Christian Political Fiction

Obama Loosing Appeal to Evangelicals

2008-09-08T08:11:00.003-05:00

Steven Waldman (editor of Belief Net) had an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal Friday. The premise was that Barack Obama is loosing his appeal to moderate evangelicals. Waldman lists several things to which he attributes this downward trend that include Obama's performance at Saddleback and the nomination of Sarah Palin for VP. But I think Waldman leaves out one very important element from his list.

The main reason I believe that Obama fails to gain traction with evangelicals (and particularly conservative evangelicals) is because we've never heard him describe a life changing encounter with Jesus Christ. He gives the mantra that he's a Christian (although some bloggers are posting about this gaffe over the weekend about his "muslim faith"), but he does so in a universalist way. There has been some writers who have covered this issue previously, and here is a link to an article by Joseph Farah that discusses the subject. Evangelicals know that there is only one way to Heaven, not many as Obama claims. And we know what it means to be a Christian, not just claim the title as Obama does.

On a different note, a friend of mine attended the RNC last week. He said that during Sarah Palin's speech Wednesday evening that NBC reporters David Gregory and Chuck Todd were mocking her, off camera. Does anyone seriously doubt that there is any political bias in the MSM?

Jerome

Keep the Momentum Going

2008-09-05T15:28:00.003-05:00

The McCain-Palin ticket rocketed out of the RNC and into campaign stops in key battleground states. Some reports stated that John McCain and Sarah Palin drew as many as 30,000 people at an event in Cedarburgh, WI. And Neilsen has both the McCain speech and the Palin speech drawing more viewers than Barack Obama did during his acceptance speech.

Evangelicals must help maintain this momentum for the McCain-Palin ticket. This election is too important, and America can't afford for Barack Obama to be in the White House. It comes down to simply what Fred Thompson asked during his speech a couple of nights ago: Who do you trust with the presidency?

I also received the link below via email today. It is a commercial made by an Iraq war veteran who has ties to West Tennessee. It is a powerful message. I hope you will share it with others.

Joe Cook commercial

Jerome

The One We've Been Waiting For

2008-09-04T08:00:00.003-05:00

I watched Sarah Palin's speech last night with awe and envy. (The envy part came from the fact that one of my partners was in attendance and witnessed the energy and electricity live). It was an incredible speech and was delivered brillantly.

I'm sensing more excitement among Christian conservatives than I've sensed in some time. Many were planning on staying home on election day, but now not only are they planning to vote for the McCain-Palin ticket, they're energized to work for a McCain-Palin victory. Even my wife -- who has absolutely no interest in politics -- watched Palin's speech and cheered often. Her reaction is indicative, I think, of how a lot of evangelicals (men and women) feel about Sarah Palin.

But it is far from over. If we thought the last 6 days were tough, just wait til we see what the MSM, liberal bloggers and Obama campaign have in store for Governor Palin over the next 60. They will utterly try to destroy her. Why? Because she represents the values of the heartland. She represents the values of the religious right. And they will stop at nothing to insure that she never holds elected office outside of Alaska.

Palin's speech (and Rudy's before her) was simply incredible. Now Americans realize that she is an acceptable candidate for vice president. I hope the backlash against the Obama campaign for the smears against her rises up like a tidal wave. And I hope they continue to say she doesn't have the experience to be vice president. When they raise this argument, it simply demands a comparison of the experience between Obama and McCain. A comparison which McCain will always win. So keep taking the bait, Obama.

Another thing I heard someone say earlier today (and something I've said before in an earlier post) is that an important function of the president is to nominate supreme court and federal court judges. If that is the measuring stick by which you intend to decide your vote, then ask yourself: Would you rather have Barack Obama nominating judges or John McCain? I hope your answer is John McCain because our country cannot afford to have Barack Obama selecting federal judges.

Jerome

Attacks on Palin Blamed on Obama

2008-09-03T09:28:00.005-05:00

The MSM, liberal bloggers and Obama campaign continue to hit Governor Palin hard and tonight we'll see how well she can take a punch. I suspect she can take one quite well ... and will fire off a few of her own.

I'm not surprised at how vicious the attacks have been on Governor Palin. And as the days go by it is becoming more and more clear the source of the attacks. It is clearly the work of the Obama campaign surrogates. Did anybody see Campbell Brown's interview with Tucker Bounds Monday night? Brown's bias toward Obama leaped through the television screen into every home that watched. CNN -- and especially Campbell Brown -- are clearly in Obama's corner.

Brown asked Tucker Bounds to name an accomplishment of Governor Palin. Has Brown ever asked the Obama campaign to name one of his accomplishments? I'm sure she hasn't because she knows that Obama can't name one accomplishment of his "experience" in the Illinois state lesgilature or during his short tenure in the U.S. Senate. The MSM -- including CNN and Campbell Brown -- will never ask the tough questions of Obama.

Last night I watched Fred Thompson's speech on Fox and then switched over to see the coverage on other networks. MSNBC wasn't even broadcasting Fred's speech! That speaks volumes about the media bias in this election. Despite this overt attempt to keep Fred out of many Americans' living rooms, I do hope millions of Americans heard Fred's question: Who can we trust with the presidency? The events of the last week make the answer to that question abundantly clear.

While Governor Palin is the frontline of the attacks, the target really is mine and your values. The Obama campaign -- with the help of the MSM and liberal bloggers -- are attacking heartland values. And I think this attempt to assasinate Governor Palin's character in this first week after she was announced will backfire on the Obama campaign.

All across America there are millions of families who either have dealt with a teenage pregnancy, have relatives who have dealt with one or know friends who have dealt with one. Those families -- and voters -- will not appreciate what the Obama campaign is trying to do to Governor Palin and her family. It will turn them off, and at the same time will feed the energy of the conservative, religious base of the republican party. In the last 5 days I've seen more energy and excitement from friends and family about the election than I have since the primaries began. They're mad about these attacks on Governor Palin and her family, and their anger is directed at the Obama campaign.

There's nothing new about the MSM being in the tank for the Obama campaign, but it certainly has taken on a new dimension in recent days. And the result will be an uprising by the conservative grassroots that the Obama campaign cannot withstand.

Jerome

Time for Evangelicals to Rally

2008-09-02T07:53:00.005-05:00

I've been astounded at the attacks by the democrats, the liberal media and the Obama campaign on Governor Palin. It has been overly distasteful but quite revealing. They have sunk to a new low. I trust the American people will see their efforts for what they are -- attacks on family values and the character of a truly great woman. Why are they attacking Governor Palin so viciously? Because they are scared of her.

Governor Palin was announced as John McCain's running mate Friday and in the span of three days the democrats, liberal MSM and Obama campaign have jumped on Governor Palin with both feet with: (1) a claim that her down syndrome child (Trig) is not hers but her daughter's; (2) her husband received a DUI 22 years ago; (3) Governor Palin committed a misdemeanor some years ago by fishing with a gillnet without a license or permit; (4) her daughter is pregnant out of wedlock; and (5) she lacks the experience to be vice president.

Come on! Is this the best they can do? Oh the horror if this woman becomes vice president!

This is laughable. Is there anybody out there who really believes that Governor Palin faked a pregnancy to cover for her daughter's pregnancy? Seriously. And those of you with medical backgrounds help me out. Isn't it more likely that an older woman will have a downs baby than a teenager?

Does the Obama campaign really want to debate the experience issue? I wish the McCain campaign would challenge the Obama campaign to have Governor Palin debate Joe Biden more than once and for her to debate Barack Obama. I suspect she'd eat Obama's lunch. And while they're at it, how about Governor Palin against Obama and/or Biden in a marksmanship contest, a fishing contest, basketball one-on-one and a bible drill!

The liberal media doesn't care to report about Obama's connections with Bill Ayers, ACORN and many other fringe organizations. Or the fact that Joe Biden spends more money on AmTrak tickets than most people earn in a year. If you get a chance, pick up a copy of David Freddeso's book, The Case Against Barack Obama. Freddeso really covers ground that the MSM refuses to cover.

What I like about Governor Palin is that she appears genuine and authentic. Her family faces the same problems and issues that I see regular, every day people face. There is no pretense with her. Unlike the Obama campaign which is just one big shell game.

It is time for evangelicals to rally to the McCain campaign and Governor Palin. They deserve and need our support. It is time for evangelicals to get excited about the prospects of a McCain - Palin administration rather than fearing an Obama - Biden one. So let's get going.

Jerome

Sarah Palin for VP

2008-08-29T14:01:00.004-05:00

I haven't been interested in posting to this blog in quite some time because the presidential race hadn't been exciting. With the most liberal senator in the senate running against a moderate republican, there wasn't much about which evangelicals could be excited. But the selection today by John McCain of Sarah Palin as his running mate changed that.

We are living in very historic times. We are watching history unfold before our eyes. Sure Geraldine Ferraro ran on Walter Mondale's ticket in 1984, but they had no chance of winning. Mondale's selection of Ferraro was viewed by many as a "hail mary". But in less than 24 hours we have seen two historical events. Barack Obama's nomination was historic but also is McCain's selection of Sarah Palin. In November we will either have the first African American as president or the first woman as vice president. Hopefully the latter.

And if you follow that out over the next 4 or 8 years, Sarah Palin could very well be the republican nominee for president in either 2012 (if John McCain only serves one term) or 2016. Wouldn't it be great for the first woman president to be a republican?

By all accounts, Sarah Palin should excite the social conservative base of the republican party. Already many religious leaders like Richard Land, James Dobson, Tony Perkins and Mat Staver are singing her praises.

McCain Palin 2008!! Time for evangelicals to get on board!

Jerome

Recovering From Tornado -- Union University

2008-02-07T09:59:00.001-06:00

It has been a trying couple of days. A tornado struck Madison County Tuesday night, the fourth one in the last 9 years. This one decimated my alma mater, Union Univeristy. Most of the student housing was completely destroyed and other buildings on campus sustained significant damage. Dr. Dockery, President of Union University, estimates the damage to be in excess of $40,000,000.00. Miraculously no one was killed on campus. There were two deaths in another part of the county. And there are two Union students still in critical care at a local hospital. This morning's newspaper has numerous pictures of the damage. Local TV stations from Memphis and Nashville have been on the scene as has national reporters with NBC, FOX and others.

After the tornado struck Tuesday night, all of the kids had to go somewhere. My family and I hosted 7 traumatized girls; the last 2 left this morning. People in the community opened their homes to the 1200 students who suddenly became homeless. Many of them have now returned to their homes, waiting on what will happen next. Classes will not resume until at least February 18. The academic facilities may be operational to some extent by then but only about 20% of student housing will be habitable by then. The univeristy leadership has numerous, difficult decisions in front of them. If you would like to keep track of posting about this emergency you can follow this link.

It has been a trying time. Please keep Union University, its leadership, faculty, staff and students in your prayers. They will need it for a long time to come.

Jerome

The Rise of a New Christian Conservative Movement

2008-01-12T20:55:00.000-06:00

This article in the New York Times highlights what I see happening among evangelicals. There is a new generation of leadership emerging among Christian conservatives. Guys like Joel Hunter, Rick Warren, Tony Campolo and Randy Brinson are creating a Christian political movement that is different from the Pat Robertson/Jerry Falwell evangelical movement. I have not decided where James Dobson falls. He has certainly been a leader among evangelicals for a long time but to this point in the presidential campaign he hasn't endorsed a candidate. I believe his silence is telling. He may not be sure where the Christian conservative movement is headed.

Rising up as the leader of this movement is Mike Huckabee. Like him or not, he's here to stay. Fred Thompson tried to put Huckabee in his place regarding the Reagan Coalition during the last presidential debate. And while I understand what he was doing, I think it only served to drive more of a wedge between the republican party and Christian conservatives.

Huckabee may become president, vice president, or neither. But one thing's for sure. He will emerge from the presidential race as the new face of Christian conservatives. Just look at the network of grassroots organizations that he now has access to. Look at the media exposure, his media savvy and his likeability. Fellow republicans may not agree with Huckabee's positions on a number of issues, but one thing is for sure. He has been able to rally this "new religious right" of the republican party like nobody else. No doubt about it. Huckabee is here to stay.

Jerome

Social Conservatives and the Republican Party

2008-01-10T11:10:00.000-06:00

Where do social conservatives fit in the Republican Party? I ask this because many, many conservative pundits don't like Mike Huckabee or his brand of politics. The pundits take the position that the republican party has been successfull because of the coalition between social conservatives, fiscal conservatives and those to whom national security is the upmost important. The old three legs of the stool analogy.

The knock against Huckabee is that he only represents one leg of the stool and the other two legs don't like him. The pundits claim that Huckabee can't hold together the republican coalition and will loose to whoever the democratic candidate is. For example, the Club for Growth (Pat Toomey's organization) can't stand Huckabee. They claim he raised taxes as governor of Arkansas. Huckabee disputes the claim and rebuts it with this. Also, Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform seems to have taken a softer view toward Huckabee than has the Club for Growth.

The ational security wing of the party has chastised Huckabee for his "arrogant bunker mentality" statement when referring to President Bush's foreign policy. They also point out that Bush's foreign policy has been successful since we haven't been attacked again since 9/11.

Yesterday Governor Huckabee issued this statement regarding the types of judges he would appoint if president. I like his position on this. Appointing conservative judges to the federal courts is very important.

So, if Huckabee can't satisfy all parts of the republican coalition, who can? Romney seems to have shifted positions in recent years to make himself more acceptable to all legs of the stool. Giuliani is strong in national security, okay fiscally, but the social conservatives can't stand him (dispite Pat Robertson's endorsement). McCain is strong in the national security issue, strong in cutting expenses, but opposed President Bush's tax cuts in 2001 and 2003. And the social conservatives are queasy about him after what he said during the 2000 presidential campaign. Fred Thompson appeals to all three legs of the coalition but can't gain any traction. Fred said earlier this week that South Carolina is his "firewall" which means that if he doesn't when there, he'll probably get out of the race.

So of McCain, Romney, Giuliani and Huckabee, who will get the nomination? Only Huckabee is appealing to social conservatives. If one of the others gets the nomination, what does that say to social conservatives? And if Huckabee is the nominee, will the FisCons and national security elements of the party stay home on election day? It is a very interesting and trying time for the republican party. Only Fred Thompson has the ability to appeal to all branches of the coalition and if he drops out of the race we may see the coalition falling apart.

On a slightly different front, I ran across a website I didn't even know existed: God Tube. It is a Christian version of You Tube. There is a presidential poll on the front page of the website if you'd like to participate. Huckabee is, to no one's surprise, currently leading the voting.

There is also a website that has a candidate calculator that let's you see which candidate most closely aligns with your beliefs. Try it. You may find the response interesting.

And lastly, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Happily Ever After by Marilyn Griffith. I hope you get a chance to pick up a copy.

UPDATE: Republicans like Hugh Hewitt and Rick Santorum don't think highly of John McCain either. Hugh Hewitt is pushing Mitt Romney -- who keeps finishing second.

Jerome

Classic Fred

2007-12-16T20:17:00.000-06:00

Here is a link to a post on RedState about some "yearbook" questions the AP sent to all of the candidates and Fred Thompson's responses. Its classic Fred like the Michael Moore cigar video and the "no hands show" at the DMR debate last week.

Fred needs a lot of buzz over the next couple of weeks and stuff like this may get him some. You have to give it Fred, win or loose, he's certainly having fun.

Jerome

Fred Surge?

2007-12-14T13:14:00.000-06:00

I've pointed out before that political campaigns are all about momentum. About a month ago I posted about whether Fred Thompson was waiting for just the right time to peak. It may be happening -- right on time for Thompson's campaign.

The rave in the last couple of weeks has been about Mike Huckabee. There were even headlines that read "Huck-a-boom" as he surged ahead in polls in Iowa and South Carolina. But since Tuesday, Fred Thompson has captured the headlines.

Fred's rebellion toward the Des Moines Register editor who moderated the debate on Tuesday has been the sound bite from that debate. Fred has been the talk of the town since Tuesday. The American Spectator declared that Fred isn't dead. There is even talk of whether Fred can surge in Iowa. And with Huckabee apologizing to Romney and Hillary apologizing to Obama, Fred decided he should apologize too. Fred's been on his A game this week.

The polls have Thompson running third in Iowa behind Huckabee and Romney. But in South Carolina he has moved back into second place. Although he is a distant third in Iowa, he could really gain some momentum if he closes that gap. Even if he finishes third in Iowa, he could snatch the momentum away by coming in a close third -- much closer than he's polling at now. That momentum could catapult him into either a South Carolina win or a strong second place finish there. Either one would keep his momentum going into the Super Tuesday primaries on February 5. And who knows what could happen then? He may not win enough delegate votes to take the nomination but he might get enough to be a player in a brokered convention.

On a different note, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing What Lies Within by Karen Ball. I hope you get a chance to pick-up a copy of this book.

Jerome

History Made in Madison County

2007-12-14T08:16:00.000-06:00

We're watching history being made in Madison County. The filing deadline was yesterday for the county mayor's race and only Jimmy Harris and Don McLeary filed petitions. Both men are running in the republican primary in February. Jimmy Harris was appointed mayor effective July 1, 2007, making him the first republican to ever hold the office. But with Harris and McLeary running in the republican primary, and no other candidates, one of these men will be the first republican elected to hold the office of Madison County Mayor. That will be history.

Jerome

Madison County Mayor Campaign Kickoff

2007-12-10T14:31:00.001-06:00

Mayor Jimmy Harris has scheduled a campaign kickoff for tomorrow evening at the Old English Inn in Jackson. Mayor Harris is campaigning to retain the office to which he was appointed earlier this year when the former county mayor was elected mayor of the City of Jackson. His only opponent so far (filing deadline is December 13) is former senator Don McLeary. McLeary has announced his intentions of running for the seat and has begun to campaign, but hasn't yet filed his petition with the election commission.

Harris' invitation boast several local and state dignitaries. These "hosts" of the party are: Republican Caucus Chairman Mark Norris; State Senator Bill Ketron; State Senator Paul Stanley; State Representative Jimmy Eldridge; Madison County Sheriff David Woolfork; Madison County Tax Assessor Frances Hunley; Madison County Register of Deeds Linda Waldon; and Madison County Circuit Court Clerk Judy Barnhill. Also, eleven of the Madison County Commissioners have signed on as supporting Harris.

The special guest at the event will be Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey.

A non-exhaustive list of others who are identified as hosts on the invitation are: Jim Ayers; Scooter Clippard; Carl Kirkland; and Jimmy Wallace. There are even some local democrats who are supporting Harris such as former City of Jackson Mayor Charles Farmer.

Harris has certainly brought out the big guns. I'm not sure where Don McLeary will find his support within the local republican party when it is obvious that the local and state republican leaders are lining up against him. McLeary has announced his plan to run in the republican primary on February 5, 2008. But he hasn't filed his petition yet. Is it possible he will file to run as an independent instead? Although he was one time a democrat, he can't win an election as a democrat again. The local democrats are still livid about him switching paties before the last election. So if he doesn't file to run as a republican, his only alternative is to run as an independent. But would there be any credibility in that? Once a democrat, then a republican and then an independent? I can't see it working.

Perhaps McLeary knows more about local politics than I do, but I still can't figure out his strategy. Particularly in light of this impressive list of supports for his opponent.

Jerome

Basis For Huckabee Surge

2007-12-06T15:23:00.001-06:00

This link is to a video of Mike Huckabee explaining his surge in the presidential primary contest.

I also ran across this position paper called Come Let Us Reason Together (click on download PDF) that was put out by a combined group of progressives and Evangelicals. I think you'll find the mix interesting as well as the discussion points. Be sure to read the supporting statements. One is from Dr. David Gushee who was a professor at Union University and is now at Mercer in Atlanta.

Jerome

All Huckabee All The Time

2007-12-05T14:53:00.000-06:00

All the buzz the last few days has been about Mike Huckabee . . . and virtually only Mike Huckabee. Here is a video from a Nightline segment on Huckabee. An article in the L.A. Times. Clarence Page has a piece today as well.

And there is always the bad coverage like this column by Byron York.

The knock against Huckabee -- at least from the Club for Growth crowd -- has been Huckabee's record on taxes in Arkansas. Yesterday Joe Carter addressed some of those issues head-on.

Huckabee is routinely asked religious questions like creationism v. evolution; whether Mormonism is a cult; etc. And I think his answers have been splendid like this response he gave to Wolf Blitzer at the debate and this one about Mitt Romney's faith.

What does Huckabee's rise mean to the other campaigns? It must be negatively affecting Romney and Thompson because each have attacked Huckabee recently. But who does he help? Could it be McCain? There has been talk recently about a Giuliani-Huckabee ticket. But what about McCain-Huckabee or even Huckabee-McCain?

Huckabee is kicking up a lot of dust and is currently the man with all the attention. But Dick Morris is convinced that when the dust settles it will still be Giuliani v. Clinton. We'll see.

On a different note, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Bluegrass Peril by Virginia Smith. I hope you get a chance to pick up a copy of this book.

Jerome

What is Driving the Huckabee Surge?

2007-12-04T09:03:00.000-06:00

The short answer is "social conservatives". But is there a longer answer? Mike Huckabee has little if any money and certainly doesn't have the infrastructure in Iowa that Mitt Romney has. So how is he getting his message out?

This Washington Post article implies that there is a grassroots network of "pastors, parents who home-school their children, and other Christian conservatives." It appears that there is a broad based support among social conservatives in Iowa for Huckabee. Even Tim LeHaye, co-author of the popular Left Behind series of books is making campaign appearances with Huckabee.

Huckabee has also tapped into the network of Christians that was compiled by Redeem The Vote. RTV has an impressive list of 71,000,000 names and e-mail addresses of Christian voters. 71,000,000! And even though RTV offered access to the list to all candidates -- democrat and republican alike -- only Huckabee took them up on it. And it appears to be paying off for him in Iowa.

Huckabee has recently condemned the push polling by an organization called Trust Huckabee, stating that it doesn't represent what his campaign is about. And the Weekly Standard's Dean Barnett admits that he underestimated Huckabee. Even Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform seems to have softened to Huckabee.

But can Huckabee's momentum last? Assuming he performs well in Iowa (finishes first or second), New Hampshire is a much bigger test. And Huckabee's position on social issues important to evangelical voters won't play as well there as it has in Iowa. Then there is Michigan and Nevada. But after that is South Carolina and Florida. If Huckabee looses his footing in New Hampshire, he very well could regain it in South Carolina before the Super Tuesday primaries on February 5.

A few days ago we were talking about a Giuliani-Huckabee ticket. But will there soon be talk of a ticket with Huckabee on top?

Jerome

Polling Started in Madison County Mayor's Race

2007-11-29T22:31:00.000-06:00

I received a call tonight from a polling company that asked questions about the Madison County Mayor's race. I was interested to learn that one of the candidates is spending money on polling. My best guess -- and after talking to a reliable source -- is that the Jimmy Harris campaign may be the one polling. My source doubts that Don McLeary's campaign has enough money to be spending on polling. The pollster even mixed in a few presidential campaign questions for good measure.

The Madison County Mayor's race is an important one and will likely be decided in the republican primary. The qualifying deadline for all candidates for the mayor's office is December 13. So far only McLeary and Harris have picked up petitions. No democrats and no independents. If that holds true, then we will know who the next mayor will be in February even though the general election isn't until August.

I haven't found anyone -- republican or democrat -- who understands Don McLeary's thought process or strategy for jumping into this race. Earlier I opined that McLeary's strategy could only be for democrats and independents to vote in the republican primary in February. After talking to some democrat friends I'm convinced that this scenario won't happen. Most local democrats are mad at McLeary for switching parties and won't lift a finger to help him. In fact, I heard from a reliable source that some democrat lawyers in town called a republican lawyer and asked what they could do to help Harris beat McLeary. Interesting.

So if the crossover vote isn't going to happen, what is McLeary's strategy? Could he be hanging his hat on name recognition only? Is he hoping that republicans who aren't hard core party members will vote in the republican presidential primary; then see his name on the ballot for mayor and pull the lever for him because they recognize his name? Surely that isn't his strategy but what else could it be?

And what will McLeary do if he looses? There is no way the leadership of the local republican party will get behind him in any other race in the future after he's challenged Jimmy Harris. If he looses this race, then I suspect McLeary will be finished in local republican politics.

Jerome

Auralia's Colors by Jeffrey Overstreet

2007-11-29T09:10:00.000-06:00

This week the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Auralia's Colors by Jeffrey Overstreet. I hope you get a chance to pick up a copy of this book.

Jerome

Giuliani - Huckabee?

2007-11-27T11:10:00.000-06:00

There is more talk of a potential Giuliani-Huckabee ticket. The strategy does make sense. Giuliani has the ability to carry New York -- which the democrats must desperately hang on to -- but will alienate evangelical conservatives. Social conservatives are Huckabee's strong suit. So he would easily balance the ticket with Giuliani.

Also, Joe Carter at evangelical outpost announced on his blog today that he has relocated to Little Rock, AR, to work on the Huckabee campaign team.

Jerome

Madison County Mayor Primary Contest

2007-11-26T10:14:00.001-06:00

An interesting development has occurred in Madison County regarding the county mayor's office. Earlier this year Jimmy Harris was appointed county mayor when the previous mayor was elected mayor of the City of Jackson. Harris became the first republican to hold the office of Madison County Mayor in the history of the county. Harris has been business partners with the grandfather of the Madison County republican party, Jimmy Wallace.

Now comes word that Don McLeary will challenge Harris in the republican primary on February 5, 2008, which coincides with the presidential primary. You remember Don McLeary, right? He ran as a democrat and defeated long time republican state senator Bobby Carter. Then he switched parties and ran as a republican in 2006, losing to the democratic challenger, Lowe Finney.

What is McLeary's strategy for running against Jimmy Harris for this seat? Harris will certainly have the backing of Jimmy Wallace (close personal friend of Fred Thompson, by the way) and the republican establishment. Harris says that Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey will be in town in December to campaign for him. So if McLeary can't expect the backing of the republican base, who does he expect will vote for him? The only possible scenario I see is that he hopes for a lot of democrats and independents to vote in the presidential primary election, pick up a republican presidential ballot rather than a democratic one and vote for him. (Word on the street is that some democrats/independents have solicited McLeary to run but no concrete proof of this has surfaced yet.) If that is the strategy, I'm not sure I follow the logic. If the democratic presidential primary is still close after Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, won't the local democrats want to vote in the democratic presidential primary? If they do, then they can't vote in the local republican mayoral primary. And with Fred Thompson on the republican presidential primary ballot, won't a lot of republicans go to the polls to vote for him -- and vote for Jimmy Harris? It would not surprise me in the least that if Fred Thompson makes a campaign stop in Jackson between now and the primary that he has Jimmy Harris on the stage with him and encourages voters to support Harris.

Certainly McLeary can't run as a democrat or independent in the August, 2008, general election because he will loose all credibility having already switched parties one time.

It is an intriguing development in the local mayor's race and it will be interesting to see how the dynamics play out. And if McLeary looses I suspect he won't find the backing of the local republican establishment in any future races.

UPDATE: After I posted on this subject, an anonymous source told me that republican state senator Bobby Carter tried to recruit Don McLeary to run as a republican in 2002 for the state senate and that Bobby Carter would have stepped aside and supported McLeary. Instead, McLeary opted to run as a democrat. So the chronology of McLeary's involvement with the local republican party since 2002 is: (1) Refused Bobby Carter's overture to run for state senate as a republican; (2) ran as a democrat for state senate and defeated an ailing Bobby Carter; (3) switched parties and ran as a republican in his re-election campaign, loosing to Lowe Finney; and (4) Is now running in republican primary for county mayor against Jimmy Harris who supported McLeary in 2006 in his state senate re-election campaign. Also, there are some who believe that unless and until McLeary actual files his petition to run in the republican primary that he may actually file to run as an independent or democrat. This theory is based on who is recruiting McLeary to run, per my source.

Jerome

Stem Cell Research

2007-11-21T09:46:00.000-06:00

Big news yesterday regarding stem cell research. It seems that despite all the protestations from liberal groups about President Bush's veto of federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, that the same -- if not better -- cures can be obtained without the destruction of human life. National Review Online has several stories today on this subject but none more succinct than this one by Wesley J. Smith. President Bush did what was morally right and science has now vindicated that decision. This issue will certainly have an impact on the 2008 presidential election. The democratic candidates have been placating to the liberal interest groups by promising federal funding for embryonic stem cell research (a/k/a the destruction of life for scientific purposes) and will now be called on it. The debate on this topic now shifts in favor of those who are and were opposed to federal funding -- and the research in general -- of embryonic stem cell research.

Fred Thompson has consistently been opposed to embryonic stem cell research and in favor of adult stem cell research. He issued this statement yesterday. I applaud Fred for his unwavering stance on this important issue.

I haven't seen a public statement on this issue from Mike Huckabee since the news yesterday but here is a link to his website page on this issue.

This Pew Forum web page summarizes all of the candidates positions and indicates that Romney supports using embryos left over from fertility treatments but prior to 2005 broadly supported embryonic stem cell research. McCain and Giuliani both support increased federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.

So Thompson and Huckabee have both consistently been opposed to embryonic stem cell research. To me that speaks volumes of both candidates. Perhaps with this new break through in science the other candidates will change their positions. Preserving human life is important and no life should be expended for the purpose of scientific research.

Jerome

Fred Thompson -- Picking The Right Time To Peak

2007-11-20T09:39:00.000-06:00

Much has been made since Fred Thompson entered the presidential race about Fred being lazy, not having the heart for the job, disappointing, etc. But perhaps that's all part of Fred's plan. Keeping expectations low and then exceeding them would generate a tremendous amount of momentum. Before he formally entered the race, Fred was viewed as the saviour of the conservatives. Everybody was hyped up and Fred was the buzz everywhere. And then he formally entered and by everyone's account he fell flat. His poll numbers have slowly drifted down. But it may all be by design.

Fred must pick the right time to peak. If he peaks too early, then there will be others who have time to pass him. Peak to late and the momentum will have passed him by. But keep expectations low; let everyone talk about him being lazy, not wanting the job, etc.; and then pick up steam at just the right time might just be the game plan for Fred.

Larry Kudlow likes Fred. He interviewed Fred recently and wrote about the fire in Fred's belly that is beginning to show.

In the Real Clear Politics Blog this morning Tom Bevan asked whether Fred is dead or just resting. I suspect the latter. I know some of Fred's campaign people. They've got a strategy. And just when everyone has pushed Fred to the curb he'll do something to gain the momentum. And could that something be an endorsement from James Dobson? If you recall, earlier this year Dobson said that Fred Thompson was not a Christian and that he didn't have the "want to" to be president. Could that position be changing? Fred picked up the National Right to Life Committee's endorsement last week. Could other conservative Christian leaders' endorsements be far behind? I think there is a lot of wisdom in Fred reaching out to evangelical Christians.

I don't think Fred is being lazy. I think Fred is doing things the way he wants to. And I think he's lying in wait for just the right time to peak and steal the momentum away from the other candidates.

Jerome

Mike Huckabee & Chuck Norris

2007-11-19T12:50:00.000-06:00

Mike Huckabee has a new television ad out that stars Chuck Norris. It is brilliant in its simplicity. There are a lot of Walker, Texas Ranger fans out there who might vote for Mike Huckabee because of Chuck Norris. But the real brilliance in the ad is that it has created a buzz about Mike Huckabee on the internet. It is similar to Fred Thompson's admonishment to Michael Moore while chomping on a Cuban cigar. Thompson's YouTube clip was one of the most played videos for a few days after its release. Huckabee's will be too. At this point in the campaign it is all about name recognition and getting media exposure. Huckabee will win that battle for the next few days with this ad.

Jerome

How Divided Is The Religious Right?

2007-11-16T22:02:00.001-06:00

There has been much made in recent days about the division among religious right leaders over endorsements for the 2008 presidential election. I've even talked about it on these pages. But is there really a division?

Here is a link to an article in the New York Sun that discussed this issue. It takes the concept of the "Evangelical Crackup" to task. I think the points are valid. During the primary season voters -- whether they are leaders or just common people like you and me -- have the only real opportunity to support and vote for who they really want to. You'll find people who will support Mike Huckabee in the primary election because he more closely mirrors their beliefs than other candidates in the republican field but will support the primary winner in the national election even if it is not Huckabee. Some may support Giuliani in the primary season even though he doesn't match their social beliefs because they feel that he is more electable in the general election than other candidates. I think either way is fine but it doesn't reveal some alleged "crackup" in the religious right as some have pronounced. I'd rather the conservative Christian leadership all support the same candidate because I believe when united the religious right will be difficult to defeat. But such uniformity is hard to achieve during the primary season.

There is also some murmuring about a Giuliani - Huckabee ticket. It is an interesting concept. Giuliani who can attract more moderate/liberal voters in blue states coupled with a socially conservative Huckabee. Giuliani would certainly put New York State in play and the democrats must win New York to accumulate enough electoral votes to win the White House. Here is another link to the Red State blog that discusses the same concept.

On a different note, I had the opportunity to go on a quail hunting trip at Tumbling Creek this week. It is a first rate hunting lodge and if you like quail hunting you should certainly check it out.

Jerome

Try Dying by James Scott Bell

2007-11-13T22:55:00.000-06:00

This week the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Try Dying by James Scott Bell. Bell is one of the true leaders in Christian fiction and has crafted an intriguing story. I hope you get a chance to pick up a copy.

Jerome

What Will Be Impact of NRLC Endorsement?

2007-11-13T13:42:00.001-06:00

There will be many articles and blog posts today and tomorrow about what impact the NRLC endorsement might have on the Fred Thompson campaign. David Fredoso has a pretty good piece on National Review Online where he interviews some people from Iowa. They basically say they'd like to see the reasoning behind the NRLC endorsement before they line up behind Thompson.

I pointed out in my earlier post the rationale contained in the NRLC press release, but is there something we're missing? Why did NRLC issue its endorsement now? Was it to sway voters away from Giuliani and toward Thompson? I don't think so. Giuliani is running in fourth place in Iowa and has basically written off the Iowa caucuses. So Thompson doesn't need the NRLC's endorsement to beat Giuliani in Iowa. What about Romney? Could be. Romney's pre-presidential campaign conversion on the abortion issue has pursuaded some evangelicals and pro-lifers to follow him but not many. Most still can't get past Romney's faith. I think the real reason for the NRLC endorsement and the timing of it has to do with Mike Huckabee. Huckabee has been making great strides in recent days mainly because of his showing at the Value Voters meeting in D.C. A strong showing in Iowa -- primarily among evangelicals and the pro-life community -- would give Huckabee tremendous momentum going into New Hampshire and South Carolina. So Thompson needs to finish ahead of Huckabee in Iowa to keep Huckabee from taking the momentum from there and beating Thompson in South Carolina. And that's what I think is the reasoning and timing behind the NRLC endorsement. Thompson needs the bump to finish ahead of Huckabee in Iowa and NRLC is trying to deliver that for him.

Jerome

NRLC Endorses Fred Thompson

2007-11-13T11:23:00.000-06:00

It's official. The National Right to Life Committee endorsed Fred Thompson today. There was also this statement by Dr. Franz, NRLC President and this one by Karen Cross, NRL PAC Director. Fred Thompson issued this response.

What I find interesting in the press release from NRLC is statement: "In making its endorsement, National Right to Life considered the positions of candidates on the life issues, their records on life issues and their ability to win." (emphasis mine). That's why Mike Huckabee didn't get the endorsement. NRLC doesn't believe he has a chance of winning. Huckabee's pro-life position is more in line with NRLC's than Thompson's. Thompson doesn't support a constitutional ban on abortions and prefers to leave the issue up to the individual states. Huckabee favors a constitutional ban and I believe NRLC does too. It was the electability test more than anything that tilted the NRLC endorsement toward Thompson.

We'll see how the endorsement plays with the evangelical crowd. I believe many evangelicals prefer to have a constitutional ban on abortion. If abortion is wrong then it is wrong in every state. But a constitutional ban is unlikely to ever occur. The more realitic scenario is a reversal of Roe V. Wade and a return of the abortion issue to the individual states, which is what Thompson advocates. If this were to occur then we would have some states that would ban abortions and others that won't.

The NRLC endorsement won't unite all evangelicals behind Fred Thompson but it is a large organization that can make a difference in the primaries.

Jerome

NRLC to Endorse Fred Thompson

2007-11-12T14:02:00.000-06:00

Jonathan Martin at Politico has a piece up that the National Right to Life Committee will endorse Fred Thompson tomorrow. This would be a coup for Thompson and will further divide evangelical votes. Last week I posted that Pat Robertson endorsed Rudy Giuliani and Don Wildmon of the American Family Assocation endorsed Mike Huckabee. Then there was the rumor of a James Dobson endorsement for Huckabee that was denied by both sides later that day, and the denials continue to be reported thru the weekend.

I've even seen some blog posts calling for James Dobson to endorse Ron Paul. I think that is highly unlikely. Pat Robertson endorsed Giuliani because he is trying to stay relevant and wants to be the kingmaker. James Dobson wants a similar role and Ron Paul is not going to be king. That's probably the same reason why Dobson hasn't endorsed Huckabee yet either. If Dobson becomes convinced that Huckabee has a chance of being relevant in the republican primary then Dobson might endorse him. Until then, Dobson will keep his cards close to his vest. And then are religious leaders like Richard Land, Gary Bauer and Tony Perkins -- the ones who want to be the next generation of evangelical kingmakers -- who will carefully decide who to endorse. Their endorsement during this election cycle might not carry the same weight as an endorsement by Dobson, Robertson et al, but they want to make sure they are inside the tent during the next election cycle.

It is both interesting and entertaining to watch all of this unfold. Hopefully the evangelical community will soon fall in behind one candidate. The division is not good for the cause.

UPDATE: Here is another article about the impending endorsement of Fred Thompson by the NRLC.

Jerome

Dobson to Endorse Huckabee?

2007-11-09T17:24:00.000-06:00

Rumors swirled all day about a potential endorsement of Mike Huckabee by James Dobson. Such an endorsement would be huge for the Huckabee campaign. It all started with this piece on the American Spectator website. (I've had trouble connecting to the site this evening so keep checking back if you have problems too). The article was later updated when Dobson's people said no endorsement was imminent. Then late today the Huckabee camp issued this statement.

The interesting thing about the denials from both sides is that neither said Dobson wasn't going to endorse Huckabee. Only that an endorsement isn't imminent. Dobson may still endorse Huckabee eventually. Huckabee is one of the few (if not the only) candidate that Dobson hasn't declared unacceptable. If Wildmon and Dobson both support Huckabee, many other evangelical leaders would likely follow suit. It might be enough to get Huckabee in the top tier of the republican candidates and it could lead to a nomination or at least a V.P. slot.

Jerome

Where Will The Religious Right Turn?

2007-11-08T08:07:00.000-06:00

Christian Conservatives still do not have a consenus candidate for the 2008 presidential election. Many thought that Fred Thompson was going to fill the void and become the religious community's choice. But as Robert Novak points out in this article many religious leaders are already turning sour on Thompson because of public statements on abortion and gay marriage. His senate voting record was impeccably pro-life. But Thompson's statements on Tim Russert's show has some religious leaders cringing.

And then yesterday Pat Robertson endorsed Rudy Guiliani. How could that happen? One of the leaders of the Moral Majority endorsing a pro-choice candidate who has been married multiple times! James Dobson has said that he will absolutely not support Giuliani and might even lead Christian voters into a third party vote if Giuliani gets the republican nomination. What is going on? Pat Robertson and James Dobson are on polar extremes regarding Giuliani's candidacy. This just underscores the divide among evangelicals.

I think the religious community must unite behind one candidate. If we're fractured then we will end up with candidate choices that are unacceptable. And we'll end up with someone in the White House that will cause further decay in our culture. I'm convinced that the next president will be in a position to nominate two, if not three, judges to the U.S. Supreme Court. Who do we want making those nominations? Certainly not Hillary Clinton.

What do religious leaders find wrong with Mike Huckabee? In the article I referenced above by Novak, he writes that some say that Huckabee is part of the "Christian Left" whatever that means. The Club For Growth gave him low marks and a couple of weeks ago Phyllis Schlafly slammed Huckabee. But Huckabee continues to build support among evangelicals.

I understand the politics of why a Giuliani candidacy appeals to some in the republican party. He probably can carry New York state. Without New York, the democrats will have a hard time winning the White House. But what traditional republican states are lost with a Giuliani candidacy? Will the New York electoral votes be enough to offset the losses? Would a Giuliani - Huckabee ticket make sense? Or Huckabee - Giuliani? What about a mixture of Thompson and Giuliani. Could some combination like these appease evangelicals and at the same time entice voters in traditional democrat states like New York? It is interesting to think about the impact of different combinations.

On a completely different front, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Deadfall by Robert Liparulo. I hope you get a chance to pick up a copy.

UPDATE: After I wrote my post today, Don Wildmon of the American Family Association endorsed Mike Huckabee. If you're keeping score that's Robertson for Giuliani and Wildmon for Huckabee. Still waiting on religious leaders like James Dobson, Gary Bauer and Tony Perkins to show their cards.

Jerome

Mike Huckabee Moving Up

2007-11-06T16:01:00.000-06:00

Mike Huckabee continues to move up not only in political polls but also on Technorati. Technorati maintains most popular lists and "Mike Huckabee" is the 7th most popular search phrase. Click on Huckabee's name and you can see numerous blog entries about Mike Huckabee.

Huckabee is now polling at 7.7% in the Real Clear Politics Average and his best showing is 12% in the Rasmussen poll. Back in the summer, Huckabee was polling at 2% or 3%. Guiliani still leads with Thompson second, McCain, Romney and Huckabee in fifth place. The Iowa caucuses are only about 2 months away and a strong showing there could really propel Huckabee into the top tier.

The media (even international media) continues to report that Fred Thompson's campaign is uninspiring. It will be interesting to see if Thompson's campaign gains some traction in the next few weeks ahead of the Iowa caucuses. I hope he does.

Jerome

Blog Tour -- The Return

2007-10-30T14:52:00.000-05:00

This week the Christian Fiction Blog Tour is introducing The Return by Austin Boyd. I hope you get a chance to pick up a copy of this wonderful book.

Jerome

Good News for Huckabee Campaign

2007-10-25T10:09:00.000-05:00

There's good news today for the Mike Huckabee campaign. The Evangelical Outpost blog today endorsed Huckabee. It is a joint endorsement with Mere Orthodoxy and Between Two Worlds. Yesterday Joe Carter at Evangelical Outpost withdrew his support for Fred Thompson and lamented not supporting Mike Huckabee earlier -- who was Joe's favorite candidate from the beginning. His reasoning for not supporting Huckabee sooner was that he didn't think Huckabee could win the nomination. I'm not sure Huckabee can win the nomination either but I applaud Carter and the others for taking a principled position and supporting who they think is the best candidate regardless of whether he passes the electability litmus test at this point.

The reason this is significant for the Huckabee campaign is because Evangelical Outpost is one of the most read blogs on the internet -- particularly among evangelical conservatives. This is quite a feather in the cap for the Huckabee campaign. We'll see if it translates into more fundraising and support for Mike Huckabee.

Jerome

Religion Still Important in Presidential Politics

2007-10-24T11:05:00.000-05:00

Religion and faith are emerging as important issues in the 2008 presidential race. Just yesterday that were news articles about winning the Catholic vote, Mitt Romney's religious delimma, and the buzz that Mike Huckabee made at the Value Voters Summitt over the weekend. Some are even talking about Huckabee in the top tier of republican candidates. Wouldn't be interesting in Huckabee won in Iowa?

Today there was an article about Rudy Guiliani and abortion.

I think it is important that religion and faith continue to play important roles in American politics and I'm glad to see front page news coverage of candidates' religious positions.

Also, this week the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducting Illuminated by Matt Bronleewe. I hope you get a chance to pick up a copy of this book.

Jerome

NASCAR Disease?

2007-10-12T14:39:00.000-05:00

For all my NASCAR friends I've provide a link to a Republican National Committee video. It seems that House Democrat aides advised staffers to get immunizations before attending this week's NASCAR race!

Here is the YouTube video.

All NASCAR fans should be screaming about this one!

Jerome

Select a Candidate

2007-10-11T09:25:00.000-05:00

On Thursday mornings, I do a 15 - 30 minute legal talk segment on Super Talk 97.7 with Stevie Ray Hemann. This morning Stevie Ray pointed out this quiz you can take on the WQAD website. Click on the Take the Quiz! link. I did and the result was that Fred Thompson most closely resembles my views. I encourage you to see how the candidates match up with your views and positions.

On a similar note, is the Religious Right marginalizing itself in this election? Some of the leaders of the Religious Right (James Dobson, Tony Perkins) are stating publicly that if neither political party nominates someone who is pro-life, then they plan to support a third party candidate. Here is an article in the American Spectator and another in Politico that discuss this topic. It is an interesting discussion but I hope it doesn't happen. If the Religious Right abandons the republican party then what will happen is that Hillary Clinton will be elected president. I don't think the republican party can win the White House without the religious right.

Lastly, this week the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Nobody by Creston Mapes. I hope you get a chance to pick up a copy of this book.

Jerome

Blog Tour for The Trophy Wives Club

2007-10-03T14:47:00.000-05:00

Intriguing title. This week the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing The Trophy Wives Club by Kristin Billerbeck.

I hope you get a chance to pick up a copy.

Jerome

Blog Tour for Lisa Bergren

2007-10-02T12:49:00.000-05:00

Today I'm participating in blog tour for Lisa Bergren. Lisa has two books that are being highlighted in the tour. The first is The Betrayed and the second is The Begotten. They are both excellent books and I highly recommend them.

Jerome

Blog Tour for Blessed Assurance

2007-09-26T15:41:00.000-05:00

This week the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is conducting a blog tour for Blessed Assurance by Lyn Cote.

I hope you get a chance to pick up a copy of Lyn's book.

Jerome

Blog Tour of The Ex Files

2007-09-20T20:16:00.000-05:00

This week the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is highlighting The Ex Files by Victoria Christopher Murray. Here is Victoria's website.

There are many reviews on the Blog Alliance site. I hope you get a chance to read the reviews and pick up a copy of Victoria's book.

Jerome

What's At Stake in '08?

2007-08-14T16:24:00.000-05:00

The Supreme Court. And it is likely that the Supreme Court will be a big issue in the presidential campaign.

Tom Delay has an article this month in townhall.com that addresses just this issue. And senate democrats continue to block confirmation of qualified federal court judges.

The best thing that might happen for republicans in 2008 is for there to be a senate battle over confirmation of a Supreme Court justice. With Scalia, Thomas, Roberts and Alito, the Supreme Court is only one justice away from containing a majority of strict constructionists.

Can you imagine one of the democratic candidates being in a position to appoint justices to the Supreme Court? It might happen if republicans and conservatives don't wake up and work hard to elect a republican president.

Jerome

Confirm Judge Southwick

2007-08-09T07:42:00.001-05:00

It's been over a month since I posted. Between my sons' year-end allstar baseball runs (both were on teams that finished as runners-up in the state in their respective age divisions) and vacation, I haven't had time. But things have settled down and I hope to post more frequently.

One thing that is critically important to me is the appointment of judges to the federal courts, particularly the Supreme Court. There isn't currently a vacancy on the Supreme Court so the political battle is presently being fought over President Bush's nominations to fill vacancies on the Court of Appeals. The biggest battle right now is over the nomination of Judge Leslie Southwick to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. The Fifth Circuit court sits in New Orleans and hears cases from Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas.

By all accounts Judge Southwick is a respectable jurist, quality individual and a veteran. Senate democrats have searched and searched for dirt on Judge Southwick but were unable to find anything. When Judge Southwick was appointed to the federal district court (the level just below the court of appeals) not one senator voted against him. Still the judiciary committee delayed his court of appeals confirmation process.

On August 2 the committee finally voted 10-9 to send Judge Southwick's nomination to the full senate. Fred Thompson had this to say earlier about Judge Southwick's confirmation and then posted about the committee's vote.

Because of liberal interest groups' unfounded attacks on Judge Southwick I look for this battle to continue on the senate floor. Senate democrats just can't help themselves. They will attack any conservative jurist nominated by President Bush. I hope senate republicans stand-up for Judge Southwick and fight for his confirmation. We cannot continue to allow the democrats to defeat quality judges.

It is time to confirm Judge Southwick.

Jerome

Thompson Denies Lobbying For Abortion Group

2007-07-07T12:49:00.000-05:00

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that Fred Thompson was hired as a lobbyist in 1991 for an abortion rights group. Thompson denies that any such lobbying took place and his spokesperson stated that at most Thompson may have consulted with another lawyer in the firm about the group's lobbying needs. John Sununu also denies that Thompson lobbied the Bush White House to relax the restriction on the "gag rule".

We will see more of these types of claims as Fred nears, and enters, the presidential race. He must look appealing to conservative Christians in order to win the republican nomination, and conservative Christians are staunchly pro-life. Fred's opponents will attempt to portray him as less than completely pro-life so that conservative Christians will be divided in their support for him. If he runs (and it looks more likely every day), then Thompson must solidify the conservative Christian base behind him. Whichever of the republican candidates can garner the support of conservative Christians will win the nomination, and hopefully the White House.

Also, this week the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Island Inferno by Chuck Holton. I hope you get a chance to pick up a copy of this book.

Jerome

Republican Mayor Takes Office in Madison County

2007-07-02T13:55:00.000-05:00

Jimmy Harris was sworn in as County Mayor of Madison County this morning. Harris is the first republican to become county mayor in Madison County in years, if ever. He was elected by the county commission to fill a vacancy in the county mayor's office when the previous mayor was elected as mayor of the City of Jackson.

I expect Harris will do a great job as mayor and I look forward to working with him. He is well liked in the community and with his background in business and commercial development he will be well-suited to manage the county. He will serve until August 2008 at which time he will have to seek election to complete the remaining two years of the term. Then, if elected in 2008, he will run again in 2010 for a full four year term.

It is a new day in Madison County with the republican controlled county commission and a republican in the county mayor's office. The two should work well together.

Jerome

Last Day of The Divine Appointment Blog Tour

2007-06-29T22:10:00.000-05:00

Today is the last day of the blog tour for The Divine Appointment. The great folks who are members of the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance have also been mentioning The Election in their blog posts.

I appreciate everyone's participation and support. It's been a fun tour!

Supreme Court Ruling Racial Diversity

2007-06-28T11:10:00.000-05:00

The U.S. Supreme Court issued two rulings today that will impact school desegregation issues nationwide. The decision restricts how schools may attain racial diversity. In the written opinion, Justice Roberts stated that "[t]he way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race." You can read an AP arcticle here. A blog about the supreme court can be found here. The importance of President Bush's appointments to the supreme court is discussed here.

The issue of racial diversity in schools is extremely important in our local community (Jackson TN) since we are in the throes of determining how to end a decades old desegregation lawsuit. It will be interesting to see the impact these recent supreme court cases will have on our local litigation.

Jerome

Blog Tour for The Divine Appointment

2007-06-27T08:10:00.000-05:00

This week the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is conducting a blog tour about my new book, The Divine Appointment. I appreciate everyone's participation in the tour and hope everyone enjoys the book.

Jerome

Roundup of Presidential Campaign Headlines

2007-06-25T09:16:00.000-05:00

Late last week word began to circulate that Fred Thompson planned to finally announce his intentions to seek the republican nomination at a news conference in Nashville tomorrow. Speculation now is that he will only announce that he plans to open his national headquarters in Nashville. We'll see how this plays out. He may still make a formal announcement tomorrow but most are betting against it.

The latest polls have Fred Thompson leading in Nevada. This without even actually announcing that he is a candidate. Michael Barone has this recap of how the polls have moved over the last several months.

Stuart Rothenberg has John McCain's presidential aspiration on its death bed. Robert Novak reported at the end of last week that McCain's people were pleading for money before the end of June. McCain has sent out a SOS because he wants the quarterly financial report to look better than is anticipated. His goal was to raise $10,000,000 in the second quarter and he is falling short. If the polls referenced above are accurate, McCain needs something big soon or he will effectively be out of the race. Money will start flowing to the candidates that republican votes believe have a chance of winning. The ole electability litmus test.

Rudy Guiliani is planning to speak to conservative Christians at Regents University. He likely won't address his position on abortion and gay marriage but he does need to start making some headway among Christian conservatives. Catholic leaders are already expressing their disappointment over Guiliani's stance on abortion.

This week the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance will be conducting a blog tour on my new novel, The Divine Appointment. If you would like a copy, you can order one here or here.

Jerome

President Bush Should Veto Stem Cell Bill

2007-06-20T10:57:00.000-05:00

President Bush should veto recent legislation passed by the democratic controlled congress that would provide federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. He has vowed to do so and I hope he follows through on that promise as he did when similar legislation was passed by the congress last year.

As I've pointed out in this post there are many other promising scientific advances that would provide the same or greater benefit than do embryonic stem cells without the destruction of life.

Also, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is running a blog tour on Relunctant Runaway by Jill Nelson. I hope you get a chance to pick up a copy.

Jerome

It Was Bound to Happen

2007-06-13T15:45:00.000-05:00

GOP rivals will attempt to deflate the Thompson campaign, according to Politico. Even now they are digging up dirt, or so the story goes. That's just the way political campaigns operate. We'll see who fires the first shot across the Thompson bow. And you can rest assured that should Thompson win the nomination, the democratic nominee will fire many more.

Jerome

Thompson Closing in on Guiliani

2007-06-12T17:32:00.000-05:00

New poll numbers are out and the soon-to-be-candidate Fred Thompson is closing in on Guiliani's lead. Here are some numbers. Rasmussen has Thompson in a tie with Guiliani. These poll numbers has Thompson in second place among the GOP field.

George Will asks whether Fred Thompson's bubble will burst like the dot come craze of the 1990's. Is Thompson all charm and no substance?

Then there is this recurring question of whether Guiliani can win the nomination? In order to do so he'll have to win over the conservative Christians in the republican party.

And if John McCain's campaign is out of money, then will the republican primary come down to a horse race between the late starting Thompson campaign and the pro-choice campaign of Rudy Guiliani? So far it doesn't seem like and second tier candidates such as Mike Huckabee can gain any traction.

Jerome

Stem Cell Politics

2007-06-08T10:53:00.000-05:00

Federal funding for stem cell research is back in the news. Congress is considering two bills that concern stem cell research. Here is a detailed report of the pending legislation. This report is co-written by Senator Norm Coleman who is the author of the HOPE Act discussed below. One of the bills passed the senate yesterday and is cleared to go to the president. It was sponsored by Senator Harry Reid and would provide federal funding for embyonic stem cell research. The other bill is called the HOPE Act. It would provide funding for non-embyonic stem cell research. It is currently hung up in committees. Senator Tom Coburn from Oklahoma is a co-sponsor of the HOPE Act and is a proponent of adult stem cell research and stem cells from cord blood. He has a plethora of information about stem cell research on his website. Also, Bradley Hughes has this article on the Family Research Council website about adult stem cell research. It is an informative read.

I urge you to contact the White House and urge President Bush to veto the embyonic stem cell funding bill like he has done in the past. I also urge you to contact your senators and representatives and urge them to support the HOPE Act.

Jerome

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

2007-06-08T08:50:00.000-05:00

This week the blog alliance is conducting a blog tour of These Boots Weren't Made for Walking by Melody Calrson. I hope you get a chance to pick up a copy.

Jerome

Donate to Fred's Campaign

2007-06-06T13:05:00.000-05:00

I received an e-mail link today to this website. If you are interested in supporting Fred Thompson's campaign, then you can sign up here and donate. There is also a way for you to download a "donate widget" to your website. Yesterday I saw my first Fred Thompson 2008 bumper sticker.

It is amazing at how even though Fred Thompson was not at the debate, his shadow covered it. All of the news commentators talked about Fred Thompson's absence as much as they did teh content of the debate.

My new novel The Divine Appointment released yesterday and if you are interested in ordering a copy you can through Grace Abounds or Amazon.

Jerome

Supreme Court Vacancy?

2007-06-03T22:11:00.000-05:00

This exclusive report from ABC News states that the Bush administration is preparing for a supreme court vacancy this summer. Could there be one? I posted several months ago about a rumor that Justice John Paul Stevens might retire. This article mentions him as well as Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as potential retirees. If one of them were to retire, it would make for an interesting summer.

And this is a good segue into the release of my new novel, The Divine Appointment. The storyline revolves around the political battle over a supreme court appointment. The release date is June 5 but it is already available online both here and here.

Jerome

Fred's In (Probably)

2007-05-30T15:15:00.000-05:00

If you haven't already heard, the word on the street is that Fred Thompson is definitely running for president. He is expected to announce around the Fourth of July. Also, check out this article. There are several articles today on this topic. This blog questions whether Fred really wants it. Another article debates whether he will play well outside of the south. And still another discusses what other republican candidates a Thompson campaign will hurt (and this one does too). This recent buzz was generated as a result of a fundraising conference call Thompson had recently with large donors.

Frankly, I'm glad he's getting in. I think it will give some energy to the republican primary that is lacking so far, and if he wins the nomination I think he has the ability to beat any nominee the democrats put forward.

Jerome

Fred Speaks on Immigration

2007-05-18T16:30:00.001-05:00

Announcments were made that a compromise had been reached on an immigration bill. Fred Thompson quickly placed this post on the Fred Thompson Reports on ABC Radio.

Jerome

Rudy's Not The One

2007-05-18T11:06:00.000-05:00

Dr. James Dobson wrote and article that appeared in World Net Daily he unequivocally and irrevocably said that he would not support Rudy Giuliani for president under any circumstances. Dobson said that he would rather not vote -- or vote for someone who cannot win -- that to vote for Giuliani, Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton. Those are strong words. Dr. Dobson is very influential among evangelicals. He has told us who he will not support. The only question remaining is who will he support?

Jerome

Blog Tour for Orchard of Hope

2007-05-18T06:29:00.000-05:00

This week the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is running a blog tour for Orchard of Hope by Ann Gabhart. You can click on the links above to read reviews and to order a copy.

Jerome

Fred Thompson & Abortion

2007-05-17T08:00:00.000-05:00

Many bloggers have already covered this ground but I also wanted to mention it here. When Fred Thompson announced on Chris Wallace's show that he was considering a run for the White House, he curtly answered "pro-life" when Wallace asked him his position on abortion. Since then, this video has been posted on YouTube, and this survey from Thompson's 1994 senate race was posted on Project Vote Smart.

If he decides to run (and indications are that he is leaning that direction), then Thompson will need to clearly and succintly clarify his position on abortion. Is he absolutely pro-life and opposed to abortion under any circumstances or does he believe there should be some exceptions? I think that it is clear he is not pro-choice as most would define that term. His voting record in the senate was completely pro-life. But I think that he will need to clarify his position for evangelicals and the religious right. The issue is important to many in the republican party even if they are not one issue voters.

Jerome

Fred Thompson v. Michael Moore

2007-05-15T16:39:00.000-05:00

This is good stuff. Michael Moore challenges Fred Thompson to a debate and Thompson issues this response. It's hillarious. Who knows whether Michael Moore was serious (it may just be a publicity stunt by Moore) but Thompson videoing his response to the challenge while chewing on one of his Cuban cigars is an instant classic.

Jerome

Will Abortion Issue Decide Primary?

2007-05-15T15:15:00.000-05:00

Has the GOP become a one issue party? Some believe that and are warning against it. They say that although Rudy Guiliani is pro-choice the party should still nominate him for the White House in 2008. I disagree.

The republican party must not give up the pro-life plank in its platform. It is too important. We must faithfully support the santity of human life and that includes the battle against embryonic stem cell research as well as against abortion.

There are many articles today on what impact Guiliani's decision to solidify his pro-choice position will have on the republican primary. E.J. Dionne writes that Guiliani's position will challenge the pro-life republicans. Dionne says that if pro-lifers are serious, then they must oppose Guiliani the same as they did John Kerry. Jack Kelly says that he supports Guiliani because he believers Guiliani's leadership qualities trump his position on abortion. The New York Daily News editorial today says that Guiliani's position brings the republican party to a crossroads. Does it spurn Guiliani because of his position on abortion or does it embrace him because he is electable? Cal Thomas challenges Guiliani's position in his article today and suggests that the republican party can certainly win the White House in 2008 while nominating a pro-life candidate. It did so with Reagan, Bush I and Bush II.

And the battle continues on the front lines between abortion and pro-life activists. The Washington Times has a two-part story ending today on the battle among the two groups that will impact the 2008 race. Both sides realize that control of the White House leads to nominations to federal court benches (particularly the supreme court) which is really what the battle is all about.

I do hope that the republican party not only reaffirms its pro-life position but advances it.

Lastly, Jerry Falwell passed away today. He was one of the leaders in the religious right movement of the 1980's. He was vilified by some and revered by others. There's no doubt he spoke his mind and influenced many people. Whether you loved him or hated him, there is no questioning the fact that he had a huge impact on national politics over the last 25 years.

Jerome

Gingrich & Thompson Making News

2007-05-14T12:11:00.000-05:00

Several anonymous Protestant and Catholic leaders have told the Washington Times that they will rally around a Fred Thompson bid to become president.

Newt Gingrich stated on Good Morning America that it is a "great possibility" that he will run for president and plans to announce his decision in the fall.

If these two get in the race, then the republican primary will finally get interesting.

Jerome

Weekend Headlines

2007-05-14T08:16:00.000-05:00

Here are some stories that ran over the weekend that I found interesting. Several writers discussed Rudy Guiliani's abortion position. Guiliani has sent mixed messages about his stance on abortion and he tried to clarify his position late last week. The Wall Street Journal said that the GOP needs to avoid a brawl over the abortion issue. It opined that an internal fight among the GOP over abortion will open the door wide for a democrat to win the White House. Pat Buchanan has a different take on the issue and stated that Guiliani is not welcome in Buchanan's GOP -- which he defines as the party of Reagan. And lastly on this issue, Peter Brown of RealClearPolitics published an article that Guiliani's decision to de-emphasize the caucuses in Iowa and the primaries in New Hampshire and South Carolina defies history and logic.

Fred Thompson told a reporter in Florida that he isn't rushing his decision. With the Florida primaries on January 29, it seems to me that he might need to speed up his deliberations, though.

Mike Huckabee may have scored some points in the republican debate a week ago but may not get support from a former staffer who now runs the South Carolina GOP.

Recent poll averages show Guiliani leading, with McCain second, Thompson third and Romney fourth.

Jerome

Blog Tours

2007-05-10T10:52:00.000-05:00

Last week the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance conducted a blog tour for Chris Well's book Tribulation House. I am late to the party but still wanted to mention Chris' great book. This week the tour is about Ransomed Dreams by Amy Wallace.

I hope you get a chance to pick up each of these books.

Jerome

The Religious Right Kingmaker

2007-04-29T20:32:00.000-05:00

I found this article in the Wall Street Journal particularly interesting. It labels Richard Land as the "would-be" kingmaker among conservative Christians. Clearly he doesn't like or support Guiliani. I get the impression he could get behind Mitt Romney if he takes a lead -- and Land's advice. And then there is the litmus test of electability. While Land likes candidates such as Huckabee, Brownback and Hunter, he doesn't find them electable. And he certainly isn't in favor of a Gingrich candidacy. But one thing did catch my eye in this article. Land is quoted as saying that a Fred Thompson candidacy was "tantalizing." That's interesting.

Land is clearly playing his cards close to his vest and hasn't endorsed a candidate yet. But we conservative Christians are in a strange predicament this presidential election. The lending contenders are far from perfect. Of the top tier, Land clearly finds Romney's candidacy as the most likeable. He refused to describe Romney's changing position on abortion as a flip flop but rather as a journey to the truth.

Speaking of Fred Thompson, he has also generated some interest in the British press. This report in The Telegraph indicates that many former Ronald Reagan allies are lining up behind Thompson. And the Draft Fred Thompson campaign has moved into Texas. I think an announcement by Thompson is imminent.

Jerome

The Heir by Paul Robertson

2007-04-27T12:04:00.000-05:00

This week the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is running a blog tour on The Heir by Paul Robertson. I hope you will take time to read the reviews.

Jerome

A Bigger Life by Annette Smith

2007-04-18T19:27:00.000-05:00

This week the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is conducting a blour for Annette Smith's new book A Bigger Life. Please check out the Alliance's website to read reviews about this book.

Jerome

Abortion Ban Upheld

2007-04-18T11:02:00.000-05:00

In a 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the Partial Birth Abortion Ban that President Bush signed into law in 2003. Justice Kennedy wrote the opinion with Scalia, Thomas, Roberts and Alito joining. I've pointed out before that Justice Kennedy has become the swing vote on a number of issues. Fortunately, this time he sided with the conservative jurists on the court.

This is an important decision that protects the sanctity of human life. Hopefully Roe v. Wade can be overturned at some point in the future.

The other important thing to take from this decision is how critical Supreme Court appointments are. To have the right jurists on the court when important issues are decided by the court requires the correct person as president and sufficient control of the senate to insure confirmation. The president appoints and the senate provides "advice and consent". Thank goodness that President Bush appointed Justices Roberts and Alito. A different decision might have resulted had they not been on the court. The presidential and senate elections in 2008 will be extremely important as other appointments will likely occur in the not too distant future.

Jerome

Coral Moon by Brandilyn Collins

2007-04-16T22:04:00.000-05:00

With apologies to my friend Brandilyn Collins, I'm finally posting about her new book, Coral Moon. The Christian Fiction Blog Alliance highlights a different book weekly and last week was Coral Moon. Somehow I missed the e-mail for this blour so I'm posting this week. You can visit Brandilyn's website here and she always has an entertaining and informative blog. Coral Moon is available on line.

Jerome

Is He In or Not?

2007-04-15T15:50:00.000-05:00

More Fred Thompson. The Weekly Standard has an interview with Fred Thompson that is really enlightening on several topics. One that is important to me is that Thompson affirmatively states that he is pro-life. There have been reports since Thompson's senate campaign years ago that he was pro-choice -- at least in some instances. He tries to clear that up in this piece. Also, Bill Frist is quoted as saying that the story about Thompson's lymphoma needed to get out early -- before Thompson announces that he's running.

It certainly sounds as though Thompson is running. Some firmly believe that he is not. While others are even more certain that he is. My best guess is that he is leaning toward running. I think he must announce before the end of June. He is way behind in fundraising and has a lot of ground to make up.

So while all of the republican candidates are swarming all over Iowa, Fred Thompson is sitting at his home outside of Washington waiting for just the right moment. We'll see when that is.

Jerome

Stem Cell Funding Headed for Another Veto

2007-04-11T21:29:00.000-05:00

The senate today voted to authorize federal funding for stem cell research that would lead to -- either directly or indirectly -- the destruction of human embryos. The president is expected to veto it. I hope he does. If allowed to pass, the federal funding would result in the destruction of embryos for scientific purposes. It would result in the further disrespect of the sanctity of human life.

There are other promising scientific discoveries that should be pursued instead of embryonic stem cell research. Adult stem cells should be further researched as should the recent discovery of stem cells in amniotic fluid. I'm interested to see what Professor Robbie George will have to say about this most recent attempt by the democratic controlled senate.

I recently read an article about other stem cell research that would not promote the destruction of embryos. This research which some republicans seek to fund would allow research on embryos which scientist determine are not capable of surviving in the womb. This opens another interesting discussion -- and scientific avenue -- which must be considered instead of embryonic stem cell research.

The debate about embryonic stem cell research is an important one. It will (at least should) be an important part of the debate in the upcoming presidential election. If a democrat is elected president, and we still have a democratic controlled congress, then we certainly will see federally funded embryonic stem cell research. All the more reason to support (and elect) a conservative republican back to the White House.

Jerome

Fred Thompson has "Treatable" Cancer

2007-04-11T09:46:00.000-05:00

Newsmax has a report out today that Fred Thompson has lymphoma but that it is treatable. You can read the full article here.

Jerome

Richard Land Warms to Possible Thompson Candidacy

2007-04-05T21:24:00.000-05:00

Much of the political news this week was about the fundraising by Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Obama won the first round but they both raised a ton of cash. And cash is what it takes to run an effective campaign. Both should continue to be very formidable throughout the primary. John Edwards continues to hang around but Clinton and Obama will soon be chasing all other democratic candidates from the race.

In the midst of the reporting over the democratic fundraising, this article ran quietly. Richard Land, the president of the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, had positive comments to say about Fred Thompson. This is on the heels of James Dobson negative comments last week. Dr. Land had no praise for Rudy Guiliani or Newt Gingrich.

Also, this article brought Rudy Guiliani's liberal social views back to the forefront. As Dr. Land pointed out, most social conservatives will have trouble pulling the lever for Guiliani in the primary.

Senator Lamar Alexander was in Jackson today and spoke at a small gathering at the Old Country Store. The stop was part of his tour across the state announcing that he plans to seek reelection in 2008. Much of the talk in the room was also about a possible Fred Thompson campaign for the presidency.

The grassroots drive to draft Fred Thompson continues to grow. He must make a decision in the next couple of months, though. He is falling behind on fundraising -- although Thompson has the ability to raise money quickly. Mitt Romney had a huge first quarter in fundraising and it will take a lot for Thompson to catch-up to Romney in that area -- if he gets in -- given how late in the race it is. But from this poll that shows Thompson in third place in the republican field -- ahead of Romney -- you wouldn't know that Thompson isn't even in the race yet.

Jerome

Reclaiming Nick by Susan May Warren

2007-03-30T10:49:00.000-05:00

This week the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is blogging about Reclaiming Nick by Susan May Warren. You can go to the Blog Alliance website for reviews and other comments about Susan book. I hope you enjoy it!

Jerome

Update on Dobson/Thompson

2007-03-29T19:16:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I posted on James Dobson's statement that he does not believe Fred Thompson is a Christian. That statement spread throughout the internet and was discussed on several blogs including this one. Today I received an e-mail that originated with Reuben Watkins of Grassroots Voters. I've cut and pasted the body of the e-mail here:

Friends,

Last night the DrudgeReport.com posted a link to an article in U.S. News & World Report titled: Dobson Offers Insight on 2008 Republican Hopefuls, Focus on Family Founder Snubs Thompson, Praises Gingrich. The calls and emails were fast and furious and I do mean furious!

This morning I had an opportunity to speak with Brad Miller, Director of Family Policy Council at Focus. We had a great conversation and Brad confirmed what many of us had been suspecting - the article was not an accurate representation of the conversation.

Dr. Dobson had never actually spoken with Fred and did not know Fred's personal viewpoints and beliefs firsthand.. Dr. Dobson noted that Fred's voting record while in the Senate was to be praised and indicated a strong conservative, pro-family position. Dobson did not know Fred to be an outspoken evangelical, which can be considered a negative in some circles. The notion that Dr. Dobson was supporting a potential Gingrich candidacy over others was also false. Brad also mentioned that there is a great deal of excitement among the "religious right" about a potential Fred Thompson candidacy and that Dr. Dobson was not endorsing or supporting any candidate or potential candidates at this time.

I appreciate Brad for the conversation and helping to clear the air on this and I appreciate your ongoing efforts in supporting a potential Fred Thompson candidacy. If you haven't been to the site lately, please take a minute stop by: http://www.grassrootsvoter.com We are well on our way to our goal of organizing 10,000 Fred Thompson supporters!

[End of e-mail]

You can see that all sides are trying to clarify the statement but the damage may already be done. One of the leaders of conservative Christians is on the record (and on the internet) as saying that Fred Thompson is not a Christian. The second part is that the response by the Thompson camp is that Thompson was baptized into the Church of Christ. To some evangelical Christians, the response may be more damaging than the initial statement.

I also would like to point out something else. I think it is completely impossible for a person to definitively state that another person is or is not a Christian. A person might be able to say "he doesn't act like a Christian" or "he doesn't fit my definition of what a Christian is" or something like that, but someone certainly cannot comment on another's salvation. The relation between a person and Jesus Christ is individual to that person, and only he/she and Christ know the truth.

Hopefully Dr. Dobson was mis-quoted -- I know from personal experience that it happens all too often when dealing with the media.

Jerome

James Dobson Says Fred Thompson NOT a Christian!

2007-03-28T16:41:00.000-05:00

This article released today quotes James Dobson as saying that he doesn't believe Fred Thompson is a Christian. The Thompson camp quickly countered by saying that Thompson is in fact a Christian, and was baptized in the Church of Christ.

James Dobson carries tremendous weight among conservatives and this statement could have a real (negative) impact on Fred Thompson's candidacy. It will be interesting to see how this plays out over the next several days.

Jerome

Polls Show Fred Thompson Moving Up

2007-03-27T21:51:00.000-05:00

Two polls were released on Monday that showed Fred Thompson clearly moving into third place among republican candidates -- and he isn't even a candidate yet. Real Clear Politics has a link to both the USA Today/Gallup poll and the Zogby poll. Thompson's gains appear to be at the expense of Guiliani and Romney. There was also a report out this week that the John McCain camp says it will not reach fundraising goals by the end of March.

In researching some sites about Fred Thompson I found this list by Congressman Zach Wamp of why Fred Thompson should be president. Wamp is a congressman from east Tennessee.

And then there is this interview with Governor Mike Huckabee. He seems to be lost in the crowd and hardly mentioned anymore (not that he was mentioned a lot before).

The web is buzzing with Fred Thompson. His potential candidacy seems to be hitting Mitt Romney and Rudy Guiliani the hardest. John McCain is languishing. And the primaries are still almost a year away.

Jerome

Catching Up

2007-03-25T21:45:00.000-05:00

I was out of town most of last week and have been catching up on some reading since I returned. There was an article in Friday's Wall Street Journal that, as a writer, interested me. It was written by Carl Bialik, The Numbers Guy, about online bestseller lists like Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. The article certainly doesn't explain how the sales rankings, particularly Amazon, are created but it is interesting to read how those are manipulated.

The article quoted Rick Frishman who I heard at the Mega Book University earlier this month in Los Angeles. Frishman is a bestselling writer but also heads up the New York PR firm Ruder Finn. Frishman is connected with Mark Victor Hansen of Chicken Soup fame, and claims that for a mere $10,000-$15,000 he can get a book propelled to the on-line bestseller lists. Frishman, Hansen, Alex Mandossian, and the other marketing professionals I saw at Mega Book are certainly successful and I wouldn't discount anything they say. Obviously they are trying to make money but what they say about the publishing industry and marketing carries a tremendous amount of weight.

On a different front, I continue to be amazed and pleasantly surprised at the interest in a Fred Thompson presidential campaign. It has been over two weeks now since Thompson said he was considering a run, and he still garners more attention on the web and in the media than any of the republican candidates who have announced that they are running. Robert Novak mentioned Thompson in his article this week. One blog has had several posts about Thompson's position on abortion I haven't posted in over a week, but I still have hits on my site from people all over the country (and from some outside of the country) looking for information about Fred Thompson's positions on different issues and about his faith. It will still be several months before Thompson decides to run but he is already sucking air out of some of the other candidates campaigns.

Personally I hope Thompson gets in. It will make the republican primary interesting and if he wins, he will be tough to beat in the general election.

Jerome

Fred Thompson Still the Topic of Conversation

2007-03-17T09:05:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted all week because I've been consumed with the decades old desegregation lawsuit in Madison County and in trying to obtain unitary status for the school system. So I haven't had time to blog.

But in looking back at the week I was surprised at the number of hits on my blog from people looking for information about Fred Thompson. The search requests for Fred Thompson far exceeded any I've ever had for the other republican candidates like Rudy Guiliani, John McCain or Mitt Romney. Many of the search requests were for information about Thompson's religious beliefs. I would like to know something about that too. I've asked around but can't find any public pronouncements by Thompson on this point. Perhaps he will make one some time.

There really does seem to be a tremendous amount of interest among conservatives about Thompson. I've received two e-mail blasts from Bill Frist and his VOLPAC. I've received e-mails from friends wanting me to sign a petition at Grass Roots Voters urging Fred Thompson to run. One friend's e-mail said "finally a candidate I can support." What is it about Thompson that is exciting conservatives?

My last post outlined his positions on issues important to conservatives, but is it just that? He has been married previously but that doesn't seem to dissuade conservative Christians from getting behind him. I suspect it is the old litmus test I talked about before: electability. He has the conservative credentials and conservatives see him as someone who can win.

Some pundits believe that Guiliani and Romney will keep Thompson out of the race. Others say that he is in line to take Paul Harvey's place on his popular radio show and that is too enticing to Thompson.

I don't know if Thompson will get in the race or not, but I do know one thing at this point. He certain is garnering more attention than the candidates who have already announced. Will see if the conservatives are able to draft Fred Thompson.

Jerome

Fred Thompson's Positions on the Issues

2007-03-12T12:25:00.000-05:00

The possibility of Fred Thompson running for president has generated a lot of interest over the weekend. There are some who say that there is no chance Thompson will run. But the web seems to be buzzing with questions about Thompson's faith and his position on different issues. Yesterday Chris Wallace interviewed Thompson on Fox News and here is a transcript of that interview. Many conservatives have to like what they heard: Pro-life; believes Roe v. Wade should be overturned; against gun control; against same-sex marriage; and supports President Bush's surge of troops in Iraq. Many of the republican candidates already in the race must be concerned about a potential Fred Thompson campaign.

Also yesterday Rudy Guiliani's words from years ago about public funding for abortion were replayed. Nothing new really. Everybody knows that Guiliani is pro-abortion and the fact that he supports (or at least supported) public funding for abortions would have to be inferred.

Fred Thompson basically said that he isn't convinced that any in the republican field of candidates is capable of "carry[ing] the ball" in November 2008. He's going to wait a few months before making a final decision about running. But if the other candidates don't start showing they have the ability to win in November, 2008, look for Thompson to jump in.

Jerome

Abortion Ban in Mississippi

2007-03-10T07:49:00.000-06:00

The Mississippi state legislature passed a law this week that would make abortions illegal in the magnolia state if the U.S. Supreme Court ever overturns Roe v. Wade. The bill is waiting Governor Haley Barbour's signature. The bill was originally designed to presently ban all abortions except in cases where the mother's life was in jeopardy or in cases of rape. Rather than becoming a case to test Roe v. Wade, the bill was amended to only become law if Roe v. Wade were overturned. The argument advanced by some in seeking the amendment was that the Supreme Court is still one vote shy of overturning the 1973 case. Some call this type of law a trigger law because it doesn't challenge Roe v. Wade direclty but becomes law if Roe is ever overturned.

The reasoning by the Mississippi legislature's amendment was that the Supreme Court is still one vote shy of overturning Roe. I agree and have posted about it in the past. Might President Bush get an opportunity to make another appointment to the Court? There has been recent speculation that Justice Ginsburg might retire and earlier speculation about Justice Stevens. We'll see but certainly the court is one vote short of overturning Roe.

Jerome

Fred Thompson for President?

2007-03-09T07:39:00.000-06:00

One former senator from Tennessee decided not to run for the White House but The Hill is reporting this morning that another former senator from Tennessee might be interested. And another former senator from Tennessee is lining up support. The story in The Hill is that former senate majority leader Howard Baker is on capital hill lining up support for a Fred Thompson campaign. Many of you remember that Thompson got his start by serving as the chief republican counsel on the Senate Watergate Committee in 1973. Later he successfully ran for the senate and later left public office. He is now an actor on the NBC show "Law & Order" where he plays the lead district attorney general.

Thompson's interest in the White House tells me that there are still a lot of republicans who are not satisfied with the current list of potential nominees. Howard Baker still commands a lot of influence. He successfully lead President Bush's legal team during the 2000 election recount in Florida. It will be interesting to see if Thompson jumps in.

On a different note, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is blogging this week about The Watchers by Mark Andrew Olsen. Please follow these links to read reviews and to find out more about Mark's book.

Jerome

Back to Politics as Usual

2007-03-07T22:15:00.000-06:00

It's been almost a week since I had time to post. I was out-of-town most of the weekend attending the Mega Book University with Terry Whalin. I've spent the first part of this week catching up and brainstorming some other writing projects. Now it's time to get back to the regular routine.

Ever since the Drudge Report flashed the sirens and posted in bright red letters that Scooter Libby had been convicted of perjury, etc., the media has been consumed with the story. Jurors have been interviewed, claims that this conviction puts Vice President Cheney and the entire White House in a bad light have been raised by liberal media, and there have even been calls for President Bush to pardon Libby by at least one of the jurors. It has consumed several days of news cycles and it will be interesting to see if the fallout has any impact on the 2008 presidential election.

Somewhat lost in the Scooter Libby hoopla were a couple of articles about Rudy Guiliani that I read over the last couple of days. First was this one that ask whether Guiliani can get past the first date. It is an issue I addressed some time ago. Then I said that Guiliani would have a very difficult time winning the republican primary but would be a very electable candidate in the general election against any democratic candidate, including Hillary Clinton. The other article opines that evangelicals will vote for Guiliani because of his wartime leadership despite his positions on gun control, same sex marriage and abortion. It is the electability litmus test. Guiliani does have a huge lead in early polling in the USA Today polls.

The question continues to be whether a true social conservative will move into the top tier of republican candidates. So far it isn't happening. And as more money is raised by the leaders, the chances of it happening continue to diminish significantly. Will conservative republicans look to the electability test rather than where a candidate stands on important conservative issues? So far it appears to be the case.

Jerome

Who Will Fill Conservative Void?

2007-03-01T09:22:00.000-06:00

The question that many are asking so early in the 2008 presidential campaign is who will fill the conservative void? What Robert Novak and other pundits are asking is who is the real conservative who will step to the front of the republican candidates? The consensus is that so far there isn't one. John McCain or Rudy Guiliani can't fill the void although Guiliani plans meet with some conservative leaders tomorrow. Mitt Romney is certainly trying to secure the conservative base into his camp.

I've mentioned Mike Huckabee often as a potential candidate who could secure at least the social conservative votes. Some are trying to solicit him to run for the U.S. Senate rather than the White House. Another name that I ran across yesterday but had completely forgotten about is Jim Gilmore. I don't know anything about him other than what is on his exploratory committee website but he seemed to make waves at the Conservative Political Action Convention in Washington this week.

I think it is important that we have a true conservative in the top tier of the republican candidates but no one seems to be stepping up at this point.

On a different note, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is bloggin this week about A Valley of Betrayal by Tricia Goyer. I hope you get a chance to read the reviews and purchase Tricia's book.

Jerome

Christ's Lost Tomb?

2007-02-26T08:31:00.000-06:00

There was a report out over the weekend that some archeaologists have found the tomb of Jesus Christ. Not the tomb from which he arose. It is believed that one was discovered long ago and is where the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is located. These archeaologist have found what they claim was the real tomb where Jesus was buried and from which he never arose. It was allegedly found with Jesus' father, Joseph, his mother, Mary, Mary Magdalene and the son of Jesus born to Mary Magdalene (Da Vinci Code?).

It is amazing to me the lengths that people will go to in order to attack the foundation of Christianity. No God fearing Christian will believe that this alleged tomb was really the tomb of Christ, but some unbelievers might be persuaded. And that is sad.

That's why we as Christians must do all we can to carry the message of hope in Christ's salvation around the world. In my writing I try to convey a message of redemption. I realize that I am primarily preaching to the choir because most of Christian fiction readers are Christians. But hopefully some of what I write will land in the hands of non-believers and thereby have an impact on them.

Jerome

Long Lasting Impact of Christianity on Politics

2007-02-23T13:25:00.000-06:00

Many try to exclude faith and religion from politics. But where would our culture be without men and women of faith like William Wilberforce? Wilberforce was an evangelical who helped bring an end to the British slave trade. There is a movie out called Amazing Grace about Wilberforce's life. I haven't seen it yet but it might be worth catching. Here is some more information about Wilberforce.

Would someone else have stood up if Wilberforce had not? Perhaps. But the truth is that Wilberforce did. His faith required it. What about today? Are there local, state and national leaders who will allow their faith to impact their decision making? What about the current slate of presidential candidates? Do they apply their faith to how they serve in office? Personally, I find a candidate's faith important to whether I support them or not. I know many disagree with me. But there must be something inside a person that impacts how they will make decisions. If it is not their religious faith, then what is it?

On a different note, I saw an article today that there is a remote possibility that Joe Lieberman might switch to the republican party. And it would be caused by the senate democrats' push for a vote on the war in Iraq. Wouldn't that create entertaining chaos in the senate?

Jerome

Mona Charen

2007-02-21T13:44:00.000-06:00

Union University hosted Mona Charen today as part of its 9th annual Spring Forum. Juan Williams will be here in March. Ms. Charen's speech was very interesting and probably had some in the room squirming in their seats. She talked about the war on terror and how the United States must continue the fight. Much of it was the same as I hear from other conservative pundits. But there were some facts that I had not heard previously.

Ms. Charen talked about how muslims were slow taking over Europe and by mid-century they will be in the majority, not the minority, in Europe. One statistic she based this on is that Europeans are reproducing at a rate LESS than necessary to repopulate the continent and the muslims are reproducing at a much higher rate. Interesting.

Mona Charen was very interesting and entertaining. If you get a chance to hear her speak, you should take it. You can read some of Ms. Charen's articles at this site.

Jerome

Should Religion and Politics Mix?

2007-02-18T09:16:00.000-06:00

It's an age-old question. Some argue that religion and one's relationship with God should be a personal matter and not have a bearing on politics. They are argue that religion should stay out of politics. Similarly, others hang their hat the "constitution" and argue that there should be a "separation of church and state". The problem with that argument is that this provision is nowhere to be found in the constitution.

Jim Wallis of Time writes today that the era of the religious right is over. I doubt that is true. If it is, then why are so many candidates courting the support of religious leaders? Another article takes the position that voters are more likely to find Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama in church than Rudy Guiliani or John McCain. The point of the story is that the religious gap between the republican party and the democratic party is narrowing. Is it?

Others are tauting Rudy Guiliani as having the ability to sway conservative voters without bowing to the religious leaders. Guiliani has said that he hates abortion but supports a woman's right to choose. He is in favor of civil unions and gun control and has been married three times. Richard Land of the Southern Baptists' Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission said that Guiliani is "unacceptable" to social conservatives. But Guiliani says that he will appoint conservative judges like Alito and Roberts -- judges that are strict constructionists -- and that is music to conservatives' ears.

It's an interesting discussion: The mix of politics and religion. One's religion has always been part of that person's decision making. And that makes the separation of politics and religion virtually impossible. A person's fundamental belief -- whether shaped by religion and faith or something else -- will influence their decision making if they hold public office. There is no way around it. So should religion and politics mix? I think it is unavoidable.

Jerome

Christian Writers Market Guide

2007-02-16T19:03:00.000-06:00

When I first began writing several years ago and wanted to learn how to find a publisher or agent, I turned to Sally Stuart's Christian Writers Market Guide. I still have the 2001 edition on my shelf. It contained a gold mine of information.
Sally Stuart is out with the newest edition and the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is blogging about it this week. Here is a link to Sally Stuart's website. And if you are interested in ordering a copy, you can do so here. Like Terry Whalin's Book Proposals That $ell, the Christian Writers Market Guide is a must-have.

Jerome

The Three Kingmakers

2007-02-14T16:09:00.000-06:00

In a recent post I questioned whether Jerry Falwell was still relevant to the question of what religious leaders have influence on the political process. This article in Newsweek discusses the Three Kingmakers (Jerry Falwell, Pat Roberston and James Dobson). According to this article Falwell appears to be in McCain's camp; Robertson appears to be leaning toward Romney; and Dobson hasn't settled on a candidate yet. Huckabee might ultimately be Dobson's choice.

It will be interesting to see which candidate these three support. None appear to be behind Guiliani, and it doesn't appear that Guiliani is courting any of the three. Other republican candidates are trying to secure endorsements from these religious leaders. McCain realizes the necessity of the religious right because he is attempting to repair damage he did to the relationship with religious leaders during the 2000 presidential primaries. However, none of the democratic candidates are seeking endorsements from conservative Christian leaders. I think that speaks volumes.

Jerome

GOP Searches for True Conservative II

2007-02-12T16:03:00.000-06:00

As an update to my earlier post, I found this article on National Review on Mike Huckabee. The argument by some conservatives against Huckabee seems to be on taxes and restraining the size of government. The Club for Growth and Cato Institute take issue with Huckabee on both of these points.

Jerome

GOP Searches for True Conservative

2007-02-12T12:51:00.000-06:00

The GOP continues to search for a true conservative to run for the White House in 2008. Mitt Romney is trying to become the right's candidate, but I'm not convinced he can fit the bill. This article points out why I'm not convinced. Romney's wife Ann did, however, point out that her husband is the only one among Romney, John McCain and Rudy Guiliani who has only had one wife. Conservative Christians will take note of that fact but is it enough to win their vote. I doubt it since Romney hasn't been consistent on other social issues.

What about Mike Huckabee? Here is a link to his interview over the weekend on ABC News. Huckabee doesn't fit the republican mold on every issue (who does?) but on social/cultural issues he is in line with conservative Christians. That will certain get him significant consideration among that voting bloc.

Lastly (and unrelated to politics) my friend, Terry Whalin, published a "must have" book about the secrets to getting published titled Book Proposals That $ell. It can now be ordered from this blog through the link on the side that reads "Want to get a book published?"

Jerome

Is Jerry Falwell Still Relevant?

2007-02-08T16:26:00.000-06:00

Reuters has an article where Jerry Falwell stated that he would like to have a like minded republican elected president in 2008 and at least one more conservative jurist on the supreme court. I would like to see the samethings. But I wonder whether Jerry Falwell still has much influence among conservatives and the republican party. It seems to me that the mantle of the religious right is now in the hands of personalities like James Dobson, Tony Perkins, Richard Land and Gary Bauer. I don't hear much about Jerry Falwell or Pat Robertson unless they are making some outlandish statement that the networks pick up on.

Electing a conservative republican to the White House in 2008 is extremely important. Having a conservative jurist appointed to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court is also very important. I'm just not sure that Jerry Falwell can make either happen.

And I doubt even Falwell is feeling inspired by the crop of republican candidates: John McCain, Mitt Romney and Rudy Guiliani. But perhaps there is still hope of a true conservative emerging who will energize the religious right base of the party.

Jerome

Blog Tour for The Longing Season

2007-02-08T08:11:00.000-06:00

This week the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is a blog tour for The Longing Season by Christine Schaub.

Follow the links above to see a review of The Longing Season and to learn a little more about Christine Schaub.

Jerome

Romney on Federally Funded Abortions

2007-02-05T16:31:00.000-06:00

There is a great discussion at Red State about Mitt Romney's position on abortion. Romney's recent statements seem to raise more questions than they answer on his position over abortion and that gives many conservative Christians concern.

Jerome

Is Rudy In?

2007-02-05T15:51:00.000-06:00

Back in November, Rudy Guiliani filed papers to create an exploratory committee and gave the caveat that he was "testing the waters." Over the weekend he said there was a really good chance that he was going to run. Today he filed a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission. Does that mean he's running or not?

The attached article reports that the filings today put Guiliani on the same page as John McCain and Mitt Romney, legally. Perhaps some more formal announcement can be expected from the Guiliani camp in the not too distant future.

Jerome

Single Issue Voter

2007-02-01T14:28:00.000-06:00

If there is one issue on which you base your vote, what is it? What litmus test do you apply to candidates, particularly presidential candidates? I don't think I have just one, but I might. And if I am a single issue voter, that single issue is the candidate's stance on abortion. Joe Carter at Evangelical Outpost has a post about this subject today. He quotes David Gushee who is a professor at Union University, my alma mater, and someone who I see often. David doesn't live far from me and his writings are read extensively in religious circles, particularly in the area of bioethics. As Joe Carter and David Gushee both point out, where a person stands when it comes to the sanctity of human life is an extremely important issue. And I think it will indicate what other types of decision that person will make such as what jurists to nominate to the federal bench. It is a single issue but it has many tentacles.

So where do some of the leading republican candidates stand on the issue of abortion? Mitt Romney professes that his views have evolved over time and that he is now pro-life. Some question when this conversion actually occurred. There is no question that Rudy Guiliani is pro-choice and that will create a tremendous hurdle for him toward the republican nomination. Likewise, John McCain's position on abortion has been fluid.

Candidates like Sam Brownback and Mike Huckabee are clearly pro-life but their names are never mentioned in the same breath as the big three.

If you have a single issue that determines your vote? Is it abortion? If so, which candidate are you leaning toward? Are there any democratic candidates who are pro-life?

Jerome

Germ by Robert Liparulo

2007-02-01T07:20:00.000-06:00

This week the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is having a blour about Robert Liparulo's new novel, Germ.

Jerome

Club For Growth Not High On Huckabee

2007-01-31T14:40:00.000-06:00

There are a plethera of right wing and left wing political blogs. One of them is Club for Growth. This organization has arisen in the last several years and champions limited-government, pro-growth and free enterprise policies. Mostly, they support republican candidates, but not always. It has had some success in recent elections with the candidates it supports but the organization's track record isn't quite long enough yet to really determine how effective it is in influencing political races. However, the Club for Growth blog is beginning a series of posts where it will evaluate presidential candidates pursuant to the organization's measuring stick. The first candidate to receive an evaluation is Mike Huckabee and CFG doesn't give governor Huckabee very high marks. It will be entertaining to see evaluations of other candidates.

Jerome