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The last Republican primary debate before Iowa is over. The emergence of former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee to front runner status is the story of the hour. Catholics are starting to look seriously at this new former Governor from Hope named Huckabee. Many like what they see.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA (Catholic Online) - The big news in the fast paced presidential race is the emergence of former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee from the back of the pack, even to the lead, in many polls. The 2008 primary campaign has become a real horse race for Republican candidates.

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The untold story is the apparent fear that such a turn of events is producing in his opponents, both Democrat and Republican.

The Democratic Party has put out its talking points, apparently intended to stem the growing Huckabee surge. These points found their way into every possible media outlet this past week. Using a sort of “reverse psychology” play, the Democrats seem to want to bait the Republicans to “bring him on”, implying that he will lose handily in a general election.

Apparently, the Republican establishment was well disposed to take the bait. They seem almost apoplectic that another former Governor from Arkansas, with a likeable manner and populist feel, is catching fire. But this time around he is in their primary race. They thought it was a forgone conclusion that their candidate, the one who supports an unencumbered abortion “right” (opposing the real right, the one to life) and advocates that homosexual paramours be given equivalency with married couples, was going to win on an “I’m tougher than you are” platform.

“Why”, they seem to have thought, “He had even won over some of the one time leaders of the so called ‘religious right’.” And, it does appear that some of these former leaders had become so discouraged they would have done anything to keep another Clinton out of the White House.

It appears that the establishment was wrong. Along comes another former Governor from Hope, Arkansas, with a message that cannot be pigeonholed, an appealing manner and style, and an ability to draw from diverse constituencies, to upset the playbook of both major parties.

His name is Mike Huckabee.

Now, the real strategy of opposition has begun. One of the efforts, a standard opposition research approach, is to plumb the candidate’s past and attempt to paint the future with a brush dipped in out of context quotes. I understand this approach. I have been involved in political campaigns and know that every campaign has an opposition research strategy. We can expect a careful reading of the formerly active Baptist ministers’ sermons for weeks to come.

Of course, many Americans can quickly discern what is happening. They know that this candidate was a Baptist preacher. They also know we are not electing him to be the Nations pastor but the Nations President. They have listened to him in the debates and they are beginning to pay attention to his public policy positions.

This approach has little staying power.

No, the real opposition strategy is the one that is only now winding up in the playbook. The effort consists in intentionally evoking fear in the electorate by insinuating that Governor Huckabee is an ‘intolerant fundamentalist’ kind of Christian who will seek to force his narrow faith upon the rest of the Nation. You see this strategy lurking behind so many of the stories and the statements coming from the establishment of both major parties.

The long and the short of this approach will be to paint Mike Huckabee as the candidate of “the Evangelicals”, a term which has sadly become a code word for “the fundamentalists.” It falls just short of accusing the former governor of being a closet Theocrat, a kind of “extremist” of the Christian variety.

Not only is the approach anti-Christian and bigoted, it also fails to see the growing ability that this candidate seems to have to reach into many diverse constituencies. His recent crowds have shown his increasing appeal. They have also shown some unexpected demographics, such as an uncanny capacity to speak to youth. Demographic analysis shows Mike Huckabee cutting across many of the categories.

The unexpected shocker that very few of the pundits and prognosticators expect is Mike Huckabees growing support among Catholics.

Catholics, at least those who heed the continuing direction from their Church leaders, are obligated to inform their conscience by the social teaching of their Church and vote accordingly. Among the ways that this teaching can be grouped is one that I have used for years. This approach is what I have called the “four pillars of participation”, life, family, freedom and solidarity.

The Social teaching maintains that there are some unchangeable truths, such as the dignity of every human person, and the right to life, from conception to natural death; the primacy of authentic marriage and the family founded upon it; ...