The Huckabee Campaign has Brought me Great Disappointments

In much the same way that I can never again enjoy great movies in which actors like Sean Penn, Susan Sarandon, Barbara Steisand and many others appear. The Huckabee Campaign has brought to light great truth about many whom I have held in high esteem. They have lost their greatness and greatly disappointed me.

What has been so disappointing through this process is the observation of those who I thought stood for the things Mike speaks of. It has been apparent that most are only concerned about maintaining the status quo and making sure their sources of income and fame are preserved.

So far this political season I have seen Mike Huckabee's campaign soar. It has been a joy for other people throughout the country to get to know this man I have known and respected for many years. His message is one that resonates with most Americans; the rest of us who want an America we can remember but see slipping away from us.

These political operatives fall into three categories, although those categories overlap to an extent. Three groups seemingly unrelated yet acting with the same motives and the same fears.

1. "So called" Christian Leaders who have refused to support Mike. Most of us would think they would embrace "one of their own", but Mike is not one of them and thankfully so. They drain the pocketbooks of the unsuspecting with promises to fight for us. They do fight but just enough to keep the battle raging, the money flowing and power expanding. They not only refuse to support Mike, many actively fight against him. At first some said if he had traction they would support, yet when he got traction they didn't support. They are unprincipled.

2. Establishment Republicans need to maintain the status quo. Horizontal politics, as Mike calls it. Back scatching and rhetoric. Lots of perks and power. Mike is one of US. He would be a "peoples" President. This threatens the status quo. Fred Thompson and Mitt Romney are establishment Republicans who malitiously and dishonestly attacked Mike with misleading ads. A distortion of truth is a lie. They cannot be trusted to lead. They are unprincipled.

3. The Radio Kings. Those telling us so called "truth"; tell us what we believe; they are the the true preservers of "true conservatism"; "Anti liberals"; fighters of evil. They have relentlessly attacked with they same misinformation that Romney and Thompson had. They are unprincipled.

Why?
Why not Mike?
Because . . .
Mike can bring our nation back together.
He can restore the Presidency to an office of integrity, action and decency.
He can lead by example.
"We the people" will finally have a voice.

These three unprincipled groups thrive
from a divided nation,
from the preservation of a deteriorating nation.
They need to be needed but they do not bring solutions.

I became a Republican because I thought they stood for something.
I fear I may have another dissappointment on it's way

Let's hope other's are starting to see what I have seen.

It is time to restore our nation, our honor, our unity.

It's time for Mike Huckabee to be Our President.

Duncan Hunter Endorses Mike Huckabee

Duncan Hunter, who ended his presidential bid last weekend, just issued this statement: “I got to know Governor Huckabee well on the campaign trail.

Of the remaining candidates, I feel that he is strongly committed to strengthening national defense, constructing the border fence and meeting the challenge of China’s emergence as a military superpower that is taking large portions of America’s industrial base.

Hunter continued, "Mike Huckabee is a man of outstanding character and integrity. I saw that character over the last year of campaigning and was greatly impressed. The other Republican candidates have many strengths and I wish them all well. My personal choice is Mike Huckabee."

The Huckabee Momentum Continues

(CBS)From CBS News' Joy Lin: NAVASOTA, TX --

“Today, we reset the clock,” Mike Huckabee said on the day after his second-place finish in the South Carolina GOP primary. “I woke up this morning and thought the momentum is back.”

Trying to recover from his 3-point loss to John McCain, the presidential hopeful started the day by pushing back notions of total defeat. Huckabee had woken up early to fly to Texas for a fund-raiser hosted by actor and Huckabee supporter Chuck Norris. Huckabee and his wife brought their two dogs from Little Rock.

For reporters, he outlined several factors that contributed to his loss including Fred Thompson for taking away some of his votes and the snow that froze the streets of the Greenville-Spartanburg area. He resisted the notion that he had failed to prove himself as the candidate of the South, pointing out he was not the only “Southern candidate.”

Asked about the next hurdle – Florida -- Huckabee went out of his way to write the political obituary of Thompson.

“Florida is a unique state because it’s a winner-take-all-state and, obviously, Giuliani has put everything in Florida. I mean, the good thing for us is there is no state where we said it’s this or nothing,” Huckabee said.

“Thompson said it was Iowa, then South Carolina, and in both cases it hadn't happen for him. So I have to make the assumption based on what he said in his speech last night that we're only a time frame awy from when he says that its over. Its not my decision to make for him but, if he doesn't then he has to explain why he said it would be over.

Considering McCain’s carryover of supporters from 2000 and the amount of money Mitt Romney had spent, Huckabee pointed out, South Carolina was “a pretty good showing for us.”

“You know, no excuses. We did well. We wanted to win. But it doesn’t put us out of the game by any stretch of the imagination...This is a long haul. It’s still wide open”

The recent loss has transformed the strategy of winning early into a "long haul" plan of running the distance and acquiring delegates. Asked if he would consider a partnership with John McCain if the nomination came down to the convention, Hucakbee said, of course. “If he was in that position and was willing to broker things together, he can be my vice president.” Huckabee said it wouldn’t get to the point of a vice versa deal.

At the fund-raiser, Huckabee walked his supporters through the new game plan.

“By the time we get to Feb. 5th, there still won't be a decisive winner,” he said. “The votes will be split among several of us; I still am second in the delegate count. We've surpassed many of the candidates who were supposed in the nation. What may happen, is that, when we come to Texas on March 4th, it will all be in the line in Texas”

Huckabee continued. “Now I'm going to tell you something, I'm really going to have reach down deep to swallow my Arkansas pride. And its taking everything within me to save this. But folks, Texas may just have to save this Arkansas boy and put us over the top in March. And when that happens, I'm afraid I'd be forced to stand on the stage and say, 'Go Aggies! Hook 'em Horns! And Go Bears!’"

Watch this for a laugh! HuckChurck outakes.

What Now? by Mike Huckabee

We came so very close in South Carolina last night. I am extremely proud of our team and the effort everyone put in. Thank you! While we would liked to have finished in first place, we will take a second place finish and focus on the next miles in this marathon race. Florida is next on January 29 and Super Tuesday only days later on February 5. We need to re-focus on the primaries ahead and everyone needs to pitch in. Here is what you can expect of us in the hours ahead:
1) A national call for volunteers in Florida. Whether you live in Florida or you are from out of state, we need and welcome your support. We made this announcement on the campaign blog earlier this evening and you can read it here.

2) Launch of online headquarters in every Super Tuesday primary state. We will need bloggers in each state to help organize our grassroots efforts. We will send state specific emails discussing our goals in each state.

3) A national drive to increase the size of our list of campaign supporters. Clearly every vote counts and the growth of our supporter list is critical. We will set a specific goal and encourage everyone to recruit their friends to our team.

4) A fundraising drive to raise money to help fuel our efforts in Florida and many of the key Super Tuesday states where we have a deep base of support. I said last night and I meant it, running for President is a process. Today we reset ourselves, recharged and we are ready to hit the campaign trail with a new burst of energy.

It Aint Over until it's Over and it Ain't Over

Mike Huckabee gets Second Bump, Third one on the way!

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Thursday shows Mike Huckabee on top in the race for the Republican Presidential Nomination. It’s Huckabee 23%, John McCain 20%, Mitt Romney 18%, Fred Thompson 12%, and Rudy Giuliani 11%. Ron Paul attracts 2% support.


My chart below (Rasmussen data)



Leading Social Conservative In Florida Switches From Thompson To Huckabee

John Stemberger, a leading voice in the conservative movement of Florida has switched his personal endorsement in the race for the Republican presidential nomination from former U.S. Senator Fred Thompson to former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee.

Stemberger will be co-chairing the Mike Huckabee Faith and Family Values Coalition for Florida, it was announced today after he informed the Thompson campaign of his decision.

"Governor Huckabee is without question the best candidate to breathe new life and fresh hope into a nation and its people who are fed up with scandal, corruption and big-money power politics. Mike Huckabee is a proven leader with executive experience and a solid record as a champion for pro-life and pro-family values", Stemberger said. “As a result, he has won the trust of more social conservative leaders across America than any other candidate. He has also proven that he is a viable candidate who can take us all the way home by winning both the primary and the general elections.”

Stemberger is the founder of the Institute for Conservative Studies at Florida State University and has been one of the leading pro-life, pro-family advocates in Florida over the past 25 years. He was a lobbyist for Florida Right to Life and served as the Political Director for the Republican Party of Florida during the final campaign of former President George H.W. Bush.

Like Ronald Reagan before him, Mike Huckabee can restore common sense conservative leadership to America both at home and abroad,” Stemberger said. “He will re-envision us to once again become ‘one nation, under God’ while ensuring “liberty and justice for all.’”

Stemberger is a member of the Council for National Policy, the Arlington Group in Washington, D.C., and serves as the state chairman of Florida Marriage.org, the official sponsoring committee for the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment.

“John is a strong voice in the pro-life community. I welcome John’s support and help in getting out my message that I have been a consistent voice for the right to life,” Governor Huckabee said.

A Great Yankee Likes Mike Huckabee!

Yankee Great Endorses Huckabee

Columbia, SC – Baseball Legend and Sumter, SC native Bobby Richardson endorsed Mike Huckabee for President at a campaign rally at the Black River Electric Co-operative in Sumter, South Carolina today.

Richardson stated, "As someone who always wore the number 1 on my jersey, I am here to let everyone know that Mike Huckabee is truly Number 1. I hope voters all across South Carolina hit a homerun on January 19th by voting for Mike Huckabee in the South Carolina Republican Primary."

Huckabee stated, "I am excited to have Bobby Richardson on my team and appreciate his support. As a lifelong baseball fan, I am truly proud to have the support of various baseball greats including Bob Feller and Bobby Richardson and urge all baseball fans and voters alike to join Bobby Richardson in voting on Saturday, January 19th."

Richardson, a seven-time All-Star and the 1960 World Series MVP won five Gold Gloves and three World Series rings while starring at Second Base for the New York Yankees. After hanging up his glove in 1966, Richardson coached baseball teams at Liberty University, Coastal Carolina University, and the University of South Carolina, where he led the Gamecocks to their first ever College World Series in 1975. Richardson is also a highly sought-after motivational speaker, is a national leader within the Fellowship for Christian Athletes and was a 1976 Republican nominee for Congress.

New Illinois4Huckabee Produced Video

The Best Endorsements

James Pinkerton Joins Huckabee Campaign

Conservative columnist joins Huckabee
By: Mike Allen and Jonathan Martin

James P. Pinkerton, a well-known conservative commentator and veteran of the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations, has joined Mike Huckabee’s presidential campaign, a campaign official tells Politico.

Pinkerton resigned as a Fox News contributor and gave up the column he has written for Newsday and other newspapers since 1993.

"I went from one thing I loved doing to something else that I felt called to do,” Pinkerton said.

Pinkerton started Thursday, with the title of senior adviser. The campaign official said he will work at the intersection of policy and strategic messaging. In other words, he will help beef up Huckabee’s policy proposals, which until now have been less detailed than those of some of his rivals.

Pinkerton was lured to the Huckabee team by Ed Rollins, the campaign’s national chairman. Both men are Massachusetts natives. In 1982 and 1983, Pinkerton worked for Rollins when he was President Ronald Reagan’s director of political affairs.

Rollins sold the job to him as a chance to help “restore the Reagan coalition,” Pinkerton recalled. “I thought, ‘I’m not going to turn THAT down,’" he said.

The addition of Pinkerton is the latest sign that Huckabee’s once-shoestring campaign for the Republican presidential nomination is moving into the big time.

Grassroots POWER in Michigan

(CNN) -- Until this week, Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee had not run a single ad in Michigan, and had no paid staffers in the state.

Mike Huckabee is hoping evangelicals and Fair Tax advocates bring him another win in Michigan.

He did not have a campaign office. He had not sent out a single piece of direct mail.
Meanwhile, his rival Mitt Romney -- who announced after his second-place New Hampshire showing that Michigan was his top priority -- has run nearly $3 million dollars worth of television ads in Michigan.

And John McCain, fresh off his New Hampshire win -- and with the backing of two of the state's largest papers, the Detroit News and the Detroit Free-Press -- has been keeping pace in recent polls with the well-funded Romney effort.

But just as in Iowa, a grassroots network of conservative Christian activists and fair tax proponents are, improbably, keeping Huckabee in contention for the top spot in the GOP primary here.

"We laid the groundwork," says Gary Glenn, one of the leaders of the movement. "The fact that he's even in a position to threaten Mitt Romney in his native state is a real statement to the depth of support he has here."

Huckabee's been riding a months-long wave of good news in Michigan. Just before Labor Day, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers made him their pick in his party's presidential primary -- a rare nod to a GOP candidate that might not mean much in other Republican contests, but carries some weight in this heavily unionized state.

The Fair Tax movement -- which has given Huckabee its enthusiastic backing -- announced a major political push in Michigan in 2008, looking to get an anti-tax measure on the ballot this fall.

LaMar Lemmons, the Detroit state representative who helped organize the successful Democratic crossover effort that helped McCain beat Bush here in 2000, recently launched Democrats for Huckabee -- the sort of group that can make a real difference in a state where the lack of party registration allows for large-scale crossover voting.

A Big Night For Huckabee

By Dean Barnett The Weekly Standard

Huckabee deftly parried Thompson's aggressive and spirited attacks early in the debate. It was a battle on terrain that was unfriendly to Huckabee, and Thompson attacked with skill. And yet Huckabee got out of the exchange unscathed.

The exchange with Thompson came early in the debate, and Huckabee was just getting warmed up. For the first time in this campaign, Huckabee looked like a credible commander in chief when the conversation turned to those Iranian speedboats. His normal joviality vanished, replaced by an appropriate gravity.

Then he got even better. He seized on a characteristic piece of Ron Paul idiocy to give a spirited speech defending America's commitment to Israel. Again, he looked credible as a commander in chief. But this was also an extremely shrewd piece of politicking. Conservative foreign policy types obviously loved it as did pro-Israel people. But Huckabee's core audience of conservative Christians, a much larger segment of the society than either of the other two groups, adored it also.

Mike Huckabee's an exceptional politician whose package of skills is often sold short. He's a lot more than an affable dispenser of one-liners who only knows how to play to the home crowd. For people who might be inclined to dismiss Huckabee, compare his response to Thompson's adroit offensive with McCain's blundering into the climate warming thicket. These two are the likely finalists, and one of them is much better at politics than the other.

Here's what I said on November 28, the night of the YouTube debate, the night that catapulted Huckabee to his huge lead in Iowa: "Was this a seismic night? I'll give that one a big yes. Tonight heralded the arrival of Mike Huckabee as a force in this race. Not a spoiler, not a wildcard, but a force."

Although fewer people watched last evening's festivities, tonight was even bigger for Huckabee. For the first time, it was not only possible but easy to imagine Huckabee as the leader of 300 million people. He combined this newfound authority with his old standbys of off-the-charts likability and a deft way of tapping into aspirational politics.

In the race for the Republican nomination, Mike Huckabee is going to be tough to beat.

Huckabee - Colbert 2008, The winning ticket!

The Youtube version of this is unavailable. This is from Comedy Central.

Republican Leader Map Update


Third in New Hampshire

January 08, 2008 - 10:10 PM
Third In New Hampshire!
by Mike Huckabee

I just finished speaking to our supporters in new Hampshire before heading off to South Carolina. We are running a strong third place finish as I write, our rivals had a long history in New Hampshire, deeper organizations and millions of dollars of advertising in the state. Just weeks ago we were polling 5th and 6th in the state. Tonight we finished strong and came in third. A special thanks to the people of New Hampshire! Thank you to the volunteers on the ground and our dedicated campaign staff that made this happen.

Our ideas are resonating: our strong support for life and marriage, securing our borders, preventative health care, energy independence and massive tax reform all helped propel us here.

Lets keep it going. Important primaries in Michigan, South Carolina and Florida are ahead of us and we must be prepared.

Tonight I ask you to do three things to help us build on our momentum:
1. Make an immediate contribution of $10, $25, $50, $100, or $500 tonight. We have proven tonight that we can continue to compete, and that we know how to effectively invest your contribution. Will you make a contribution tonight and show the world, the pundits and voters across this country that we have the momentum and it is sweeping us onward. [Use the Ranger button above!]
2. Share the success story of our campaign with friends and family. If there are friends or neighbors that doubted our campaign, or are undecided, please encourage them to visit our website tonight, tomorrow and over the next few days and learn more.
3. Consider becoming more involved in our campaign: Volunteer, Join a Meetup or start a Grassroots Meetup Team, Join our Myspace group, our Facebook group and our LinkedIn group.

Three ways to help us keep the momentum going: contribute, share the news and become more involved. Again, I cannot adequately express my profound thanks to you.

When people ask you tonight and tomorrow why you think we did so well in a state where only weeks ago we were polling 5th and 6th, please tell them because we believed in some important ideas and we stand by those ideas, and we do so together.

Gallup: Most Americans Believe Mike Huckabee Will Win the Republican Nomination

Following Huckabee's Iowa win, 25% of Republicans nationwide now rate him as their top choice for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, up from 16% in mid-December. Sen. John McCain also saw his support increase during that time, from 14% to 19%. After losing the expectations game in Iowa by coming in second, Romney is now suffering a decline in national support, putting him well out of range for the lead. His current 9% of the vote is his worst showing in the race since early October.

Support for Giuliani, who chose not to compete in Iowa and has been shut out of the media spotlight, has also dropped, from 27% to 20%. Fred Thompson and Ron Paul are essentially holding steady at 12% and 4%, respectively.

Huckabee's five-point advantage over Giuliani and six-point edge over McCain still fall within the poll's margin of error, so from a strict statistical perspective, the three are essentially tied.
The Jan. 4-6 poll marks the first time in nearly a year that Giuliani has not held a significant lead on the national ballot, though he clearly had been losing ground, slipping below the 30% mark in November and December. In late 2006 and early 2007, McCain and Giuliani were essentially running even. Then Giuliani surged into the lead in February, and had remained in first position ever since. The 20% support for him in the current poll also marks his low point since Gallup began tracking the national numbers in November 2006.

While Giuliani has reached his low point, Huckabee is now enjoying his highest level of national support since the campaign began. Huckabee's rise is reminiscent of other dark-horse candidates who rose from low single digits in the national polls during the early stages in the campaign to become real factors -- if not winners -- in previous nomination campaigns. Some of these candidates include Jimmy Carter in 1976, George H.W. Bush in 1980, Gary Hart in 1984, Michael Dukakis in 1988, and Bill Clinton in 1992. Carter, Dukakis, and Clinton all went on to win their party's nomination, while Bush and Hart seriously challenged their party's front-runners although both eventually lost the nomination. Huckabee was in the low single digits in the national polls throughout much of 2007. He did not reach double digits until mid-November.

Huckabee's current front-runner status is bolstered by the poll finding that 33% of Americans, including 36% of Republicans, think he will win the Republican nomination for president. Eighteen percent each believe McCain or Giuliani will prevail, while 14% believe Romney will emerge as the Republican nominee.

Huckabee on Letterman

Top Ten

Another great Video by Waren Piece

President Mike Huckabee?

New York Times Op-Ed Columnist

By WILLIAM KRISTOL
Published: January 7, 2008
MANCHESTER, N.H.

Thank you, Senator Obama. You’ve defeated Senator Clinton in Iowa. It looks as if you’re about to beat her in New Hampshire. There will be no Clinton Restoration. A nation turns its grateful eyes to you.

But gratitude for sparing us a third Clinton term only goes so far. Who, inquiring minds want to know, is going to spare us a first Obama term? After all, for all his ability and charm, Barack Obama is still a liberal Democrat. Some of us would much prefer a non-liberal and non-Democratic administration. We don’t want to increase the scope of the nanny state, we don’t want to undo the good done by the appointments of John Roberts and Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court, and we really don’t want to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory in Iraq.

For me, therefore, the most interesting moment in Saturday night’s Republican debate at St. Anselm College was when the candidates were asked what arguments they would make if they found themselves running against Obama in the general election.

The best answer came, not surprisingly, from the best Republican campaigner so far — Mike Huckabee. He began by calmly mentioning his and Obama’s contrasting views on issues from guns to life to same-sex marriage. This served to remind Republicans that these contrasts have been central to G.O.P. success over the last quarter-century, and to suggest that Huckabee could credibly and comfortably make the socially conservative case in an electorally advantageous way.

Huckabee went on to pay tribute to Obama for his ability “to touch at the core of something Americans want” in seeming to move beyond partisanship. And, he added, Senator Obama is “a likable person who has excited people about wanting to vote who have not voted in the past.” Huckabee was of course aware that in praising Obama he was recommending himself.

I was watching the debate at the home of a savvy, moderately conservative New Hampshire Republican. It was at this moment that he turned to me and said: “You know, I’ve been a huge skeptic about Huckabee. I’m still not voting for him Tuesday. But I’ve got to say — I like him. And I wonder — could he be our strongest nominee?”

He could be. After the last two elections, featuring the well-born George Bush and Al Gore and John Kerry, Americans — even Republicans! — are ready for a likable regular guy. Huckabee seems to be that. He came up from modest origins. He served as governor of Arkansas for more than a decade. He fought a successful battle against being overweight. These may not be utterly compelling qualifications for the presidency. I’m certainly not ready to sign up.

Still, as the conservative writer Michelle Malkin put it, “For the work-hard-to-get-ahead strivers who represent the heart and soul of the G.O.P., there are obvious, powerful points of identification.” And they speak to younger voters who are not yet committed to the G.O.P. In Iowa, Huckabee did something like what Obama did on the Democratic side, albeit on a smaller scale. He drew new voters to the caucuses. And he defeated Mitt Romney by almost two to one, and John McCain by better than four to one, among voters under 45.

Now it’s true that many conservatives have serious doubts about Huckabee’s positions, especially on foreign policy, and his record, particularly on taxes. The conservative establishment is strikingly hostile to Huckabee — for both good and bad reasons. But voters seem to be enjoying making up their own minds this year. And Huckabee is a talented politician.

His campaigning in New Hampshire has been impressive. At a Friday night event at New England College in Henniker, he played bass with a local rock band, Mama Kicks. One secular New Hampshire Republican’s reaction: “Gee, he’s not some kind of crazy Christian. He’s an ordinary American.”

In general, here in New Hampshire he’s emphasized social issues far less than in Iowa (though he doesn’t waffle when asked about them). Instead he’s stressed conservative economic themes, seamlessly (if somewhat inconsistently) weaving together a pitch for limited government with a message that government needs to do more to address the concerns of the struggling middle class. This latter point seems to be resonating, as headlines in local papers announce an increase in the national unemployment rate amid speculation about a coming recession.

Some Democrats are licking their chops at the prospect of a Huckabee nomination. They shouldn’t be. For one thing, Michael Bloomberg would be tempted to run in the event of an Obama-Huckabee race — and he would most likely take votes primarily from Obama. But whatever Bloomberg does, the fact is that the Republican establishment spent 2007 underestimating Mike Huckabee. If Huckabee does win the nomination, it would be amusing if Democrats made the same mistake in 2008.

HUCKABOOM!!!!!

From USA Today:


Long-shot Republican candidate Mike Huckabee declared "a new day in American politics" Thursday after riding strong support from evangelical Christians into a decisive victory in the Iowa caucuses.
Huckabee, an ordained Baptist minister and, like Bill Clinton, a native of Hope, Ark., managed to win despite trailing badly in national polls for most of the year.
He out-hustled runner-up Mitt Romney and better-known candidates John McCain, Fred Thompson and Rudy Giuliani with a coalition of pastors, home schooling adherents, gun rights advocates and supporters of a new national tax system.
"This election is not about me. It's about we," the former Arkansas governor told supporters here. He said the victory would ignite "a prairie fire of new hope and zeal."
This victory makes Huckabee a serious contender for the Republican presidential nomination.

It's time for a change! Mike Huckabee 2008

Not only are the Democrats fearful of a Huckabee win, Establishment Republicans are too.

Illinois legislators predict Huckabee will be overtaken
By Aaron Chambers, Rockford Register Star

What’s clear is that Republicans nationally are reeling over Huckabee’s decisive victory in Iowa on Thursday night. The Baptist minister and former Arkansas governor bounded from relative obscurity to GOP frontrunner in a matter of months — and without the help of an expansive, well-funded organization.In Illinois, Republican leaders — all of whom are working for other presidential candidates — doubt that ultra-conservative Huckabee will continue to win states such as New Hampshire and Michigan, which will vote ahead of this state’s Feb. 5 primary.

We Beg to differ!
It's time for a change in leadership . . . at all levels of Government.

Huckabee: The Neighbor Next Door?

Forbes Trailwatch

Does Mike Huckabee have what it takes to win the Republican Party nomination? Not if you believe many of the experts, who, just days before the people of Iowa had their say on Jan. 3, downplayed the former Arkansas governor’s run for the White House.

The pundits have charged that Huckabee is too religious, too inexperienced, too conservative or--get this--too liberal. Huckabee surely did not help his stature with his numerous verbal gaffes in the closing stretch of the Iowa race.

Now that Huckabee is the Republican front-runner—at least for the next five days—he is bound to get additional scrutiny from the media. If there is anything that journalists love to do, it is to build up an underdog and then tear him apart once he moves to the head of the pack. It would not be the first time that the winner in Iowa failed to hold on to his momentum in later primaries. Nevertheless, it would be a mistake to write off Huckabee as a fringe candidate whose credentials and experience disqualify him from serious consideration.

Huckabee’s positions on religion and social issues are not that different from those of the current occupant of the White House, or even Ronald Reagan, for that matter. He hardly seems less experienced than a former Georgia governor, Jimmy Carter, or a former Arkansas governor, Bill Clinton. Speaking of Clinton, he struggled in Iowa but ultimately triumphed in the 1992 primaries and won two general elections even though anyone with even a half-working television set understood that the man was a cad and a skirt chaser. Nor did less-than-sterling credentials prevent former Texas Gov. George Bush from reaching the highest office in the country.

One thing Huckabee does seem to lack: an inability to get people to hate him. Whether one agrees or disagrees with his values and positions, he comes across as the type of person that many of us would not mind having as a neighbor. Maybe this is why he has climbed so quickly in the polls and why he left Iowa with a victory on Thursday.
--Steve Kichen

The media has it wrong!

Stop Lying About Huckabee and Evangelicals!

Posted by: Michael Medved at 10:59 AM
Predictably enough, most media commentators have totally misinterpreted the nature of Mike Huckabee’s big win in the Iowa GOP caucuses. Conventional wisdom says that he swept to victory based on overwhelming support from Evangelicals, but conventional wisdom is flat-out wrong. According to the exit polls used by major news networks, a majority of voters who described themselves as “evangelical” or “born again” Christians actually voted against Huckabee –with 54% splitting their support among Romney, McCain, Thompson and Ron Paul. Yes, Huckabee’s 46% of Evangelicals was a strong showing, but it was directly comparable to his commanding 40% of women, or 40% of all voters under the age of 30, or 41% of those earning less than $30,000 a year. His powerful appeal to females, the young and the poor make him a different kind of Republican, who connects with voting blocs the GOP needs to win back. He’s hardly the one-dimensional religious candidate of media caricature.

Full Story

Mike Huckabee is Me!

Dobson Finally Speaks

Dobson Says Huckabee Win Displays Power Of Christian Conservatives
Posted by Brian Montopoli CBS News

Ever since the 2006 midterm elections, there have been suggestions that the influence of Christian conservatives on U.S. presidential politics is waning.

But today Focus on the Family founder James Dobson said the Iowa caucus results suggested otherwise.

Mike Huckabee, a former Baptist minister, easily won the GOP vote in Iowa. Roughly 80 percent of his supporters identified themselves as born again or evangelical Christians.

`The results of the Iowa caucuses reveal that conservative Christians remain a powerful force in American politics. That had to be a great shock to those on the far left,'' Dobson said in a release, according to the Associated Press.

The AP reports that Dobson was critical of "media elites" for writing off Christian conservatives and suggested Huckabee's win "`was evidence of an energized and highly motivated conservative community."

The national influence of Christian conservatives in this presidential cycle is still yet to be seen, however. And a tough test for Huckabee will come in New Hampshire, the next state on the voting calendar. It is expected that a far smaller percentage of GOP voters in the Granite State will self-identify as evangelical Christians compared to Iowa, were entrance polls found that almost 60 percent of GOP caucus-goers described themselves as evangelical.

Comments on Huckabee

Hannity: "The Huckaboom continues!"

From a participant in a focus group: "Mike Huckabee is me!"

Jay Wagner Iowa Independent: Mike Huckabee, outspent by his main rival 20-1 and considered a dark horse candidate just a few months ago, won the Iowa Republican Caucus by a comfortable margin, several news organizations are reporting.

The number of Evangelical Christians voting in this year's caucus was nearly double that of previous years. But Ted Sporer, the Polk County Republican Chairman and the author of a popular conservative blog, said Huckabee's popularity cut across doctrines.

"If Huckabee holds onto his eight point win, then the media template that says this was all the doings of the Evangelical voter is way off," Sporer said.

Iowa Update! Huckabee Wins!

Fox News
65% Reporting

34% Mike Huckabee
25% Mitt Romney
14% Fred Thompson
13% John McCain

Mike Huckabee On Leno



Huckamomentum!

Unstoppable!

Mike Huckabee 2007 Communicator of the Year

Mike Huckabee was named the #1 Communicator of 2007 by one of the top communication coaches in the country (coaches Chuck Schwab, Olympians, and other leaders).

At http://www.deckerblog.com there is the Top Ten Best (and Worst) Communicators of 2007, and Mike Huckabee rightfully tops the list.

This year's List of Top Communicators highlights the best (and worst) from business, politics, entertainment and sports. Take a look to see how communications skills helped make or break these notable individuals.

THE BEST
1. Gov. Mike Huckabee - What but for communicating would get a presidential candidate so far so fast?

A few months ago Huckabee was almost an unknown. Now he is a front runner for the Republican Presidential nomination, and probably the fastest rise ever from relative obscurity to the cover of the weekly newsmagazines. Governor Huckabee is open in style, authentic, natural and amazingly great at thinking (and speaking) on his feet. He tells stories, and connects with people. (See more detail here.) Powerful tools when you have to build trust and credibility visually, quickly and mostly through TV. And powerful tools for a leader. Although he has a conservative constituency, they alone could not get him this far this fast. It is his communicating.

If You Read This You Will See Why Mike Huckabee Should Be Our Next President!

December 31, 2007 - 05:03 PM
Our Negative Ad
by Mike Huckabee

Yesterday, I flew to Little Rock to cut three new television ads with our campaign team. The first "Our Values" will air in Iowa and discusses my unwavering commitment towards a Human Life Amendment. The second ad which will air exclusively in New Hampshire called "Tax Cuts Matter" discusses the first broad based tax cut that I passed in Arkansas' history. You can view both ads here.

The third ad was a negative attack against Governor Romney. We prepared it, sent the ad to the television stations here in Iowa, and it was supposed to start running at noon today. This morning, I ordered my staff to pull the ad; I told them I do not want it to be run. If it was run at all, it would be until the stations pulled it off their schedules. And we are now committed, from now through the rest of the caucuses, that we will run only the ads that talk about why I should be president, and not why Mitt Romney should not.

Back in October when I stood in Washington, DC before the Values Voter Summit delivering a speech to the attendees I reminded them that "we stand for some things, we believe in some things..." We do indeed: I believe in the Human Life Amendment and will work tirelessly for its passage.

I believe the FairTax is the best way to unleash our economy in the 21st century.

I believe and have always supported the passage of a federal constitutional amendment that defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman.

I believe we must secure our borders, end amnesty and end sanctuary cities.

I believe our country must be energy independent.

I believe that we are currently engaged in a world war. Radical Islamic fascists have declared war on our country and our way of life.

I believe in the Surge.

And I believe that Americans aren't interested in politics that divide us, they want their leaders to focus on what will lift them up and make things better.

I almost forgot that today in the face of the withering barrage of criticism we have endured over the last few weeks from my rivals. I say almost, because our negative ad won't run.

I know we believe in the same things. It is these things, these ideas, that have bound us together in this campaign for President. These ideas are why you first became interested in me and these ideas are why I am running for President. Let everyone know, that we are campaigning for these ideas and that we are working overtime to lift America up.