Blood and scars

Editor’s note: Joel Belz in WORLD’s July 9 issue noted that “Ted Cruz, Mike Huckabee, Rick Perry, and Scott Walker all eventually had to tell their evangelical backers that 2016 just wasn’t the year,” and he went on to say the problem was not just evangelical followers but evangelical leaders. Huckabee asked for space to reply, and given his long record of service we agreed. Here’s his response.

Joel Belz opined that candidates like me have not had “strong enough biblical and philosophical understanding of issues, big enough leadership skills, a clean enough personal record, and courage enough to take the risks and pay the price of getting out front.” The column summarily dismissed a lifetime of service and asked, “Is this handful of folks the best we can produce?”

In the 1970s I helped launch Southern Baptists for Life, led the organization of the Freedom Rally in 1979 that inspired several evangelical/political movements including the Moral Majority, and helped execute the National Affairs Briefing in Dallas in 1980 when Ronald Reagan secured the support of many evangelical leaders.

During the 1980s, I left a career in media and advertising and pastored churches, served as a denominational leader, and launched Christian television stations. I led efforts to pass an amendment to the Arkansas Constitution affirming the state’s duty to protect human life from conception. I successfully fought ballot efforts to create a lottery that exploits the poor.

Belz lamented those who lacked the “courage to take the risks and pay the price.” I walked away from a comfortable salary, pension, and insurance to run for public office. I cashed in life savings, insurance policies, and annuity plans while I first sought public office over 25 years ago. Defeated in my first quest, I came back a year later to shock the Clinton political machine in my state to become lieutenant governor, only the fourth Republican to ever be elected. The political establishment nailed shut the door to my Capitol office for 59 days, but I was reelected and two years later became governor when my predecessor was convicted of felonies and forced to resign.

I accept the verdict of the voters, but not the trite dismissal that guys like me lacked the background, leadership, or experience.

I served 10½ years as the chief executive of my state, reelected twice by voters, including 48 percent of African-Americans and over 40 percent of Hispanics. I led the state to reform welfare to workfare, rebuilt the entire interstate highway system with 80 percent approval of the state’s voters, cut taxes 97 times, created prevention-based healthcare solutions that were nationally recognized, and took on the teachers unions and fought corruption in the state ingrained during the Clintonista years. Numerous public officials went to jail.

Time named me one of the five best governors in the nation, Governing magazine honored me as “Public Official of the Year,” and my fellow governors entrusted me as chair of the National Governors Association.

I led my state in response to numerous natural disasters such as an ice storm, floods, and tornadoes, and was praised for the handling of the largest number (by percentage) of evacuees from Hurricane Katrina of any state.

I led the way toward and signed numerous pieces of pro-life and pro-family legislation.

I ran for president in 2008: Evangelicals said they agreed with me but wanted a “seat at the table” of the candidate the press predicted would win. I still came in second to John McCain for the nomination. In 2016, I ran again, after encouragement and promised support from evangelicals who later reneged and gave it to candidates they said “had money and could win.”

Donald Trump has money, and he’s proven he can win. I accept the verdict of the voters, but not the trite dismissal that guys like me lacked the background, leadership, or experience. In the public square I stuck to my convictions. I wasn’t always successful, but I was always faithful.

In the movie Eye in the Sky, a British military officer says to a politician, “Never tell a soldier he doesn’t know the cost of war.” Never tell someone who has made my journey he didn’t “take the risks or pay the price of getting out front.” I was out front. Do better than blaming those of us who left the arena with blood streaming down our faces and the scars forever etched in our political flesh.