Roy Maynard: Early Returns

Some random thoughts, from a brain firing on not enough cylinders, just a few hours after the Iowa results emerged, on the elections, both local and national.


HO-HUM NOVEMBER

I am disappointed that no Democrats filed to challenge Republicans in Smith County. There will be no contested races after the March 4 primaries (and the likely April 8 runoff elections).

It's especially disappointing this election cycle, in light of Iowa's results.

Here's why: Sen. Barack Obama, if he does become the Democratic presidential nominee, will energize and excite the Democratic base unlike anyone has in decades. Sen. Hillary Clinton has carried an aura of inevitability, but little electricity.

Her supporters seem dedicated, yes. But excited? Not really. There's some enthusiasm for electing the nation's first woman president - but that's not necessarily enthusiasm for this woman. Hillary's got the chromosome, but not the charisma.

Obama's supporters, on the other hand, are positively aflame. Obama clearly has the power to rouse Democrats, bring in new voters, and sway independents.

If he's at the top of the ticket, Democrats in Texas - and even in Smith County - would be reborn. Republicans have held every statewide office since 1998. There are some small indications that Democrats are re-emerging, but it's happening slowly and fitfully.

That could change, if Democrats get excited.

I predict that if Obama wins, Smith County Democrats will regret not putting themselves in position to capitalize on his energy.


FUNDAMENTAL TRUTHS

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's win in Iowa has political commentators in a tizzy, and most are making it clear that they simply don't understand this mysterious voting block called Christian conservatives.

Several of the admittedly second-string commentators - the ones who pulled the midnight to 3 a.m. shift on the cable news channels - even struggled with what to call these people. I heard "evangelicals," "home-schoolers," "church-goers," "values voters," and one instance of "fundamentalists."

Let me explain it. First, I'll tell you who they are. And then I'll tell you why they don't exist - at least, not as the bloc that pundits are ascribing the Huckabee win to.

"Social conservatives" is a way to describe certain Republican Party stalwarts. They do tend to go to church, and many of them do prefer to teach their children at home. They are members of Christian denominations that tend to view the Bible as authoritative ("inerrancy" is the word most use, but it has many shades of meaning). They're mostly Protestant, but feel closer to theologically conservative Catholics than to fellow Protestants in "main-line" denominations.

They're also reliable Republican fundraisers, neighborhood walkers and phone bank staffers. If they don't have money, they donate time.

It's just a shame they're not real. That is, they're not really a homogenous voting bloc that will blindly follow a candidate just because he used the word "Jesus" often enough.

Recent evidence is clear; assumed Christian leaders Pat Robertson and James Dobson have so far not backed Mike Huckabee.

Robertson endorsed Rudy Giuliani - who supports both abortion and gay rights.

Dobson, on the other hand, poured praise on Mitt Romney in December, when Romney gave a speech about his Mormonism without mentioning Mormonism.

"Gov. Romney's speech was a magnificent reminder of the role religious faith must play in government and public policy. His delivery was passionate and his message was inspirational."

As of Friday, there is talk of a Dobson endorsement of Huckabee. But if it comes now, after Huckabee took Iowa without the Focus on the Family leader's help, it will just make Dobson look irrelevant.

And the stereotype of the Christian conservatives doesn't mesh with their love for Ronald Reagan, who was twice married and held some vaguely liberal Christian beliefs. Nor does it mesh with their failure to support some supposedly better matches in the Republican primary field, such as Sam Brownback and Tom Tancredo.

By the way, I have a special loathing for misuse of the word "fundamentalists." CNN's recent special called "God's Warriors" attempted to lump "Christian fundamentalists" in with jihadists. And by default, so do sloppy political commentators who use the word without knowing what it means.

What is a Christian fundamentalist? Simply put, one who subscribes to the fundamentals of the Christian faith - as outlined in a 1917 set of books called "The Fundamentals: A Testimony to the Truth." These fundamentals include the authority of the Bible, salvation through faith, the virgin birth and the bodily resurrection of Jesus. The volumes mention the political issues we're dealing with now.

Huckabee's opponents are understandably scrambling right now to get a handle on his victory. They make a serious tactical error, however, if they write it off to a phantom voting bloc and not to his genuine appeal.


WRITE IN LINE

Not satisfied with your local primary candidates? Longing to vote for "none of the above?" You still have options - but they're more limited than they used to be.

I'm old enough to remember when some paper ballots contained a blank line for write-in candidates. Elections workers would even lend you a pencil. The write-ins sometimes got silly - Mickey Mouse always polled well.

But that blank line gave voters an extra option.

I called Smith County Elections Administrator Karen Chaney this week to ask whether we still have that option, with the new electronic voting machines.

It turns out we do, but there are limits.

A write-in candidate must be an official write-in candidate, certified by the Texas Secretary of State's office or the county judge. The candidate must file a Declaration of Write-In Candidacy, along with either a filing fee or a petition signed by a required number of voters, between July 27 and Aug. 26.

That qualifies a candidate to be a write-in, but doesn't get his or her name on the ballot. The voter still has to do that part.

How? Believe it or not, Smith County's electronic voting machines have a stealth keyboard attached that pops out if a voter touches the "write in" button on the screen. The voter can then key in the candidate's name.

There was a write-in candidate on the 2006 gubernatorial election. With all the excitement of independent candidates on the ballot (Kinky Friedman and Carole Keeton Strayhorn), I never noticed that button. But those Smith County voters who hit it - all three of them, in fact - were able to cast their ballots for James "Patriot" Dillon. Statewide, he won 713 votes out of 4.4 million cast.


Early Returns is the political observations column of staff writer Roy Maynard, who can be reached at 903-596-6291 or at roymaynardtmt@gmail.com.

Roy Maynard covers politics and county government for the Tyler Paper.
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