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.

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.

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.

'Ridiculous' Richard

Dr. Richard Land, a well-known Southern Baptist official has put his support behind Actor Fred Thompson.
I read this quote on Brody File and everything in it can be applied to Gov. Huckabee (except for the last part). Here's what he said:

Land explained to me why Thompson appeals to some voters.
“Fred Thompson grew up in a very modest means in a small town in America just like Ronald Reagan grew up in very modest means in a small town in Illinois. You acquire not only an understanding of but a respect for everyday folk when you come from the background that you don’t get otherwise and people sense it. That this is a guy who respects me, a guy who understands that we are the backbone of this country, we are the salt of the Earth and he not only understands us, he’s one of us. He’s a successful one of us but he’s one of us and they trust a guy like that. They give a guy like that a larger margin of error. Nobody gets everything right but its core values. My assessment is that this guy is a whole much like Reagan including his Teflon quality. The press has been beating up with him for these types of gaffes and he continues to climb in the polls.”

I placed some emphasis on the key points of his long, drawn out, quote. If one reads them they would think he is talking about Mike Huckabee.

I HONESTLY don't know why there is this big republican nostalgia over Reagan. The truth is there will never be another 'Reagan.' He has also made a few gaffes and mistakes, but as time goes by, we tend to forget those shortcomings. I can bet you Pres. Bush will be looked at in a kinder light about 10 years after he leaves office.

Fred Thompson is a media-made character. People are buying a lot of stock on him without even knowing what he has done and who he even is. Do you think he can beat Hillary?? Hillary is going to even more confidently stress her experience, and Fred Thompson won't be able to hit back because he doesn't have any.

The fact that he is not comfortable talking about his faith tells one how much he considers God as a priority in his life. Gov Huckabee said that his faith makes who he is. Have you heard any other candidate make a similar statement? All others have said "My faith is important to me, but I don't wear it on my sleeve" (or something like that).
It's unthinkable for a church leader like Richard Land to snub a fellow Southern Baptist like Gov. Mike Huckabee who has 14 years of executive experience in Arkansas as Liet. Gov and as Governor (for 11 years). Mike Huckabee isn't a Gary Bauer, or a Pat Robertson, or a Pat Buchanan. This is a man who has lead an entire state successfully with integrity and honor. He is immensely qualified.

What kind of experience does Fred Thompson have? He is not faithful with the little things, such as his own campaign. People are quitting every other day.

I hope the republicans will have the courage to stand behind the man that has crossover appeal and conservative values i.e., Gov. Huckabee.

Interesting facts on Gov. Huckabee

29 Things You Don't Know About Mike Huckabee

1. He narrated the Doctor Suess book, Horton Hatches An Egg in a high school play.
2. He's a big fan of The Three Stooges.
3. He's a great cook.
4. He rides his bicycle to the grocery store.
5. He likes Yarnell's guilt free ice cream.
6. He likes to snorkle.
7. He likes the The Colbert Report.
8. His favorite actor is Robert De Niro.
9. His favorite actress is Meryl Streep.
10. He reads a chapter of Proverbs every single day when he wakes up.
11. He is not fond of heights.
12. He's like a kid at Christmas because he wants to open Christmas gifts early just so he can see what he got.
13. He organizes his socks, and everything else.
14. He prepares his own breakfast the night before to save time in the morning because getting up no later than 4:30 might not be enough time.
15. He talks to "the Boys" (his three dogs) and thinks they are listening.
16. He graduated from College magna cum laude with a 4 year degree in just over 2 years.
17. His Dad picked him up from school once in a car that had no body, just a frame and wooden boxes for seats.
18. He does great impressions of Billy Graham, Jimmy Stewart, Ronald Reagan, and Ross Perot.
19. He was left handed but was made to write with his right hand in elementary school.
20. He wanted to be an astronaut in first grade.
21. He was a pretty shy kid.
22. He can't sit still. If there is ever a free minute he feels the need to get up and immediately start on a new project, for instance the minute a meal is over he has to get up and start putting things away and doing dishes.
23. One of his favorite television shows is The Sopranos.
24. His favorite snack food is movie style popcorn. And he likes it so much his wife Janet bought him a popcorn machine for christmas.
25. He gave Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones a pardon when he was Governor.
26. He loves to play practical jokes.
27. His favorite movies are To Kill a Mockingbird and Casablanca.
28. His favorite church hymns are A Mighty Fortress is our God and In the Garden.
29. One of his dreams is to watch a game in every Major League baseball park.

TODAY IS VERTICAL DAY!!! VISIT MIKEHUCKABEE.COM

'Vertical'-Day is here!!

Little Rock, AR – Former Arkansas Governor and Presidential Candidate Mike Huckabee will host an historic 24-hour online "conversation" with voters called "Vertical Day, starting at 10 a.m. CT / 11 a.m. ET on Monday, Sept. 24 and ending at 10 a.m. CT / 11 a.m. ET on Tuesday, Sept. 25.

HUCKABEE ON GOVERNANCE

I have to say that Gov. Huckabee looks quite presidential in this video. I don't know who compiled this video but they did a horrible job.

To make Washington work, we need a president that is willing to listen to the other side and be humble. Fight when 'values' are at stake, but in other areas try to find positive ideas from the other side and give credit where it is due.

I ask those who haven't heard of Gov. Huckabee or do not support him for any particular reason to reevaluate him and give him a chance to succeed.

Justin

CO-SIGN THIS LETTER TO SAM BROWNBACK TO DROP THE CANDIDACY

If you believe like me that Sen. Brownback is nothing but a distraction to the social conservative movement, please co-sign with me. I will send a letter to his campaign by the end of this week.

Thanks!

GOV. MIKE HUCKABEE'S 'VERTICAL' DAY

Below is a letter from Gov. Huckabee. I ask all Huckabee supporters to step up their efforts in these coming days, now till the end of this month.
September 30th is the last day of the third quarter, and Gov. Huckabee needs to come up with a decent amount in the area of fundraising to gain more crediblity with the money-focused media.
Help him as much as you can, it doesn't matter how much you give. The total number of donors is also a significant amount.
Gov. Huckabee needs our help and he has asked us already. Lets do what we can do!

Letter from Gov. Mike Huckabee
Everywhere I go on the campaign trail, I meet voters with a real thirst for a healthy discussion of the issues. Ultimately, people don't care whether an issue comes from the left or the right. What they want to talk about are ideas that lift America up and make us better. It's what I call "Vertical Politics."

On Monday, our campaign has set aside 24 hours, for what we are calling a "Vertical Day". The focus of Vertical Day will be a discussion of the most important issues facing America. The plan is to promote my positions on these issues through video and personal blogs, and to have an online conversation with voters about our ideas, the solutions we see possible, our hopes for America and the challenges we face.

I'd like you to be a part of Vertical Day. I encourage you to tell your friends, family members and co-workers about it and ask them to participate. Vertical Day will start on Monday, September 24 and end on Tuesday, Sept. 25. I'm excited about this opportunity. With your help, and the power of the Internet, we will be able to involve thousands of voters all across America and truly build excitement around this discussion of issues.

To encourage you to make the time to be a part of Vertical Day, my campaign team has put together an incentive package that I hope will be fun and also create buzz and excitement. First, we've created a special Vertical Day page on our website, where you can view the 24 hours of online content we have pulled together.

We also have created a very simple online tool that will give you the ability to promote Vertical Day to your friends, family members and co-workers. We've developed a package of rewards based upon the number of people you are able to get to visit the website. As a way to cap off Vertical Day, we'll enter the names of each of our top promoters into a raffle. On Tuesday, September 25 at 3 p.m., we will draw two names who will receive special invitations to be my personal guests to the YouTube Debate on November 28 in St. Petersburg, FL.

I will have more details for you soon. In the meantime, please mark Monday, Sept. 24 down on your calendars.

GIULIANI'S BIZZARE CELL PHONE CALL

Ron Kessler with Newsmax reports about Giuliani's phone call with his wife in the middle of the NRA speech and many other instances where he showed similar bizzare behavior.
I've learned in my communications class that one of the first things a speaker should do is turn off the cell phone. Taking a cell phone call in the middle of a speech shows disinterest and disrespect towards the audience.
If the race comes down to Giuliani vs. Hillary, (which I think it won't) I will refrain from voting in 2008 because I'm not going to cast my vote to the less worst candidate. I hope and pray Gov. Huckabee will win the nomination.

Here's the article.

Rudy Giuliani shocked the National Rifle Association Friday when he took a cell phone call from his wife in the middle of his speech to the group.
While the presidential candidate was delivering a speech at a meeting in Washington of the National Rifle Association, whose members have been skeptical about his support for Second Amendment rights, Giuliani interrupted his own speech to say he had a cell phone call.
Rudy Giuliani has engaged in such strange behavior by taking cell phone calls from his wife Judith during important presentations.
Giuliani was talking from the podium about the importance of the right to bear arms when his cell phone apparently vibrated and then rang.
"Let's see now. This is my wife calling, I think," the former mayor said, reaching for the phone in his pocket, as an amazed audience looked on.
"Hello dear... I'm talking to the members of the NRA right now," he said into the phone as his incredulous audience listened.
"Would you like to say hello?," Giuliani said to his wife. "I love you, and I'll give you a call as soon as I'm finished, okay? Okay, have a safe trip, bye-bye. Talk to you later dear, I love you."
Looking a bit embarrassed, Giuliani said to the audience: "It's a lot better that way."
While there was scattered applause, the audience turned silent as Giuliani went on: "Well, this is one of the great blessings of the modern age, being always available. Or maybe it isn't, I'm not sure."
Last April 9, NewsMax reported that Giuliani was attending a roundtable discussion with heavy-hitter Republicans at the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City. Two of the three co-hosts were CEOs of Fortune 500 companies.
One participant started to ask a question about Iraq.
"In the middle of the question, Mayor Giuliani's personal cell phone rang, and he answered it," a participant said. "At first, I think people thought he was kidding. But then he just started talking, and without looking up or saying anything to us, he just got up, left the room, and never came back!
Everyone waited about 20 minutes, and then the room started to break up. It was bizarre behavior."

'YOU DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG BRO'

..says the now gracious University of Florida student who created a raucous at a John Kerry forum and got tasered by the university police.

I guess the electric shock from the taser gun changed the chemical makeup in his brain. He's probably a republican now too, who knows.

"Don't tase me bro!"

HUCKABEE'S CLOSING REMARKS - VALUE VOTERS DEBATE

Eloquently stated. As always.

THE TRUE LOSER OF THE VALUES VOTER DEBATE IS...

Yes, Sen. Brownback.

How about those candidates that didn't show up? Yes they are mini-losers. The loss of support they had among the delegates are at least understandable.

Brownback, on the other hand, came in with 26 delegates supporting him and after the debates left with only 18 supporters. He spent 3 hours on that stage and didn't gain any supporters, instead lost them after they saw him talk.

Why can't he get the message? He is just not electable and not Presidential material. He is a good senator and almost everybody agrees with that.

Today his campaign came out with a news release mocking Gov. Huckabee for not knowing what the 'Mexico City Policy' was. During the debates, when Huckabee asked to clarify what the questioner meant, Brownback jumped in and try to answer his question. That was a turn-off to those in the audience and everybody else who was watching the debates in other mediums. Brownback came off as disdainful.

I hope some in the Brownback campaign will speak the truth to him and urge him to drop his candidacy for the good of the 'values voters' that he cares about so much.

Co-sign the letter here.

THE TRUE WINNER OF THE VALUES VOTER DEBATE IS..

John Cox. He was the only one to double his support by the end of the debate, from 1 supporter to 2. Congrats businessman Cox.

LIVE BLOGGING: VALUES VOTER REPUBLICAN DEBATE

Please pardon all of my typo's :)

My thoughts after the debate:
Gov. Huckabee didn't speak much during the debate and he didn't make any outlandish statements like Tancredo and others. He tried to stay balanced throughout. I think the Yes/No questions could hurt him. He can spin it later by explaining why he voted the way he did.
His concluding statement defined him the most. He communicated well, and he won this debate.
( My opinion on the debate changed after I heard Gov. Huckabee's closing statements)

My Thoughts during the debate: Absolutely boring and was uneventful. As a supporter of Gov. Huckabee, I don't think this will help him very much. It could on the other hand hurt him more in the general election.
You can stand for all these values and communicate in a unifying way. That's what Gov. Huckabee is very good at. When you have Yes or No questions telling you to choose (without explanation) why you agree or disagree, then it will make it tough for the voters to understand your thought process.
AFA hurt all of the republican candidates more than help with this kind of questioning. I am saddened. I agree with the values of AFA but not with their tactics.

Closing Statements:

Huckabee: Gets four minutes to speak. He jokes about taking an offering. "I don't come to you, I come from you".He talks about his previous occupation as a baptist pastor, he holds it as a badge of honor. He talks about how he ran the state, which is the microcosm of the federal government.
People ask him can he win? If money is the factor then we are in a plutocracy. Values voters are important, and he asks the 'values voters' to stand with him.
Long applause. I think it was smart that he didn't use up his minutes earlier. He got a long 4 minutes to talk about himself. He probably won some values voters tonight. Good strategy. Whether it will hurt him in the general election is another thing.

Alan Keyes was absolutely horrible and he will be mocked big time for the way he spoke. John Cox says he will be the best candidate to counter Hillary Clinton. You gotta be kidding me.

End of Round 3

9:02 Question to Alan Keys about his support of the UN.

9:01 Ron Paul says if we regulate evil behavior, then that set's the stage to regulate positive behavior, religion etc.

8:59 Tancredo is walking along the line of being a racist and anti-immigrant.

8:57 OK, I didn't quit. A question was asked to Gov. Huckabee about increasing spending. He answered it pretty well and sold the fair tax idea.

8:41 Question to the empty podium
Abortion question to Giuliani. Silence. Why are they asking empty podiums?? This is dumb.
I quit live blogging this debate.

7:52 Round Two: Yes or No
There will be a Green light and Blue light. Can't choose both. ooo.. tough.
IM SURE YOU GUYS GET THE DRIFT AS FAR AS WHAT THE QUESTIONS WILL BE.

7:43 Gay Agenda
Keyes: Eh.
Hunter: Support the bedrock, the American family. He goes off on a tangent.
Paul: Its important to not legislate morality. Boo's and Applause.
Brownback: I fought for this in the Senate all the time. I stood up for General Pace when everybody else attacked him for making his anti-gay statements.
Cox: Agrees with everyone above. Supports school choice. We can't open up the floodgates to other kinds of sins.
Tancredo: It is constrained by the constitution. The president of the United States can't singlehandedly change the moral makeup of the nation.
Huckabee: The homosexual movement is strong because the traditional marriage structure is weak. If most of the marriages in the country end up in divorce how would the next generation know what marriage should be like.

7:34 North American Union
Huckabee: Thanked Phyllis Schafer for her book. He said that book inspired him to become a republican in a democratically controlled Arkansas state. We cannot give our sovereignty to any other nation.
Tancredo: Someone in mexico said, "where there is a mexican, there is mexico". He will never give up the sovereignty of this country.
Cox: Eh same thing.
Brownback: For free trade, for enforcing the laws and no to unions.
Paul: He wants us out of every international alliance. Not feasible and not smart. Lot of crazy fanatics in the audience.
Hunter: Same thing.
Keyes: Let's stop abortion. (Just kidding). He says the same thing like the other candidates. He said we are losing our sovereignty because we are not respecting God's sovereignty.

7:23 What is your personal faith
Keyes: God is why we do what we do. Politicians should have the guts to stand up to values.
Hunter: He doesn't belong to any organized denomination. He is a baptist (laughter).
Paul: I get to God through Jesus. Jesus is for peace, not for pre-emptive war. Nice faith.
Brownback: He looks constipated. Sorry, I had to say it.
The Lord grabbed him in a kansas farm while he was feeding the pigs. Think of the coincidence.
Cox: He was not raised with religion. Got saved on a commuter train.
Tancredo: We have a fallen side and another side that christ died for us. Is that biblical? Feed the spirit not the flesh. Lets feed the spirit everyday.
Huckabee: Christ changed his life around. Good answer.

7:15 War on Terror/ Radical Islam
Huckabee: The threat we face is not one that many Americans understand. It's a theological war. War is about will. Whoever chooses to leave, loses. Doesn't provide many policy details, but good explanation of the threat we face and what we should do (the big picture).
Tancredo: Agrees, talks about borders.
Cox: Spread prosperity. We have to replace evil with Good. The War on Iraq is about oil.
Brownback: He has a very cocky persona. The next president should have some foreign policy experience.
Paul: They kill us because we occupy their lands. The attack on Islam could backfire on us Christians.
Hunter: Ron Paul, the last two nations we have freed were muslim nations. Don't blame America first.
Keyes: What is he saying?? Prevent abortion.

7:06 ABORTION
Shows an ultrasound of a baby in the womb.
Keyes: Amendment to the constitution that defines life and says that all life should be respected.
Hunter: Pass the Hunter Bill that states that life begins at conception. Will use a litmus test.
Paul: Life begins at conception, and as a doctor he knows what he's talking about.
Brownback: He wants to appoint the justice who can overturn Roe v Wade. The constitution does not sanction abortion.
Cox: It's about taking responsibility.
Tancredo: Appoint judges that would repeal Roe v Wade. He will have a litmus test.
Huckabee: All of us are pro-life. Theres a good reason why there are 4 empty podiums. He got into politics because I am pro-life not the other way around. We should value every life at every stage.

Questioning Round

6:57: MARRIAGE.
Huckabee: Will do same things as he did in Arkansas. Define marriage in the constitution. Will support and lead for an amendment to define marriage.
Tancredo: Will support the amendment.
John Cox: Happily married. Marriage is about protecting children. Is it?
Brownback: He carried that amendment through congress. Bashes bush for not following through on marriage.
Paul: Set a great example. No need to define marriage, look it up in a dictionary. No need of state to define marriage, its a church issue.
Hunter: Tries to correct Paul, but didn't really do a good job of it. Says a long story.
Keyes: Attacking Mitt Romney for redefining what the court had decided in Massachusetts.

6:48: Opening statements by candidates.
Alan Keyes: Biggest problem of this nation is the eroding moral values. He was too dramatic.. what was that all about.
Duncan Hunter: Building borders, believes God still loves this nation.
Ron Paul: Promise to obey the constitution. Long winded answer but it made sense.
Brownback: Get back to the basics. Invoked Mother Teresa.
John Cox: Should I waste time on typing what he says?
Tancredo: Degredation of Society. Trashed Bill Clinton.
Huckabee: Praises the forum for starting with prayer. Makes a joke on Chris Matthews. We need vertical leadership not horizontal.

6:37: There is a choir singing a beautiful song. I feel like I'm in church. ( I like it, don't get me wrong). Imagine seeing this on CNN, man.. those liberals would have a fit.

6:34: Introduction of Candidates

6:29: I have a bad feeling that the AFA servers will shut down.

6:15: Singing of the national anthem.

It's 6:00 pm CT and I'm waiting.. Hopefully I will be able to watch through the entire debate.

NO ALAN KEYES, NO!

Yes, Alan Keyes is running for President. Obama wiped his slate clean during the senate elections and he wants to do what??

Do I need to come out with a letter asking Keyes to drop out as well?

SUPPORT MIKE HUCKABEE!

I came across a comment on Mike Huckabee's website which made a lot of sense. Here it is below:

"I took Jessica's advice and emailed Bill O'Reilly, requesting that he host Mike Huckabee on his show. I believe Huckabee is a great candidate and he may be the best choice for President. I am frustrated by everyone who keeps saying they really like him, but they don't think he has enough support to win the nomination. How can he have enough support, unless those of us who believe in him get behind him? You might say it's a Huckabee22. He can't win the race because he doesn't have the financial support, and he can't raise the financial support because he can't win the race. What kind of logic is that?!? Didn't somebody say something like all it takes for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing? We need to do something to get Mike elected!!!"

It is a 'Huckabee-22', my friend. I've heard people make the same comment about Gov. Huckabee as well.

However, FINALLY there is a candidate that can communicate eloquently, set the vision for this country clearly, lead with optimism, and has pro-life views not because of politics - but because he is a Christ-follower.

BUT WAIT.. I forgot. He's not raising much money like the rich cats Romney and Giuliani. Unlike one's personality and character, this is a mutable characteristic. We the people can change that for the better.

First NameLast NameAmount$20.08$50$75$100$250$500$1500$2300

How can you change that? Contribute. It doesn't matter how much money you give. Just give something.

The number of donors is also a significant number, not just the amount of money raised. If the figures are that 50,000 people donated to the campaign since the straw polls, that is a significant number regardless of whether they donated 5 or 10 dollars. Donate what you think is appropriate. It doesn't have to be a one time donation. Make part of your monthly budget and give little-by-little.

Let's step up America, and show the nation how much we support Gov. Mike Huckabee to be the next President of the United States.

God Bless,
Justin

7 CO-SIGNERS SO FAR

I want to thank my follow Huckabee bloggers for posting this link on their respective pages.

Only six people have co-signed with me. I know for a fact that there are more potential co-signers out there. Help spread the word about this letter!

I'm only aiming for 50 co-signers, which should be well above the total number of hard-core supporters Sam Brownback has.

Co-sign the letter here!

PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS TO THE NATION

I watched the President's 17 minute speech to the Nation tonight.

You can see the conflict within himself. You just feel like he wants to say, "why don't you get it?", "why don't you show the resolve?" I was hoping that he would stop reading from the teleprompter at some point and speak from the heart.

I felt very sorry for him, and as a fellow citizen of this Great Nation, I feel sad for this country. Unfortunately, the administration has badly lost the communications war. Every kind of accusation against the administration is sticking on them. Even before he spoke, the media 'experts' prophesied that the nation who turned in to listen to him will not 'listen' to him.

I can't say its the media's fault. The Bush administration from the beginning has not emphasized on communicating to the public. I think the President isn't much of a policy talker and he likes looking at the big picture and making decisions based on principle. These days it is imperative that a leader knows how to communicate eloquently.

Lets look at the big picture here:
Osama Bin Laden does not like the fact that Iraq is becoming a democracy. He and Ayman Al Zawahiri has made clear that they want to see all Muslims unite in the Middle East and create an Islamic Empire (and later expand it). How would an Islamic Empire look like? Look at Afghanistan when Taliban was in control, look at Anbar province and Fallujah before our soldiers took them back. THAT IS THEIR IDEOLOGY.

WHAT IS OUR IDEOLOGY?

Have you ever heard of people actually countering an ideology with a bunch of cops? That's what some people in our country believe we should do.

The 'West' as a whole is inebriated in a morally relativistic society. We have become blind to truth and principle. Examples? The media equates Christian Evangelicals with Islamic extremists who blow up innocent civilians. Also recently, Brian Williams of NBC suggested that the insurgents and terrorists that blow up Iraqi women and children are similar to the revolutionary freedom fighters like George Washington.

If we continue not to truly understand our enemy, our nation will be in peril.

I know I'm blabbering here, but I also know I'm not the only one that believes in this mission. There are men and women in the military who wholeheartedly believe in this mission, and I salute them and pray for their safety.