Mike Huckabee: I will not seek the Republican nomination for President this year

Mike Huckabee used the last few minutes of his Huckabee show to announce to Fox News viewers that he is not going to seek the Republican nomination for President.

This has been a much anticipated decision as it affects other potential candidates who have not yet declared. Mike Huckabee will be on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace where he will further discuss his decision. 

As a strong supporter of Mike Huckabee in 2008, I had hoped that he would run again in 2012.  Mike Huckabee had asked his supporters to pray for him-discernment-so that he would make the right decision.

As I was driving to go hear him speak in Dallas this week, I did just that, I prayed that Mike Huckabee would hear what God's will was for him.  That if God had other plans for him, that Mike Huckabee would clearly hear that calling.  For believers in Jesus Christ, we know that when God closes one door, he opens another.

Mike Huckabee not only consulted his strategists, family members and friends, but he more importantly consulted God.  And as many of us know, it is easy to take time to pray to God, but it is harder to take the time to sit and listen to what God has to say.

Mike Huckabee gave a thoughtful, well thought out reason for not seeking the nomination.  I for one am proud that he acknowledged that he sought the Lord in this major decision.  Mike Huckabee said that he found peace once he came to his decision.  Now his supporters must do the same.

Key aspect of Mike Huckabee's statement from HuckPAC:

When people asked me what it would take for me to run, I would tell them the same thing---pray for me to have clarity in the decision. I don’t expect everyone to understand this, but I’m a believer and follower of Jesus Christ. That relationship is far more important to me than any political office. For me, the decision is ultimately not a political one, a financial one, or even a practical one ---it’s a spiritual one.

The past few weeks, the external signs and signals and answers to many of the obstacles point strongly toward running. When I am with people encouraging me to run, it’s easy to feel the strength of their partnership and commitment to help me to the finish line. Only when I was alone, in quiet and reflective moments did I have not only clarity, but an inexplicable inner peace—a peace that exceeds human understanding. All the factors say GO, but my heart says NO. And that is the decision I have made and in it have finally found resolution. I don’t fully understand it myself—but I’m sure the pundits will. But I know that under the best of circumstances, being President is a job that takes one to the limit of his or her human capacity. For me, to do it apart from an inner confidence that I was undertaking it with God’s full blessing is unthinkable. I can’t know or predict the future, but I know for now my answer is clear and firm. I will not seek the Republican nomination for President this year.

A President Mike Huckabee: What you See is What you Get

NCPA's Dr. John Goodman introduced Mike Huckabee stating "What you see is what you get-an authentic person who really understands policy issues."  I saw that today in both Huckabee's speech and the question and answer session that followed.  Mike Huckabee did not give a fire and brimstone speech.  Instead he touched on several key issues affecting America using tempered language that he likes to call vertical politics.  Huckabee feels that Americans are disappointed with today's politicians and how everything has become right or left (horizontal politics), rather than up or down.  Huckabee noted that Americans are looking for someone who can lift America up, solve the problems without tearing each other down, and bring people together to implement solutions to get America back on track.

Mike Huckabee started the speech with his usual self deprecating humor and commonsense approach to governing.  He excoriated the insular community in Washington DC that doesn't listen to the rest of America and forgets the impact that it has on businesses.  Huckabee then introduced vertical politics stating that it is a tactical solution that we are not using very often.  "Elections are decided not by those who embrace extreme positions but by those who view things from a vertical perspective.  This view looks at whether we are getting better or we are getting worse. Are things improving or are they declining? Is my kid who just graduated from college going to be able to find a job to help pay off their college loans?  The solutions that we have to develop in this country need to be pointing people toward how we are improving the future for the next generation rather than how we are going to beat those guys on the other side."  My guess is that if and when Mike Huckabee gets into the race, his platform will be about bringing America together for the benefit of the next generation.

After his speech, the floor was opened up to questioning.  One of the things I like best about Mike Huckabee, is that he always answers the questions he is asked.  Below are the topics and his paraphrased words.

President Obama

With Obama, "we don't hear a president, we hear a candidate."  Huckabee praised former presidents Bush 41, Clinton and Bush 43 for their ability to give a policy speech that focused on policy and not the politics of campaigning.  Huckabee stated that "politicians are driven to ideological purity by primary campaigns.  But actual governing is like a football game-where you gain a few yards at a time with the goal being attained incrementally."

The Punishing Tax System

"The problem with our current tax system is that we punish those things we want to reward and we reward those things we should want to punish.  We need to reward behaviors we want to encourage and punish things we want to discourage.  We need to throttle up, not punish people for having done so.  America won't be a great country if we teach people to not work hard." Huckabee gave the example of bailing out reckless companies that are failing while over taxing prudent companies that are thriving.

Childhood Obesity

"We better bring up the issue because obesity is killing us.  The role of government is not to raise our kids, but to raise awareness and change the culture."  Examples that Huckabee gave where culture changed behavior included littering, smoking, wearing seat belts and drunk driving. He emphasized that in each case when the government codified the changes into law they only validated the new cultural norm.  

Role of the Federal Government

"Stimulate good ideas that work for individuals.  Each individual is his/her best government.  Best government is self government.  Comes down to individuals with a moral compass and families who actually raise their own kids and don't expect Uncle Sugar to do it for them. Individual health savings accounts-benefit of making good decisions. Not turning health care over to someone who does not know me and frankly who has no vested interested in my making a good decision. Government can help foster, puts more power into the hands of the individual."

Immigration Reform

"Moot process until we secure the border.  All the discussion of how we are going to reform immigration starts with that first and foremost thing. I don't think there is a real appetite in America for all the intricate policy discussion of how you deal with it until you deal with the glaring issue of do you have control of your own borders. That has to be first and foremost."

Debt Ceiling

"If we keep raising the debt ceiling without ever coming to grips with what its doing long term-devaluing the dollar and destroying our economy- then we are doing the next generation a great disservice. Raise only if there is substantial commitment, execution of lowering the expenditures."

Terrorism

"We have to recognize, that when dealing with terrorists, we can't negotiate, can't worry about offending them.  We as Americans have to do whatever it takes, like sending in Navy Seals and taking them out.  I think the Israeli's have it right. You don't negotiate with terrorists. You get rid of the terrorist before they get rid of you.  That's the only way to deal with it."

As Dr. Goodman said, what you see is what you get.  As president we would have in Mike Huckabee a leader who answered the questions that are asked, who served the people of America and left partisan politics up to the pundits, who brought together the best and the brightest from both sides of the aisle to find solutions that work.  We would have a president who understands that we have a responsibility to the next generation to leave America better than we found it.

Mike Huckabee: Postmarked Pakistan

In an interview with CNN's Suzanne Malveaux back in 2007 Mike Huckabee stated that all indications were that Osama bin laden was in Pakistan and that if we had another terrorist attack it would be postmarked Pakistan. He went on to describe American tax dollars being wasted by a government that was not producing results. Huckabee said we needed to be very clear in holding that government accountable for not only the way they treat their people but also in helping us locate and destroy Osama bin Laden.

Politico reports that in November 2007 Mike Huckabee also stated:

"We need to make sure we are clear that if we have an actionable target in Pakistan, that we will take action on that target because if that helps save and preserve American people," Huckabee said at the time, according to CNN, saying he would respond that way if he saw an "imminent threat" within Pakistan's borders. "That's the foremost thing we need to be worried about."

Sen. John McCain criticized Huckabee at the time for it, calling it evidence of political naivete and saying, "I certainly wouldn't telegraph my punches."

In December 2007, Mike Huckabee went on Meet the Press with Tim Russert.  One important issue they discussed was Pakistan:

"One of the things I want to point out about that article, I spoke about Pakistan extensively back in September, and a lot of people criticized the article, saying `You talk so much about Pakistan, and you didn't speak as much about Iran.' You know, a lot of people have criticized my foreign policy views, but the fact is, in light of what's happened in the last week, some of my comments on Pakistan seem almost prophetic."

Mike Huckabee Best Bet to Beat Obama in Iowa

Mike Huckabee continues to be the Republicans best bet to beat President Obama in 2012 and flip Iowa back into a Red state. PPP released their latest data showing Mike Huckabee tieing President Obama in Iowa. Huckabee's polling numbers have risen while Obama's have declined.

Public Policy Polling

Iowa 2012 Presidential Survey

* Mike Huckabee 45% (43%)
* Barack Obama 45% (47%)

* Barack Obama 45% (47%)

* Mitt Romney 41% (41%)

* Barack Obama 50% (51%)

* Newt Gingrich 39% (38%)

* Barack Obama 51%

* Donald Trump 35%

* Barack Obama 53% (53%)

* Sarah Palin 36% (37%)

Among Independents

* Mike Huckabee 44% (42%)
* Barack Obama 40% (41%)

* Barack Obama 41% (40%)

* Mitt Romney 37% (38%)

* Barack Obama 47% (49%)

* Newt Gingrich 34% (34%)

* Barack Obama 54%

* Donald Trump 35%

* Barack Obama 52% (49%)

* Sarah Palin 33% (38%)

Among Republicans

* Mike Huckabee 88% (79%)
* Barack Obama 5% (10%)

* Mitt Romney 81% (76%)

* Barack Obama 6% (11%)

* Newt Gingrich 79% (73%)

* Barack Obama 9% (13%)

* Sarah Palin 73% (67%)

* Barack Obama 10% (17%)

* Donald Trump 66%

* Barack Obama 9%

Survey of 1,109 Iowa voters was conducted April 15-17, 2011. The margin of error is +/- 2.9 percentage points. Party ID breakdown: 38% (37%) Democrat; 33% (37%) Republican; 29% (25%) Independent/Other. Political ideology: 30% Moderate; 22% Somewhat conservative; 20% Very conservative; 19% Somewhat liberal; 8% Very liberal. Results from the poll conducted January 7-9, 2011 are in parentheses.

H/T The Argo Journal for data compilation

PPP Nuggets:

Obama is now knotted at 45% with Mike Huckabee, winner of the 2008 caucuses and current leader of the early 2012 delegate race, per Tuesday’s release. In January, Obama led, 47-43.

If Trump were to lose the GOP nomination and launch an independent bid, he would eat severely into Romney’s support and essentially none into Obama’s. Obama would lead a three-way race with 43% over Romney’s 27% and Trump’s 21%. Trump brings Romney down from 81% to only 56% of the GOP and from 37% of independents to only 22%.

“Obama could have a much harder time of it in Iowa next year than he did in 2008- unless the Republicans bail him out with a Trump or Palin like nominee,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling.

PPP Twitter Nuggets:

Obama won Iowa by 10 in 2008. Now he's tied with Mike Huckabee and only leads Mitt Romney by 4:

Numbers suggest that if GOP goes with Romney, even a non-Trump far right 3rd choice could have big impact:

Trump polls at 21% as indy in Iowa. Gets 31% of GOP vote, runs ahead of Mitt with independents:

Obama leads Romney by 4 in Iowa. With Trump as 3rd candidate, Obama leads Romney by 16 there:

Mike Huckabee reacts to Standard and Poor's Warning

Mike Huckabee reacted to the Standard & Poor's warning by posting the statement shown below on his HuckPAC website. You can leave a comment by clicking here:

April 20, 2011 - 04:10 PM
Standard & Poor's: A Warning
by Mike Huckabee


"The American people have been raising their voices for many months telling Washington politicians to get our fiscal house in order. To no one's surprise, Washington has simply gone on doing what it seems to do best - spending money we don't have.


Enter Standard and Poor’s – an entity known to investors worldwide as a leader of financial-market intelligence. S&P just issued a warning to America: get serious about reducing your deficit, or risk losing your AAA financial rating. We all know how hard it is to borrow money with poor credit, and if the United States loses its AAA rating it would mean America would have to pay higher interest rates on money we borrow. For a government that doesn't want to put away its credit card, this could be a catastrophe.


S&P bases creditworthiness on facts, not just words, and it is not convinced that Washington will seriously address our mounting debt. It hears talk about deficit reduction but sees only incremental changes and the wild demonization of anyone who actually tries to do anything about it.


While losing the nation's top financial rating may have a cataclysmic impact on our nation’s debt, it would also be devastating to every day Americans. The cost of doing business will increase and that means companies are going to pass that increase on to you – most goods you buy will simply cost more and we will all pay higher interest rates. The bottom line - the cost of living will increase.


House GOP Leader Eric Cantor called it a wakeup call. But the White House? Well, they issued a statement brushing off S&P’s warning as a political judgment they disagree with and said - we shouldn’t make too much of it. Still, they said Joe Biden will meet with Congressional Leaders next month and they’ll be talking about a deficit reduction plan.


We just hope that he can stay awake for the whole meeting…"

Mike Huckabee's take on Paul Ryan's Budget Cut Proposal

Kevin McCullough would trade new book success for a Mike Huckabee Administration in 2012

Kevin McCullough, author of the new book No He Can't sat down on the Huckabee show and discussed the failure of President Obama's campaign promises. McCullough who is a nationally syndicated radio talk show host and columnist, was the first to openingly predict that Barack Obama would win the nomination and the presidency in 2008. He based it on messaging and communication. But for 2012, he has another candidate in mind who can sweep the states with his authenticity, message, and humor. Kevin McCullough urges Mike Huckabee to run again in 2012 and states that Huckabee can go toe to toe with President Obama both in the debates and through electronic media.

Kevin McCullough's book, No He Can't: How Barack Obama Is Dismantling Hope and Change, has hit number 6 on Amazon and will be released tomorrow, April 19th. You can order your book here.

McCullough has written several good articles about Mike Huckabee that were posted at Townhall:

A word about President Huckabee... Integrity trumps everything!

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Here is an article where McCullough challenges Matt Lewis on his view of Huckabee:

Why my friend Matt Lewis, is absolutely wrong...

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

* Note, Matt Lewis is now writing at The Daily Caller. He was a big Romney supporter in 2008.

Here is an article where McCullough debunks the parole attacks on Huckabee and provides data on the Clemmons case.

Why Huckabee Ain't Dead Yet

December 6, 2009

My favorite part of the segment is McCullough telling Huckabee why he should enter the 2012 race and why he will win:

"You understand communication..Can counter Obama by being winsome, being right on substance and communicating with people."

Rasmussen: Mike Huckabee ties Obama, all other Republicans trail

Rasmussen has posted their latest Presidential poll showing  Mike Huckabee as the only candidate tieing President Obama.  All other GOP candidates trail Obama by five or more.  Mitt Romney lost four points and Newt Gingrich lost two points since the last Rasmussen survey in February. 

Rasmussen  2012 Presidential Match Ups
 

Mike Huckabee 43%  Barack Obama 43%

Barack Obama 45% Mitt Romney 40%

Barack Obama 42% Ron Paul 34%

Barack Obama 42% Haley Barbour 34%

Barack Obama 48% Sarah Palin 38%

Barack Obama 45% Tim Pawlenty 35%

Barack Obama 49% Newt Gingrich 37%

Barack Obama 42% Jon Huntsman 31%

Barack Obama 45% Mitch Daniels 32%

Barack Obama 43% Herman Cain 25%

The match-up surveys of 2,000 or 1,000 Likely Voters were conducted from March 6 - March 31, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error for surveys of 2,000 is +/- 2% with a 95% level of confidence; the margin of sampling error for surveys of 1,000 is +/- 3% with a 95% level of confidence.

H/T  GOP12  for data compilation

Mike Huckabee Beats President Obama by Five in Florida

President Obama has lost considerable Independent support in the sunshine state with 56% of voters showing disapproval of his poliices. Mike Huckabee, on the other hand, has used his Cable/Radio platform to reach out directly to these voters to show how his policies would differ with Obama's. Looks like Mike Huckabee's efforts are paying off as Huckabee beats Obama by five.

Sachs/Mason-Dixon 2012 Presidential Survey

Mike Huckabee 49% Barack Obama 44%

Mitt Romney 48% Barack Obama 43%

Barack Obama 48% Donald Trump 40%

Barack Obama 51% Sarah Palin 39%

Mason-Dixon surveyed 800 registered Florida voters and the margin of error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

Meanwhile, the GOP 2012 primary survey shows Mitt Romney is down 8 points from his 2008 Florida primary results while Mike Huckabee has gained 4.

Sachs/Mason-Dixon 2012 GOP Primary Survey

Mitt Romney 23%

Mike Huckabee 18%

Donald Trump 13%

Newt Gingrich 11%

Tim Pawlenty 8%

Sarah Palin 5%

Mitch Daniels 4%

Ron Paul 3%

Michele Bachmann 1%

Rick Santorum 1%

Haley Barbour 0%

Mason-Dixon surveyed 400 Republican voters and the margin of error is 5 percentage points.

Head to Head: Mike Huckabee ties Obama, has Huge Lead over Obama amongst Independents

New polling out today shows Mike Huckabee and Barack Obama tied, with all other GOP candidates trailing.  What is most interesting in this poll, is Mike Huckabee's huge lead over Obama amongst Independents.  The key to winning the election in 2012 will be winning over those independents who swung to Obama in 2008.  Looks like Mike Huckabee already has a head start.

Fairleigh Dickinson PublicMind 

2012 Presidential Survey

    * Mike Huckabee 46%
    * Barack Obama 46%

    * Barack Obama 44%
    * Mitt Romney 43%

    * Barack Obama 46%
    * Chris Christie 40%

    * Barack Obama 48%
    * Tim Pawlenty 34%

    * Barack Obama 52%
    * Newt Gingrich 37%

    * Barack Obama 54%
    * Sarah Palin 34%

Among Independents

    * Mike Huckabee 49%
    * Barack Obama 40%

    * Chris Christie 43%
    * Barack Obama 40%

    * Barack Obama 45%
    * Mitt Romney 44%

    * Barack Obama 45%
    * Newt Gingrich 40%

    * Barack Obama 41%
    * Tim Pawlenty 33%

    * Barack Obama 52%
    * Sarah Palin 34%

In addition to the head to head matchups, Fairleigh Dickinson asked this question:

In 2012 there will be an election for President of the United States. To run as the Republican candidate for President, who would you prefer?

Among Republicans & GOP-Leaning Independents

    * Mike Huckabee 21%
    * Mitt Romney 19%
    * Chris Christie 11%
    * Sarah Palin 11%
    * Newt Gingrich 8%
    * Tim Pawlenty 5%
    * Unsure/Other 23%

Survey of 800 registered voters nationwide was conducted March 21-28, 2011. The margin of error is +/- 3.5 percentage points.

H/T The Argo Journal for compilation of data

Mike Huckabee on President Obama's Lack of Leadership in the Middle East

Mike Huckabee sat down with Fox News Insider and discussed Obama's lack of leadership on Libya and the Middle East.

Who does the White House Fear the Most in 2012? Mike Huckabee

Rick Klein of ABC "World News" sat down with Greta VanSustern and discussed the potential 2012 candidates. Greta asked, "Who do you think they (the White House) fears most tonight? Rick Klein answers, "I think there's a lot of concern about what the kind of candidate that Mike Huckabee would be potentially."

GV:   Have they begun to get ready for 2012?

RK:   Very Much, staffing up in Chicago

RK:   Game planning out a lot of the the potential opponents. Praise for Mitt Romney and Praise for Jon Huntsman. Killing them with kindness strategy on Romney and Huntsman.

GV:   "Who do you think they (the White House) fears most tonight?

RK:    "I think there's a lot of concern about what the kind of candidate that Mike Huckabee would be potentially."

RK:   Someone who can scramble the electoral map, make a different appeal than a typical Republican.

H/T  ColoradoMom4Huckabee

Mike Huckabee would keep Missouri Red, otherwise it could be a Toss Up

In 2008, it was a nail biter between John McCain and Barack Obama: – 0.13 points/3,903 vote difference, McCain 1,445,814  49.36%  Obama 1,441,911  49.23%.  The GOP can ensure that Missouri stays red in 2012 by electing Mike Huckabee as their nominee.

Public Policy Polling

Missouri 2012 Presidential Survey

* Mike Huckabee 49% (49%)
* Barack Obama 43% (42%)

* Mitt Romney 44% (47%)

* Barack Obama 43% (41%)

* Barack Obama 44% (44%)

* Newt Gingrich 44% (45%)

* Barack Obama 48% (46%)

* Sarah Palin 43% (43%)

Among Independents

* Mike Huckabee 49% (49%)
* Barack Obama 35% (37%)

* Mitt Romney 45% (47%)

* Barack Obama 33% (35%)

* Newt Gingrich 41% (43%)

* Barack Obama 39% (41%)

* Barack Obama 43% (45%)

* Sarah Palin 40% (40%)

Among Men

* Mike Huckabee 51% (54%)
* Barack Obama 41% (38%)

* Mitt Romney 47% (52%)

* Barack Obama 40% (36%)

* Newt Gingrich 47% (50%)

* Barack Obama 42% (40%)

* Barack Obama 45% (43%)

* Sarah Palin 44% (48%)

Among Women

* Mike Huckabee 48% (46%)
* Barack Obama 45% (45%)

* Barack Obama 45% (46%)

* Mitt Romney 41% (42%)

* Barack Obama 46% (47%)

* Newt Gingrich 42% (41%)

* Barack Obama 50% (48%)

* Sarah Palin 42% (39%)

Favorable / Unfavorable {Net}

* Mike Huckabee 45% (51%) / 35% (29%) {+10%}

* Mitt Romney 32% (30%) / 44% (42%) {-12%}

* Newt Gingrich 31% (33%) / 50% (48%) {-19%}

* Sarah Palin 37% (39%) / 56% (53%) {-19%}

Among Republicans

* Mike Huckabee 72% (79%) / 14% (11%) {+58%}

* Sarah Palin 67% (69%) / 23% (22%) {+44%}

* Newt Gingrich 55% (60%) / 26% (25%) {+29%}

* Mitt Romney 46% (49%) / 29% (24%) {+17%}

Among Independents

* Mike Huckabee 54% (46%) / 30% (27%) {+24%}

* Mitt Romney 35% (26%) / 41% (39%) {-6%}

* Sarah Palin 34% (35%) / 59% (55%) {-25%}

* Newt Gingrich 28% (27%) / 55% (53%) {-27%}

Among Men

* Mike Huckabee 46% (55%) / 38% (31%) {+8%}

* Mitt Romney 32% (34%) / 49% (42%) {-17%}

* Sarah Palin 36% (44%) / 56% (50%) {-20%}

* Newt Gingrich 32% (36%) / 54% (51%) {-22%}

Among Women

* Mike Huckabee 44% (48%) / 33% (27%) {+11%}

* Mitt Romney 31% (27%) / 39% (42%) {-8%}

* Newt Gingrich 31% (31%) / 47% (46%) {-16%}

* Sarah Palin 38% (36%) / 56% (55%) {-18%}

Survey of 612 Missouri voters was conducted March 3-6, 2011. The margin of error is +/- 4.0 percentage points. Results from the poll conducted November 29 - December 1, 2010 are in parentheses.

H/T The Argo Journal for compilation of data

PPP Nuggets:

Romney does worst with the GOP, pulling only 80% and leaving 16% undecided.

“Mike Huckabee is currently outperforming John McCain, but if President Obama faces anyone else, it’ll be another down-to-the-wire finish in Missouri,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling.

Mike Huckabee hits a Double and the Leftist Media Cries Foul

Mike Huckabee went on the Michael Medved radio show to promote his book, A Simple Government. In the second segment Huckabee explains why we have to change the way we spend money, why it is important to have more local government and less federal government, and why the family matters. He says,

"The most important form of government is a mother and father raising kids."

"In the very first chapter of the book I quantify the costs of broken families. In this country, we have a 300 billion dollar a year Dad deficit. That is the amount of money taxpayers pay because fathers have disappeared from raising their kids and allowed some other taxpayer to pick up the financial costs."

"When people make the argument that the family thing does not matter and we need to focus on the economy, you can't focus on the economy if you don't focus on the stability of families where mothers and fathers raise their own kids."

Then Medved jumps in with the whole Oscar night Natalie Portman question. Four minutes into the second segment of the show Medved says, "She is very visibly pregnant. It's a problem-they are not married, before 2 billion people, says she wants to thank her love, he has given me the most wonderful gift. The best kind of gift would be a wedding ring. It just seems to me that sending that kind of message is problematic."

Well there you go, Medved is clearly upset about Portman. But Huckabee is not upset. In fact, he never brought up the topic. He did answer the question stating that it was unfortunate that we glorify and glamorize the idea of out of wedlock children. Huckabee quantifies with statistics: "75% of African American kids are born out of wedlock. 61% of Hispanic kids. 41% across the board live births are out of wedlock births and the costs are staggering."

In today's Dallas Morning News an article called Expecting to Fail by Gerry Garibaldi, talks about this exact issue. The picture on the page is of a school girl, visibly pregnant, asleep at her desk. The author of the piece talks about No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top initiatives and how they do little good when there is no moral accountability. He states that Personal Moral Accountability is the electrified rail that no politician want to touch.

Well this week one potential presidential candidate did touch upon that subject-stating that there is a Dad deficit in our country-that not only hurts the children (social issue) but also the pocket book of every single tax payer (economic issue). He stepped up to the plate and answered the question, only to be lambasted by every liberal talk show host and journalist.

Later in the article the author goes on to say "Within my lifetime, single parenthood has been transformed from shame to saintliness. In our society, perversely, we celebrate the unwed mother as a heroic figure, like a fireman or a police officer. During the last presidential election, much was made of Obama's mother, who was a single parent. Movie stars and pop singers flaunt their daddy-less babies like fishing trophies." The author, a teacher, asks his student to do research on unwed mothers, the statistics they find are frightening: "From the FBI: 63% of all suicides are individuals from single-parent households. From the Centers for Disease Control: 75 percent of adolescents in chemical-dependency hospitals come from single-parent households. From the Children's Defense Fund: More than half of all youths incarcerated for criminal acts come from single-parent households. and so on."

I listened to Mike Huckabee's answer. I didn't hear any slam about Portman. I heard a well versed author talk about the statistics that he had just uncovered writing his book. I heard a potential candidate talk about how both the fiscal and the social issues are important. And I heard a concerned person talk about the state of our country.

It has been interesting to watch and listen to those in the media, radio and blogosphere spin their tale about Mike Huckabee.  I ask the question, do you want a president who answers the questions that he is asked or do you want someone who hides behind the spin?

Candidate Barack Obama when asked at the Saddleback forum at what stage of development does the baby have legal rights? His answer was to say that it was above his paygrade.

Do you want a President who avoids questions, two steps around the answer, is only comfortable answering "questions" off a teleprompter, has his press secretary give you a bunch of spin, won't commit on a position, can't say who the enemy is or do you want a President who gives you the honest, somber truth?

I want a president who is not afraid to step up to the plate and swing. When you hold the office of the presidency, you do not know what financial, foreign policy, or social crisis will hit on your watch. It could be a curve ball, a fast ball, or a wild throw by the pitcher. But you have to have the courage to take any ball that is thrown your way. Mike Huckabee steps up to the plate every time he has an interview. He will talk about any subject that is asked of him. He gives a straightforward, honest answer. Whether you like it or not, Americans deserve to hear the truth.

The deficit needs to be cut. Medicare/Medicaid/Social Security have to be reformed. The Radical Islamic Terrorists who threaten our way of life need to be eliminated. And in today's Sunday morning paper, ironically a former Hollywood executive/screenwriter turned English teacher in an urban city school in Connecticut asks the question: What to do about the teen pregnancy problem?

Sounds like listening to Mike Huckabee could be the answer.

Mike Huckabee clarifies Kenyan Verbal Gaffe: Ken-ya Give Mike Huckabee a Break?

Mike Huckabee was a guest on The O'Reilly Factor and discussed the verbal gaffe he made in reference to Obama's upbringing.

Please check out this great piece by Huckabee supporter, Gary Walter from the Gary Walter Report:

Ken-ya Give Mike Huckabee a Break?

"Really and truly I would much rather be writing an advocacy blog report for Mike Huckabee. I would rather be talking about his many talents, his abundant accomplishments in over 13 years of state governance, his hopeful and inspiring vision for the path of our country, his articulate and inspirational style,or his much-needed common sense approach to governance as laid out in his new book "A Simple Government". Clearly I would find much more joy in telling you why I believe he is by far the best person on the planet to be President of the United States. I would love to be pointing out that today he led all prospective candidates throughout the south by a whopping 9% in a crowded field (which he did) or that he tops all comers in the most recent national Gallup poll (which he does). But I instead feel compelled today to write as an apologist in the light of the "Obama/Kenya" flap.

In a radio interview on Monday, one of dozens of interviews the Governor gave, he made reference to President Obama's upbringing in Kenya. Despite all context to the contrary, the left-loyal NY Times in an article by Michael Shear comes up with the headline "Huckabee Questions Obama Birth Certificate". Others claimed he was trying to curry support of the "Birther" movement. Others say he is catering to the worst of racism. Others say he's just plain stupid and ignorant while many of the left wing press condemn him as a liar. Huckabee has clearly stated that this was a misspoken comment-and he is simply not a birther. Here's the quote from the governor's website: "As I stated in my new book "A Simple Government" and in numerous interviews with dozens of reporters- I don't believe there is an issue with Barack Obama's birth certificate. However, I do believe there are serious issues with the President's policies, and I have been openly opposed to the President's world view."

Now the left wants to say that Huckabee intentionally made the Kenyan reference because he wanted to curry favor with the birther movement. That is simply a ludicrous assumption. Obviously birthers know where Huckabee stands- you can go to page one of his book and to any number of his public interviews and he is clear, that's not his axe to grind- there are substantive policy issues which demand and merit his and our time and attention as we seek to find a new president. So what would he gain by the miss-speak. As far as the birther's are concerned, it would only underscore that he does not go that route- See the last paragraph of his response where he notes that if Obama was not born in the US than Hillary Clinton's operatives surely would have discovered this and ended his successful campaign against her. No, there would be no benefit to the Governor to make the Kenyan insertion as far as the Birthers were concerned.

So lets start there- there is no motive for a "lie". Further, it has became my privilege to get to know this man. No, I'm not his best bud but since 2007 I have been closely monitoring his speeches , books, and media appearances. I have met and spoken with him on repeated occasions and recently spent 9 days watching him up close and personal on a trip to Israel. The man is a gentleman, a sincere Christian, a leader, and a truth teller. There was no motive for him to lie and to do so would not be consistent with the character of the man I have come to know.

So how did the Kenyan reference come out? What would make sense? The simple answer is that when saying Kenya, he meant "Indonesia" which of course is where President Obama spent four years of his youth. However the critics are quick to counter that the swapping of the words "Kenya" and "Indonesia" don't make the story make sense since there is a reference to the Mau Mau rebellion, and Obama's father and grandfather- which of course are Kenyan not Indonesian in nature. Again there is no motive for Huckabee to convolute the story, so why would these inconsistencies be there? I believe the answer is found in the bigger picture of what the Governor was trying to say: His point was this: the American people do not like the policies of this President- whether we are talking about the exploding debt, the Healthcare debacle , or his whimpish foreign policy model. There are reasons why President Obama looks at the world differently than many Americans. Those reasons include many things from his upbringing which included being registered in school as a Muslim in Indonesia, to having a Kenyan as well as American heritage (his father though not involved in young Barack's life was from Kenya), to where he went to school, to the people he associated with in Chicago politics. If we are to understand where President Obama has taken us and where he would like to take us, his world view must be understood. When the reporter asked the question, I believe the Governor blended together parts of these pieces and they came out a bit jumbled. It was a mistake- one that he has apologized for. What it proves is Huckabee is human.

But why would it be Huckabee that made the mistake? I would assert that you'll find mistakes in all of humans the more we are exposed to one another. Other candidates do not make themselves available to the press except in controlled environments that make them look good. Gov. Huckabee is a real and honest individual who consistently makes himself available to anyone who would like to speak with him. Eventually there will be a gaffe. But as a leader, he's willing to take that risk in order to be accessible to the people. I would suggest that the very vulnerability that Gov. Huckabee exhibits is in fact another reason why he should be President. We want to know our leaders. We would like them to be competent, courageous,and coherent, - all of which Gov. Huckabee is, but we also want them to be authentic and real. They can make mistakes like we do, they are human, but they can take that humanity and inspire us to greatness. Gov. Huckabee does that as well.

At the end of the day we can focus on the "gotcha" questions and character assasinations ad nauseum but what really matters is that we look at the big picture of who should lead are country. Should it be someone with the world view of Barack Obama that leads us to European socialism or the world view of Mike Huckabee that leads us to believe in an America that was founded on great Judeo-Christian principles that have made our country great. America didn't become a great country by accident and focus on an accident should never take us from our goal to be a great country."

Mike Huckabee on the Tavis Smiley Show: Best Government is Limited

Mike Huckabee sat down with Tavis Smiley and discussed the premise of his book, A Simple Government. "The best government is the most local government and it is limited government. Our founding fathers never envisioned that we would have a federal government so large with states so small. States now get more of their revenue from the federal government than they do from any other source. Our founders would be aghast."

Watch the full episode. See more Tavis Smiley.

Mike Huckabee Best Bet to beat Obama and turn North Carolina back to Red

In early March,  Mike Huckabee will be making four book tour stops in the battle ground state of North Carolina.  In 2008, McCain narrowly lost in the Tar Heel state to Obama flipping the red state to blue.  In order to turn that state back to it's historic red hue, Republicans best option would be to have Mike Huckabee at the top of the 2012 ticket.


Public Policy Polling

North Carolina 2012 Presidential Survey

    * Mike Huckabee 47%   {45%} [46%] (48%)
    * Barack Obama 46%   {49%} [45%] (44%)

    * Barack Obama 47% {47%} [46%] (44%)
    * Mitt Romney 44% {44%} [43%] (44%)

    * Barack Obama 48% {50%} [48%] (46%)
    * Newt Gingrich 44% {44%} [42%] (45%)

    * Barack Obama 51% {50%} [52%] (48%)
    * Sarah Palin 41% {41%} [38%] (43%)

Among Independents

    * Mike Huckabee 45%   {40%} [47%] (46%)
    * Barack Obama 40%    {51%} [37%] (37%)

    * Mitt Romney 42% {39%} [37%] (50%)
    * Barack Obama 41% {44%} [44%] (37%)

    * Barack Obama 45% {49%} [41%] (39%)
    * Newt Gingrich 38% {42%} [38%] (44%)

    * Barack Obama 54% {48%} [51%] (42%)
    * Sarah Palin 33% {32%} [33%] (46%)

Favorability

    * Mike Huckabee     43%  / 34%     +9%
    * Mitt Romney     37%  / 39%     -2%
    * Newt Gingrich   30%  / 48%    -18%
    * Sarah Palin        37%  / 57%     -20%

Survey of 650 North Carolina voters was conducted February 16-21, 2011. The margin of error is +/- 3.8 percentage points. Results from the poll conducted January 20-23, 2011 are in curly brackets.  Results from the poll conducted December 17-19, 2010 are in square brackets.  Results from the poll conducted November 19-21, 2010 are in parentheses.

H/T  The Argo Journal  for compilation of data


PPP Nuggets: 

Only Huckabee bests McCain's less than one point loss here.

The main shift has occurred with independents. But while Obama led all 4 with independents previously, he now lags Huckabee 40-45.

Huckabee only GOPer with positive fav in NC- 43/34. Mitt at 37/39, Newt 30/48, Palin 37/57