"Huckabee Stops by for a Chat"

"Huckabee Stops by for a Chat"

Nashua Telegraph
Jennifer Horn
published 6/10/2007


I admit, when I heard a former governor from Arkansas named Huckabee was running for president, my first thought was, "Hmmm, maybe he should think about changing his name."

After meeting said gentleman, however, I am now thinking, "Time for us to get used to hearing that name a lot more."

On Monday, before the New Hampshire debates and before Huckabee became the voice of reason on the stage at Saint Anselm College, he stopped by the house for a cup of tea and we spent some time getting to know each other.

It was pouring rain, so my husband met him in the driveway with an umbrella. By the time they made it up the sidewalk to the front door, Bill was already telling the governor about the multiple construction projects taking place around our home.

It turns out presidential candidates are as fascinated by construction equipment, large piles of dirt and big holes in the ground as the rest of the men in my house are. Before I lost him to talk about retaining walls and filtration systems (the governor actually had some good advice on this topic), I invited him into the living room and away from the boys.

Huckabee, a former Southern Baptist pastor, is a relaxed, approachable, gentle man. He is soft-spoken, but passionate about the issues.

His slow Southern demeanor belies the depth of knowledge and understanding he has regarding issues of great importance, and I was pleasantly surprised to learn his sense of humor is spontaneous and genuine, not just a "scripted for the campaign trail" collection of reusable lines.

Huckabee is quick to smile, and he does so often. He enjoys talking about his family, his faith and his experiences as pastor and governor.

He has been married to his wife, Janet, for 33 years. They have two sons and a daughter, all grown. When talk of a presidential run first came up, it was his family who convinced him to go for it.

"I was the holdout," he told me, "She was the one who convinced me. . . . All of my children and my wife told me, 'You gotta do it.' "

He started out in communications and advertising after school. However, when he was invited to speak before a congregation of Baptists, he so impressed them that he was eventually invited to become their pastor. That led to a 12-year career in the ministry that, he says, prepared him for his next career: 10 years as governor of his home state.

You might wonder whether a Baptist pastor makes a good match for the White House; I certainly did. As he talked about the people he served and the problems they faced, his qualifications become apparent.

"You could not name a social pathology that exists in our nation today that I couldn't put a name and a face to," he said. "Teenaged girl who's pregnant and hasn't told her parents yet, I talked to her before she talked to her parents.

"Elderly couple faced with tough financial situation, can't afford their medicine, virtually down to eating pet food – I know those people. I could give you their names and where they live.

"I've seen wives who have had the daylights beaten out of them by abusive, alcoholic husbands.

"I've seen young couples who are facing every kind of challenge, from being overextended in debt and it affecting their marriage, you know, trying to hold it together and not sure they can.

"I've seen the families who have had to unplug the machine from their loved one at 2:30 in the morning in the ICU.

"Quite frankly, the reason I got into politics was because I was seeing these real people in real situations and I became convinced that the people making the decisions didn't have a clue about the real world that people were living in. They were living in this isolated ivory tower and they didn't understand the single mom trying to put food on the table. . . .

"I just felt it was very important that people who were making those decisions, whether it was on tax policy or education, have some clue on the real-life impact it was going to have on families."

A comment from then-Gov. Bill Clinton's director of the Department of Public Health in Arkansas, Jocelyn Elders, that preachers needed to get over their love affair with the fetus and quit moralizing from the pulpit, inspired then-pastor Huckabee to become more politically engaged – or, as he puts it, to get out of the stands and onto the field.

A Huckabee presidency would be unprecedented, bringing the compassionate, ministerial qualities of pastor and the governing experience of a governor to the White House in one man.

"Our party is in trouble when we put forth people who don't have real convictions and aren't willing to stand by them regardless," he said.

When it comes to policy, Huckabee supports the "Fair Tax," a consumption-based taxation system that eliminates an income tax; a preventive health-care system; the importance of energy independence; and a strong national defense. He is also keenly aware that the role of president goes beyond legislation.

"Part of the role of president is to inspire the nation," he said. "Leadership is not just about legislation, it is about role modeling."

Some of his detractors have tried to use his Christian beliefs regarding evolution and the creation of man as proof that he is unqualified or too naive to be president, but I found his position on this reflects closely the beliefs held by most people I know.

"The Bible spells it out for us very simply with: 'In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. . . .' We may not know how or when, but I do believe God put the process in motion," he said.

"I'm going to leave the scientists to debate the intricacies, but I believe that rather than all this being just some accident that happened, there was a design, and a designer in the design."

Plainspoken, but clearly very intelligent, friendly, comfortable and totally approachable, Huckabee reminds me of many people I know. He loves our nation, values its history and envisions a bright, prosperous future for its citizens.

Mike Huckabee: husband, father, pastor, governor . . . president? It remains to be seen.

But Mike Huckabee, man of character and strong moral leadership? No question about it.