How to Infuse Religion With Politics Like Mike Huckabee

Mike Huckabee began his campaign for the presidency as a little known Arkansas governor with little chance to win. While his campaign for the Republican nomination ultimately was not successful, he finished second in delegates and became a well-known public figure. This political uprising was fueled by Mike Huckabee's successful marriage of religion and politics.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Call for your religious views to be the foundation of government. Mike Huckabee called for the constitution to be changed to match God's standards. During the campaign, he said America needs to "amend the Constitution so it's in God's standards rather than try to change God's standards."
2. Have credibility in both religion and politics by gaining experience in both areas. Mike Huckabee has a background as a Southern Baptist minister and also served two terms as the governor of Arkansas. This allowed him to talk credibly about both religion and politics.
3. Talk about values. Mike Huckabee used his religious values as evidence of his judgment. He made the case that by having strong Christian values, he was qualified to make tough political judgment calls.
4. Back up potentially unpopular policies with religious references. During his campaign, Mike Huckabee talked about aid to the poor and saving the environment, which are not usually popular subjects in Republican primaries. However, he backed up these stances by referring to Jesus' compassion for the sick and poor.
5. Be a populist. Mike Huckabee is considered a new type of populist, called a "religious populist." Religious populists call for the Christian majority to take back the country and reduce the separation of church and state.
6. Mix religion and politics subtly. Mike Huckabee based many of his political policies on his religious views, but was always careful not to claim Jesus was himself political. For example, when asked what Jesus would think of the death penalty during a debate, Huckabee responded "Jesus was too smart to ever run for political office."