Mike Huckabee Is Deceitful

Sorry for another anti-Huckabee post, but he has really set me off with his disingenuous attack on Romneycare. It's time to fight back. Jonathan Martin noted today that Huckabee didn't quite get his facts right.

Mike Huckabee goes after Romneycare with particular vigor in his new book, but a Republican defender of the plan notes to me that some of those attacks seem to lack factual support. The book paints Romneycare broadly as an unpopular, acknowledged failure -- when it remains quite popular in the (liberal) state. And the details seem, at best, painted with a very broad brush.

One particularly unfair attack: “A noble goal, indeed," Huckabee writes of Romney's plan. "But when the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation stepped into the lab…they found that health care, which was 16 percent of the state budget in 1990, had jumped to 35 percent in 2010.”

The problem: Romney's planned was passed in 2006, not 1990. By that time, health care costs had jumped in Massachusetts (as they had around the country), adding up to 32% of the fiscal year 2006 budget -- according to the same organization's 2005 assessment. So the growth has been from 32% to 35%, hardly out of line with the national picture.

Huckabee also argues that Romney's plan drove up costs for individuals while care declined: “If everyone in Massachusetts is paying more, it must mean patients are receiving better care, right? In fact, just the opposite is happening.”

But while the state pays substantially more for health care than does Huckabee's Arkansas (though less than states like Ohio and New Hampshire), premiums are down for people purchasing care in the individual market -- the focus of the reform -- and have, in broad terms, shown increases "similar to the national trend rates," according to a study from the free market-oriented Pioneer Institute last year.

More clearly, the evidence that people see the quality of their health care declining as spending rises seems weak: A 2009 New England Journal of Medicine survey found 85% of state doctors saying health care had either no impact or a positive one. The doctors had other complaints, but a mere 6% said the quality of care had declined. Surveys also show the plan is popular with consumers, and the legislature is hardly rushing to repeal it -- though the state is struggling to contain the cost of health care spending.

So, so, so deceitful. 

Governor Walker responds to President Obama's innuendos

Without mentioning the Wisconsin budget debate specifically, President Barack Obama said Monday that "it does no one any good when public employees are denigrated or vilified or their rights are infringed upon."

Obama, speaking to the nation's governors, said all workers should be prepared to give up something to solve budget challenges, "and I think most public servants agree with that."

The full story is HERE.

In Response, Governor Walker's office released this Statement:

I'm sure the President knows that most federal employees do not have collective bargaining for wages and benefits while our plan allows it for base pay. And I'm sure the President knows that the average federal worker pays twice as much for health insurance as what we are asking for in Wisconsin. At least I would hope he knows these facts.

Furthermore, I’m sure the President knows that we have repeatedly praised the more than 300,000 government workers who come to work every day in Wisconsin.

I’m sure that President Obama simply misunderstands the issues in Wisconsin, and isn’t acting like the union bosses in saying one thing and doing another.

EPIC/MRA Poll: Mitt Romney romps over Obama in Michigan

Mitt Romney is on top in Michigan, according to a new poll.

A survey by the Lansing-based polling firm EPIC/MRA found President Barack Obama trailing the former Massachusetts governor in a hypothetical matchup by 5 points, 41 to 46 percent.

The poll of 600 likely has a sampling error of plus or minutes 4 percent.

The full story is here.
The crosstabs can be viewed here.

Bob (IllinoisGuy)Thomas : July 29, 1945 - February 12, 2011

I'm sorry to inform our readers and members at Right Speak, that IG has passed away. Bob or IG to those on the Blogs Right Speak, Rightosphere, Race42012, and Mitt Romney Central passed away on February 12. Here is his obituary:

ARGENTA - Robert Wayne Thomas, age 65, died on February 12, 2011 at Decatur Memorial Hospital at 12:21pm. Born July 29, 1945 in Taylorville, IL, to William (Dub) Thomas and Roberta (Hobbs) Thomas, he graduated from Mt. Auburn High School in 1963. Robert served two years in the United States Marine Corp and received honors as a Platoon Honorman and Expert Rifleman. He later attended Richland Community College and Sangamon State University. He also taught at Richland Community College. He lived in Blue Mound, IL, Decatur, IL, and most recently, Argenta, IL with his sister and caretaker, Cheryl Willenborg. He retired from Caterpillar after over 30 years of service. Robert had been a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since 1976. Robert will be especially remembered for his love and passion for sports and his family. He immensely enjoyed watching competitive cycling and supporting his children and grandchildren in their sports endeavors. Survivors include children Shelly Seitz and Stephanie Richardson (Carrol) of Cerro Gordo, IL, daughters of Linda (Ealey) Born; Curtis Thomas of Fayetteville, GA; Michael Thomas (Aleath) of Sycamore, IL; and Julie Carter (Josh) of Wichita Falls, TX; children of Polly (Campbell) Thomas. He is also survived by brothers Leonard Thomas of Blue Mound, IL; James (Jimmy) Thomas of Centrailia, IL.; and sister Cheryl Willenborg (Ted) of Argenta, IL. Robert had 15 grandchildren and one great-granddaughter. Robert was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Diane. Services will be held at 10 am on Wednesday, February 16th, 2011 at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 3955 Lourdes Lane, Decatur, IL 62526. . Burial will be at Mt. Auburn Cemetery following the service. Visitation will be at the church on Tuesday, February 15th from 5-8 pm. Dawson & Wikoff Funeral Home, Mt. Zion is assisting the family with arrangements. Messages of condolences may be sent to the family at www.dawson-wikoff.com Special appreciation to Dr. Perdekamp for her diligent care in treating Robert's courageous battle with cancer. A special thank you to his sister, Cheryl Willenborg, whom cared for Robert for the last several months. Obituary written by family members. Online guest book at http://legacy.com/obituaries/herald-review/

Visit his Guest Book.

On a personal note,

IG was one of the bravest men I've ever known. He fought a brave fight against his cancer, never giving into it. He used to say that commenting on the blogs, helped him relax while he fought the battle.

It was IG that inspired me to write my first blog entry. Both of us had talked about posting something on Rightosphere. I emailed him a draft of my piece and he liked it and told me to go for it. Since that day, I haven't stopped. I know I will miss his sharp wit on issues.

God Bless you my friend and may you rest in peace.

Pawlenty's Pardon Problem

I have been very vocal in blasting Huckabee for his terrible record of pardons/commutations. So it is only fair for me to point out Pawlenty has a problem with a pardon as well.

Pawlenty was part of a three-person board that pardoned Jeremy Giefer. Giefer was 19 when he was charged in 1993 with having sex with his 14-year-old girlfriend, whom he later married. He was sentenced to 45 days in jail; he had served his time and was free when the pardon was granted. Giefer is now charged with sexually abusing another girl more than 250 times both before and after he was pardoned in 2008.

The other members of the state pardons board were Attorney General Lori Swanson, a Democrat, and Eric Magnuson, who was then chief justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court. Pawlenty spokesman Bruce Gordon noted the vote was unanimous but also said the board would not have pardoned Giefer if it had known about the new allegations.

Full story
Huckabee claims to have read piles of documents of Clemmons misconduct while in prison, including Clemmons possessing a weapon, before granting clemmency. Pawlenty, however, was unaware of Giefer sexually abusing his next victim. Still, there is such a high rate of recidivism in sexual predators that to be safe, Pawlenty should probably have not granted pardon. I don't think, though, that Pawlenty's pardon problem comes anywhere close to being as big of a problem as Huck's

Huntsman's Incredible Indiscretion

No, he didn't take a trip to Argentina. What he did do is attend a 'Jasmine Revolution' rally in China. While he was still the US Ambassador to China. The Jasmine Revolution was a brief lived anti government movement in China that took place around the start of the revolution in Libya.

Here is a youtube video of Ambassador Huntsman being confronted by some Chinese at the rally:

The video shows Ambassador Huntsman, who is expected to run for president in 2012, wearing sunglasses and a jacket with an American flag on the shoulder outside a Beijing McDonald's on Sunday.

"Hey Mr Ambassador, what are you doing here?" he is asked in Chinese, according to a translation on a website called the Shanghaiist.

"I'm just here to look around," Huntsman said.

The questioner, whose image is blurred, says, "You want to see China in chaos, don't you?"

"No, I don't," Huntsman said.

Huntsman then left.

Full story here

The video is only 1:30 and the news article is short. I would advise all the Rightspeak readers to take the time to watch and read these. This action should disqualify Huntsman from ever being president.

Inability to Develop Real World Solutions

The Fair Tax is a pipe dream delusion. From Fair Tax.org's own website, we learn that "The FairTax is replacement, not reform. It replaces federal income taxes including personal, estate, gift, capital gains, alternative minimum, Social Security, Medicare, self-employment, and corporate taxes."

These ninnies must not have any understanding of either the constitutional process or political strategy. They must not realize that the Federal income tax was instituted by amendment to the US Constitution, and that to replace it would require a new amendment. The 16th amendment reads:

"The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration."

The Constitution provides that an amendment may be proposed either by the Congress with a two-thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate or by a constitutional convention called for by two-thirds of the State legislatures. (Source) A proposed amendment becomes part of the Constitution as soon as it is ratified by three-fourths of the States (38 of 50 States).

The proponents of the Fair Tax reveal themselves to be incapable of developing real world solutions. We will never, ever see a constitutional amendment to repeal the 16th amendment. There is just no chance that 38 states would ratify it, nor would 67 Senators vote for it.

There are only three reasons that I can discern as to why politicians and pundits would support the Fair Tax.

1. As stated above, the supporters of the Fair Tax just don't understand the Constitution. But the amendment process is such an easy concept to grasp that it would take a middle school drop out to fail to grasp this. It is hard to believe that Huckabee and company are really this stupid.

2. The idea of the Fair Tax is floated by those (I'm looking at you Huckabee) who are incapable of developing real world solutions. They lack the depth of thinking and reasoning to address the serious issues that our country faces. So they cook up a silly scheme that looks great at face value, hoping that the masses of voters who really don't take the time to research issues for themselves will be gullible enough to believe this fairy tale. This way, they can claim to be offering solutions and ideas, but without facing the responsibility that would ensue if their ideas were actually implemented. It's the best of both worlds for the intellectually vacant. This scenario is the one that I most believe accounts for the rise of the Fair Tax cult.

3. The politicians who back the Fair Tax know that they can't actually get the 16th Amendment repealed, but hope to pass some version of the Fair Tax before a repeal of the 16th Amendment comes to a vote. If they pass a new tax before the income tax is repealed, then they manage to institute another burdensome tax while being able to claim that it was the opposition who killed the amendment procedure. This last theory is pretty far fetched, and frankly, sounds Beckian. Nonetheless, one has to wonder if someone who loves taxes, like Huckabee did in Arakansas, isn't really pushing the Fair Tax as a means to increase taxation.

Gov. Haley Barbour: Obama one of the Greatest Politicians ever

President Barack Obama is one of America's best politicians ever, according to one of his potential rivals for re-election in 2012.

"The president is one of the greatest politicians in the history of the United States," Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press."

Fast forward to the 11:00 minute mark to hear Barbour's comment:



The full story is HERE.

Cap and Nuke

How to build a killer coalition. Bring together the most extreme left and extreme right in a united purpose. From the far left we have fear of global warming and overpopulation. From the far right we have fear of pretty much every country in either the eastern or southern hemispheres. How can we bring together such disparate ideologies? National Geographic just may have the key: limited, regional, nuclear war.*

NASA scientists modeled the effects of a regional nuclear war on climate.

At the extreme, the tropics, Europe, Asia, and Alaska would cool by 5.4 to 7.2 degrees F (3 to 4 degrees C), according to the models. Parts of the Arctic and Antarctic would actually warm a bit, due to shifted wind and ocean-circulation patterns, the researchers said.

After ten years, average global temperatures would still be 0.9 degree F (0.5 degree C) lower than before the nuclear war, the models predict.

Further benefits that the left would enjoy are famines and starvation, thus reducing world population. The neocon right could make use of this tool to expand liberty around the world by obliterating all resistance to US style democracy.

The new party could be called Neonenvirocons and the perfect ticket would be Nader/Bolton 2012.

*Please note that National Geographic is not actually advocating nuclear war for the sake of counteracting global warming. Even though that message is implicit in their article.

Murdering Minuteman Sentenced to Death

Back in the Rightosphere days I blasted Glenn Beck for his comments, "the fact is there has never been a border shooting involving a Minuteman, not one! Zero! None!"

The truth is that 9 year old Brisennia Flores and her father were shot to death by former Minuteman, Shawna Forde, during a home invasion. Forde has been convicted in their murders and sentenced to death.

If only the judge could order Glenn Beck to attend Forde's execution. Maybe then he would have to face at least one of his lies in full color.

Huckabee Admits Romney 2008 Contrast Ads Were Ok

Well, not really.

Huckabee repeated criticism from his book of Romney's plan as a form of socialized medicine, saying "that's what it is when the government runs the program."

But Huckabee, also a potential Republican presidential candidate, was careful in his personal critique of Romney. Asked if he was violating President Ronald Reagan's "11th commandment" to never criticize a fellow Republicans, Huckabee said that "policy differences are legitimate."

"If we start attacking each other on integrity and character, I think that's a problem, which I haven't done," he said.

Oh, my bad.  An attack ad based upon "policy differences" is only legitimate if Huckabee is the attacker. So, no, Romney's issue-based ads during the Iowa caucuses do not constitute  a "legitimate" critique because the subject of that critique was Huckabee's crime and punishment record. Make sense?

And when Romney went after Huck's record, this is what the former Arkansas governor had to say:

He told a story of Romney denying clemency to an Iraq war vet who wanted to be a policeman, but could not because of a BB gun incident when he was a juvenile.

On Thursday, he told the same story and asked the audience to raise their hands if they would grant parole. The vast majority raised their hands. “My opponent said no,” Huckabee told the crowd. “Now let me ask you, do you believe he acted in the best interest of that young man and his state, or did he act in the best interest of his own future political career? That’s judgment, folks, you’ve just decided whose judgment is better.”

You see how Huckabee attacks Romney's character and integrity by arguing that Romney only cares about his own future political career?  Or how about when Huckabee questioned whether Romney had a soul? That's is an excellent critique based on "policy differences."

I want to say something specifically to Huckabee supporters. The past two years Huckabee has done quite a bit to persuade me to his cause. I am on record on many occasions boasting some of his qualities. Yet, it always seems to be two steps forward and three steps back with Huck. I am not tied to any candidate and Huck had a chance to win me over. However, it looks like Huck is going to let his petty jealousies get in the way of any leadership he could have exhibited.

Calling Romneycare "socialized medicine" is just a bunch of ignorance that is not helpful to the conservative movement.  I would encourage Huck to go do some research before he opens his mouth again. Start by reading actual socialists to see what they think. Then read about Great Britain's health care system (a real socialistic system) and Canada's system (single payer system) and Sweden's system (free market with government option). When he does his homework (remember he majored in miracles) then he can lecture us on Romneycare. Until then, I really don't think that a man who doesn't know anything about health care should be leading the charge.

And I am still waiting for a Huckabee supporter to show me where Huck has specifically called Obamacare "socialized medicine." I believe that Huckabee is more against Romney than he is Obama.

From One Fatso to Another

At 302 pounds I want to offer some advice to my fellow fatso Mike Huckabee. Apologize to fat kids everywhere. Normally I would never criticize another fatso for being fat. But when Huckabee backed Michelle Obama's crusade against the great threat to national security, fat kids, he opened himself up to well deserved derision.

Huckabee, who is 4 inches shorter than I am, once weighed around 300 pounds as well. He lost an astounding 120 pounds, but has since gained much of it back.

Huck should apologize to fat kids for being a terrible role model. By supporting Michelle Obama, Huck is in essence agreeing that fat kids are a national threat. Does that make him a national threat too? He should apologize for his callousness towards the challenges that fat kids face. He should apologize for his blatant hypocrisy. Huck should apologize to fat kids for trying to force them to do what he is incapable of, eating healthy and maintaining an exercise routine.

It makes one wonder if Huckabee wants to take a page from another proposed expansion of government that he has expressed admiration for in the past, cap and trade. Perhaps Huckabee envisions a day when he can buy fat credits from skinny people. People like Palin and Romney.

Study: Conservative Candidates are Better Looking

Rightwing candidates are better looking than their leftwing counterparts, something they benefit from during elections, according to a study conducted by Swedish and Finnish economists.

"One possible explanation is that people who are seen or consider themselves beautiful tend to be more anti-egalitarian and rightwing," Niclas Berggren, one of the three co-authors of the study, told AFP Wednesday.

The full story is HERE.

I Know! I Know! there is always an exception.

Allen West: Open to VP spot in 2012

When asked about Newt Gingrich's comments about naming him as a possible VP:

"I have to pray about it and I have to clear it with my wife and two daughters," he added. "I never thought that seven years ago when I retired here I'd be a United States congressman, and that I'd be standing in front of your news camera. So we don't know what the future holds, but I'm always willing to serve my country."

West's response comes near the end of the following video:



The complete story is HERE.

Fox hosts swoon as they Shamelessly Promote Huckabee

Last year, Fox News donated the equivalent of nearly $55 million in free advertising to five potential Republican presidential candidates who serve as Fox News hosts or contributors. And Fox shows no signs of stopping.

Check out these captions that ran while Huckabee spoke today about whether he will run for president.

The full story and related video here.

ROMNEYCARE ...again

Hi All
Awhile ago this morning I happened to see a blog decrying "Romneycare " and repeating Mike Huckabee's endless one note refrain that Romney should apologize for Massachusetts' HealthCare, thereby " flip-flopping " and giving the rest of the nattering nabobs an opportunity to again accuse Romney of changing his views on an issue. The article referred to a Boston Globe article of August , 2009......which in turn referred to a Commonwealth Fund Report looking at healthcare issues from 2003 through 2008. Following the trail of this " hit job " I soon found a few ( a lot ) of screwy data and outright false statements. I guess nobody bothers about truth anymore. Anyway, to wit....
The article said Massachusetts healthcare costs rose 40 % from 2003 to 2008 while the national average rose only 33 %. Of course, the article failed to mention that Massachusett's healthcare law was passed in.....2006
The Foundation Report cited by the article did NOT indicate how much Mass. premiums had changed from 2006 to 2008 and expressly indicated it could not comment on the effect of the law on healthcare costs since 2006.
Becoming interested, I took a look at the Foundation figures for 2009 for four specific states:
Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia and Massachusetts.

2009 Healthcare rankings
...................................... Alaska Arkansas Georgia Massachusetts
Access to healthcare.......... 48........ 44........... 36................ 1
Preventive Treatment........ 40........ 38........... 39............... 5
Equity .................................23........ 47........... 28............... 7
Healthy Lives..................... 27........ 48............ 37............... 6

Equity refers to the gap between the rich and the poor. That is, the difference in costs for low income, uninsured and minorities
The report points out that Massachusetts rose to No 1 in 2009 because of their healthcare program. In 2009 , the single payer healthcare premiums at private industry companies compared as follows:
Alaska $ 5293
Massachusetts $ 4,836
Georgia $ 4,160
Arkansas $ 3,923
National Average $ 4,360
I guess you get what you pay for. It should be noted that specific groups reflect the above results. For example, in Children's Health Care, Massachusetts is in the TOP QUARTILE. You guessed it, Georgia and Arkansas are both in the BOTTOM QUARTILE. Alaska is in the THIRD QUARTILE. ( The oil taxes sure didn't go to children's healthcare ).
To finish this narrative, I went to the Kaiser Foundation for some more illumination:
....................................Alaska Arkansas Georgia Massachusetts
Uninsured Residents.... 21 %..... 21 %....... 21 %.......... 6 %

Kaiser pointed out that 1.5 million more adults were uninsured in 2008 than 2007 due to the loss of employer sponsored coverage and that the number of uninsured will climb nationally to 61 Million by 2020. Many of these folks will just choose not to insure themselves using the EMTALA emergency room coverage as a primary ( free to them ) physician.

The bottom line to all of this is it is pretty obvious why Mass. residents like their healthcare plan. It obviously works. Can it be improved ? Of Course. Is it expensive ? Sure.....but maybe not as expensive as having no healthcare coverage. After all, there are 2 million poverty level folks in Georgia and 700,000 in Arkansas in their 21 % without insurance. Who pays if they get sick ? Or do we just let them die ?
Enough of this crap , Huckabee. You were Governor for 10 or 20 years according to your syncophant, Craig for Huck . Why didn't you fix Arkansas ? With all the North Slope oil in Alaska, why is Alaska's healthcare so poor ?
Before these folks write any more books, they need to go to a library and read a little

CraigS

Rand Paul schools David Letterman

National Journal 2010 Conservative Rankings of the House and Senate

National Journal's annual congressional vote ratings show a breakdown of how Senate and House members voted in 2010, and who was rated the most liberal and most conservative. Members were assigned Rankings

based on their roll-call votes on key economic, social, and foreign-policy issues during 2010. The senators are rated in each of the three issue categories on both liberal and conservative scales, with the scores on each scale given as percentiles. An economic score of 87 on the conservative scale, for example, means that the senator or member was more conservative than 87 percent of his or her colleagues on the key votes in that issue area during 2010. Composite scores are calculated based on the issue-based scores. Members with the same composite scores are tied in rank.

Senate Members:

RIGHT CLICK the photo below. Choose, "Open link in New Window. Each chart is interactive.

House members:
RIGHT CLICK the photo below. Choose, "Open link in New Window. Each chart is interactive:


A few surprses. Among them were John McCain coming in as more conservative than Jim DeMint.

The case against Mike Huckabee

Chris Cillizza, of the Washington Post, continued his series of the pros and cons of prospective GOP candidates in 2012 with this entry on the compelling case against Mike Huckabee to win the nomination.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/case-forcase-against/the-case-against-mike-huckabee.html?wprss=thefix

Briefly, his points, in his own words (modestly edited), are:

1. A (non) organization man: Huckabee hasn't built any larger-scale campaign operation much beyond the spartan group he relied on in 2008. While his non-formal organization worked in Iowa, it also ensured that he could not capitalize on the momentum his caucus win should have created for him. Huckabee flailed in New Hampshire, narrowly missed a win in South Carolina and was helpless to match the efforts of former Gov. Mitt Romney (Mass.) and Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) in Florida. Huckabee's unwillingness to build that sort of operation heading into 2012 means that even if he could pull off another Iowa caucus win, he would likely fail to capitalize on it. Again.

2. Money matters: Huckabee's unwillingness or inability to put together a serious organization is his unwillingness or inability to put the pieces in place to raise the tens of millions he would need to compete seriously. In 2008, Huckabee raised $16 million for his campaign, a sum that was dwarfed by the likes of Romney, McCain and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. While Huckabee's communications skills allowed him to excel in retail campaign states like Iowa and, to a lesser extent, South Carolina, he was non-competitive in larger states -- Florida, for one -- where millions were needed to reach voters on the airwaves. If the the race goes beyond the first three states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, Huckabee looks almost certain to watch as he is drastically outspent by rivals more committed to the cash collection process. Again.

3. The pardon problem: Huckabee's pardon commutation of the sentence of Maurice Clemmons, a man who murdered four police officers in Seattle, Washington in 2009, is a major problem. Huckabee either pardoned or commuted the sentences of more than 1,000 people --- more than three time as many as the state's three previous governors combined. That's an opposition researcher's dream.

4. Fiscal conservative?: Huckabee's fiscal record has rankled many leaders in fiscal conservative circles; the CATO Institute gave Huckabee an "F" in its 2006 fiscal policy report card -- one of only two Republican governors to earn that "distinction". The influential Club for Growth, too, made clear its antipathy toward Huckabee in the last election when it spent more than $500,000 attempting to stop his momentum in Iowa. Huckabee did raise taxes -- including the sales tax -- during his time as governor and, while he rightly notes it was done with bipartisan support and led to a budget surplus in the state, that may not satisfy die-hard fiscal conservatives. Huckabee faced relatively little scrutiny on his tax record during the 2008 primary fight but it would almost certainly be prime fodder for his opponents this time around.

5. A "serious" hurdle: Huckabee made his name during the last presidential race with his sunny demeanor and his comedic timing. But, a winning smile and a terrific personality alone won't get you elected president. While it's an indisputable fact that Huckabee has high favorable numbers among voters, real questions remain as to whether there is a difference between liking him and believing he can be president. (Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin may well face a similar problem if she runs in 2012 too.) Huckabee, then, must walk a tight rope -- stay true to the optimistic funny man that proved so winning in 2008 while also showing people that he is ready and able to be the leader of the free world. Huckabee is an able politician but that may be too difficult a challenge even for him.


Now, my comments:
Sounds like the beginning of internal messaging sessions for his potential competitors. In IA first, and then in SC, candidates like Pawlenty, Barbour, Gingrich, and Santorum are going to have to go after Huck's base in order to survive. (In fairness, they will have to come after Romney's base in NH, if for no other reason than that it is the largest.) They will spend tens of millions of dollars each to undermine Huck and to recast him. For that matter, if he were the nominee, Obama would spend hundreds of millions of dollars to do the same thing. And Cillizza's point is that Huck will have minimal organization and money with which to respond.

Huck's strength in 2008 was using the pre-existing social networks (church and home school) to go "viral". Those networks took decades to build. They are incredibly cohesive, and that made them very effective at coalescing around a single candidate. But they are also incredibly insular, sticking mostly to others like themselves, culturally, geographically, and demographically. Cillizza's point about how to make it work after SC goes to these points. While candidates have a year to lay the groundwork for the first four contests, thereafter the campaign accelerates in both time and money. As a result, the candidate is favored who has the most money and the most effective organization, or the most flexible and nimble.

Since the previous four contests have already winnowed out the marginal and superficial players, the remaining candidates can no longer survive on niche constituencies or geographies. The candidate has to move beyond cohesive constituencies to adhesive constituencies. (I just made that metaphor up, remembering what my chemistry prof taught me about the properties of cohesion and adhesion.)

I would add one other point to the five Cillizza raises: The Issues.

Not only must each candidate fight the battles on the geographic battlefields dictated by the primary calendar, they must also fight it on the battlefields of the issues the electorate feel are most compelling. Huck continues to fight on the battlefields of social issues. Witness his dressing down of Mitch Daniels on suggesting a "truce" on social issues while we solve the economic ones, as well as calling out the President over the non-defense of DOMA. During the 2010 cycle, Huck built his network out with candidates and supporters who were unapologetic values warriors. That identity makes him genuine for SoCons, but leaves the remaining voters suspicious at best.

As we move into 2012, if those issues drive the political conversation nationally, especially as the electoral calendar moves larger from Super Tuesday and into the general election, then Huck is in good shape. But, if as polls continue to show, the conversation is about jobs, taxes, deficits, and size of government, Huck will not be seen as an authentic voice or candidate. Expect Pawlenty, Barbour, Gingrich, and Santorum to drive a wedge in the SoCons to say that while all five of them are fight authentic SoCons, one of them other than Huck is the real deal for economic issues.

If and when Romney comes after Huck, expect him to choose those issues as the battlefield he wants to fight the fight on.

Ric Pugmire

Barack Obama needs some comfortable shoes

It seems that on a campaign stoop back in 2007. Barak Obama made this promise:



Do you think he will?

Newt Gingrich: Confronted over Affair

Newt Gingrich's speech at the University of Pennsylvania on Tuesday quickly took a turn for the dramatic when the first student to question him brought up his admitted extramarital affair and accused him of being “hypocritical” for espousing moral values.

"You adamantly oppose gay rights ... but you've also been married three times and admitted to having an affair with your current wife while you were still married to your second," Isabel Friedman, president of Penn Democrats, said to Gingrich. "As a successful politician who's considering running for president, who would set the bar for moral conduct and be the voice of the American people, how do you reconcile this hypocritical interpretation of the religious values that you so vigorously defend?"

OUCH!
Newt, a bit of advise. if I were you, I'd leave the moral issues to others.

Read the full story here.

Wisconsin Assembly Passes Bill Limiting Union Rights

Republicans in the Wisconsin Assembly took the first significant action on their plan to strip collective bargaining rights from most public workers, abruptly passing the measure early Friday morning before sleep-deprived Democrats realized what was happening.

The vote ended three straight days of punishing debate in the Assembly. But the political standoff over the bill -- and the monumental protests at the state Capitol against it -- appear far from over.

Read the full story HERE.

Mike Huckabee should apologize for all those Clemencies

Mike Huckabee needs to apologize for granting 1033 clemencies/Pardons/commutations while Governor of Arkansas. Especially if he plans on running for President in 2012.

He should just admit he was wrong. Admit it was a mistake. He could say something like, "I was wrong to think that my judgment is better than those of the judges and juries that sat on and decided those cases." While he's at it, he should apologize to families affected as a result of those clemencies/Pardons/commutations.

Instead, Governor Huckabee is reaffirming those decisions:

"If I had the same file (Maurice Clemmons) in front of me today that I had then, I would make the same decision, and I would like to think -- God help us when we get to the place when the only decisions we make are the ones that are in our own political self-interest," Huckabee said.

Governor Huckabee pointed out the other day that RomneyCare was Romney's Elephant in the room. "He's got to figure out how he wants to deal with it. It's the 800-pound elephant in the room for him,"

I look at it this way. Mitt Romney passed Romneycare as a state plan that Massachusetts residents wanted and still overwhelmingly support. It only affects Massachusetts residents. Only fools don't understand the difference between Romneycare a STATE PLAN and Obamacare a UNCONSTITUTIONAL National mandate.

Huckabee on the other hand,  gave in to 1033 clemency requests. In 17 years his three predecessors approved only 507 clemency requests.

Here are a few of his less notable clemencies:

• Eugene Fields, a wealthy developer and major GOP donor who had four DUI convictions
• Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, for a reckless-driving conviction
• two murderers who worked as trusties in Huckabee's home

If the above group is to lightweight for your taste, lets look at a few of his heavyweight clemencies:

• Maurice Clemmons 
• Glen Green 
• Wayne Dumond

As to Elephants in the room? Romney's is imaginary. His elephant only seems to be in the heads of those who:

1. Fail to understand that states have a right to pass laws for their particular citizens
2. Choose not to understand that states have a right to pass laws for their particular citizens.
3. Have drank the Kool-Aid from the Obamacare is Romneycare cup.

Huckabee on the other hand has 1033 Elephants.
None of which are imaginary.

Mitt Romney supports Scott Walker

Posted from Mitt Romney's Free & Strong America PAC:

Today, Mitt Romney’s Free and Strong America PAC announced that it is sending a maximum $5,000 contribution to the Republican Party of Wisconsin.

“Liberal big government interests are fighting efforts to rein in out-of-control public employee pay and benefits in Wisconsin. It is critical that we stand with the Wisconsin GOP as it stands up for the rights of the taxpayer," said Romney.

Mike Huckabee: The President of the United States cannot pick and choose which laws he likes.

Mike Huckabee has a great interview on the Laura Ingraham radio show. Highlighted below is Mike Huckabee's Defense of Marriage and his challenge to President Obama's flip on DOMA.



* Childhood Obesity and Michelle Obama's Let's Move program
* Deficit
* Defense of Marriage Act and President Obama's flip
* Why the GOP Establishment won't support Huckabee
* Border Security and No to Amnesty
* TARP



I am not the biggest fan of Laura Ingraham because I think she tries to "set up" Mike Huckabee. But Huckabee is so much smarter than her. He answers the questions honestly. Even the questions about Romney. So when Ingraham asks Huckabee about a reality show with Romney, he goes on to give a good straight forward answer. Laura says "stay with me." And then of course, the video stops. I guess Mike Huckabee outsmarted her and so we can't hear the rest.

Cross Posted at: I Like Mike Huckabee 2012

Huck: 'I don't have a lot of reserve built up'

Does anyone really think Mike Huckabee would have taken on a $2.8 million mortgage if he was seriously considering a run? I've asked this question before. Huck fans are usually quick to mention his frugality, and claim that "Mike could probably pay cash for the house." If his comments today are any indication, that doesn't appear to be the case.

CNN reports:

..."If I run, I walk away from a pretty good income," he said, according to Roll Call. "I don't want to walk away any sooner than I have to because frankly, I don't have a lot of reserve built up. Most of my life was in public service. Therefore I didn't come away wealthy."

(...)

"In order to run for president last time, I cashed in my life insurance, my annuities, I pretty much went through everything that I ever had as an asset that I thought I might someday live on," he said. "One thing I committed to myself, to my wife and God, was that if I do this I'm hopefully going to be in a position that I'm not so completely destitute at the end of it, that I have no idea what to do if I get sick."

Huckabee also recently acquired an $800,000 property in the tony Blue Mountain Beach area of Florida and is in the process of building a $2.2 million home there. According to the Arkansas Times, the former governor took on a $2.8 million mortgage for the property and home, a figure that of course translates into a hefty mortgage payment....

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Is Huckabee Really This Petty?

I am sure everyone is aware of Mike Huckabee's new book which labels Romneycare "socialized medicine." I just spent the past 45 minutes searching the internet for one instance where Huckabee called Obamacare "socialized medicine." I could not find anything.

Now, I realize that Huck has made a lot of comments since his rise to fame, so I might have missed it. Perhaps you Huck fans out there can show me where he made such a comment. But it appears to me that Huck has gone out of his way to maintain civil discourse regarding Obama and the Democrats. I applaud him for that. The Affordable Care Act is not socialized medicine (please see Great Britain or Canada for socialized medicine).

I want to make something clear here. I do not care if there is a bitter spat between Huckabee and Romney. This is not a soap opera. I do not base my voting decisions on inter-personal feuds. I really don't care what Huck thinks about Romney. What matters are the policies that these guys propose.

However, Huck's comment today reveals one of two things. Either Huck really doesn't know anything about health care policy or he is so petty that he is willing to stretch the truth so he can give Romney a black eye. Actually, come to think of it, I believe it is both of those things.

Ironically, Huckabee has sounded like a socialist in the past when speaking about health care.

Again, I patiently wait for a past Huckabee quote about Obama's "socialized medicine."

Palin to give keynote address in India on March 19th

The event is called, The India Today Conclave. 2002-2011: A Decade of Thought Leadership. The title of the speech she will give is, "My Vision of America." She'll also be the "Chief Guest" at the Gala Dinner later in the evening. This appears to be a very big deal. More information and a list of the scheduled speakers is here.

PPP Polling: Tucson's effect on Sarah Palin

....In 12 states where we've polled the 2012 Presidential since the Tucson incident Palin has trailed by an average of 10 points in states that John McCain actually won on average by 3. So she's now running an average of 13 points behind McCain's 2008 showing.

Certainly before Tucson it appeared Palin would suffer a crushing defeat if she somehow snagged the 2012 Presidential nomination. But now it looks more like that would be a loss of historical proportions.

The complete story is here.

Huck: RomneyCare is sick

I'm somewhat surprised that he would use his book to wage this battle. I believe it helps to support the opinion many have that he has no intention of running for president. Otherwise, it would have been wise to wait for the campaign to go on the attack. Whether he runs or not, it's clear that he intends to do whatever it takes to prevent Romney from winning the nomination. Should Romney secure the nomination, I suspect that this disqualifies Huckabee from consideration as his running mate.

Politico reports:

In his new book, Mike Huckabee trashes “RomneyCare” – saying it’s “socialized medicine” that has exploded costs, worsened care for patients, and brought the nation President Obama’s unpopular health care reform plan.

In a chapter in "A Simple Government," Huckabee uses Mitt Romney’s Massachusetts health care program to bolster his arguments against Obama's reforms, yoking the two tightly together.

"If our goal in health-care reform is better care at lower cost, then we should take a lesson from RomneyCare, which shows that socialized medicine does not work," he writes.

Huckabee spent two pages of the book detailing the studies that have shown RomneyCare has failed, and calling it a clear precursor to the national law.

(...)

"Not only is ObamaCare cost prohibitive, it's already been shown to not work!" Huckabee writes on page 84 of the book.

"In chapter 2, I mentioned how the federal government ignored the negative results of the health-care 'experiment' known as RomneyCare. It could be argued that if RomneyCare were a patient, the prognosis would be dismal. 'No one but Mr. Romney disagrees,' quipped Joseph Rago, senior editorial writer for the Wall Street Journal, in a piece entitled 'The Massachusetts Health-Care Train Wreck.'"

(...)

He adds, "You get one guess as to who now has the highest average health-insurance premiums in the country. Yep, it's Massachusetts!"

(...)

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Gallup Poll: No clear front runner in 2012 GOP

Gallup's polling on Republicans' preferences for their party's 2012presidential nominee clearly underscores that there is no early front-runner. This is a departure from what Gallup has found for the GOP nomination since 1972, when state primaries became the main way of selecting the nominee. Previously, a particular candidate held a strong lead at the outset of the Gallup's Republican nomination polling, and that candidate usually led for most of the nominating campaign and eventually won the nomination. The only exception to that general pattern was in 2008. Rudy Giuliani led in early preference polls that year, but his lead began to dwindle in late 2007 and he performed poorly in the initial primaries and caucuses. The current wide-open nature of the 2012 GOP race to date suggests a competitive and perhaps dynamic race ahead.

Although many of the potential 2012 candidates have campaigned in key early primary and caucus states, the most prominent ones have yet to officially declare their candidacies. The field should begin to take shape in the coming months leading up to the first candidate debates this spring.

Results for this Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted Feb. 18-20, 2011, on the Gallup Daily tracking survey, with a random sample of 1,326 Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, selected using random-digit-dial sampling. For results based on the total sample of Republicans, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points.

The full story is here.
The crosstabs can be found here.

PPP Polling: Huckabee ahead of Obama in North Carolina

President Obama enjoyed a little surge in popularity last month around the country, regaining plurality approval in North Carolina and for the first time leading all four potential Republican opponents tested against him in the Tar Heel State. But in PPP’s latest poll, he has regressed back to even on the approval front, and now posts a hair-thin deficit to Mike Huckabee while still leading Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney, and Sarah Palin in a state he won for his party for the first time in a generation.

Huckabee barely prevails, 47-46, after the president led, 49-45, in January. He has also slipped a little to Gingrich, who is now down only 48-44 (versus 50-43 a month ago). But Obama has stayed steady with the other two, leading Romney 47-44, the same as last month, and topping Palin, 51-41 (again almost exactly like the 50-41 last month). As in most other states, these candidates, already very well-known to voters at this early stage of the cycle, are not even as strong as John McCain was in his blowout 2008 defeat. Only Huckabee bests McCain’s less-than-one-point loss here.

Favorable/Unfavorable/Not sure:

Mike Huckabee 43/34/23 (+9)
Mitt Romney 37/39/24 (-2)
Sarah Palin 37/57/6 (-20)
Newt Gingrich 30/48/22 (-18)

Head-to-Head: (Obama/Candidate/Undecided)

Mike Huckabee 46/47/7 (+1)
Mitt Romney 47/44/9 (-3)
Newt Gingrich 48/44/8 (-4)
Sarah Palin 51/41/8 (-10)

PPP surveyed 650 North Carolina voters from February 16th to 21st. The survey’s margin of error is +/-3.8%. Other factors, such as refusal to be interviewed and weighting, may introduce additional error that is more difficult to quantify.

 To view the crosstabs click the PPP icon below:

President Obama refuses to defend marriage in court

The Obama Justice Department has decided that part of the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional and will not defend it in court.

"After careful consideration, including a review of my recommendation, the President has concluded that given a number of factors, including a documented history of discrimination, classifications based on sexual orientation should be subject to a more heightened standard of scrutiny," Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement.

The full story is HERE.
Read Eric Holder's statement to Congress HERE.

Mike Huckabee: These Ideas could Help Change this Country

Mike Huckabee sat down with Sean Hannity and discussed the limited government policies ideas outlined in his new book. Hannity cut right to the chase and asked him if he was thinking about running in 2012? Huckabee said, "Of course I am thinking about it."

Reflecting on writing the book, A Simple Government, Mike Huckabee said, "These ideas could help change this country." In regards to the principles outlined in the book he said, "This is what I really believe. This is what I stand for." Will the book tour help Huckabee decide on a run? "Maybe I should put my book out there and find out if there are people in this country who agree with it."

A Simple Government? You betcha.








Cross Posted at: I Like Mike Huckabee 2012

Congressman Allen West is confronted by a Koran Weilding C.A.I.R. Exectutive

At a townhall meeting hosted by Congressman Allen West on Monday evening in Pompano Beach, the Q&A segment of the meeting featured a Koran wielding Nezar Hamze, Executive Director of the Council for American Islamic Relations (CAIR). Hamze confronted Congressman West and asked him to point out where in the Koran does it give marching orders to Muslims “to carry out attacks against Americans and innocent people”. West quickly pointed out that the Koran was written long before America even existed and that it does indeed tell believers to kill infidels, and then proceeded to chronicle a lengthy list of historical Muslim acts of aggression.

Read the full story HERE.

I don't know if it's me or not, but after hearing Allen West speak, I don't get a tingly feeling up and down my leg, but I do usually get a sudden urge to cheer.

John Thune not running in 2012

Here is his statement released at his website:

For months now, my wife Kimberley and I have received encouragement from family, friends, colleagues, and supporters from across South Dakota and the country to run for the presidency of the United States. We have appreciated hearing their concerns about where the country is headed and their hopes for a new direction.

During this time, Kimberley and I and our two daughters have given a great deal of thought to how we might best serve South Dakota and our nation. That process has involved lots of prayer.

Along the way, we have been reminded of the importance of being in the arena, of being in the fight. And make no mistake that during this period of fiscal crisis and economic uncertainty there is a fight for the future direction of America. There is a battle to be waged over what kind of country we are going to leave our children and grandchildren and that battle is happening now in Washington, not two years from now. So at this time, I feel that I am best positioned to fight for America’s future here in the trenches of the United States Senate.

I want to thank those who have encouraged us and prayed for us during the past several months. We are forever grateful for all the support.

John and Kimberley

Newsweek/Daily Beast Poll: Mitt Romney is the top Republican

The Newsweek/Daily Beast poll also surveyed the 2012 race. The Republican presidential primary is effectively tied between Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee—with Sarah Palin trailing them both by substantial margins in the Republican presidential trial heat.
The prospective addition of Donald Trump to the race did produce some impact, and his support was in the high single digits.

Republican Nomination:


Head-to-Head:
(Obama/Candidate)

Mike Huckabee 46/46 ( - )
Mitt Romney 49/47 (-2)
Donald Trump 43/41 (-2)
Sara Palin 51/50 (-9)

Three Horse Race:

Obama 44
Romney 38
Trump 8

Obama 48
Palin 21
Trump 20

The Newsweek/Daily Beast Poll was conducted with a representative sample of the national population with 918 likely voters. The fieldwork took place between Saturday, February 12 and Tuesday, February 15, 2011. The margin of sampling error for this poll is +/-3.5 percent.

For full story click here.

Huckabee reaches out to donors during booktour

One of the most-used arguments from those who claim that Huckabee won’t run is that he has done nothing to build up a donor base and organization.

Well, that’s about to change:

Huckabee said that a national tour to promote his new book, “A Simple Government,” which includes a number of stops in key primary states will help him gauge interest in his possible candidacy among both voters and professional operatives who might join his campaign. “Quite frankly, part of the process is to be able to gauge reaction to the message,” Huckabee said of his book tour and how it plays into his decision to run again in 2012.

He’ll also contact potentional donors and build up his organization:

But Huckabee also acknowledged that he was looking to hire staff to help with the organizational and financial details of a possible campaign, which he admitted were a weak point of his. He said he was concerned, also, that an early start to the campaign would wear down that infrastructure. [...] The former Arkansas governor said he’ll spend part of his book tour reaching out to potential donors in staff, in addition to his public events.

Full article: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/145383-huckabee-lays-out-criteria-for-deciding-on-2012-run

John Gustavsson

What To Look For In Egyptian-Israeli Relations

I think that it would be appropriate for the Right Speak community to discuss the future of Israeli-Egyptian Relations. This is an issue that I hope the future 2012'ers will discuss in a thoughtful manner. This was originally posted at The Cross Culturalist.

Change is a-coming. What kind of change and to what extent is a different story.

M. M. Lieberman of the Jerusalem Post has written a fairly good piece on what to expect in the future between Egypt and Israel. For Lieberman, two important features of the peace agreement are at stake: (1.) The ban against Egyptian troops occupying the Sinai Peninsula and (2.) the continued sell of Egyptian gas to Israel.

Of course, that is not all. There are also a whole host of other issues to work through like the interdiction of arms to Hamas in Israel, the presence of refuges in the Gaza Strip, and the transit of warships through the Suez Canal.

According to Jeff Strabone, the sell of gas and Egyptian border security ring the most important to Israel.

Israel's blockade of Gaza since 2007 continues to produce suffering on an epic scale, as measured by its 70 percent poverty rate (CIA), its 65 percent infant anemia rate, (WHO), the pitifully low 60 percent of its population whose homes are connected to sewage systems (ICRC), and so on. This blockade would not be enforceable without Egypt's assistance.

Nor would Israel be able to meet its energy needs without the Arish-Ashkelon Pipeline from Egypt. A special Israel-devoted branch of the Arab Gas Pipeline, it supplies 40 percent of Israel's natural gas. As reported by Forbes on February 5, the pipeline has been disrupted by a mysterious explosion. Coincidence?

Israel's greatest fear about a democratic Egypt may be that Mubarak's successor—Pan-Arabist, Islamist, or whatever—could threaten to end the blockade and turn off the gas until Israel allows the Palestinians to form their own sovereign state.

(Yes, Israel has recently discovered large natural-gas fields, named Tamar and Leviathan, but neither is operational yet.)

What we can expect from a future Egyptian government is one that is less friendly to Israel than Mubarak had been. But as Strabone has pointed out, Mubarak was a paid friend that was not in step with public opinion regarding Israel. In recent weeks, there has been a flood of democratic favor sweeping across the Arab world that is out of American and Israeli control. Now, the challenge will be to deal with that democratic surge in a way that will lead to Israeli security.

Gallup Poll: The Number of Solidly Democratic States Cut in Half

Gallup's analysis of party affiliation in the U.S. states shows a marked decline in the number of solidly Democratic states from 2008 (30) to 2010 (14). The number of politically competitive states increased over the same period, from 10 to 18, with more limited growth in the number of leaning or solidly Republican states.

Click the Gallup icon below for the full story and lots more graphs and breakdowns:

Insight into a President Mike Huckabee

Today I had the opportunity to be part of a blogger conference call with Mike Huckabee for his new book, A Simple Government. One of the answers that leapt out at me was when Mike Huckabee answered the questions from Tony of Ohio: What would be the best way to convince the house and senate to take up the measure to implement the FairTax compared to how President Obama went about it with the healthcare system? "If you were President in 2013, how would you handle that differently?"

The FairTax in itself is not what struck me in the conversation, it was how Huckabee's strength of experience and his governing instincts shine through when it comes to the American people. He saw how President Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid shoved the new healthcare system down the American peoples' throats. He knew it was not the way to go about making national reforms because he had learned from his 10 1/2 years of executive experience as Governor of Arkansas how to enact reform the right way.

Rather than impose the Fair Tax from the top down, Governor Huckabee suggested creating pressure from the bottom up. As governor, Mike Huckabee had a legislature that was 90% Democrat. "I learned quickly not to go in and tell them what they were going to do." Instead Huckabee would take his message directly to the people. "That would in turn create a groundswell of support for things I wanted to get done. The legislature felt they were responding to their constituents not capitulating to the governor of the other party. The voters would then pressure the legislature to put forth a bill." Huckabee emphasized building your case with the American people. "Ask them to contact their Senators and Representatives. Let them know it is their expectation of their representatives to change the tax code."

Mike Huckabee did admit that this takes much longer, but that it is worth the effort. Huckabee stated that this is how he worked with the Democrat legislature in Arkansas that was overwhelmingly disproportionate. And he was highly successful in getting effective changes made.


In regards to the FairTax, Huckabee stated that "both Democrats and Republicans acknowledge that we need a simplified tax code, we need a different tax structure, we need less dealing with the complexities of the tax code." The American people have complained about various aspects of the tax code. So the key here would be to take the message directly to the people. Show them how they can achieve it. Huckabee said, "The Fair Tax handles all of those things and more."


America is at a crossroad, it has very hard choices ahead. Do we keep on spending like we have been doing and end up completely broke? Or do we start reforming entitlements such as Medicare/Medicaid and Social Security? Mike Huckabee, as President in 2013, would tackle those issues from the bottom up, taking the honest, somber message to the American people, and encouraging a groundswell of support for entitlement reform to be taken directly to the senate and the house by the people, for the people.

Bottom Up, Take your Message Directly to the People, Create Groundswell of Support, Get the people to Act, We can Achieve it!


Not only does that look exactly like what Mike Huckabee has done for the last two years bringing his message to the people through his books and TV/Radio shows, but it would be one Huckuva campaign strategy.


Cross Posted at: I Like Mike Huckabee 2012

Mike Huckabee’s newest book, “A Simple Government”

Cross posted at Thoughts from Granny T

February 22, is not only my birthday – it is also the release date for Mike Huckabee’s newest book: A Simple Government: Twelve Things We Really Need from Washington (and a Trillion That We Don’t!) Today I was part of “an exclusive on-the-record interview conference call” with former Governor/ former (and hopefully future) Presidential candidate, Mike Huckabee discussing his new book.

I support Mike Huckabee – because his views come closer to mine than any other political candidate I’ve found. I believe we need a Republican Presidential nominee that is willing to stand strongly on all three legs of the Republican platform: social, fiscal, and defense. Listening to Mike Huckabee on that conference call today convinced me even more that he is the one I want leading America.

Here are some reasons why – just from the conference call today:

* He was prompt. The call was supposed to start at 3:15 Eastern and it started at 3:15 Eastern.
* He realizes you can’t talk about the economy without talking about the family.
* He realizes that a great deal of our problem with the economy is because of failed families.
* He realizes the differences between the family’s responsibilities and the government’s.
* He realizes that if people would give “one dime on every dollar they make” to their own churches we wouldn’t need government programs and explained how the church he attended in Arkansas helped provide children with food for the weekend.
* He realizes there shouldn’t be a “disconnect between social conservatives and fiscal conservatives.” “All SoCons are FiCons – but not all FiCons are SoCons” and voting records prove it.
* He realizes our founders expected our Government to be administered as locally as possible and would be willing to get rid of the Department of Education so that could be more possible.
* He realizes that “education is the ticket out of the hole” that can turn tax takers into tax payers.
* He realizes the “common opponent is Barack Obama and not each other.”
* He realizes it is troubling that we are fighting these wars with guards and reserves that aren’t complaining because they are good soldiers. “We’ve worn them out.” They were supposed to be here to help at home.

You can read an excerpt from the first chapter of Mike Huckabee’s book by clicking here.


Here is a link for a map of where you can get Mike Huckabee to autograph your copy of his new book and a link with a list of places he will be on tour and/or places where you can order it.

I haven’t received my copy of his book yet; but will be getting my birthday gift autographed at the book signing in Dubuque this weekend.

Mike Huckabee: "I don't plan to jump in a pool that has no water."

This quote is a slight variation of his comment in November. It appears as though Texas Conservative was correct. When Huckabee speaks of water, he's referring to money. It doesn't sound like the pool has any more water in it now than it did then. Furthermore, he hasn't been taking the necessary steps to increase the flow beyond a slow drip.

Politico reports:

...Asked how he'd run differently in 2012, the former Arkansas governor told Tumulty: "Money — lots of it. One thing I'm certainly going to gauge over the next few months is, would there be substantial financial support. ... I don't plan to jump in a pool that has no water."

Yet even though he knows he'd need more cash this time around he's done seemingly nothing to cultivate the GOP donor class. When Ben and I wrote a piece a few months back on Huck's role in 2012 we asked an adviser if the former candidate had been calling contributors. The response: "they're calling him!" Which is to say — no.

And in discussing his decision about whether to run, Huck, who now has a show on Fox News, has been telling people that he doesn't miss having to shake a "tin cup" and is glad to have Fox honcho Roger Ailes in charge of selling the commercials that pay his salary....

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