Jul/Aug 2007

Let's Support Huckabee

By Stephen Strang

New Man readers could give Mike Huckabee the traction he needs.

New Man magazine was birthed in the men's movement and was the official magazine of Promise Keepers for its first three years. Over the years New Man has focused on helping men become better husbands, fathers and followers of Jesus. But we have rarely focused much on the wider culture. Other than a cover story once on "The Faith of George W. Bush," we have rarely delved into politics-until now. That's because the war on terror and the cultural battle we face are placing us in one of the most precarious times in our nation's history. A great deal is at stake over who wins the presidency in 2008. There are those running for president who do not share our values and, if elected, will contribute to the continual moral downward spiral.

We want to start a new movement of godly men committed to making a difference by banding together to support for president "one of our own," a man with great credentials and leadership skills but not much money or ranking in the polls. Mike Huckabee, a former governor of Arkansas, would make a great president, as you've read in the accompanying cover story. But he's having trouble getting "traction" among his base.

It's as if those of us who believe as he does also believe the liberal bias of the media that has relegated him to the second tier of candidates. I've talked with Christian men who said they would support Huckabee if they thought he could win. So how do we change that perception?

The 2008 presidential race is so far off and there are so many candidates that if we banded together we could make a difference in raising money. This would also create a buzz around Huckabee and his campaign.

We've raised money in the past-hundreds of thousands of dollars from readers of New Man and the other magazines I publish-that went to victims of the tsunamis and Hurricane Katrina. We also raised tens of thousands of dollars for the widow and family of a 38-year-old man who died suddenly of a heart attack when he went to Washington, D.C., for the Promise Keepers rally in 1997. When we wrote about how he had no insurance, the love and money flowed in.

Now let's raise money for Huckabee. The maximum you can give is $2,300 per person or $4,600 for a couple. My wife and I have given that already because we want to support a man who believes as we do on important moral issues. I don't want anyone who doesn't share my values to get the nomination by default, just because he or she can raise money.

So let's do the arithmetic. If 1,000 men who read New Man gave $1,000 each, that would be $1 million. It would double the money Huckabee has raised at the time I'm writing this.

One thousand men is less than 1 percent of the readers of this magazine. One thousand dollars is less than a quarter of what you can give (along with your wife). Of course any amount is helpful. And just by contributing, you are making a statement of where your values are.

I know at least 1,000 of you can afford it. Our demographic survey shows the average New Man reader has an income well above the national average. The other side has groups such as EMILY's List that raises money for candidates who are pro-abortion and pro-liberal. EMILY stands for "Early Money Is Like Yeast." They know money that comes in early is "yeast" for the campaign.

I read a disturbing article in The Atlantic magazine in March 2007 entitled "They Won't Know What Hit Them: How the software mogul Tim Gill has a mission: Stop the Rick Santorums of tomorrow before they get started. How a network of gay political donors is stealthily fighting sexual discrimination (sic) and reshaping American politics." For the link to this article, visit us at newmanmag.com. We may not be billionaires, but we can join together to give early support to Huckabee. Or, there are other conservative candidates you can support. But please do something.

Read the article in this issue and share it with your pastor and friends. Go to Huckabee's Web site at teamhuckabee.com and read up on the issues. You can make a contribution online. Leave a comment that you went there after reading the New Man article. Then go to our Web site and leave a comment on our blog about your thoughts and lets get a buzz going.

Huckabee is a good man. He just needs other good men (and women) to get behind him at this critical stage.

Edmund Burke said, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." Let's do what we can to change the moral direction of our country. Is it possible our joint efforts will lead to a "tipping point" in this campaign that will send a faithful Christian to the White House who can inspire the nation to return to our Judeo-Christian roots?