When he climbed out of the car at Fort Robinson that morning in June 1972, Mike Huckabee found himself surrounded by 1,200 other high school juniors, each a leader in his Arkansas home town, each primed for an election. Several were carrying posters touting their platforms. Others were handing out cards.
Then as now, Huckabee didn’t have the campaign apparatus of his peers. The 16-year-old arrived at Boys State, a prestigious and civic-minded youth camp run by the American Legion, from the small southwest Arkansas town of Hope with nothing but a suitcase and a gift for oratory.
By week’s end he was its brightest star, elected governor in a landslide. He left Boys State with a network of high-achieving new friends who were eager to hitch their futures to his. And he’d soon have a letter from Gov. Dale Bumpers encouraging him to consider a career in public service.
It was a heady triumph for a teenager who already harbored big ambitions. But it wasn’t enough — not yet — to lure him from his chosen path: preaching the word of God.
Three days after Boys State, Huckabee and two buddies from Hope piled into a car and headed to the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, where they joined 80,000 other teenagers at Explo ’72, the first worldwide gathering of evangelical youth. Time magazine dubbed it “the Jesus Woodstock.” There, Huckabee spent six days learning from the Rev. Billy Graham and Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, how to lead others to the Lord.
If he wins the nomination, I will have no problems at all voting for him.
I’ll vote for him compared to any of the Democrats, but not enthusiastically, which means he isn’t likely to be elected if nominated. We don’t elect a pastor-in-chief. I disagree with his approach to taxes and spending.
Further, he said, in criticizing Mormons, that he didn’t know much about them, when in fact he was a speaker at the anti-Mormon Southern Baptist annual convention held in Salt Lake City a few years ago. And he claimed to have a theology degree and now of course admits he doesn’t. He’s a politician, folks. Evaluate him on his politics, agree or disagree. I know, via blog postings, some conservative Anglicans with whom I disagree on politics and I wouldn’t be able to vote for them for President.
My husband has something in common with Mike Huckabee. Both were at Explo ’72 and even though they were both already believers, I think it was a life-changing (or maybe life-directing) experience for them, and probably for many who were there.