The article that follows was written by Grace Klaassen and originally published online at Wise Republic on June 14, 2011:
How are they doing now–those enthusiastic Huckabee believers posting “Run, Huck, Run” signs on Facebook just before Mike Huckabee’s momentous announcement of whether he would run for President for 2012?
Not surprisingly, his loyal political supporters were saddened, shocked, and let down by his announcement that he will not run “this year.” But they are trying to understand. And they are looking for signs of hope for a future run.
May 14, 2011—the date Governor Huckabee chose for his statement—was the day many thought he would enter the Republican presidential primary race. In Iowa, a Stuck on Huck rally was planned by supporters for June. Another Huckaboom (you have to know his history in Iowa, 2007-2008) was set to begin. However, the live announcement, tacked on to the end of the Fox News Huckabee show was not what they expected.
“All the factors say GO,” Huckabee told the nation, “but my heart says NO.”
The race that had been ready to explode out of the blocks would await another day.
All the political signs looked promising for a victorious outcome, both in the primary election against other Republicans, as well as in the general election against President Obama. Polls consistently placed Huckabee at or near the top; his name recognition was growing; and his favorability ratings were consistently best among Republican “likely” candidates. Ed Rollins, his 2008 national campaign director, wanted him to run. (He has now gone off to help Rep. Michele Bachman, R-Minn., whom Huckabee in typical, gracious manner calls a friend.) It seemed that everyone was convinced Huckabee should run except himself.
As runner-up in the 2008 Republican primary and now a popular television show host, the former Governor from Arkansas and 2008 presidential candidate has maintained an enviable cadre of grassroots supporters and has gained many new fans as well. If he decides at some future point to run, or if he is drafted as a candidate or picked as a Vice Presidential running mate, you can be certain he will have an immediate group of supporters still eager to help him.
Hope does not die easily for their candidate from Hope, Arkansas. Fans note that Huckabee has not said “never;” he only said, “I will not seek the Republican nomination for President this year.” Perhaps, they dream, this leaves a door open for “next year” or in 2016. Or, by some miracle, the Republicans might come begging him to run! Huckabee has not ruled out anything completely, because he believes it is foolish to say “never.” But he is definitely not planning a 2012 candidacy.
But then, George Washington said he would never run, either. Maybe the reluctant candidate makes the best President, after all.
The reasons to hope may not be all that far-fetched, as time will perhaps tell. Huckabee has one big advantage that has widened his appeal—his own amazing ability to communicate with people. He is a master at debating calmly and with reason. And, when he talks directly to the people, he connects. His personal kindness and humor, as well as his common sense and simple government politics, have immediate appeal. The Huckabee show on Fox News and his Huckabee Report on ABC radio affiliates have allowed him to gain the public ear with what he is best at: meeting people, hosting guests on his show with unusual grace, and talking about life and politics in a way that resonates with most Americans.
So what stopped the popular and successful former Governor of Arkansas (amazingly the first Republican to hold that office in his state since Reconstruction) from running? Clearly it was the calling of God that was most important to Mike Huckabee, the man. Not what the pundits said was possible or impossible. And he said that God did not give him the go-ahead to run.
His fans wanted a different answer, yet most of them can appreciate Huckabee wanting to follow God’s will. Even though political strategists ranging from Lanny Davis, Democrat strategist, to Dick Morris, Fox News commentator/consultant, agreed that he was the one to beat President Obama, Governor Huckabee gets his marching orders from a higher commander-in-chief. As he said, God gave him the “a peace that exceeds human understanding” about this decision. Of course, that is what his supporters would hope candidates have before they run: peace with God, family, and others, but mostly within the person running for office. The presidency is a demanding and serious job; I would guess most candidates privately pray at least a little before attempting something so life-changing.
In the 2008 race, the former Arkansas governor did feel a clear calling from God that he was supposed to do this–to enter a campaign that almost no one expected him to win. He surprised everyone by winning the Iowa caucuses and finishing second to Senator John McCain in the Republican primaries. Had he received a little help from the Republican establishment and a little less opposition from talk show hosts like Limbaugh and Levin and some in the Republican establishment, we might now have a President Mike Huckabee. Americans would all know how to pronounce his last name by now. Yet this year God apparently gave him a different direction. As Huckabee explained it, God just did not make him comfortable with that “Yes” answer. Huckabee is unlikely to change his mind unless God changes it for him.
As one who has studied Governor Huckabee and become a fan of this genuinely likeable and accomplished man over the past several years, I find him to be a man of his word. I can not recall a time that he promised things he did not intend to deliver. He never purposely led people astray or lacked gratitude for his avid supporters. Because of the groundswell of support for him to run, he saw the need to not let this indecision drag on. Early May he realized there was a need to make a difficult decision and give an announcement. People could not be held in limbo much longer. Fox News was soon to ask for a “yes” or “no” on a new contract for his popular Huckabee show.
The part that Huckabee regrets most deeply is hurting his loyal, hard-working, and expectant supporters. In his announcement he mentioned “especially…those who have faithfully and so sacrificially been part of the process. I know I will deeply disappoint many people I love. So many good and dear people have put forth extraordinary effort without any assurance I would mount a campaign. It pains me to let them down.”
On various websites, posts like this one by a Huckabee loyalist show that most are working through the stages of grief: “I was sad and upset for a couple of weeks. But you will always be the best man for the job. If you decide to run I will still work to help you win.”
The folks who admire Huckabee understand his unashamed beliefs and relationship with Jesus Christ; they cannot help but admire that he puts God above fame or fortune. So their disappointment is eased by their admiration and acceptance. Americans in general still respect a person who wants to be at peace with God regarding such a major decision, even if they do not understand God’s ways in this instance. They like a person who is true to his principles. While the army of Huckabee loyalists floundered a bit, most will take a deep breath and begin to pray that some future day God will give the opportunity, the loud and clear call that would lead Huckabee to the White House or at least to the Vice Presidency. In the meantime (if the former governor has his way) they will throw their efforts behind some of his other projects, such as helping HuckPAC to elect a strong majority of Republicans in the House and Senate, as well as in state governor races in 2012.
For now, God seems to be calling Mike Huckabee to be more of a Jeremiah — a prophet to draw this nation back to its godly heritage and Constitutional roots. Some of the projects that will be keeping him quite busy–like the Learn Our History video series he is helping produce for kids–give indication of that direction in his life. And he will be fighting against big government growth with efforts such as his recent phone appeals to defeat Obamacare. We can expect that he will have plenty to say on Fox News as a political commentator this next election cycle. He can understand better than most the inner dynamics of the presidential and gubernatorial races–certainly far better than pundits who have never subjected themselves to the grueling, grinding election process that has become today’s political climate of personal destruction.
But we can’t leave this discussion without remembering our first reluctant President, George Washington.
As the popular commander of the colonial forces, Washington believed that the new Republic that was being formed after the American Revolution needed to eschew the idea of imperialistic Great Britain and other European kingdoms, of making one popular, powerful man too powerful. “No King but Jesus” was our country’s political cry of the late Eighteenth Century. When the newly formed United States of America had its own critical struggle to come to agreement on the wording of the Constitution, they realized what was needed was a man in charge who could bring the various states and their ideas of government together. They needed Washington’s example, courage, faith, experience, and strength of character, as well as his ability to lead people. And he had a quality that Huckabee has, of finding the best in all the leaders and putting it together so that progress could be made and a goal accomplished.
George Washington was the first Commander-in-Chief of the colonial army, but in 1783, he voluntarily resigned so that concentration of power would not lie in one man. However, the people loved and appreciated this humble leader; the consensus at home and abroad was that he should become the first President and retain the role of commander-in-chief for the fledgling nation. When the electors of all the Thirteen Colonies had cast their sealed votes it was unanimous. And when the news came to him that he was elected, Washington said, “I cannot give a greater evidence of my sensibility for the honor my fellow citizens have done me, than by accepting the appointment.”
Could the day come for Governor Huckabee to be drafted and for him to say that he will accept the appointment in honor of his fellow citizens? While we live in a vastly different United States from the one in which Washington lived, the government and its future success are hanging in the balance as then. Anything is possible. Many political advisors and people recognize that Governor Huckabee may be exactly what America needs. Like Washington, Huckabee is reluctant to place himself in a political process that has become, unfortunately, a demolition derby instead of a race.
When the need seems so great, hope does not die. Many people believe Governor Mike Huckabee would have made one of the more outstanding Presidents our nation has ever had. In this troubled time, it is evident that the wrong choice of President can cause a nation to fail, as is occurring under President Obama. Yet, by God’s grace, an exceptional choice could be found to inspire us again to greatness, to be a “shining city on a hill.” If it were clear that Huckabee would get the kind of support needed, I think God might just change His answer to, “Go ahead and win.”
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