Born Again Huckabee

Before I am pilloried for sticking my egotistical Indian nose in places it has no business being, let me clarify that this article reflects exclusively my personal opinions. It is not based on political acumen (I have none) or scholarly research (no patience). It is, however, based on personal observations gleaned from living, for 10 days, among an evangelical Christian community in Ojai last summer.

So Mike Huckabee has won the Iowa caucus. He defeated his closest opponent, Mitt Romney, by a wide margin. My first reaction to this news was a sense of optimism that Iowa voters were finally signaling their contempt for the slew of negative ads put out by Romney. Calmer reflection, however, led me to the conclusion that Romney probably lost because he is a Mormon. When I was in Ojai, I asked a few people I met whether they would consider voting for Romney. A few had the grace to look embarrassed, but others had no qualms about saying no. When pressed for a reason, they hemmed and hawed, but it became apparent that their chief objection was to the fact that he is a Mormon. The sense of condescending contempt as they spoke about that sect (they refused to dignify it with the title of religion) was palpable. They bristled at the thought of Joseph Smith portraying himself as a prophet, presumably one of the Latter Day Saints their church is formally named for. I reminded them that Mormons believed in Jesus too. They reluctantly conceded this point, but the idea of someone like Smith setting himself up as some sort of intermediary between ordinary humans and the Son of God was abhorrent to them. How could Mormons call themselves true Christians?

According to CNN’s "best political team on television" (those guys evidently do not believe in modesty), the majority of folks who took part in the Iowa caucus are evangelical Christians. I believe what clinched the deal for Huckabee was that they regard Huckabee as ‘one of them’. Huckabee’s blatant championship of conservative Christian values – like the cross strategically located in a campaign ad – did not bother them. In fact, they regarded it as an asset. Here was one of their own, not afraid to profess his faith (unlike those separation of church and state hypocrites), or display the symbols of his religion. Under those circumstances, Huckabee’s victory was almost inevitable.

The political pundits expressed some surprise at the victory of African-American Barrack Obama in predominantly white Iowa. My personal opinion is that Obamas’s win reflects not only their approval of him, as a slap in the face of Hillary Clinton. That smarty-pants woman was way too liberal for their tastes. She never mentioned Jesus once in her speeches. Their Christian charity would probably stop them short of calling her ungodly, but she didn’t come across as someone who placed much importance on the Lord. They got an opportunity to put her in her place; and they grabbed it. Remember, she didn’t even make second place. Obama, on the other hand – while falling short of calling himself conservative Christian – cleverly brings up old fashioned values of family and God in his speeches. This probably struck a sympathetic chord among Iowans and may partly explain why he managed to beat even white John Edwards.

The political pundits consider it unlikely that either of the two Iowa winners will end up as the delegates of their respective parties. I tend to agree. I do not believe that America is ready for an African-American President just yet. However, Huckabee may yet spring a surprise. Remember, Huckabee’s support base is roughly the same as that of George Bush. The ‘red’ states got Bush elected – twice – despite his holding political opinions the intelligentsia despair of. Yes, Mike Huckabee is worth keeping an eye on.