying to fool me for personal gain or their own agenda? I really don't want to spend countless hours researching everyone's politics. I watch interviews and debates and read a little. That's the most I'm willing to put into it at this point in my life. So, could I be wrong? Could I end up getting burned by Huckabee? Yes, it's possible.

What I do know is Mike Huckabee claims to be a believer. He claims a lot of things that I believe in. As far as homeschooling goes, he says he thinks homeschoolers are doing a great job and should be left alone. I have watched many interviews and debates and I like what I hear. I don't know much about economics or foreign policy and to be honest, I don't really care to. I'd rather leave that to others. I'd rather have a president who is wanting to do his best before God and has solid Christian beliefs and a relationship with God. As for all of the other policy decisions, God can help him with all of that. And so can a good cabinet. God can protect us even in our ignorance, bad decisions, or lack of understanding and experience if we are seeking Him and acknowledging Him in all our ways. And that's what I've seen Mike Huckabee do ~ acknowledge Him. And I don't mean the cold, casual name dropping that so many ungodly politicians do. That's not what I've seen. I've seen him take bold stands for the truth. And I admire that.

Could he be a slick trickster? I guess it's possible. But until I see credible evidence of that, I'll just trust God with it and take a Christian man at his word until he proves otherwise.

6 comments:

Granny said...

Amen.

And though the writer of the article you cited had a great influence on my thinking twenty years ago, her positions and opinions (and methods) have diverged enough from mine in the past decade that her opposition to Huckabee doesn't surprise me.

Anonymous said...

Just thought you might want to know that HSLDA has made it clear they are NOT supporting Huckabee. Michael Farris made a statement saying that at this time it is his opinion that Mike Huckabee is right man for the job. He made it clear that this was only his opinion and Not that of HSLDA. Also, you might want to check some of Mike Huckabee's policies before making a final decision. Huckabee supports state paid for health insurance and drivers licenses for illegal aliens, he believes global warming is Real and a Major problem, he as Governor raised taxed many times. If president Bush's policy on immigration bothers you I think you will find that Mike Huckabee's if far more liberal. Good intentions can take you down a wrong path. A faith in God is a must to be a good president, but it needs to be backed up by sound policies and true understanding of what freedom means and what it costs. I have not made up my mind who to vote for, but I do believe we need to be informed.

Lisa said...

Here's the link of the HSLDA PAC endorsement:

http://www.hsldapac.org/dnn/Home/HuckabeeforPresident/tabid/93/Default.aspx

Nathan L. said...

Here's the full link:
http://www.hsldapac.org/dnn/Home/HuckabeeforPresident/tabid/93/Default.aspx

Sometimes its hard to know what to think. Mike is about as good a candidate as I've seen. As for the knowledge, I believe that if Mike is truly a believer, as mamalion said, God will make up for any lack of experience he may need. David never went to Harvard. Yet he led the people of Israel quite well.

Just my thoughts.

Anonymous said...

Come stop by www.thinkaware.com. Lots of info on the Huckabee/homeschooling topic, including some exclusive info direct from the Horse's mouth.

Thinkaware

Henry Cate said...

I haven't made up my mind yet. I am leaning towards Fred Thompson.

If you want more information on Huckabee you might check out Spunky's blog:

http://spunkyhomeschool.blogspot.com/

She did a ton of resource and shares what she learned about Huckabee. Just keep scrolling.