Expanding the Base

Exit poll after exit poll has told the same story for Governor Huckabee. So far, he's been a one-trick pony, capturing primarily the born-again vote. Of course, that's his political brand, and it's a strong one. And, given that fully 45% of Americans adults call themselves evangelical and/or born-again, it's not a bad place to build a campaign, particularly in the GOP side. But it's a foundation only, not a livable house. To build an electoral house, the Governor must expand his base of support beyond born-agains. I say this as one of those 45%.

It would one thing if Huckabee could garner a near-unanimous tally among evangelicals, like Mitt Romney captured Mormons in Nevada yesterday. Romney got 94% of the Mormon vote yesterday! That's astounding. And if that had been evangelicals for Huckabee, you would have seen garment-rending among the media. Theocracy! Theocracy! Theocracy! But i digress.

Some suggestions…

• STOP the God & Constitution rhetoric. I suspect this one comment hurt Huckabee way more than has been measured, and way more than anything he has said before. It doesn't really matter what nuance he meant. Given voter suspicions already, this totally fed into those fears. I know, and most of my readers know, that he was merely talking about the two parts of his platform that call for Constitutional amendments – protecting unborn children and the sanctity of marriage – and why it's ok to pursue amendments. But he has to talk about those things in Constitutional terms, and saying it is what God wants doesn't cut it. There are plenty of reasons to stand up for innocent children in the womb that don't require Christian Identity language. A purely God-approach to public-square arguments is more likely to undermine the cause than to advance it. It pains me to say this, but i believe it's true.
  
• STOP preaching on Sunday mornings. I know some Huckabee supporters will blanch at this point. I personally think it's great that he goes into a church and preaches the gospel, as opposed to the typical politician who makes a barely-concealed stump speech. But the rules for Huckabee now are different, presuming he wants to become President. Alternatively, keep making the appearances, but adjust the message. You don't have to avoid God-talk here, but it would make more sense to deliver a strong message with broader appeal. Preach about ministering to the poor and needy. Preach about the fruit of the Spirit. But the current approach of talking about Christians winning in the end and what-not is counter-productive in the context of the election. It reminds me of Gene Simmons on Celebrity Apprentice, with the nose-thumbing of i'm going to do what i want, i don't care what the experts say, fire me if you wish. I guess that's great if you want to just be on TV, but not if you're actually interested in winning the race you're in.
  
• Reach out to a conservative group like Heritage Foundation or CATO. Make a speech; write an article like the one i posted on Friday. You have a lot of good things to talk about.
  
• Tighten up your message when you get free media. Enough of the aw-shucks quips about flak and hunter-targets and hit-dogs. If you're asked about taxes, say simply: In Arkansas, our economy grew faster than the national average, we moved from a large budget deficit to an even larger budget surplus, we made vast improvements in roads & education, we made government work again, and we did it all with a tax burden BELOW the national average. If you are asked a God question, say simply: i believe firmly in the founders' view of the separation of church & state, and of religious freedom as embedded in our Constitution. Our goal is to make American a better place, and all viewpoints, whether from the religious or non-religious, are welcome in the debate about what that means. If Fred Thompson tries to put you in the Blame America First crowd, explode back at him with a "How dare you question my patriotism, Senator!"
  
• Insist that the media refer to you as Governor Huckabee, which is the proper salutation and etiquette, and not merely as a Baptist preacher.
  

Why this is important

Governor Huckabee's message and platform should have broader appeal beyond born-agains. He should be a candidate who appeals to prolife Catholics, to conservatives & moderates concerned about our stewardship of the environment, to conservatives who question whether government is approaching the economy in the right way, to other non-traditional constituencies. But those inclined to consider him are turned off by the continued Christian Identity politics. They aren't going to understand little phrases that are innocuous to evangelicals, but troubling for those not in the club. It makes it easy for them to ignore him in the voting booth. I bet there are even legions of FairTax fans that are queasy. But it doesn't have to be that way. This is still a winnable election.