Rebuttal to the Huckabee's hard drive destruction in Arkansas

Tennessee for Huckabee has written an excellent rebuttal to the overly blown up controversy over Gov. Huckabee's administration destroying the hard drives of over 90 computers before leaving office.

Check it out!
http://tnhuck.blogspot.com/2007/10/fact-check-huckabee-hard-drive-scandal.html

Gov. Huckabee's Media Schedule this week - O'Reilly, Hannity and Colmes, GMA, and more!

Little Rock, AR – The following is a listing of schedule highlights for former AR Governor and Presidential Candidate Mike Huckabee for the week of October 29, 2007.

NOTE: For media planning purposes only. Subject to change.

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

7:10 a.m. ET – Guest on ABC's "Good Morning America" with political correspondent George Stephanopoulos to discuss growing momentum for Governor Huckabee's presidential campaign.

1:30 p.m. ET – Washington D.C. – Speaks at the National Republican Congressional Committee Event, The Mayflower Hotel, 1127 Connecticut Ave., NW. (This event is closed press). Contact: Kirsten Fedewa, 202-365-6936.

3:30 p.m. ET – Guest on MSNBC's "All Politics Day" with host Nora O'Donnell.

4:10 p.m. ET – Guest on CNN's "Situation Room" with host Wolf Blitzer.

5:00 p.m. ET – 6:00 p.m. ET – Washington D.C. – Guest on C-SPAN / XM POTUS "'08 Town Hall Meeting" with students from Thomas Jefferson Science and Technology High School . Listen live on XM Radio's POTUS '08 Channel as well as C-SPAN Radio. It will run on C-SPAN TV at 6:30 p.m. ET and 9:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov. 4.

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

7:40 a.m. ET – New York, NY – Guest on Fox Business Channel with host Alexis Glick to discuss presidential politics.

5:00 p.m. ET – New York, NY –Guest on Fox News' "Your World with Neal Cavuto" to discuss presidential politics.

7:30 p.m. ET – New York, NY – Guest on Fox Business Channel " America 's Nightly Scorecard" with host David Asman.

8:00 p.m. ET – New York, NY – Guest on Fox News' "The O'Reilly Factor" with host Bill O'Reilly to discuss presidential politics and the growing momentum for Governor Huckabee's presidential campaign.

9:00 p.m. ET – New York, NY – Guest on Fox News' "Hannity and Colmes" with his wife, Janet Huckabee as part of a series on the presidential candidates and their wives.

Thursday, November 1, 2007

6:30 a.m. ET – New York, NY – Guest on Fox News "Fox & Friends" with hosts Steve Doocy, Gretchen Carlson and Brian Kilmeade to discuss presidential politics.

10:30 a.m. ET – Guest on Accent Radio's "The Right Balance" with host Greg Allen to discuss presidential politics and the growing momentum in the Huckabee campaign. The show can be heard online at www.accentradio.com and www.therightbalance.org.

11:00 p.m. ET – Guest on PBS's "Charlie Rose" to discuss presidential politics. Check your local listing for show time or online at www.charlierose.com

More Chuck Norris - Gov Huckabee committed to fighting the War on Terror

(h/t Onemom)

Our man Chuck Norris or Charles as I like to call him has come out with another article stating Gov. Huckabee's positions on the Iraq War and the War on Terror in general. It is a must read for those who don't know much about Gov. Huckabee and those who think he is 'soft on terror'.

http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=58383

In the meantime, watch this video of Gov. Huckabee speaking at CPAC about the War on Terror.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=kcBTJWFrBCo

Also if you want to know what is Gov. Mike Huckabee's view on foreign policy, I recommend that you watch this video as well.
http://www.csis.org/component/option,com_csis_events/task,view/id,1388/

Gov. Huckabee and Sen. McCain at AARP forum on healthcare and social security

Context of that picture: Gov. Huckabee was addressed as "Senator" and the Governor said jokingly "please don't demote me like that, I'm a Governor". Sen. McCain threw his hands up in the air. :)

Folks, I don't know whether you were able to personally see the civil discussion between Gov. Huckabee and Sen. McCain about Social Security, Health care (or "Health) crisis, and unifying this country.

It's absolutely a 'MUST WATCH'. I personally thought (and many agree) that Gov. Huckabee won the discussion hands-down. Even McCain staffers would agree about that.

Gov. Huckabee has the God-given ability to communicate better than anyone I know. He is clear in his answers, he lays out the problem and then tells you want he will do to solve it. His actions in Arkansas clearly shows his passion about this issue. He worked with a lopsided democrat party controlled legislature and got a lot of issues solved in the area of health care.

Please watch this video and then comment about what you thought about it.

Thanks

Mike Huckabee in the words of US Presidents - Part 2

Continuation of Part 1

Pres. Clinton has always had good words to say about Gov. Huckabee. After all, they both come from Hope, Arkansas, both play instruments, and believe it or not Dick Morris advised them both. Also, both of them worked together on the Childhood Obesity Initiative. Here are some news stories, quotes, and video links you can see.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/04/health/04obese.html
Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, who is serving as co-chairman of the effort with Mr. Clinton, said he "got frightened to death" after developing Type 2 diabetes. Mr. Huckabee, a Republican, told the students that he had lost 110 pounds in the past two years.

Mr. Huckabee weighed 280 pounds two years ago, Jim Harris, a spokesman, said.

Looking at Mr. Huckabee, Mr. Clinton said, jokingly: "He is about half the size when I first met him. While I am always trying to shrink the ranks of Republicans, I never really thought this was the way to do it."

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Press Release: Clinton Foundation and American Heart Association Form Alliance to Create a Healthier Generation

http://www.clintonfoundation.org/050305-nr-cf-hs-hk-usa-pr-wjc-and-american-heart-association-healthier-generation-initiative.htm
Clinton Foundation and American Heart Association Form Alliance to Create a Healthier Generation

May 3, 2005
New York, NY

The American Heart Association and former President Bill Clinton announced plans today to join forces to create a new generation of healthy Americans by addressing one of the nation’s leading public health threats –- childhood obesity. They will be joined in their efforts by Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-Ark). The initiative will focus on preventing childhood obesity and creating healthier lifestyles for children overall....
The Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association are striving to achieve the same goals for American children, and have many complementary assets and abilities that will serve us well as we work together over the next decade,” said American Heart Association President Alice Jacobs, M.D. “President Clinton and Governor Huckabee are natural advocates for this issue. President Clinton’s passion was evident during his administration when he worked on many levels to advance the battle against heart disease and stroke. And his personal experience with heart disease drives him even further to ensure that our nation’s children make wise lifestyle choices that prevent them from developing chronic diseases such as heart disease. Gov. Huckabee has been instrumental in creating policies in his state that promote healthy lifestyles and he has been an excellent personal example of what can be accomplished when one takes steps to adopt heart-healthy habits. We are honored to be working with such distinguished partners.”

"The best way to prevent heart disease in adults is to cultivate healthy lifestyle habits in children,” said Governor Huckabee. “I hope that this effort will help American families, and especially children, to eat better, be more active, and live longer lives."

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Interview with Good Morning America - Gov. Mike Huckabee, Pres. Clinton

Video of Childhood Obesity Event featuring speeches from Pres. Clinton and Gov. Huckabee

Mike Huckabee in the words of US Presidents - Part 1

I did a whole bunch of 'googling' and research and found a bunch of quotes by President Bush and President Clinton. My intention here is to show that Gov. Huckabee has always been there, we just didn't know about him. I didn't know much about him till a few months ago.

I know Pres. Bush is very unpopular right now. It doesn't matter, just look at the context of the quotes. He's not just mildly praising him, him and Bush worked together when they were both Governors in the 1990's. Enjoy reading these 'historical' quotes!

All the quotes below are from Whitehouse.gov.

April 25, 2001

Budget and Tax Statement by the President
Little Rock National Airport
Little Rock, Arkansas

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all for coming. It's my honor to be back in Arkansas. It's great to be with my friend, the Governor. We got to know each other when I was the Governor of a neighboring state. I respected him then; I continue to hold him in high regard. Governor Huckabee is one of the more popular governors in the country because he's done in office what he said he would do.
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April 30, 2002

Mrs. Bush's Remarks at the Arkansas Early Childhood Cognitive Summit
As Delivered
Little Rock, Arkansas

Thank you very much. Governor and Mrs. Huckabee, thank you for hosting this summit. Mrs. Siegelman, Mrs. Keating, thank you for being here as well.

Today we explore subjects that are important to all of us: America's children and their future.
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June 3, 2002

President Says Strong Work Requirement Needed in Welfare Reform
Statehouse Convention Center
Little Rock, Arkansas
By the way, it's a nice way to travel I want you to know. I've known you're Governor for a long time. I'm proud to call him friend. I'm really -- I know you're grateful for the job he's doing as the Governor of this important state, and I want to thank him -- (applause.)

Mike's invited me to his church today; I'm going out there to talk about the need to be compassionate for people who hurt. And I can't wait to go. Mike, I want to thank you for the invitation for -- to give me a chance to herald the great faith that exists throughout our country and the importance of faith in the lives of our citizens, and the importance of faith to make sure our nation is as strong and as decent and as hopeful in every neighborhood as conceivably possible. (Applause.) ................

And you can join that army of compassion, too, by mentoring a child. I told you, we're going to Huckabee's church excuse me, Governor Huckabee's church I call him Huckabee. (Laughter.) This is a church which is helping welfare recipients learn a skill so they can work. There's nothing more there's no more there's no better way to earn dignity than to work. And this church understands that. (Applause.)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

November 4, 2002

Remarks by the President at Arkansas Welcome
Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport
Bentonville, Arkansas

THE PRESIDENT: Well, first of all, we're working our way back to Texas because tomorrow is voting day........

And I know something about being a government. And you've got a good one. (Applause.) You not only have a good one, you've got a great one. (Applause.) The best thing for Arkansas, the best thing for the taxpayers of Arkansas, the best thing for the schoolchildren of Arkansas is to reelect Mike Huckabee. (Applause.) ..............

I'm here in Arkansas asking all the good citizens of this state, Republicans and Democrats, independents, people who don't give a hoot about politics, to do your duty as Americans. You have an obligation. But when you get in that voting booth I do have some suggestions. (Laughter.) Hutchinson and Huckabee. (Applause.)

No, I'm proud to call Mike Huckabee friend. I knew him -- known him for a long while. We were both governors together, and I've watched his passion when it comes to education. See, education is to a state what national defense is to the federal government. It's the most important responsibility of the state government, I think. And Mike shares that point of view.

I was here a while ago to talk about advance reading programs, states which have changed their curriculum to make sure that every child could learn to read. One of the first states that I came to was one of the first states that responded -- this state of Arkansas, led by your Governor, stepped up to the plate to make sure that every child can learn how to read. (Applause.)

No, he's got a heart. He cares deeply about everybody in this state. See, the thing I like about Mike, he's not one of the fellows that travels around the state saying, well, I'll try to help these folks only because they agree with me politically. Mike Huckabee cares for everybody in Arkansas. And that's why, coming Tuesday, this good state is going to send this good man, with overwhelming numbers, back to the statehouse. (Applause.)

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For Immediate Release
February 25, 2006

President's Radio Address
......I'll also discuss with governors our progress in the war on terror. The states are playing a vital role in the war effort through the contributions of their National Guard units. During the past two years, many governors have traveled to Iraq or Afghanistan to visit with the men and women from their states who are serving in freedom's cause. These governors have seen firsthand the courage of our troops and their dedication to the mission. Last month, Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee visited Iraq and Afghanistan with three of his fellow governors. He said: "People back home need to realize just how proud they should be of our men and women here. It is obvious these troops remain upbeat and focused on ridding the world of terrorists.

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Mike Huckabee responds to John Fund's Article on WSJ

Little Rock, AR – Presidential Candidate and Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee wrote the following letter to the editor of the Wall Street Journal in response to Friday’s column by John Fund:


To the Editor:

John Fund’s view of my ten-and-a-half-year record as governor of Arkansas and my vision for America’s future (“Another Man from Hope, Who is Mike Huckabee?”) calls for me to set the record straight.

It’s important to note that every living Republican in Arkansas who has been elected to either a statewide or a federal office has endorsed my candidacy. I’m grateful for their support and proud that in 1998, I received the largest percentage of votes ever received by a Republican gubernatorial nominee in Arkansas, and that Arkansans re-elected me to another four-year term in November 2002.

I am even prouder that, throughout my tenure as governor and lieutenant governor of Arkansas, I campaigned tirelessly for countless Republican candidates for the state house and federal office – and even helped get some elected.

As governor, I pushed through the Arkansas Legislature the first major, broad-based tax cuts in state history — a $90 million tax relief package for Arkansas families; led efforts to establish a Property Taxpayers' Bill of Rights; and created a welfare reform program that reduced the welfare rolls in the state by almost 50 percent. We also doubled the standard deduction to $2,000 for single taxpayers and $4,000 for those who are married. In total, I led the fight to cut taxes and fees over 90 times during my ten-and-a-half years as governor, saving the people of Arkansas almost $380 million. When I left office, Arkansas had over $800 million in state surplus.

One of my proudest achievements as governor was signing legislation creating ARKids First – creating health insurance coverage for more than 70,000 Arkansas children who otherwise might have gone without. I am firmly committed to finding a way to provide health care and a better education for America’s children, who hold the key to our nation’s future. Unfortunately, there seems to be a serious misunderstanding about my SCHIP comment at a recent presidential debate.

I was not criticizing President Bush’s veto as a matter of policy, but as a matter of politics. I fully believe that Bush should have negotiated a compromise and not let it get to the point of a veto. Bush indicated he was willing to spend more than the $5 billion he originally proposed, but less than the $35 billion the Democrats pushed through, so there was clearly room to negotiate. In no way do I support spending an additional $35 billion, or moving two million children from private insurance to government insurance, or letting SCHIP be a step on the path to socialized medicine.

I believe that we must be good stewards of our environment and support many paths to reducing our emission of greenhouse gases, such as more nuclear power and alternative sources of clean energy. As part of our overall effort, I also support a cap and trade system, which has worked well for reduction of sulphur dioxide emissions. However, I do not agree with those who want all allowances to be auctioned off because I believe that will create too great a burden on businesses. The alternative to cap and trade is a carbon tax, which I don’t support.

It is difficult to fully understand the institutional challenges of a Republican running for office in Arkansas. In 1993, when I was elected lieutenant governor, I was the fourth Republican to be elected to statewide office since Reconstruction. Students of Arkansas politics should talk to former U.S. Senator Tim Hutchinson, U.S. Rep. John Boozman or former Rep. Jay Dickey, all of whom support my candidacy for president, but none of whom is cited in Fund’s column, about these challenges.

Nevertheless, running for election and re-election, and more importantly, governing in an overwhelmingly Democratic state, prepared me to climb that next mountain: running for president and leading America with an optimistic vision and solid plans to successfully confront the complex challenges we face today.

Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Mike Huckabee
Presidential Candidate
Former Governor of Arkansas (1996-2007)

Huckabee Campaign responds to the vicious Spectator.org article

THE HUCKABEE RECORD
Re: Quin Hillyer's A Tale of Two Candidates:

The October 24, 2007 article by Quin Hillyer, "A Tale of Two Candidates," is a biased and complete distortion of the record of Governor Mike Huckabee that needs to be addressed.

It is indeed disappointing -- but perhaps telling -- that Mr. Hillyer contacted neither the Governor nor the Huckabee for President Campaign for this article. The resurfacing of these old allegations, which have previously been addressed, and the Governor's surge in recent polling, is also suspect.

Clearly, the facts show that Mr. Hillyer needs to do his homework. The overwhelming majority of ethics complaints filed against Governor Huckabee in the state of Arkansas were regularly dismissed and / or proven to be frivolous.

It is also important to note that many of these complaints were filed by a member of the Arkansas "media." There was no mention in Mr. Hillyer's work that these complaints were later dismissed by that same news outlet.

The REAL story is that, despite the many attempts, there has never been a finding that Governor Huckabee ever received an illegal gift. Period.

To attack Governor Huckabee's wife, Janet, is the worst kind of journalism. As First Lady of Arkansas, Mrs. Huckabee served with dignity for many years. She was a leader behind the scenes during natural disasters within the state -- and her support of education and children is second to none.

With regards to attacking his fiscal record as Governor, what "think-tanks" such as CATO or Club for Growth consistently fail to recognize is that, regardless of party or politics, governors are responsible for delivering better government and balanced budgets to the people they represent. What mattered most to the people of Arkansas is results -- not rhetoric -- which is why Mike Huckabee was elected and re-elected as Governor.

A fair appraisal of Governor Huckabee's record reveals that he is an authentic, consistent conservative whose goal is to reduce both taxes and spending when he is President. Here are the facts.

* Regarding his record, Arkansas voters overwhelmingly approved of Mike Huckabee's performance in office. He was elected to a four-year term as governor in 1998, after succeeding to office in 1996, attracting the largest percentage of the vote ever received by a Republican gubernatorial nominee in Arkansas. In 2002, he was re-elected to another four-year term. When he left office earlier this year, his job approval rating was in the high 60s.

* Without doubt, Mike Huckabee is a fiscal conservative who cut taxes almost 100 times in the state of Arkansas and returned almost $400 million to Arkansas taxpayers, including the first broad-based tax cut in the history of the state.

* He also doubled the standard deduction and the child care tax credit and eliminated the marriage penalty and the capital gains tax on the sale of a home. He reduced the capital gains tax for businesses and individuals. He indexed the income tax to protect people from paying higher taxes because of "bracket creep."

* Governor Huckabee left the state with almost $1 billion in surplus, setting the stage for further tax reductions. He cut welfare rolls by almost 50 percent, while balancing the state budget every year of his terms.

* With respect to the tax and spending that he had under his control, spending rose about six-tenths of one percent a year during his ten-and-a-half year tenure. In Arkansas, over 90% of the state general revenue budget is spent on three things: education, Medicaid, and prisons. If the state entirely eliminated everything else but those three, it would save less than 10% of the budget. Despite those limitations, Huckabee managed to enact budget cuts.

Regarding Wayne DuMond, here are the facts:

* Governor Jim Guy Tucker gave executive clemency to Wayne DuMond, and commuted his sentence to 39.5 years. This action made it possible for Wayne DuMond to receive parole.

* The parole board was made up entirely of Governor Bill Clinton and Governor Jim Guy Tucker appointees. Governor Huckabee didn't have one member on the board that he had appointed.

* Governor Huckabee never took action in the DuMond case that made him parole eligible.

* Governor Huckabee either denied the commutation and pardon request, or took no action (which is the same as a denial) on 4 separate occasions.

* This wasn't Governor Huckabee's decision to parole Wayne Dumond. Governor Huckabee had no authority to do that, as governors don't have that authority in the parole process.

* The fact remains that Governor Huckabee didn't commutate, pardon, parole or grant any form of clemency to Wayne DuMond.

* Governor Huckabee denied 2/3 of all pardon requests while Governor of Arkansas from July 15, 1996-December 31, 2006.

* Governor Huckabee denied 86% of all commutation requests during the same period.

* Governor Huckabee signed off on, and carried out 16 executions while he was governor, which were more than 20 other states that currently had the death penalty in place.

It's interesting that this wasn't an issue for 6 years (1996-2002) until the election year of 2002, when Governor Huckabee's Democratic opponent, in the midst of a heated general election, made a political issue out of the case.

Finally, one more note: Calling him "The Huckster" in a hatchet job like this shows disrespect, not only to the Governor himself, but to the office he held for 10 1/2 years.

Governor Mike Huckabee has shown leadership, compassion and strength in tough times. In this important presidential election cycle, the facts are what matter to the American people.

Sincerely,
-- John "Chip" Saltsman
National Campaign Manager
Huckabee for President

Importance of a Grassroots campaign for Huckabee

Gov. Huckabee said this recently about his campaign:
"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they attack you, then they show up for your inauguration."

This is a paraphrased version of what Gandhi said once and it really does exemplify the step-by-step progress the Huckabee campaign is making.

We can remember the days when Gov. Huckabee was ignored and placed along with all the other unknown candidates. A few but very vocal and energetic supporters saw his genuineness and his eloquence in communicating very divisive topics and we put our support behind him.

I remember reading the blog comments on mikehuckabee.com back in May and June and many were contributing to a candidate for the first time. I personally always thought donating to a political campaign was a waste of money. However, when I saw Gov. Huckabee speak during the debates, I felt a very huge burden to do whatever it takes to help this man win the nomination for President. I was convinced that the money that I will donate to Gov. Huckabee would never be wasted. I know the outcome, and it will be victory.

As time went by Governor Huckabee started winning straw polls, doing well in more and more debates, and the media started giving him free-time because they love an underdog. Many at that point made fun of his last name. Many mocked the fact that he was a pastor before entering politics.

Now we have just entered the period of attacks on Gov. Huckabee now that he is in the first-tier. Several news websites with little credibility have started coming out with vicious articles. The unfortunate part is that many mainstream conservative websites are linking to those articles and are joining in their attacks against Gov. Huckabee.

From now till the end of the republican primary will be an attack season on Gov. Huckabee.

Folks, I can't think of a time when significant grassroots efforts are needed for our candidate. The evangelical leaders don't listen to our opinions anymore, and the conservative media websites think they can muzzle anyone into electing who they want. IT IS TIME WE TELL THEM WHO WE CHOOSE AND NOT TAKE THE BACKSEAT.

Many of us have no experience in being in a political campaign, haven't spoken in front of people nor have organized fundraising events. Nevertheless, one has to start somewhere and here are some things you can do if you are a supporter of Mike Huckabee:
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(credit to 'mommahawk' from Oklahoma)

1. Register for Huck's Army Forum to connect and get involved!

2. Join Huck's Army (enlist at www.hucksarmy.com)

3. Connect with local Huckabee efforts or start a group in your area at http://mikehuckabee.meetup.com/about

4. Volunteer! Sign up for Team Huckabee at www.mikehuckabee.com

5. Contact friends and family. Open up that address book and send out emails to let everyone know why YOU LIKE MIKE!

6. DONATE!! Go to www.mikehuckabee.com and click on "Contribute."

7. Make Mike a friend. Add Mike Huckabee to your Facebook or Myspace account.

8. Contact influential religious and political leaders and encourage them to back Mike! See this thread for more information: http://forum.hucksarmy.com/viewtopic.php?t=76

9. Write your local newspaper and let them know why you like Mike!

10. Get your Huckabee Gear and show off your support for Mike. Visit the campaign store or www.mikehuckabeestuff.com

----------------------------------------------------

forum.hucksarmy.com is a very very valuable forum for grassroots activists who support Gov. Huckabee. You can find forums on Gov. Huckabee's record, ideas on how to raise funds, how to spread the word, etc. Please register yourself and join in the discussion!!!

CHUCK NORRIS SUPPORTS HUCKABEE

This is just a light-hearted post. It is great to get Chuck Norris' endorsement and whether it has any impact I don't know. However, I would tell you that he is very detailed on why he supports him.

Its a nice read! Read it here..

Foxnews Republican Debate 10/21

UPDATE:::::I loved the response from the Fox News Focus Group. At least 3 of them said that Huckabee wasn't given a chance to speak and they liked his responses from the 4 questions that were asked of him. I was extremely surprised to hear that response and I literally jumped out of my seat!! The whole video of the Luntz experiment is below. The conversation about Huckabee is towards the end.



huckabee.tommybrents.com created this graph of the amount of time given per candidate. After watching the clip above, I would say Huckabee made use of his very limited minutes. This man is truly an underdog, I believe with all my heart that God will raise this "David". Just watch.

UPDATE: Why is Gov. Huckabee's website down? Ktracy.com said that it possibly might be a SPAM attack/ DOS.

THOUGHTS BEFORE DEBATE
I'm not putting expectations high for Gov. Huckabee just because I know the questioners are not going to ask him any substantive questions.

These are the two key criteria that Gov. Huckabee has to meet in this debate:
- Gov. Huckabee has to stand out, which means he needs to clearly differentiate himself against all the other candidates. He knows actually how and when to speak, so I have all the confidence in him.
- Gov. Huckabee has to appear presidential. He needs to come strong against terrorism and explain the War on Terror in a way no one in that audience has heard before.

Lets pray for the Governor and see what happens!

THOUGHTS AFTER THE DEBATE:
Like I predicted Gov. Huckabee got very few questions. No surprise there.

Gov. Huckabee tried to break out of the group and told the fellow candidates to fight it out amongst themselves and he will be standing alone after it all. Whether it worked or not I don't know.
What I know is Gov. Huckabee answered every single questions clearly and concise. If Republicans want to win they better get this man nominated. I can't wait to see a debate between Gov. Huckabee and Hillary.

Congrats Govenor-Elect Bobby Jindal!

Bobby Jindal won the Louisiana Gubernatorial Election yesterday by over 50% and by the way, there was 3 candidates running!!

Gov. Elect Jindal is the youngest Governor ever elected in the US at 36 years old. He is also the first nonwhite governor elected in Louisiana since the Reconstruction. Obviously, he is also the first Indian-American to become a governor ever!

As an Indian-American myself, I am extremely proud of this moment. I'm also encouraged by the fact that even an Indian-American can rise up and serve the people. It inspires me to even run for something. (I might've went too far on that)

Actually Jindal was the most formidable and smart candidate running in the election. No one doubted that.

Surprise: Romney campaign spins the results

Byron York on NationalReview.com posts the latest spin coming from the Romney Campaign. It seems like there is a close relationship between the Romney campaign and NationalReview.com columnists because they seem to stick up for Romney every time something negative comes against him.

A representative of the Romney campaign just called to point out that some people who attended the Values Voters conference in person might still have voted online. "You could vote in person or you could vote online," he said. "That might be a reason why there is a bigger gap." He didn't claim that Romney actually won the on-site contest, only that it might not have been quite the Huckabee blowout that it appears. And indeed, that might help explain why the on-site vote total was just 952, when more than 2,500 people registered for the conference.

My Thoughts: Frankly what difference does it make. Gov. Romney won by 30 votes overall. There were 5775 total votes and like Byron York says 2500 people registered for the conference. That leaves us with 3275 extra online voters. Couldn't the 30 extra voters come from them?

I still believe there was a definite blow out in support of Mike Huckabee among the on-site voters. It might not have been as high as the stats say but I think Gov. Huckabee got at least 40 percent with Mitt Romney at 25%. Romney's support might be even lower if we factor in Fred Thompson's supporters as well.

Let me put a spin the results as well. If most of the voters placed their vote before even hearing Giuliani and Huckabee then that means they didn't give a fair chance to hear all candidates. Can't we assume that if those delegates who voted early had heard Gov. Huckabee a day earlier they would've changed their vote? There was a report about a voter who switched his support from Thompson to Huckabee after hearing Huckabee's speech.

We can spin this thing however we want. The main point is that Gov. Huckabee needs to be placed in the first-tier. Romney spent millions and millions (including 10+ million of his own) and Huckabee spent virtually less than 1/10th. He's closely competing with Romney in Iowa and in every straw poll Huckabee seems to steal the thunder away from Romney. I hope many in the mainstream notice this and stop belittling Gov. Huckabee.

MIKE HUCKABEE 51.2% vs ROMNEY 10.4%

Good news for Gov. Huckabee!!!!!
Here's the link

This is the onsite poll results - those who were at the summit- which I think is more significant. The onsite voters includes prominent Christian conservatives and their support should weigh more than regular people who paid $1 to vote online (like myself).

Overall Mitt Romney and Gov. Huckabee were almost tied at 27% with Romney leading thinly (this includes online voters). I frankly thought Ron Paul was going to get either 1st or 2nd knowing his fanatic supporters.

ON SITE VOTE: MIKE HUCKABEE 51.2% vs ROMNEY 10.4%

Mike Huckabee	488	51.26%
Mitt Romney	99	10.40%
Fred Thompson	77	8.09%
Tom Tancredo	65	6.83%%
Rudy Giuliani	60	6.30%
Duncan Hunter	54	5.67%
John McCain	30	3.15%
Sam Brownback	26	2.73%
Ron Paul	25	2.63%
Undecided	11	1.16%
Not Voting	7	0.74%
Barack Obama	5	0.53%
Christopher Dodd	2	0.21%
Dennis Kucinich	2	0.11%
Joe Biden	1	0.11%
Hillary Clinton	0	0.00%
John Edwards	0	0.00%
Mike Gravel	0	0.00%
Bill Richardson	0	0.00%
Total	952	100%

Liveblogging the Values Voters Summit

UPDATE: VIDEO OF SPEECH

Transcript of Speech - Click Here

Quotes from Gov. Huckabee:

“We do not have the right to move the standards of God to meet cultural norms, we need to move cultural norms to meet God’s standards.’’

“There were times… when things amongst us were negotiable. But some things are not negotiable, the sanctity of life, the definition of marriage… Let us never sacrifice our principles for anybody’s politics – not now, not ever.’’

“I do not spell G-O-D G-O-P, our party may be important, but our principles are even more important…. It is time for those of us who call ourselves values voters to pledge our lives, our families, our fortunes and our sacred honor to that which is right and which is eternal."

Part of the video(a few mins) of Gov. Huckabee speaking at the event

Jon at huckabee08.blogspot.com is at the Values Voters Summit in Washington D.C and is liveblogging from the event arena itself.

Check out his blog post!

Thanks Jon for being our eyes and ears!

Update: I'm not sure whether he is going to liveblog his speech, but he will definitely give his insights of how the audience reacted and how the speech was in general.

Update: Byron York at NationalReview.com says this: But if ovations at the Value Voters Summit determined who would be the Republican candidate, Mike Huckabee would win.

Update: Erick at Redstate.com says this:
Mike Huckabee is coming. The Arkansas folks in the crowd go nuts. They won't stop cheering.

It's abundantly apparent from the corridors to the reception he gets when he comes in that Huckabee is among his own, more so than Romney or Fred.

He starts with an Al Gore joke. Then he talks about baby boomers now entering the system and what's going to happen when the hippies realize they can now get free drugs.

"I come as one not who comes to you, but as one who comes from you. You are my roots," he says as he sinks in to his speech. He points out that he started out as a Baptist minister. He tells a joke about a lady asking if he was one of those Baptists who was so narrow minded he thought only the Baptists would go to heaven. He says, "Lady, I'm more narrow minded than that. I don't think even all the Baptists are going to heaven."

Now he transcends into "non-negotiable values." Freedom. Family. Faith.

He says we cannot "negotiate, accommodate, or placate Islamic terrorists. We must eliminate." The crowd likes that. "We cannot have the naive idea that if we leave them alone they will leave us alone. That will get us killed," he says as the crowd roars.

Then he goes into immigration and the broken border. He says he thanks God that we live in a place where people want to break into than break out of, but how terrible it is that it is more difficult for us to get on an airplane in our hometown than it is for an illegal to get over the border. Biggest Applause of Any Speech Yet That I've Seen.

He says he doesn't blame those who want to come here. He blames the government that has sat around doing nothing for over 20 years. Again, the crowd goes nuts.

He moves to energy and how bad it is that we are so dependent on energy from others. People in the crowd verbally agree with him. Then he bashes China and the crowd goes wild. Romney should be nervous. So should Fred.

"Our freedom is threatened by a tax system that is out of control." "As we say in the south, not even duct tape and WD-40 can fix it." He goes into Fair Tax. He points out how it would stop the IRS from muzzling ministers in the pulpits from speaking out. The crowd goes wild again.

He brings up the Law of the Sea Treaty. The people clap. He says any judge that thinks he can legislate from the bench "ought to be impeached." My ears are ringing the crowd is so loud.

Thompson and Romney should be worried. We have reached the crowd favorite.

Now he goes into marriage. The crowd goes wild and these, by the way, are not his people. His small group is up front, but the rest of the crowd is not his, but they are now.

"Why are we importing so many to do our work? Because we've aborted over a million Americans." He calls it a holocaust. The crowd gets loud, but not as loud as at other points.

"We don't need to move God to meet the cultural norms. We need to move the cultural norms to meet God." Massive applause. Standing ovation.

Now he's moved on to how faith is threatened in this country. He says there was once a time when some things were negotiable, but the sanctity of life and marriage and our freedom was not and never should be negotiable. "Let us never sacrifice our principles for anybody's politics," he says. The crowd likes that line.

"You know the prophets of old spoke the truth boldly," he says. "They spoke the truth to power. All of you in this room have the power to go back to your states and counties and be true to your faith and convictions."

Now he transitions into sermon. He talks about Jesus (I don't remember Romney talking about the J man). He talks about believing in a God who could light a fire on wood soaked in water. He talks about Jesus raising Lazarus. "I don't ever want anyone to let us replace expediency as new values for our long held values." Someone shouts "Come on Mike!" He crowd starts yelling. They stand. They clap. They cheer. They whistle.

"I do not spell G-O-D, G-O-P. Our party may be important. But our principles are more important." He says we cannot compromise our core beliefs. He says "Ladies and Gentlemen, it is time for those of us who call ourselves value voters to pledge our lifes, our fortunes, our sacred honor to that which is right, and true, and eternal."

And then he's gone.

Update: Onemom says this: "WOW!!!! Standing in front of my computer cheering, praising God and tears running down my face! The little I have written here today does not begin to capture the passion, the power and the conviction of Gov. Huckabee’s address this morning."

Update: 'Swamp Politics' covers the event as well.

Update: I'm waiting for Melinda at Stand to Reason blog to comment on Gov. Huckabee's speech as well. Hopefully it will be up soon! I love Greg Koukl and the Stand to Reason ministry.

Update: H/t to Onemom
Mere Orthodoxy covers the Summit.
Active Christian Media says Gov. Huckabee brought down the house.

Update: My thoughts.
As a evangelical Christian, I loved everything he said. The Governor didn't make a political speech. It sounded much like a sermon. Many anti-religious people were able to gather bunch of sound clips for future use in case he gets the nomination. I think we should look at the context and the location where he made the speech. Remember, he was speaking to values voters at a Values Voter Summit.
Most who follow the Governor knows that he knows when to speak, what, and how. He was merely revealing his core values. This is who he is, and why he entered politics after being a pastor for a number of years. I'm sure he is more than willing to accept the consequences for communicating what he believes even if it means losing the nomination.
To those who don't follow the Governor that much, this speech might have been overwhelming. I can tell you that almost 75% of the time the Governor talks about public policy in a secular way. His record as the Governor of Arkansas shows that he's not a radical right-wing Christian, he is a Christian with common sense. He has great communication skills and he is able to articulate ideas in a way that unites both left and right. He always reiterates the fact that he believes in vertical politics and policies that lifts us up, not bring us down.
This man needs our support. I really believe that the resurgence of Mike Huckabee is an act of Providence.

Update: CBN's David Brody titles his blog post : Huckabee's Grand Slam. Very nice post!

Rich Lowry on National Review says the following:
Wow. Let me repeat: Wow. What an incredible communicator. His message has gotten stronger with the accent on Buchanesque nationalist/protectionist notes, and he speaks the language of these kind of voters better than anyone. I found myself getting goose-bumps near the end of his speech when he invoked a long series of Biblical underdogs, beginning with David and his five smooth stones. He made as strong a case as possible for putting all pragmatic considerations aside and going with him. And no one could mistake the shots at Romney, including a reference to candidates who have as many positions as Elvis had sizes to his waist-band. Watch out in Iowa.

MY THOUGHTS: Rich, I don't think Gov. Huckabee can be compared to Buchanan. He is only seeking a balance in how we outsource our resources and basically depend on China for most of our needs. That is a very common-sense view, and let's not put any labels on it. He's merely speaking his mind. He did make a very excellent argument about why the Christian conservative movement shouldn't take the pragmatic approach and blindly support the "most winnable" candidate according conventional wisdom in the media.
I really believe many will compare Huckabee to a Buchanan, or Pat Robertson, or Gary Bauer. It's like comparing apples and oranges. Gov. Huckabee led an entire state for 11 years, won by huge margins and ended his term as a popular governor. Time Magazine named him one of the Best Governors in 2005. He is very formidable and viable.

My Letter to Gary Bauer

For those who don't know Gary Bauer, here is his website.

Gary Bauer's endorsement really wouldn't help Gov. Huckabee, but Mr. Bauer's recent comments belittling him will. All I ask of him is to not saying negative things about a fellow Evangelical candidate, but just say "Gov. Huckabee is a formidable candidate". He might personally think Giuliani has a better chance, but thats just his view.

Here's what Richard Land said recently, and maybe this is a good format for Gary Bauer to use:
"When asked who among the other candidates he liked Land said he had no problem with John McCain or Fred Thompson but added "I know Mike Huckabee. I think he would make a fine president."

I just wonder why in the world Bauer ran for president in 1999 against George W. Bush. He was in the race for a while as a 3rd Tier candidate. He was wrong then, and he's wrong now.

Anyways, here's the letter I emailed him:
-----------------------------
Mr. Bauer,
As I type this email I'm watching your speech at the Family Research Council convention. You mentioned that we need a war president and that prompted me to write to you.

Previously, you also made some comments about Gov. Huckabee being weak on Terror and I wanted to address that.

Here is the link to the speech Gov. Huckabee made at CSIS in Washington D.C. about foreign policy. I am a pro-war on terror, born-again Christian and I absolutely agree with what he had to say. He eloquently stated what's at stake 1000 times better than what Bush has ever articulated.
Video: http://media.csis.org/csistv/?070928_huckabee
Transcript: http://www.csis.org/media/csis/events/070928_huckabee.pdf
Audio: http://www.csis.org/media/csis/events/070928_huckabee.m3u

Please take a look at his foreign policy views. He is well informed and he did visit Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo Bay as the Governor of Arkansas. What foreign experience does Mitt Romney, Thompson, Giuliani have? Giuliani has spoken a lot about foreign policy, but thats it.

I know you know Gov. Huckabee is a strong pro-life candidate. He is authentic, conservative, God-fearing, appealing to both democrats and republicans.

I ask you reconsider your views and give him a second look. Please look into your conscience and support the man who most closely aligns with your views. If you as a leader of the Christian conservative movement put aside your convictions, then we the Christian conservatives won't be a viable constituency anymore. It matters what God thinks, not the latest pew poll.

Thanks and God Bless you!

Justin
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Mike Huckabee on Glenn Beck - About his faith

Gov. Huckabee shines as most authentic when he talks about his faith in Christ. This is an area that is extremely hard to fake. As a Christian, it is very easy to spot a phony and Gov. Huckabee ain't a phony.

Huck-a-Mania Running Wild..

Dean Barnett has written an article on WeeklyStandard.com about the rising stock of Gov. Huckabee. The picture above was designed by Weekly Standard as well. I thought it was amusing.

Brownback may drop out of race tomorrow

I have been calling for this for a long time. I’m glad the Senator is gracefully pulling out. All the best to him and his family.

 

From AP

WASHINGTON - Republican Sam Brownback will drop out of the 2008 presidential campaign on Friday, people close to the Kansas senator said Thursday. Brownback, a longshot conservative contender, had trouble raising money to compete in the race. He is expected announce his withdrawal in Topeka, Kan.

He raised a little more than $800,000 in the third quarter of this year, his lowest quarterly amount since entering race. He has brought in more than $4 million overall and is eligible for $2 million in federal matching funds.

"I know Senator Brownback enjoyed campaigning and meeting new people in talking about ideas for the future of America, but I think it came down to money," said one person close to Brownback, who requested anonymity because the candidate had not yet announced his plans.

Huckabee pulls a Giuliani

Huckabee Strategy Session

I haven't posted a blog post in a while and I'm trying to get back on track. I wanted to make some observations on the status of the Huckabee campaign and where it's headed.

AS OF NOW:

• In the past month or so, there has been an uptick in Gov. Huckabee's support in key primary states and also nationally.
  
• Since the 3rd quarter, the Huckabee campaign's fundraising efforts have stepped up and they are raising relatively more money. The campaign is looking to hire a fundraising chief.
  
• The campaign started an online store and also have begun meetup groups.
  
• Mikehuckabee.com is one of the most visited campaign websites on the GOP side.
• The debates are still helping the Governor very much and more media personalities are including him in the top-tier.
  

ISSUES ARISING:

• The non-social conservatives are defining Mike Huckabee as a 'populist' and socialist tax-hiker- The campaign needs to address this group and not let them define the Governor. This is a serious issue and can hurt the Governor in the long run as more people hear about the Governor from these economic conservative columnists and commentators on Fox News, National Review, Weekly Standard, Townhall.com, NewsMax, Hot Air, etc. Rather than just keep saying the Governor cut taxes 90 times or whatever, the Governor should talk about the benefits of having low taxes and how it helps the economy. The fact that he signed the no new taxes pledge should be stressed.
  
• The misconception about the national smoking-ban - Many including Ann Coulter are accusing of the Governor of supporting an all-nation smoking ban in every public place. That is just not true. The campaign needs to address this and not let others define the Governor.
• Accusing the Governor of being 'soft on terror' - Many who follow the Governor's campaign know that the Governor can't be any more pro- 'war on terror'. Again the problem is that there are many folks out there who do not follow politics. They listen to the soundbites on the news and just one clip of someone like Gary Bauer saying "Huckabee is soft on terror" is enough for them to say "NEXT". The campaign should take notice of this.
• 'The Governor can't raise money which means he can't manage a campaign well" - I've noticed that the Governor has been dealing effectively against this rhetoric but this still remains as an issue. Keep going at it!
  

There are so many other issues but these are the top four. I'm encouraged to see that no one is really writing off the Governor but they are some pro-Giuliani and pro-Thompson commentators that are attacking Gov. Huckabee and defining him through their articles and media publicity. If the campaign can't start defining their candidate much more effectively, then you will see an increasing number of republicans rejecting Gov. Huckabee as a viable candidate.