Video: Influential Baptist Paul Pressler endorses … Fred!

posted at 5:30 pm on January 9, 2008 by Allahpundit
Share on Facebook | regular view

Actually, he endorsed him a month ago but they’re rolling out the video today to counter the revival (pun intended) that Huck’s planning for South Carolina. Here’s the background on Pressler; read it or else you won’t grasp the significance of him bypassing Huck. Bob Novak wrote about a recent run-in between the two not long ago, in fact:

When Mike Huckabee went to Houston on Tuesday to raise funds for his fast-rising, money-starved presidential candidacy, a luncheon for the ordained Baptist minister was arranged by evangelical Christians. On hand was Judge Paul Pressler, a hero to Southern Baptist Convention reformers. But he was a nonpaying guest who supports Fred Thompson for president.

Huckabee greeted Pressler warmly. That contrasted with Huckabee’s anger two months ago when they encountered each other in California. The former governor of Arkansas took issue then with comments by Pressler, a former Texas appeals court judge, that Huckabee had been a slacker in the war against secularists within the Baptist church…

Pressler is known to be concerned that Huckabee plays to the establishment and would be subservient to the State Department and the New York Times.

On Oct. 26, John Fund of the Wall Street Journal quoted Pressler as saying: “I know of no conservative he appointed while he headed the Arkansas Baptist Convention.” The next week, during their California encounter, Huckabee confirmed reports from people who know him that his good-natured facade conceals thin-skinned irritability. The candidate jumped Pressler with bitter complaints.

Does Fred have enough money to get this on the air in SC, or is it part of his super-keen “Internet” strategy of campaigning?

Update (Bryan): Another fun fact that the Fred Heads can trot out: Arkansas Republicans didn’t endorse Huckabee either. Because, among other things, he campaigned for Democrats, helped them win, thereby screwing over the state’s GOP.

In 2003, Huckabee not only begged lawmakers for new taxes to make up a budget shortfall, but he rebuffed conservatives’ (Republicans and a couple of Democrats) plan to cover the shortfall by tapping one-time money and cutting pork. In 2004, President Bush won re-election, but Huckabee campaigned for some Democrats – even some who had Republican opponents – and Republicans lost state legislative seats for the first time since 1990.

Blowback

You must be logged in to post a comment.