Audacity or shamelessness?

Work prevented me from commenting on this article yesterday, but I cannot let it pass into the e-archives without criticism. Michael Brendan Dougherty suggests in his article, The Audacity of Huck, that Huckabee's importance in this election cycle may arise out of his representation of a new evangelical political movement. According to Dougherty, Huckabee leads an evangelical groundswell that, no longer content to play second violin in the Republican orchestra, is bucking the conservative establishment.

I am not the only one here who thinks a Huckabee nomination would be a disaster for both the Republican party and the conservative movement. And perhaps I am not representative of evangelicals generally. But Mike Huckabee does not represent me. And I am anything but an establishment conservative. I grew up the oldest of six children in a ten-foot trailer. As a formerly-poor, currently-evangelical conservative, I resent Mike Huckabee's demagoguery.

And it is here that Dougherty touches upon the most irritating aspect of the Huckabee campaign. Huck invokes the identity politics that historically has been within the special purview of the Left. It is insulting to suggest that we evangelicals have a moral disagreement about poverty (for example). I expect that type of insult from Barack Obama. To hear it from Huckabee is galling.

I would love nothing more than to vote for a thoughtful, courageous evangelical candidate for President. So when Huckabee first announced his candidacy I was excited. I was prepared to support him. I wanted to like him. Then he opened his mouth and started talking. And it's all gone downhill from there.

Let me be clear: Mike Huckabee does not speak for this evangelical.