Thursday, December 30, 2010

Mike Huckabee receives Fair Assessment from MSNBC, Breitbart skewers

MSNBC recently gave a fair assessment of Mike Huckabee’s prospects for 2012, but Andrew Breitbart wants you to think otherwise: “Is MSNBC Promoting Huckabee for GOP Nomination?”  Breitbart is implying that liberal MSNBC wants Huckabee to win and is therefore promoting him.
 
What exactly did MSNBC do to push Huckabee? Let's take it line by line.

(M) Huckabee is a likeable guy. 

* Even Jim Geraghty at the Campaign Spot said, "I had a chance to hang around with the former Arkansas governor in a Fox News green room recently, and he reinforced my sense that it’s impossible to not like Huckabee personally." 

(M) He's a Southern Baptist preacher.  * True

(M) His problems are ones of structure.  He does not like raising money, he’s admitted he does not like being measured by process and field operations.

* About raising money, Huckabee recently said when talking on the Alan Colmes radio show,I love the retail end of politics.  I hate the glad handing for money.  I love talking to people who aren't necessarily the ones who can write the big checks.”

* Huckabee said this about process and field operations when interviewed by Bret Baier for the FoxNews 12 in 2012 series.  Huckabee said, "It's a whole lot more about the money than it is the message.  And so, because it's more process-focused than policy-focused, we end up not necessarily giving attention to the people with the best ideas, but giving attention to the people with the machinery and the money -- even if their message doesn't even sell."  

(M) Polls that matter are going to be Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.

* So he is pretty much saying that the CNN poll that Huckabee came out on top of doesn’t really matter.

(M) Ya know the thing about Huckabee, is if people like you, he has a lot of name recognition because he ran before and he has been on cable news. 

* Huckabee said in his interview with Alan Colmes, “The one nice thing whether I should decide to run or not is that more people at least would know me by what I actually believe or say as opposed to what my opponent has defined me to be and that is kinda encouraging.  If I would have had that opportunity four years ago, things might have turned out differently." 

(M) He also has shown himself to be willing to come to the middle on some issues.  He said about the first Lady’s obesity campaign that maybe Sarah Palin misunderstood what Michelle Obama was trying to do.

* Huckabee said in a recent radio interview with New York radio host Curtis Sliwa, "With all due respect to my colleague and friend, Sarah Palin, I think she's misunderstood what Michelle Obama is trying to do.   Michelle Obama isn't trying to tell people what to eat or not trying to force the government's desires on people, but she's stating the obvious: that we do have an obesity crisis in this country

(M) Here's a guy who famously lost about a hundred pounds.  * True

(M) He has shown himself to be sorta this common sense guy who is not going to attack Democrats for the sake of attacking Democrats.  That is something that could appeal to a lot of independents.

* Huckabee has been doing well in all the polling.  The CNN poll showed Huckabee doing best among all groups:

Mike Huckabee

Among Republicans } 69/32 ..+37
Among Independents } 66/30 ...+36
Among Conservatives } 74/25 ...+49
Among Tea Partiers } 72/26 ....+46
Among Moderates } 61/35 ....+26

Click here to see all 2012 polling done in 2010.

(M) There is not as much heated rhetoric that comes from Mike Huckabee on every single issue, it’s not just totally anti-Obama, totally anti-Democrat.


(M) Mike Huckabee is very conservative, very socially conservative in particular. Fiscal conservatives don’t love him.

* Which is why Andrew Breitbart has posted this video clip with the label that MSNBC is pushing Huckabee.

(M) He is the only candidate actually, who had the Club for Growth run ads against him in Iowa.  So he had tons of attacks from fiscal groups on the right. All that money from Mitt Romney and Club for Growth, and he still won the 2008 Iowa primary.  * True

(M) This just shows how wide open this thing is going to be.

* But even Steve Kornacki at Salon indicated thatBut it's getting harder to ignore the polls: The same CNN survey that shows Palin's GOP support collapsing also shows -- not for the first time -- that Huckabee is the most popular '12 prospect in the party.

(M) Can you tell the political types are very eager for the political season to get underway here?

* Yes, that is why they are talking about the current polls and the race for 2012.

* What Breitbart fails to recognize when he mocks Huckabee for the fair assessment he received, is that the 2012 Republican nominee needs to appeal to Republicans, Independents and Democrats.  We need to win back those Reagan Democrats who voted for Obama in 2008.  Huckabee has a great chance to not only earn their vote, but make them Huckabee Republicans.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Fast Facts on Gov. Mike Huckabee


Mike Huckabee has the most governing experience out of any of the potential 2012 candidates.  Gov Huckabee served Arkansas as governor from July 1996 through December 2006.  He was voted one of the five best governors in 2005.

While Governor of the state of Arkansas, Huckabee:

- Doubled the child care tax credit in 1997.
- Eliminated the capital gains tax on the sale of a home.
- Indexed Arkansas’ state income tax to inflation, keeping people from being pushed into higher tax brackets.
- Cut taxes nearly 100 times in his state.
- Eliminated the state income tax for families below the poverty level.
- Left his state with almost $1 billion surplus, a state record.
- Cut welfare rolls by 50 %.
- Balanced the state budget of Arkansas every year he was governor in Arkansas.
- Led efforts to establish the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights and a Property Taxpayer Bill of Rights for uniform notice and due process.
- Plus he made the interstate road system in Arkansas one of the best in the nation, where it had been among the worst, bringing in more trucking and trade. And the small tax the voters raised was repealed once the roads were complete.
-Carried out 16 executions in his time as governor of Arkansas which refutes his opponents’ claims that he’s soft on crime.
- Signed a ban on partial birth abortion.
- Worked to grant school administrators more flexibility in hiring and firing poor teachers.
- Moved Arkansas from grade “F” to a “C” in Charitable Choice compliance so Arkansas was only one of twelve states to pass.

All this was accomplished by Governor Huckabee while facing a legislature with 89 Democrats out of 100 legislators in the House and only four Republicans in the 35-seat Senate.

Huckabee served as governor for 10 1/2 years and left office only due to term limits.  His approval rating was in the 60’s.

Since then, Mike Huckabee has done a great job talking about the fiscal/economic issues that our country is facing. Fox Business Network has posted these on Youtube.  You can view many of them here.  

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Childhood Obesity: * Political Leadership * Governing Success *

As governor of Arkansas for 10 ½ years, Mike Huckabee has a track record of proven leadership that actually helped those he governed. In 2003 Gov. Huckabee created the Healthy Arkansas Initiative which aimed to improve physical activity, healthy eating, and eliminate the use of tobacco. As someone who was once vastly overweight, Huckabee took it upon himself to turn around not only his own weight problem, but those citizens in his own state. At his urging, the Arkansas legislature acted in 2003 to pass a comprehensive measure to fight childhood obesity in public schools and local communities, taking aggressive action before many other states had begun to address the problem.  


Gov. Huckabee emphasized a program that was introduced earlier in the spring by Arkansas Speaker of the House, Herschel W. Cleveland, which would have children's BMI’s measured while they were in school.  These results were then sent home to the student’s parents so they could be informed about their child’s health.  In an AP article from June of 2006, it stated:


The letters record each child's body-mass index, the same weight-height formula used to calculate adult obesity. The first batch went out in the 2003-04 school year.


Across the state 57 percent of doctors said they had at least one parent bring in their child's letter from the school for discussion during the last school year.

And the state has found that most parents and children are comfortable with the weigh-in program — 71 percent of parents and 61 percent of adolescents, according to a survey.


"Once they realized we didn't hand (the letters) to kids to wave around the schoolyard . . . a lot of the original concerns were alleviated," said Gov. Mike Huckabee, who has championed healthy diets after dropping more than 100 pounds himself. "This was not an invasive procedure where a child is asked to lift a shirt and be pinched with calipers."

This was such a successful program that other states followed suit, including  California, Florida and Pennsylvania.  Haley Barbour agreed with Huckabee leadership and decided to follow suit and started the Mississippi in Motion program.

Huckabee went on to join Bill Clinton as co-chair of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation.  This organization was founded in 2005 by the American Heart Association and the William J Clinton Foundation to combat childhood obesity by providing kids with tools so they can make healthier lifestyle choices. 


"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."  


Both Huckabee and Clinton went on to produce PSA’s for Nickelodeon in which they shared their own childhood experiences and why they felt it was important to stay healthy and active.

Huckabee announced in August of 2006 that the Healthy Arkansas campaign was a success. The upward trend of obesity had come to a stopping point.  "We have stopped the runaway train," Gov. Mike Huckabee said. "This is not the destination, this is the turning point."  "We want to make clear we have not resolved the issue -- we've simply stopped it from getting worse," Huckabee cautioned.

As chairman of the National Governors Association, Huckabee went on to transfer many of the provisions of the “Healthy Arkansas” program to a “Healthy America” initiative . 

Huckabee has since then been on a mission to show that America does indeed have a health crisis.  Huckabee has consistently argued that before we can solve the healthcare crisis, America has to address it's  health crisis and obesity is the number one problem.  In both debates and in interviews Huckabee argued for working on America’s health issues first rather than change the whole structure health coverage as Obamacare does.

Huckabee went on the Stossel show in January of 2010 to discuss the "Food Police."  Huckabee did a great job of defending the initiatives he put into place in Arkansas against Libertarian Stossel’s accusation that the government was trying to have too much power.

Notice how the libertarian audience changed their view on the Arkansas plan after they heard what Huckabee actually did.

Huckabee discussed his interview with Michelle Obama on Don Imus's show  back in February 2010:




The latest gotcha moment that the blogosphere is trying to capitulate is that Huckabee is on the opposite side of Sarah Palin.  Huckabee was asked on a radio show interview which side he would take.  Mike Huckabee agrees with Michelle Obama because Huckabee has already taken action on this issue, and he has seen the success of that action.  GOP12.com posted Mike Huckabee's response:


"With all due respect to my colleague and friend, Sarah Palin, I think she's misunderstood what Michelle Obama is trying to do.


Michelle Obama isn't trying to tell people what to eat or not trying to force the government's desires on people, but she's stating the obvious: that we do have an obesity crisis in this country and if you don't believe it, I always tell people:


'Walk into any 3rd grade class and look around and then go back and pick up your 3rd grade school class picture, if you're an adult.


Look at that picture and tell me what you see that looks starkly different than what you'll see in today's 3rd grade. It will shock you.'


25% of the people attempting to get into the military today can't do so because they are grossly obese.


We're not even going to have a fighting force if we continue at the rate we're going, and the health care costs are staggering with 80% of health care costs in this country going toward chronic disease -- a lot of which is caused by obesity.


So the First Lady's campaign is on-target, and it's not saying that you can't or shouldn't ever eat a dessert, but it's saying that if you start rewarding kids with sugary things and make them think that when they're good, they get sugar, and when they're bad, they have to eat vegetables, you do what happened to me -- and, I think, really a lot of people -- we condition ourselves to think that we're really only good when we're just sugaring up."

Childhood Obesity is a growing problem within the United States.  The same goes for our growing fiscal deficit.  Do we want a leader who sees the problem, creates initiatives, and gets results?  Or do we want to continue to let the problem fester until there is no eventual solution?  I'll take Huckabee's solutions.




Thursday, December 16, 2010

Instead of a Truce, let’s sit down and find Common Ground

One of the hot button political issues for candidates is always abortion.  In 2008 we saw each candidate being asked the extent of their pro-life views and their history of decision making on this issue. Mike Huckabee was one of the few who actually engaged in a discussion about what it means to be pro-life.  He didn’t avoid the issue and was actively engaged in answering it.  This is because Huckabee became politically active because of his views on the sanctity of life.  He didn’t take up the cause after he entered politics.  He entered politics to help promote the culture of life which to Huckabee means from the moment of conception until natural death-we should care about a human being.

In 2009, Huckabee sat down with Jon Stewart and had a meaningful conversation about abortion.  Huckabee went about changing the hearts and minds in the audience by respecting Jon’s opinion and being honest in his own.  Don’t we wish more politicians would do just that?  Huckabee explained what he said on the Daily Show segment in his book, Do the Right Thing,

“I am pro-life but that for me pro-life does not mean that we should care about a child only during gestation.  I believe that the life of the unborn is sacred and has value, but that life does not lose that value once leaving the birth canal.  To truly be pro-life means that we should be just as much concerned about the child who is eight years old and living under a bridge or in the back seat of a car, or the life of an elderly person who is eighty years old, terminally ill, and living in a long-term-care facility. Truly being pro-life requires that at every stage of a person’s life, regardless of the function of that person, there is a respect and protection of that life.”  That explanation was met with a warm round of applause.

The main stream media doesn’t allow for these kinds of discussions. They toss out the abortion question in a debate and give candidates 60 seconds to give their response.   In doing so, they demonize those on both sides of the political aisle.  Republicans are viewed as zealots who would make a young girl raped by her uncle not get an abortion. Democrats are viewed as lenient in that they want to give out free abortions on demand to anyone who has had unprotected sex.  But somewhere in between lies the truth.

The truth is that both parties would like to have less abortions.  Both parties would like to have healthy women.  Both parties want women to have reproductive rights.  Differences include:  Republicans want to limit abortion as much as they can by instituting laws that will ban partial birth abortion, require parental consent, require 24 hour waiting periods, require viewing of an ultrasound, and banning of any taxpayer funding of abortion.  Democrats want women to have access to all types of birth control, freedom to make their own choices without government intervention, safe legal abortion, and funding of abortion for poor women.

In June of this year, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels was interviewed by Andy Ferguson of  the Weekly Standard and said, “the next president, whoever he is, “would have to call a truce on the so-called social issues. We’re going to just have to agree to get along for a little while,” until the economic issues are resolved.”  Daniels addressed this again in December as reported by LifeNews when:  

he told 6News in Indianapolis that conservatives in the state legislature can move forward with pro-life legislation so long as it doesn’t distract from the economic and education-related legislation he prefers to push. 

“As long as it doesn’t get in the way of the really crucial (objectives) — keeping Indiana in the black, improving our economy and bringing big reform to things like education. As long as it doesn’t get in the way of that, there’s plenty of time and capacity,” Daniels said.

Daniels also told 6News that his call for a truce was not aimed at the Indiana state legislature, but Congress.

“I was answering questions about the nation’s situation, which I think is very grave in terms of our economic and financial future. I said the priorities ought to be there,” Daniels added.


Realistic compromise can only be found if the issues are discussed.  If you put them on the back burner, they remain untouchable, and therefore beyond a solution.  By sitting down with an opponent, one can find areas of agreement.  If we call a Truce, we can never bridge the great divide.  Huckabee never wants to give up on the pro-life cause.  That is why he is willing to have a discussion with any person regarding abortion.  He’s honest, forthright, and engaging.  He may not agree with you, but he’ll listen to your point of view.

Truces, such as the one Indiana Governor Daniels suggested, are called when there are no areas of agreement.  And while legal abortions may never be eliminated, their frequency and necessity can be drastically reduced.  Both parties can work on promoting and providing better sex education, counseling resources that include encouraging adoption, healthcare services for the mother and new born baby, and legal resources for a better answer through adoption.

I hope that as the race heats up for 2012, Huckabee continues to show leadership by pressing the social issues and showing how two people with opposing views can sit down and find common ground.

Please check out Gov. Huckabee in his interview on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart at the links below:



Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Mike Huckabee discusses Weighty Issue

Mike Huckabee was on America Live today to discuss Neil Cavuto's defense of Chris Christie's weight issue.



Huckabee said:
*Chris Christie has done a phenomenal job in New Jersey bringing budget back to reality.
* Shows Matthews has nothing to hit Christie over in terms of substance so take him on about his appearance.
*He has struggled with weight so much of own his adult life.
*How much Chris Christie weighs has no major barring on the kind of job that he does as the governor of New Jersey.

Mike Huckabee on Bush Tax Cut Deal

Mike Huckabee was recently interviewed by the National Journal.  Here is his answer on the tax cut deal working its way through congress:

NJ: What do you think of the tax-cut agreement that President Obama and congressional Republicans reached earlier this week? Was it a fair compromise?

HUCKABEE: I think it's the best anyone can hope for at this point. Obviously, it's a much better deal than letting there be complete limbo about the tax rates. It's good news for those who were wondering what the tax code was actually going to be. I wish it had been longer than two years. Politically, I was shocked it was going to be two not three, because it puts this whole thing in the very center, the bull's-eye of the 2012 presidential election. It doesn't have it resolved. But it does allow people to forecast for the next couple of years, and it'll make a big difference in people making some decisions about expansion and hiring. It means more money in the hands of the private sector and less in the hands of government. So those are all very, very good things.

The most bizarre part of the whole process was watching President Obama self-destruct at the podium yesterday. I was just stunned--I really couldn't believe that a man that was elected president was as amateurish as he was, and essentially launched from the podium at some of his own, taking aim and mowing down everybody in D.C. and walking away having not understood that he just lost a lot of people.

You can read the entire interview with National Journal here:

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Mike Huckabee and the ONE Campaign

In the summer of 2008 the ONE Campaign organized a bipartisan group of people to travel to Rwanda.  Those people included the Republican Presidential nominee’s wife Cindy McCain, Senators Daschle and Frist, Gov. Mike Huckabee, John Podesta, John Kasich, Susan McCue, and David Lane. According to the ONE Campaign, their purpose was to see how U.S. investments have helped some of the world's poorest people and what steps the next president can take to fight global poverty.  This trip went virtually unnoticed by the U.S. media because then Presidential Democrat nominee Barack Obama was touring Europe.

This trip was remembered by a ONE campaign staffer who  met up with Gov. Mike Huckabee this past week while he was on his book tour in Florida.  Sara Peterni wrote:

This morning Gov. Mike Huckabee made a stop in Jupiter, Florida as a part of his cross-country book tour. I went out to talk with Gov. Huckabee about his work with ONE, and I went early as I knew there would be a crowd of folks anxious to meet the former Arkansas governor and 2008 presidential contender.

After introducing myself, I gave Gov. Huckabee a ONE band and thanked him for his support of the ONE Campaign. I told him that I had read about his visit to Rwanda with ONE back in 2008 and was encouraged by his own leadership to help the world’s poorest people. He lit up when I mentioned that trip and told me that it was a tremendous opportunity to gather with bi-partisan leaders, and learn about ways we can make a difference together. He thanked me for my work with ONE and encouraged me to continue using my voice for people living in poverty around the world. 

While it was too crowded to pose for a picture, it was great to meet Governor Huckabee and I can’t thank him enough for always making time for ONE, and the least among us.


For those of you who are unfamiliar with the ONE Campaign, the RNCC put this video together for their convention in August of 2008:



Here is an interview that Mike Huckabee did with the ONE campaign in December 2007:
 


Mike Huckabee states, “It is refreshing that there are people of all walks of life, who probably have some real strong political convictions, but for the greater cause of human beings have not made that the center piece of their involvement…Made it about the life and future of a fellow human being… Selfless attitude of those workers of the ONE Campaign. They are doing what’s right for billions of people on this earth who have no voice-Help them to live with some decent level of water, clothing and a roof over their heads.”

To learn more about the ONE Campaign and what you can do to help, please visit their website:

Monday, December 6, 2010

Mike Huckabee speaks at Beit El Dinner

On the fifth night of Hanukkah Gov. Mike Huckabee was honored to be a keynote speaker at the 28th annual Beit El dinner. He said he was "grateful to be amongst so many in the room who have shown courage in seeking to stand with Israel... the right of the Jewish people to have a homeland did not originate with the Balfour Agreement or the United Nations, but with God himself."

The Jewish Week notes that Huckabee used his sense of humor when addressing the crowd of about 1100:
 "If I ran with John McCain in 2008 the Republicans would have had a McCabee victory."
“Where we are now is between a Barack and a hard place,” he quipped.
He used a more serious tone to take on the Israeli settlement issue, in which Huckabee has consistently said that the Obama administration is wrong to pressure Israel to stop building on their own land.
“A cessation of land development in order to make peace with an adversary that refuses to recognize your right to exist is counterintuitive,” he said. “It seems to me there should be pressure put on the Palestinians, not the Israelis.”
"As for those critics of the $3 billion dollars of U.S. aid to Israel, Huckabee said he wants for the people who are not Jewish to recognize why the Jewish people should be safe and secure."

Mike Huckabee has been a true friend of Israel's, visiting there 12 times, touring rocketed torn land, being honored at a special Knesset event hosted by Deputy Speaker of the Knesset Danny Danon and attending private meetings with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, President Shimon Peres, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman.  On his last visit in 2010, he toured Israel with his daughter Sarah Huckabee who had last been there when she was 11 years old. Huckabee tells the story of his daughter's reaction to seeing Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum in Israel. As a young child she wrote in the guest book, "Why didn't somebody do something?" 

Huckabee continues on after the story stating that one of his greatest nightmares is that someday in the future there will be a museum dedicated to the great country called America who forgot who it was and why it was here. He ended his speech stating that we need to ensure that what happened during the holocaust never happens again. Encouraging the dinner guests, "You will see to it that America and Israel never allow something to happen again to any people, any time, any place, for any reason."







Related articles:
 

Mike Huckabee At Bet El Dinner

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Mike Huckabee on Extending the Bush Tax Cuts and Eliminating Earmarks

On Dec 1st, Gov. Mike Huckabee posted his thoughts on eliminating earmarks on his HuckPac website titled:  Senate Democrats Reject Moratorium On Earmarks

Yesterday the U.S. Senate voted on a motion that would've put an end to earmarks for fiscal years 2011, 2012 and 2013.


The Senate, with a vote of 56 to 39 rejected the motion.  Sadly, there were 8 Republican Senators who voted against the motion.


Consistently casting votes like this is an indication that our politicians in Washington are more interested in bringing the pork back to their states and districts than they are about funding meritorious projects and saving tax dollars.


Until next year, the Democrats are still in control of the Congress and once again the Democrats have shown (although unfortunately supported by a disturbing number of Republicans) that they are not serious about listening to the will of the people by eliminating earmarks.


I know that the overall perception of earmarks is toxic. Americans  realize that federal spending is out of control and that we must take action now to rein it in - and an earmark moratorium would have been a good way to start.


Recently, I had suggested to simply ban earmarks for the next 20 years. My reasoning is that Congress has already spent enough money for about the next 20 years, so that should just about catch them up. But if they won't go for 3 years, 20 years for sure isn't going to happen.


Many Democrats and some Republicans argue that earmarks are only a pebble in the sand of wasteful government spending. But we must start somewhere. In fact, I believe that anything we can do to reduce spending immediately will be helpful. As the late Senate leader Everett Dirksen put it, "A billion here and a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking real money."

Yesterday Gov. Mike Huckabee was on FBN's The Willis Report and talked about  how congress has not extended the Bush tax cuts and how this has caused much angst amongst small business owners.



* Congress is busy getting nothing done.
* We are not sure what the cost of doing business is next year.
* Marriage penalty on Mom and Pop style businesses.
* On extending unemployment benefits-It's not about extending a hand, its extending the RIGHT hand.
* Healthcare costs, Regulations, New EPA regulations are going to wipe out small businesses.
* On politics of extending Bush Tax cuts-its Extending the current tax rates that already exists, not giving away anything.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Gov. Huckabee does not support the DREAM Act

Gov. Huckabee was on the Laura Ingraham radio show and they discussed the DREAM Act.

While McCain originally supported Amnesty and was blasted for it by the talk radio crowds, Huckabee did not, but was still blasted for his compassion to those children who were brought here illegally by their parents.

In the 2007/2008 debates Huckabee was labeled as soft on immigration because in his home state of Arkansas he signed onto a bill that would allow illegal children who had been brought up through the Arkansas school system an opportunity to be eligible for scholarship.  In defense of this bill, during the CNN Youtube debate Huckabee said, “We’re a better Country than to punish children for what their parents did. We're a better Country than that.” 
  

Huckabee to this day, still stands by that bill’s provision. Twice in his conversation with Laura Ingraham he talked about those children, giving one example of a young four year old who went through the Arkansas school system, graduated as valedictorian of his class, and yet was denied the opportunity to receive a scholarship.  These scholarships would not have taken anything away from “legal” kids, but would have extended the opportunity to illegal kids who met the same guidelines.

Huckabee has always said that the border needs to be closed and reinforced with better security and technology.  He received the endorsement of the minute men founder Jim Gilcrest after he posted his Secure America Plan: A 9-Point Strategy for Immigration Enforcement and Border Security
While this plan came across as much tougher, he still kept the same principle and tone regarding illegals-the USA needs to treat them humanely, allowing them to come out of the shadows with their heads held high on their quest to become American Citizens.

As to Huckabee’s stance on the DREAM Act, which the Democrats in congress are trying to get passed during this Lame Duck Session, Huckabee stated:

*  He does not support it
* Too expansive
* Too many loop holes
* Should be a state issue, not a federal issue.  Allow each state to make the decision on education and citizenship of its students.
* Age limit goes way beyond young adult up to age 35
* Not a good idea the way it is written


My sense is that Huckabee will continue to defend the plan that was defeated in Arkansas.  He will also stand strong for closing off our borders, increasing the presence of National Guard troops along the border, and building a national secure fence.  Huckabee will continue to treat illegals humanely while telling them they need to go to the back of the line and enter the United States legally.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Huckabee remains classy when asked about Romney, Bush's and Palin

Gov. Huckabee was on Laura Ingraham's radio show today to discuss his Christmas Book and current political events.  While they discussed the Dream Act and Congressional spending, bloggers seem to be focused on only part of the conversation.

Laura brings up that Huckabee is at the top of the polls and wonders if he is going to run.  Huckabee redirects Laura back to congress focusing on the Bush Tax cuts but Laura wants to know Huckabee's thoughts on former President Bush 41 and Barbara Bush.  Laura Ingraham even phrased it stating Bush 41 mentions Romney but not you.

In his response, Huckabee never mentions Romney.  Huckabee does state that:

Barbara Bush-I love her, respect her, but don't agree with her, and in that case I did not agree with her, I am not going to be critical of her,  she has earned her right to speak her mind.

George H.W. Bush-41 is one of the most classy individuals ever, served this country magnificently in many many roles.

Huckabee does say that the Bush's never supported him, that they did not want him to be president, and that he was never on their radar screen.

Then Huckabee shows his class by stating, Just because they don't speak highly of me, doesn't mean I need to speak poorly of them.

But as always, the blogosphere is already skewering their write up on this.  Laura Ingraham's website earlier today said "Mike Huckabee takes swipes at the Bush’s, Romney", and now it says Huckabee slams the elites.

If you take the time to actually listen to this interview, you will see that Huckabee does not slam them, but stands up for himself.


Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Huckabee at both Nixon and Reagan Presidential Libraries

While on his Christmas Book Tour, Gov. Huckabee had the opportunity to give a speech at the Nixon Presidential Library and gave an interview while at the Reagan Presidential Library.



Gov. Huckabee discusses the current state of the union and the conservative principles that should be applied to get America back on course.



Discussion about 2012, North Korea, Huckabee's background, Obama's federal pay freeze, Extending unemployment benefits/welfare, Dilemma in California with GOP having 12% fewer voters than Dems, Wikileaks, Fitness/Diet during the Christmas season.

Here are two articles on Huckabee's trip to the Golden State of California:

 

Huckabee Considering A Run For The Presidency

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Huckabee, a True Friend to Israel

Gov. Huckabee is scheduled to keynote the upcoming 28th annual Beit El Dinner on December 5th.  He along with Malcolm Hoenlein, Executive Vice Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, will address some 1,500 expected attendees.

Huckabee has been a staunch ally of Israel for quite some time.  He has visited Israel 12 times.  Huckabee lead a tour there in 2010 and has plans for an upcoming tour  in January 2011.    Huckabee is one of the few Republicans who has actively come out against a two state solution.  He has shown strong support for Israel's right to sovereignty over the disputed territories of Judea and Samaria, stating that America would not tolerate another country telling them where they could and could not build in New York.  Huckabee added, “I think we can certainly advise as a friend to Israel,” he explained, “but we have no right to dictate and outright tell another country what it should or shouldn’t do.”  Huckabee also stated, in regards to the threat of a nuclear Iran that he, “would support Israel doing whatever Israel needs to protect [itself].”  

My HuckaFriend at LawlessVid's created this video of Huckabee and Israel:




In addressing this group at the Beit El Dinner, Huckabee hopes to gain not only their vote but also access to their pocket books.  In the recent U.S. midterm elections the Republican Jewish Coalition spent millions on campaign ads to affect the outcome. They felt their efforts were constructive as 1/3 of the Jewish vote went to Republican candidates.  While 2/3 of American Jews did not help turn the country Red, they are disheartened with Obama and could look to the Republican Party come November 2012.  Israel is still important to the Jewish population in America and many were upset with how President Obama not only handled his relationship with Prime Minister Netanyahu but also with Obama’s policy on Israeli settlements.  For many of the Orthodox Jews, the US relationship with Israel is a deciding issue.  As this core group of voters looks to the 2012 horizon, Huckabee could gain their endorsements as well as their funding.

Another area Huckabee hopes to gain in addressing this group, is their confidence and trust in him as a key defender of Israel against the threat from Iran.   The speech will give Huckabee the opportunity to address concerns by those Israeli panelists who in 2007 did not give him a high score on the Israeli survey called The Israel Factor.  The Haertz newspaper panel (made up of analysts and academics) ranks the candidates according to how good or bad they will be for Israel and her interests. Using some analysis by the HaAretz’s US correspondent, the panel anonymously votes each month producing a score for each potential US presidential candidate. This At Beit El Dinner speech could be evaluated by the panel for it’s next set of evaluation rankings.

The Israel Factor panel began its 2012 analysis on November 14th with their rankings below: 


While the panel did give out these initial scores, they did not give out intricate details behind the numbers. 

We will have to see how Huckabee’s speech to the attendees at the At Beit El Dinner is received.  The initial reaction from the dinner announcement article shows an enthusiastic group eager for Huckabee to jump into the 2012 race for the White House.

Below are recent articles regarding Israel. It will be interesting to note how many of these topics Huckabee touches upon in his speech:



  


On Saturday, November 27th, Gov. Huckabee had Deputy Speaker of the Israeli Knesset, Danny Danon, on his show.

 


Monday, November 22, 2010

Gov Huckabee Returns to Iowa

Today Huckabee returned to his beloved Iowa to address the theme of Energizing the Church to Engage the Culture.  Prior to his keynote speech to about 1500 attendees, he answered questions at a press conference.

Below are highlights from David Shedlock's live blog of the event.  Caffeinated Thoughts recorded the press conference and posted it on youtube.  

SPEECH/SERMON: 
“I’m not here to announce any plans, or deny any plans”  He congratulated the people of Iowa for ousting the judges who thought they could do anything they want.  Those who govern are ultimately accountable to the governed.   He thanked every mom, every dad, and every pastor who stood up.

 *We have a dad deficit.  We could save $300 billion a year by having fathers take care of their own children. Huckabee has great respect for single mothers doing the best they can.   But if we can’t fix the family we won’t be able to fix things in Washington.   The most important unit of government is the family.  There we learn values, structures and manners.  We learn there to work hard rather than be lazy.  We’re getting a nation full of spoiled brats thinking it is government’s job to bail us out, and clean up our messes.

*It takes a great deal more depth to understand the issues from eternal values that cannot be changed.  Christians are not intellectually inferior.  They are wrong who say we should not talk about”social”  issues of life or think that a manipulation of the tax code by the elected class.   If 2/3 of the women in poverty were married to the father of her children they would not be in poverty.  We need mothers and fathers who raise their own kids. The government continues to spend us into great debt.   Charlies Rangel got by 17 years without paying taxes, because he didn’t understand the tax code which he helped write.  And a box of Kleenex was the only price he’ll pay.

*Sgt Salvatore Guinta io Iowa received the Congressional Medal of Honor for running into a wall of bullets to try and save the life of one of his comrades, Sgt Josh Brennan, who lost his life.  When he received the award Guinta stated, “”I would give this back in a second to have my friends with me right now.”

*If we choose our own comforts on the backs of its weakest, terminating them at will we will face God’s judgements.  There will be no strong economy without protecting each other.

*We ought not value some lives more than others, the 12-year old rather than the child 3 months in the womb.  We cannot live in a culture where people are terminated because they are financial burden.  These are not extraneous issues.  Life is valuable because God created us.  It is at the heart of our democracy.  You will never see me apologize for my stand on life.

*There is no one person more valuable than another in this country: We are all created equal, endowed by our Creator with unalienable rights.  We are not made better or worse by our bank account, our IQ, the name we inherited, our family tree.





PRESS CONFERENCE:  Will Huckabee base his decision on if Sarah Palin runs?  “No question, she will be a very, very strong presence and force, if she gets in,” Huckabee told reporters in Des Moines Sunday. “You know, she may run away with it. And that’s one of those things everyone needs to be prepared for.”  “If I get in, I prefer she not and that she endorse me,” Huckabee then joked.

What is Huckabee's timetable for making a decision?  “I’m not on a timetable. I’m not on somebody’s calendar to say this is the time when I have to decide,” Huckabee said during a press conference before the annual fall fundraiser for The Family Leader, a social conservative policy and political group that includes the Iowa Family Policy Center.

“Am I keeping the option open? Yes. Am I open to it? Considering it and giving, you know, thought? Of course,” he added. “I think I would be foolish not to in light of having been through it, understanding what it’s about.”

Huckabee was asked if he could beat Obama?  “I always believed I could,”Huckabee said. “I wouldn’t have run the last time if I didn’t think I could and the good news for me is a majority of American voters seem to think that. In the last poll, I was the only one who polled above (Obama) outside the margin of error.” 

Please check out Caffeinated Thoughts as they have several entries on Huckabee's visit to Iowa.