Well, that's it. Mike Huckabee isn't a real Conservative. Fred Thompson told me so.
Funny how these things work. Back when Thompson was weighing his options an independent analysis mentioned he might well have trouble with "real" conservatives. That author declared him a southern moderate.
Now he's the real-deal -- according to Fred.
Huckabee is now a Liberal -- according to Fred.
Why? He questioned our foreign policy a couple of weeks ago. Huckabee said we were arrogant in some ways.
Actually, Huckabee is the Conservative on this... The world has shifted.
As much as I'm a Bush supporter, the truth is that the Bush White House has adopted in many ways a Liberal Wilsonian foreign policy -- Nation Building, making the Middle East a place of Democracy.
It's called "Wilsonian" hearkening back to the First World War. Remember the cry, "Make the world safe for democracy!"?
Here's the shift: Liberals are arguing for a more isolationist less intrusive foreign policy.
It's not the first time. In a sense the Conservative push to attack Communism was Wilsonian. The Liberal response was Conservative isolationism.
It can be argued that Iraq AND the war against Communism in South Korea and Vietnam all had clear and compelling national interests. In that way, the nation-building, Wilsonian policy becomes a Conservative policy. These things just aren't pure.
And that's EXACTLY the point!!! Conservative and Liberal are shifty labels. I've been called both. Any thinking person will be.
As an aside, this, I believe, is the problem with Ron Paul... He's so incredibly doctrinaire that he ceases to make sense.
I come back to my undergrad Math degree. In math theory there's a proven principle that has VERY broad application.
In systems -- descriptions how things actually work -- any system is contradictory. A closed system (a system that claims to be the ONLY system with ALL the right answers) is shaky, falls apart, doesn't work.
An open system (one which understands that there is no absolutely PURE answer) is strong, consistent, resilient, effective.
That's what drew me to Huckabee... exactly because there are places where he understands a rigid adherence to an ideology falls in dust under pressure. But at the same time, holds strongly to central tenants as a guiding star.
D--
Monday, January 14, 2008
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Just a bit down...
Primary Day was completely amazing. The Primary party, I even donned a suit. And the boys and I wound up in the slush directing traffic. And it was great.
It's back to work, back to things that aren't near as fun. But they DO pay the bills.
I made some efforts to get involved with the SC campaign. We'll see where that goes. There's a part of me -- and I wonder if it's a responsible part or a part that just loves adventure too much -- that wants to run away and join this circus called politics.
Regardless, for those who believe with me that Gov. Huckabee is our best choice for President, volunteer your phone, your voice and a couple of hours on your weekend. Check out this link:
Phone Calls for Huckabee
Then check out THIS link:
Huck's Army
There's more out there... some sane, some not ... ah well, that's Politics!
D--
It's back to work, back to things that aren't near as fun. But they DO pay the bills.
I made some efforts to get involved with the SC campaign. We'll see where that goes. There's a part of me -- and I wonder if it's a responsible part or a part that just loves adventure too much -- that wants to run away and join this circus called politics.
Regardless, for those who believe with me that Gov. Huckabee is our best choice for President, volunteer your phone, your voice and a couple of hours on your weekend. Check out this link:
Phone Calls for Huckabee
Then check out THIS link:
Huck's Army
There's more out there... some sane, some not ... ah well, that's Politics!
D--
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
P-Day...
It's Primary day here in sunny New Hampshire. Polls say McCain should take it, Huckabee a distant third. That's not bad considering where most placed him just a couple of weeks ago.
It's been an incredible experience to answer the phones over the last few days. Most calls are great. I can't count the number of times people said they were praying for the campaign.
The ... um ... oddballs are out too. Numerous calls with "dirt" on various candidates that the caller was sure we'd want to have. Calls too complaining that the Huckabee campaign was using "push" polls.
I HATE push polls. If you aren't familiar with them, they're when you get a call asking you for your candidate choice, then raising scurrilous accusations about a candidate and asking if it would change your mind if it's true. They're mean and nasty and the point is to throw out mud without throwing mud...
None of the 3 callers I spoke with who said they'd been push polled could give me a caller-id number, so it raises some questions. But it also makes me think the idea is to make Huckabee look bad, since he's said he would NOT push poll.
Politics is nasty.
Yesterday was so incredibly cool. I took the boys to downtown Manchester where it's a carnival. The world press is there. We dropped into the Red Arrow Diner for a light dinner and Channel 5 news' Ed Harding and crew were in there eating and interviewing. When we left, Channel 7 was doing the same thing.
On the street we saw Anderson Cooper at City Hall Plaza preparing for a show. ABC has the coolest studio... a trailer mounted on scissor lifts on an 18 wheeler. It's entirely glass on one side and lifted about 25 feet up... the view is out to the tree-lighted City Hall Plaza.... what a site.
Then on to the Radisson where we sat in on 96.9 WTKK Boston who is doing their talk shows live. We spent about 35-40 minutes listening and then I asked a question at the mic. G-Dawg walked behind a window where C-Span was broadcasting ... it looked like it was blacked out so we watched while he walked behind and waved animatedly... It wasn't blacked out ... :) OOPS.
Earlier I'd seen Tim Russert being interviewed by C-Span...
There's nothin' finer than New Hampshire at the Primaries!
At the polls today, the big crowds holding signs in M-Town were McCain and Obama. Looks like they'll be the big winners.
It's back to work for me and then off to the party tonight... Election night parties are great when your candidate does well, and a 3rd place finish is good for Huckabee...
What is fascinating is how our two campaigns seem to honestly like each other, at least at this point. Maybe a good ticket... Huckabee/McCain or McCain/Huckabee ...
D--
It's been an incredible experience to answer the phones over the last few days. Most calls are great. I can't count the number of times people said they were praying for the campaign.
The ... um ... oddballs are out too. Numerous calls with "dirt" on various candidates that the caller was sure we'd want to have. Calls too complaining that the Huckabee campaign was using "push" polls.
I HATE push polls. If you aren't familiar with them, they're when you get a call asking you for your candidate choice, then raising scurrilous accusations about a candidate and asking if it would change your mind if it's true. They're mean and nasty and the point is to throw out mud without throwing mud...
None of the 3 callers I spoke with who said they'd been push polled could give me a caller-id number, so it raises some questions. But it also makes me think the idea is to make Huckabee look bad, since he's said he would NOT push poll.
Politics is nasty.
Yesterday was so incredibly cool. I took the boys to downtown Manchester where it's a carnival. The world press is there. We dropped into the Red Arrow Diner for a light dinner and Channel 5 news' Ed Harding and crew were in there eating and interviewing. When we left, Channel 7 was doing the same thing.
On the street we saw Anderson Cooper at City Hall Plaza preparing for a show. ABC has the coolest studio... a trailer mounted on scissor lifts on an 18 wheeler. It's entirely glass on one side and lifted about 25 feet up... the view is out to the tree-lighted City Hall Plaza.... what a site.
Then on to the Radisson where we sat in on 96.9 WTKK Boston who is doing their talk shows live. We spent about 35-40 minutes listening and then I asked a question at the mic. G-Dawg walked behind a window where C-Span was broadcasting ... it looked like it was blacked out so we watched while he walked behind and waved animatedly... It wasn't blacked out ... :) OOPS.
Earlier I'd seen Tim Russert being interviewed by C-Span...
There's nothin' finer than New Hampshire at the Primaries!
At the polls today, the big crowds holding signs in M-Town were McCain and Obama. Looks like they'll be the big winners.
It's back to work for me and then off to the party tonight... Election night parties are great when your candidate does well, and a 3rd place finish is good for Huckabee...
What is fascinating is how our two campaigns seem to honestly like each other, at least at this point. Maybe a good ticket... Huckabee/McCain or McCain/Huckabee ...
D--
Friday, January 04, 2008
Primary education...
What a day! I'm wiped out.
I spent my free moments between work assignments this morning phoning folks near Gov. Huckabee's event in Henniker, NH.
I've done phone banks before and this was really amazing. The first 3 days of calling in spare minutes was eye-opening. In past calling I've done, the response has been cool. But the number of excited people surprised me... Maybe 1 or 2 in 10 WANTED to go to the event.
The response was even more outstanding today after the Iowa results last night. It's fun to be a part of a happening.
And then this late afternoon I answered phones at the very busy NH headquarters.
The NH efforts have been a good deal less extensive than Iowa just because the resources were needed for the first state out of the gate. The thinking has been that Iowa is critical to Gov. Huckabee's efforts. He's been here in NH quite regularly, but on a shoestring.
So now the storm waves of success are crashing on a pretty sparsely populated beach. I was going to make outbound calls but the phones were ringing off the hook. I ended up fielding incoming calls.
The great fun was in handling the press calls. Reporters called for credentialing. The media advance guy in the caravan called in desperate for details as they neared the event in Henniker. He didn't think he'd gotten his point across and started to explain what press advance is... I told him I understood. he couldn't know that my daughter does advance in DC.
It was fun feeling a bit like I was watching HER job unfold.
Tomorrow I'm manning phones again, and then rallying and going to a debate party. It should be a blast!!!!
I like New Hampshire, but this political junkie thanks God for this posting in a special way every 4 years when it just gets fun beyond belief.
D--
I spent my free moments between work assignments this morning phoning folks near Gov. Huckabee's event in Henniker, NH.
I've done phone banks before and this was really amazing. The first 3 days of calling in spare minutes was eye-opening. In past calling I've done, the response has been cool. But the number of excited people surprised me... Maybe 1 or 2 in 10 WANTED to go to the event.
The response was even more outstanding today after the Iowa results last night. It's fun to be a part of a happening.
And then this late afternoon I answered phones at the very busy NH headquarters.
The NH efforts have been a good deal less extensive than Iowa just because the resources were needed for the first state out of the gate. The thinking has been that Iowa is critical to Gov. Huckabee's efforts. He's been here in NH quite regularly, but on a shoestring.
So now the storm waves of success are crashing on a pretty sparsely populated beach. I was going to make outbound calls but the phones were ringing off the hook. I ended up fielding incoming calls.
The great fun was in handling the press calls. Reporters called for credentialing. The media advance guy in the caravan called in desperate for details as they neared the event in Henniker. He didn't think he'd gotten his point across and started to explain what press advance is... I told him I understood. he couldn't know that my daughter does advance in DC.
It was fun feeling a bit like I was watching HER job unfold.
Tomorrow I'm manning phones again, and then rallying and going to a debate party. It should be a blast!!!!
I like New Hampshire, but this political junkie thanks God for this posting in a special way every 4 years when it just gets fun beyond belief.
D--
Monday, December 10, 2007
No Matter What, It's HIS Story...
Check out the Interactive Sermon blog for a great commentary on the Evangelical flap over the movie and books in "The Golden Compass" series. Here's my take...
The books are in my house, one of my kids has read some of them and gotten some enjoyment. I looked over the flap both before and after the controversy and come away completely underwhelmed about the nature of the fight.
Yes, the author has written them out of his antipathy to Jesus, the Scripture and the Gospel.
But here's the truth, this is still a Christian story.
I'm not defending the author, I'm confirming that we live in God's world and can never get away from it. So he puts names on the bad guys that sound like they're Christians. If you strip the names off the story, you'll recognize it... It's a Christian saga. He's just confused.
No one in this universe can exempt themselves from God's story. I've no doubt that if you read our DNA it would read "Gospel" all over it. Rebellion. Loss. Redemption. Honor. Hope. Glory. This IS My Father's World!
So this book gives me a great chance to point out to my kids how even when somebody seeks to defame Jesus, they praise Him.
No need to march in the streets... Just raise my hands and praise Him here... That's why we don't match Islam in its fury when we're "defamed".
Relax... There's really nothing to fight for.
Jesus shall reign where e'er the sun doth it's successive courses run.
D--
The books are in my house, one of my kids has read some of them and gotten some enjoyment. I looked over the flap both before and after the controversy and come away completely underwhelmed about the nature of the fight.
Yes, the author has written them out of his antipathy to Jesus, the Scripture and the Gospel.
But here's the truth, this is still a Christian story.
I'm not defending the author, I'm confirming that we live in God's world and can never get away from it. So he puts names on the bad guys that sound like they're Christians. If you strip the names off the story, you'll recognize it... It's a Christian saga. He's just confused.
No one in this universe can exempt themselves from God's story. I've no doubt that if you read our DNA it would read "Gospel" all over it. Rebellion. Loss. Redemption. Honor. Hope. Glory. This IS My Father's World!
So this book gives me a great chance to point out to my kids how even when somebody seeks to defame Jesus, they praise Him.
No need to march in the streets... Just raise my hands and praise Him here... That's why we don't match Islam in its fury when we're "defamed".
Relax... There's really nothing to fight for.
Jesus shall reign where e'er the sun doth it's successive courses run.
D--
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
... Contra Politics ... Contra Spirituality ... Jesus ...
I love life against the grain. I love the underdog. I love unexpected marriages and compassion in unlikely places.
My favorite wine is called Conundrum. It's a blend (Chardonnay and Riesling??? Pinot Grigio? I don't remember) with the quality of a varietal. Often blends use cheap varietals and mix them hiding the low quality. But Conundrum pairs an unlikely mix and winds up with distinct taste, not a bland mess.
I love Conundrum because I was introduced to this California wine when dining in a fine restaurant in Singapore captained by a Hawaiian chef.
My favorite dress shirt ever was a classic Nordstrom's pinpoint stripe. That year Nordy's had a blue stripe shirt, a green stripe shirt, a yellow stripe shirt, a black strip shirt and a red stripe shirt. You know the type of business shirt, alternating 1/4" strips of white and color. A little color but very very conservative.
Take that same shirt only ... make the back of one stripe combo, the front of another, the collar of another, the pocket and the placket of two more. You almost had to look twice to see that it wasn't just another stodgy shirt. The mix of things... that's where the beauty was. Color and fashion in an unexpected place. Traditional value lending the whole thing a classy air.
I met a gentleman tonight who is establishing a Christian philanthropy presence on Second Life, the hip alternative (or virtual) reality site. This is a wild and wooly place where Internet hipsters make a virtual life for themselves. They become anyone or anything they'd like to be, and live as that character throughout their time in that alternate universe.
This gentleman and a friend have established a site which links to Christian aid organzations... As people give in this alternate world, they can REALLY give... their results come up as changes to this presence... give money for a school and a school appears when it is really built.
Hipster tech meet Jesus... The Way, Truth and Life who told us to offer water to the thirsty and food for the hungry.
How about this... our next president makes a concerted effort to build a coalition government. He does not step down from his vision or his plans, but he includes the other political view, finding individuals who will work with rather than against from BOTH parties and a broad spectrum.
I love the wealthy man who takes off his coat and leaves it for the homeless man.
D--
My favorite wine is called Conundrum. It's a blend (Chardonnay and Riesling??? Pinot Grigio? I don't remember) with the quality of a varietal. Often blends use cheap varietals and mix them hiding the low quality. But Conundrum pairs an unlikely mix and winds up with distinct taste, not a bland mess.
I love Conundrum because I was introduced to this California wine when dining in a fine restaurant in Singapore captained by a Hawaiian chef.
My favorite dress shirt ever was a classic Nordstrom's pinpoint stripe. That year Nordy's had a blue stripe shirt, a green stripe shirt, a yellow stripe shirt, a black strip shirt and a red stripe shirt. You know the type of business shirt, alternating 1/4" strips of white and color. A little color but very very conservative.
Take that same shirt only ... make the back of one stripe combo, the front of another, the collar of another, the pocket and the placket of two more. You almost had to look twice to see that it wasn't just another stodgy shirt. The mix of things... that's where the beauty was. Color and fashion in an unexpected place. Traditional value lending the whole thing a classy air.
I met a gentleman tonight who is establishing a Christian philanthropy presence on Second Life, the hip alternative (or virtual) reality site. This is a wild and wooly place where Internet hipsters make a virtual life for themselves. They become anyone or anything they'd like to be, and live as that character throughout their time in that alternate universe.
This gentleman and a friend have established a site which links to Christian aid organzations... As people give in this alternate world, they can REALLY give... their results come up as changes to this presence... give money for a school and a school appears when it is really built.
Hipster tech meet Jesus... The Way, Truth and Life who told us to offer water to the thirsty and food for the hungry.
How about this... our next president makes a concerted effort to build a coalition government. He does not step down from his vision or his plans, but he includes the other political view, finding individuals who will work with rather than against from BOTH parties and a broad spectrum.
I love the wealthy man who takes off his coat and leaves it for the homeless man.
D--
Monday, December 03, 2007
... it's the Ultimate Big Tent...
Being with Jesus means that there are all sorts of people in this tent called His Church.
I've gone on and on lately about what I believe to be the best political approach. And I absolutely believe those things.
But beneath all that, above all that, is the truth that Jesus saves all types of people, and I'd darn well better not reject them. All I have to do is remember Peter's experience.
Just before Peter was asked to bring the truth of Jesus to a fully Gentile household, God gave him the ultimate learning experience, a divine vision.
God used the object lesson of the kosher laws. Peter was hungry and God laid out a spread for him... of entirely unkosher food. Gotta love pulled pork!
God told Peter to get up and tuck in. Three times. Three times Peter said, "No, Lord, I couldn't." Finally God said, "What I have made holy, don't you DARE call unholy." (Revised D-- Version)
Immediately a cadre appeared at the door asking for Peter to come minister to a Roman army leader.
Peter did. He learned his lesson.
Have I learned mine? All these years later... a refugee from the hyper-critical "bastions of truth", of fundamentalism, of arrogant positivism?
The reason for this diatribe? Don Imus. Reading a report of his return to the radio and his reaction to the time of his exile. He criticized his so-called friends that savaged him. He spoke highly of Al Sharpton.
"I'd rather be in a foxhole with Al Sharpton than a lot of my so-called friends."
Sharpton extended an invitation to Imus and had him on his (Sharpton's) radio broadcast.
Sharpton is a minister who claims Jesus. I don't know if he does, but I know this, his attitude of forgiveness was more Christ-like than most you'll see.
Jesus accepts all who come to Him in repentance. Do I?
D--
I've gone on and on lately about what I believe to be the best political approach. And I absolutely believe those things.
But beneath all that, above all that, is the truth that Jesus saves all types of people, and I'd darn well better not reject them. All I have to do is remember Peter's experience.
Just before Peter was asked to bring the truth of Jesus to a fully Gentile household, God gave him the ultimate learning experience, a divine vision.
God used the object lesson of the kosher laws. Peter was hungry and God laid out a spread for him... of entirely unkosher food. Gotta love pulled pork!
God told Peter to get up and tuck in. Three times. Three times Peter said, "No, Lord, I couldn't." Finally God said, "What I have made holy, don't you DARE call unholy." (Revised D-- Version)
Immediately a cadre appeared at the door asking for Peter to come minister to a Roman army leader.
Peter did. He learned his lesson.
Have I learned mine? All these years later... a refugee from the hyper-critical "bastions of truth", of fundamentalism, of arrogant positivism?
The reason for this diatribe? Don Imus. Reading a report of his return to the radio and his reaction to the time of his exile. He criticized his so-called friends that savaged him. He spoke highly of Al Sharpton.
"I'd rather be in a foxhole with Al Sharpton than a lot of my so-called friends."
Sharpton extended an invitation to Imus and had him on his (Sharpton's) radio broadcast.
Sharpton is a minister who claims Jesus. I don't know if he does, but I know this, his attitude of forgiveness was more Christ-like than most you'll see.
Jesus accepts all who come to Him in repentance. Do I?
D--
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