Liberty Maven

Well, it’s a problem for me and probably the general mainstream of America. According to CNN’s polling last night 86% of GOP voters said religion played a role in their vote. After reading this ABC article it is no surprise that Huckabee won in Iowa among the GOP voters.

Rebekah Swicegood, a 22-year-old music teacher from Lowell, Ark., led the circle with seven friends, pontificating for approximately 20 minutes, beseeching the Lord to provide a victory for Huckabee, a Baptist minister before entering elected office.

Swicegood said, “We pray that you will lift Mike Huckabee up, Lord,” as part of a plan for the U.S. to “return to the God of our founding fathers.”

This would include ending abortion, and ending homosexuality. “When Rome got to the point of accepting sodomy, they fell,” Swicegood said.

Weeping at one point, Swicegood also prayed “that we no longer say, in the name of tolerance, that we accept every wrong religion.”

After her prayer was finished, the group broke out into a chorus of “God Bless America.”

Swicegood said she was home schooled, which is a constituency Huckabee has courted assiduously.

“Mike Huckabee is a picture of God’s last chance for America, because we have rejected him,” she said. “Mike Huckabee is going to beseech God’s mercy on America.” (source: ABC news)

This alone tells us Huckabee’s chances at the GOP nomination. Slim. It does however make a wonderful case for him being selected as a running mate to the eventual nominee.

This from the official campaign site:

December 6, 2007 12:19 am EST

ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA – In light of Governor Romney’s anticipated “religion speech,” fellow Republican candidate Ron Paul issued the following statement: 

“We live in times of great uncertainty when men of faith must stand up for American values and traditions before they are washed away in a sea of fear and relativism. I have never been one who is particularly comfortable talking about my faith in the political arena, and I find the pandering that typically occurs in the election season to be distasteful.

“Our nation was founded to be a place where religion is freely practiced and differences are tolerated and respected. I come to my faith through Jesus Christ and have accepted him as my personal savior. At the same time, I have worked tirelessly to defend and restore individual rights and religious freedom for all Americans.

“The recent attacks and insinuations, both direct and subtle, that Gov. Romney may be less fit to serve as president of our United States because of his faith fly in the face of everything America stands for. Gov. Romney should be judged fairly, on his record and his character, not on the church he attends.” 

Ron Paul demonstrates his own character (yet again) with this press release.

This is an interesting few minutes of a Ron Paul video interview from Newsweek’s Howard Fineman. In it Paul is asked about religion and politics, specifically about Huckabee and Romney.

Not embeddable, but this link will take you to the Newsweek video site directly to the interview.