WASHINGTON – Winners and losers of this past weekend’s primaries did little to ease the worries of the Christian right, who expressed that they are still in search of the ideal candidate that could satisfy the three branches of the conservative voting base.
These conservative Christian leaders surprised some, including candidates, by withholding their support from even the strongest opponents of abortion and gay “marriage” because they felt their defense and economic record was not strong enough.
In a broadcasted analysis of primary results Saturday night, Focus on the Family Action and Family Research Council expressed that while former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee’s record was “fairly good on value voters” issues, they were looking to “elect a president to do a lot of things” including standing up to “tyrants” and fix the economy.
FRC president Tony Perkins explained that the conservative voting camp consists of not only social conservatives who care about abortion and traditional marriage, but also fiscal and defense conservatives.
“Like McCain reaching out to social conservatives, Huckabee needs to reach out to fiscal and economic conservatives,” Perkins advised.
Likewise, the Christian right leaders were not fully satisfied with South Carolina winner and current frontrunner, Sen. John McCain, who FOTF’s Tom Minnery said has frustrated social conservatives with his support for embryonic stem cell research and his blow-up with Christian leaders in 2000.
“He likes his reputation of a maverick, but we want someone we can depend on,” Perkins chimed in, noting his fluctuating support of conservative agendas.
Meanwhile, Nevada winner Mitt Romney meets all three of the conservative markers, but his “big challenge” is being a newcomer to the social conservative scene. Many have accused the former Massachusetts governor of flip-flopping on issues, including the non-negotiable conservative issues of abortion and gay rights.
Former social conservative darling Fred Thompson was also said to satisfy all three essential conservative groups, but lacks campaign momentum. The former Tennessee senator has not won any primaries or come in second at any of the events.
In South Carolina, where his campaign desperately needed to win, Thompson came in a disappointing third, causing many to question his campaign’s sustainability.
McCain had instead claimed victory in the state said to be the gatekeeper to the South, and was followed closely by Huckabee, and Romney in fourth.
On the west coast, Romney easily won Nevada, Ron Paul came in second, followed by McCain, ahead of Thompson and Huckabee.
Early exit polling data indicate that the economy was the most important issues affecting Republican votes in both South Carolina and Nevada, according to CNN. Republicans will travel down south to Florida for its next primary on Jan. 29.
On the Democratic side, Sen. Hillary Clinton won the Nevada primary on Saturday and will head east for the party’s next face-off Saturday in South Carolina.
Comments
What Church is Mr. Hucksterbee a pastor of? why did he make the the Judicial Watch top 10 most Corrupt politicians list for 2007. http://judicialwatch.org/judicial-watch-announces-list-washington-s-ten-most-wanted-corrupt-politicians-2007 <--( cut and paste this link and wake up others now! ) Did he really only spend 2 days in the seminary he said, he graduated from?? How much money did he allocate to planned parenthood for abortions when hw was Govenor of Arkansas??? You need to know the Answers , You need to seek the Truth; Wake up , WWW.SAVEAMERICANOW.COM & WWW.PRAYFORPAUL.COM & WWW.RONPAUL2008.COM God Bless You all ! In the name of Yeshua, Christ our Lord !
Karl -
By not supporting Ron Paul's legislation to return the issue of abortion to the States, as dictated by the Constitution, we are consenting, albeit indirectly, to abortion in EVERY State. How many innocents would have been spared this death sentence if the citizens iof each State had been given the right to decide this question years ago? How many millions have died while we have insisted on waiting for the "RIGHT Supreme Court Justice!".... ??
Ron Paul had delivered more than 4000 babies in his lifetime. He has never once performed an abortion, nor has he ever seen a situation where an abortion was required to save the life of the mother (these are his own words). Stop being fooled by those with a vested interest in shutting him up. Find out for yourself, as the Lord directs us to do! (you shall know them by the fruit they bear) www.ronpaul2008.com/issues
Peace.
Ron Paul and the prostitutes! Oh my!!
Let me ask you a question: did the Pharisees not condemn even Jesus Christ because the publicans and prostitutes flocked to him? Should our Lord have chased them away?!
Please don't be so easily manipulated by the world, a world I might add that hates what this good and decent man stands for: honesty, integrity, responsible leadership, good stewardship, sound money, the Constitution, liberty, freedom, and peace.
Ron Paul is a true brother in Christ and I believe that he is being maligned and marginalized precisely for that reason.
Go here to read his Statement of Faith: www.covenantnews.com/ronpaul070721.htm
and here for his economic revitalization plan: www.ronpaul2008.com/Prosperity
You shall know them by their fruit ---------- test his words against his actions! 10 terms in Congress (R-Tx)..
You know, Ron Paul is a strong Christian. I think he is a great choice. He lives a Christian life, if you care to look.
Defend the right to life, Support Dr. Ron Paul now!
http://www.ronpaul2008.com/issues/life-and-liberty/
Aren't you sick of politicians using this as a political football while babies die?! I'm tired of hearing how "conservative" and "prolife" they are UNTIL they take the office! Check Rep. Paul's 10-term record - he is an honest man.
Also check YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXZpuIXEzWk
Ron Paul speaks at the National Right to Life Convention
also WWW.PRAYFORPAUL.COM cut & paste & share these links, God Bless you all.
I really can't believe that we are debating as Christians who to vote for. It is the first time in a long time that we have a true born-again Christian candidate for President available, i.e. Mike Huckabee, and spend all of our energy debating on who we would like to see in the White House. Bush claimed to be a Christian and look how he is turning his back in Israel, God's Chosen Nation and people. The United States will suffer because of him. Read what the Word says about those who either bless or curse Israel. It is time we stop debating and get to work electing a true born-again Christian in Mike Huckabee.
No candidate will ever be perfect, but I don't see how a Christian can support any candidate who takes stands in total contradiction to God's Word.
bigpapajules, there is a sizeable number of Mormons in Nevada. The fact is, Romney's record as a governor was extremely liberal on social issues. Did he think we wouldn't notice?
I was aghast to see the Nightline piece on Ron Paul, with reporters visiting Las Vegas brothels, seeing the big VOTE RON PAUL! posters on the walls. If Paul is so conservative, why do prostitutes and their 'customers' like him so much?
If someone put a gun to my head and forced me to vote for a Republican, it'd probably be Mitt Romney. As someone else once said, "Catch this guy on the right day, and he's Che frickin' Guevara!"
Allan Keyes has always been faithful to the the message of Christ.
Unlike Ron Paul, Keyes is not supported by prostitutes and would not consent to abortion in individual states.
The "Christian Right" that this story refers to need to do their research. There is one candidate who is more Pro-Life than any of the others (wants to get rid of Roe v. Wade for starters!) and the only one who is against the "Real ID" bill which readers of Revelation should be suspicious of immediately.
Of course I'm talking about He Who Must Not Be Named, er, Ron Paul.
O, just go on and say it. Romney didn't do well in SC because he is a Mormon. Not because he is a "recent" convert to the conservative cause. Look in Nevada. He took the majority of the white evangelical vote there 3-1 compared to any of the other candidates. You ask why? Because most of the evangelicals in Nevada know a Mormon compared to SC evangelicals. They know that all the anti-mormon garbage is a joke. They are not afraid of Romney's Mormonism. In fact they embrace it as a common friend in fighting Socialism. Maybe southern evangelicals should take a lesson form there western counterparts and vote for someone who qualified to be president (i.e. romney) and not just vote for the guy who claims to be more Jesus than everyone else (i.e. huckabee)
It is really a shame that other candidates, in their zeal to win, have painted Huckabee as liberal on economic issues. He is really quite conservative, if you look at his actual stands on issues or how he governed in Arkansas. What he does is adopt a lot of the language traditionally used by liberals, about being for the little guy, and not kowtowing to big business. But this is language that famous conservatives like Teddy Roosevelt used to use all the time-- it is a terrible shame that we have allowed that rhetoric to be so taken over by the left that we insist that conservatives say only how they love big business. Huckabee _Is_ that ideal compromise on the issues, if people will really look into it. Instead, they react against language of being for the little guy-- which is such a shame for Christians, who are commanded by the Bible to be concerned for the poor, even while not being unjust to the rich.