Joe Carter's Big Adventure

Joe Carter is a Christian blogger that I met back in 2005 at the first GodBlogCon meeting at Biola University, and of late has worked for the Family Research Council and just finished a 30 day stint with the Mike Huckabee campaign. When I heard Joe had left the campaign I was very curious about his reasoning. Had he become disenchanted with Huckabee or was there something else going on?

Joe answers those questions in a post at his home site Evangelical Outpost:

At the end of November Family Research Council generously gave me a 30-day leave of absence so that I could go to work for Mike Huckabee's presidential campaign. I thought working on the campaign would be an invaluable experience so I jumped at the opportunity, knowing full well that it was only a temporary measure. At the time Governor Huckabee was still behind in both the Iowa and national polls. The question "What if he has a chance to win it all?" was something I figured I'd have to deal with when the time came.

Now the time has come for me to return to my job and my long-suffering wife. I am extremely grateful to FRC and to my family for their generosity and patience. I'm also thankful to the entire staff at the Huckabee campaign headquarters for allowing me to be a part of the team. Hopefully, after Governor Huckabee wins several primaries (and opens an office closer to the DC area) I'll be able to help him once again in an official capacity.

So, Joe is still a Huck guy. I thought maybe Huck's unwise criticism of President Bush might have turned him off.

He also learned a few things during his foray into political campaigns and it's really too long to exerpt here. You should read the whole thing.

However, I'll snip a few quick bites from the piece for you:

• The Pace is Brutal -- While it may not compare to the blistering schedule of the candidates, staffers generally put in some brutally long hours. Most days started before 8 AM and ended well after 10 PM. Even on Sundays, the morning talk shows and the inevitable controversies that sprang from them required our attention.


• The Other Side Doesn't Matter (At All) -- No one on the campaign ever seemed to take an interest in what was going on with Clinton, Obama, Edwards or any of the other non-GOP candidates.


• Pundits Don't Know Anything


• This is Truly the Age of the Soundbite


• The Mainstream Media Ain't So Bad -- Many bloggers (including me) have a knee-jerk reaction to the mainstream media. We "just know" they have a liberal bias and that they can't be trusted to report accurately on Republicans and conservatives. If my experience is any indication, then most of what we know is "just wrong."


• McCain Ain't So Bad Either -- I gained a great deal of respect for Sen. McCain and his staff.


• Thompson Is a Typical Politician--But a Very, Very Bad Campaigner (HC note - Joe was a founder of Blogs for Fred and an early Fred Head)


• The Ron Paul Phenomenon is Not About Ron Paul


• Mitt Romney will never be President -- I won't be surprised if Mitt Romney wins the Iowa Caucus. I will be surprised, however, if he's still in the race when the South Carolina primary comes around. Even if the impending scandal that has been rumored for weeks doesn’t derail his campaign (I can't say what it is but you should hear about it before Jan. 8), his inherent dishonesty will eventually do him in.
  It's not just his flip-flops on the issues, though that should be enough. (It's hard to take seriously all those conservatives who bashed John Kerry for being inconstant while turning a blind eye to Romney's politically expedient changes of heart.) No, what will destroy Romney's chances is that he will lie about an issue, know that he is lying, know that you know he is lying, and say it anyway. It's not just that he's dishonest. It's that he thinks we're stupid.
  Now it's true that in the short term, we do tend to be stupid. Indeed, the reason that Romney's dishonest campaign tactics have helped him in the short run is that most people have yet to realize--as have the other campaigns and the mainstream media--he is a liar. But eventually the public catches on.

Ouch! That last one will leave a mark. And on a subject that I've dealt with before:

• Primary Politics Isn't Worth Losing Friends Over -- People often ask me what I think about the "Huckabashing" carried on by my friend Hugh Hewitt. While I am concerned that his shift from candidate-favoring pundit to propagandist for Team Romney may hurt his reputation, it hasn't affected the affection I have for my "blogfather." Hugh's wrong--dead wrong--about Romney. But he's right about enough other stuff that I still respect his opinions. And aside from his poor taste in candidates, he's still the same great guy that I've admired for years.

You need to read the whole thing. It's a fascinating look into the world of big-time political campaigns and I'm sure that Joe is glad to have had the experience (and from the tone of his article, glad it's over).

Welcome back to the real world, Joe!