Home-Schoolers for ‘Huckleberry’ Huckabee?

The Washington Post is crediting an “extensive network” of conservative Republican home-schoolers with helping fuel Mike Huckabee’s rapid rise from political obscurity to leading the GOP race in Iowa just before the Jan. 3, 2008, caucus.

The Post has offered this observation: “Home-schoolers could …prove to be a powerful force on caucus night. By one estimate, about 9,000 Iowa children are home-schooled. Their parents could form a sizable portion of the 80,000 or so Republicans expected to show up on Jan. 3.”

Here’s a bit of a news flash for the Washington Post: Not all home-school households are Republican. Indeed, many Democratic and politically independent households also are home-schooling some or all of their children.

Home-schooling often is chosen so children can pursue special interests and talents in the arts or science or pursue curriculums that range far beyond what is now offered in public schools hobbled by state and federally mandated testing programs. Also, many liberal-minded and independent families are troubled by political and religious clashes in local school board meetings and the spillover effects on teachers and administrators.

Yes, many religious conservatives do home-school their children. Some even use the Bible as a math book, physics text or inerrant world history book. They are free to do this in many parts of the United States, just as they are free to vote for Mike “Huckleberry” Huckabee.

But even if Huckleberry Huckabee scores a stunning win in Iowa and home-school families are given much of the credit, don’t automatically assume that all home-schoolers are conservative Republicans.

GOP home-schoolers may be better organized (especially around religious affiliations), and they may be getting most of the publicity. However, the Democratic and independent candidates in Iowa and elsewhere also can count on enthusiastic votes from home-school families who fervently share their values and hopes for a better America.

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