Patrick Ruffini declares we have the Republican coalition backwards.  All this time, the Bush coalition was really a values coalition.  That these are really Huckabee people willing to go to McCain if the Huck ducks out.  If people are with Bush for his Catholic sensibilities on social issues, they are now with the Huck who may duck,  it seems to me that that is an argument to go to Romney, not McCain.

Ruffini mischaracterizes the wall Hugh tries to build around Romney’s religion.  It is not based on the separation of Church and State.  Romney's Religion speech emphasized that the original term was more properly a protection of Church from State.  Rather, the wall is based on Article VI of the United States Constitution that says there would be no religious test for government office.  Of course, this is a proscription on government, not individuals.   But as with freedom of speech and innocent until proven guilty, it has become part of our national consciousness as well as our ethical fabric.

So what if religion is important to you?  I once heard a Hugh caller say she could not vote for someone who did not accept Jesus Christ as her savior.  Now,  Romney speech contradicts her on the merits, but let’s discuss this as the reason why people are not getting behind Romney.  First of all, I am not sure that the caller realizes that she is more surely ensuring a Jew would never be president than a Mormon.  If I had a chance to question her, she would probably, properly tell me that she did not, in fact include Jews in her generalization.  Hopefully, she would point out Jews to be faithful, upright, righteous people.  Her best friend might even be Jewish.  This is when I would tell her—and everyone who prefers Huckabee to Romney because of values—that she is right.  That we each have our own theology.  That we want our religion to affect our lives in a myriad of positive ways.  That we want to deal with others so affected.  That we want to be led by people so affected. 

I’d hate to use the sausage analogy, but it doesn’t matter how it is made (we probably don’t want to see how it is made) as long as we like the product.  I know, I know.  Religion is not a prerequisite for ethical behavior.  Nor does religion guarantee ethical behavior.  But having a structure upon which to scaffold our ethical lessons makes it more likely that our ethical lessons will be learned.  We tend to behave better if we believe we are being watched.

Now look at Romney’s character—his life, and his family.  It is apparent that he is one of those so affected.  That the values voters disagree with Romney’s theology is irrelevant.  It is how that theology has affected his life that we care about.  It is the man, not the religion that we are judging (q.v. Harry Ried).  We judge Romney by his character.  And that judgment should lead Huckabee voters—and all values voters—to Romney.