Working the field, part XII - Brownback

Samuel Dale Brownback

In the first Republican debate, the panelists were asked if any of them did not believe in evolution. Three raised their hands. Rep. Tom Tancredo, Gov. Mike Huckabee, and Sen. Sam Brownback were the only three.

Brownback has spent his whole life in Kansas. It really is his home. Raised a Methodist, Brownback later joined a nondenominational evangelical church, and has since converted to Roman Catholicism. All the while, though, he has taken his faith very seriously, and is deeply committed to learning the Truth behind the teachings.

While I would argue that he’s taken a theological wrong turn, the fact that he’s making theological turns at all puts him in a higher level of spiritual commitment than most Presidential candidates.

Sam Brownback is firmly pro-life, and commits to protecting life at every stage. He’s rated at 0% by NARAL, which I would take as a considerable endorsement. He has questioned whether capital punishment fits within a pro-life agenda, but he has also voted in favor of making capital appeals more difficult, so he has apparently not come down on that side.

His web site lists a number of very prominent pro-life leaders who are his supporters, and I certainly can’t argue with these credentials:

Dr. Jack Willke, founder of National Right to Life
Dr. Alveda King, niece of Dr. Martin Luther King
Stephen McEveety, Producer of Braveheart and The Passion of the Christ
Norma McCorvey, the Jane Roe of the infamous Roe v. Wade decision
Thomas S. Monaghan, Catholic leader and philanthropist
Michael W. Smith, Contemporary Christian music singer 

As much as I life Michael W. Smith, though, I feel obliged to point out that he was also a supporter of George W. Bush. For me, that leads me to question his wisdom as a judge of Presidential candidates. Perhaps to others, that is a good sign.

Economically, he wants to enact a flat tax and to ratify the line-item veto, which at this point seems like a vital tool in the elimination of earmarks.  The line-item veto would not only give a President the ability to strike out those earmarks, it would also make the President responsible for them — since he either would strike them out or allow them.  No more excuses about having to accept the waste in order to pass the larger bill.

He advocates the use of ethanol and alternative uses of agriculture, which he promotes as good for the farmers and the nation, and as a way out of dependence on Middle East oil.

Brownback advocates responsible stem cell research and taking action in Darfur to prevent the massive bloodshed.

Almost everything he stands for is centered on the protection and preservation of life. Combating pornography, reducing TV and video game violence, and passing an amendment to protect that nature of marriage are all focused on his belief in supporting the culture and protection of life.

One thing I note in looking over his news page is that Brownback has several attacks on other candidates. I tend to frequent Huckabee’s page, which isn’t so inclined. Mike tends to stand on his own merits, rather than needing to tear anyone else down. It’s possible that I’m a bit more sensitive to this because one of his attacks is against Mike Huckabee, but I’m not so sure. The blog is even less considerate, which might not be such a great move.

Clearly, his web site is determined to win over “values voters” from the other strong social conservative candidates — Huckabee and Romney. He even has a page committed to the “Mitt Flop File,” which is rather fun for those of us who trust Romney as far as we could throw him.

What I don’t see with Brownback is the kind of leadership and administrative experience that we see with governors. With his campaign not having taken off so far, one wonders whether he will drop out of the race. If so, might his support go to one of the other “second tier” conservatives, or will it be picked up by one of the big names?