Before I start, I am Maurice Harris a college student that has been a little too busy to write as of forever, yet I have been around since the beginning of My Man Mitt and I give my apologies for not blogging much.

Yet, over the past few days I have seen the rise of Gov. Mike Huckabee with great dismay. First I do not like his view of crime and punishment or what I like to call the Michael Dukakis view of Crime and Punishment: letting parolees out of the penitentiary early and to find out that they have committed more crimes after they have received their new founded freedom. Knowing that people support a man who would let convicted felons out early really scares me. Yet, that is not the thing that scares me the most.

The issue that scares me the most is his use of religion and faith in his campaign message. As a Christian myself, it is at times refreshing to here of a person who believes strongly in his faith and leads by his moral convictions, which I would like to see from more politicians these days. Yet, how Huckabee is using his beliefs as his only credential on why he should be the Republican nominee is not the way to go. To question candidates' religious beliefs, especially Romney's, as a campaign ploy is simply wrong. We are not electing people based on their religious beliefs, but on their positions on not only social issues, but on economic, foreign policy, education, health care, energy, and environmental issues. To have religious tests in the 21st century shows that some people have not matured past the 19th century. I may not agree with Romney's religious beliefs, but I am not voting on his Christianity, but on his effectiveness as a President, which I truly believe that he is the right person to become President in a time when we need leadership on so many challenges that the U.S. faces.

Huckabee's leadership in Arkansas is mixed and it shows since for the most part he has focused on his religious background and not on the fact that he did not get rid of the sales tax on food or made Arkansas the economic growth story of the South. Enough of the religious talk and lets focus on the real issue, who can lead America in the 21st century on the issues that matter to most people, the economy, war on terror, health care, Iraq, and education. Let us not focus on which candidate is the most Christian.