What a Leader Looks Like…Mike Huckabee

Mike Huckabee Book Tour Begins February 27 in Iowa

He just doesn’t slow down.  Mike Huckabee has just returned from an extended trip to Israel which was his 15th visit there (read this Politico article about some of it) and starting on February 27 he will embark on a twelve state, forty city tour to promote his new policy book A Simple Government.  He will kick-off that tour in the First in the Nation caucus state of Iowa and will also visit other key primary states.

The entire schedule of the book tour can be found here and you can RSVP for any of these stops and you will be sent up-to-date information on that event.  If you can’t attend one of these events you can order an autographed copy of A Simple Government or puchase the book at many other retailers.

Huckabee had this to say about his new book in an email to supporters:

Just when I think the Obama Administration can’t possibly pile on more debt, more job-killing regulations, and more intrusions into our private lives, they surprise me. So I decided to sum up why I disagree with them about spending, taxes, health care, immigration, terrorism… and just about every other issue.

And while I was pondering our current problems, I kept thinking about the Founding Fathers. They understood that the best government is a simple government. They wrote the entire Constitution in about 20 pages of plain English. Compare that to the Obamacare bill alone — more than 2,000 pages of gobbledygook!

Don’t get me wrong — I know that problems like unemployment and national security are complex. But the principles that can solve them are simple: personal liberty, accountability, standing up to bullies, putting local government ahead of Washington, and putting the family ahead of everything.

In short, A SIMPLE GOVERNMENT is about the twelve things we really need from Washington — and a trillion that we don’t.

Governor Huckabee has stated that he will decide if he is going to run for President again by the end of this summer but it looks like the early primary states are already getting a taste of some ninety degree weather.

Mike Huckabee’s Next Book Tour shows Iowa and South Carolina the Love

Will he or won’t he?  That will most likely be the question until the end of this summer.  Will Mike Huckabee make a second run for the White House?  He has adamantly said time and time again that he will not make this decision until later in the year and lately he has been giving a time-table and his reasons for waiting, which I believe is a positive sign that he is going to run.  With now three different polls in Iowa showing that he still is the favorite and his base is still in tact, national polls like this that show him as the clear leader for the nomination, and just yesterday a poll that shows him with promise in a state that should never be a Huckabee state, why wouldn’t he run?

I know supporters are freaking out about his could-be late entry into the presidential race but I am not one of them.  The critics to his method point out Fred Thompson’s failure, but what they need to realize is that Thompson’s strategy did not fail but he failed as a candidate.  Huckabee has the grassroots foundation in the early caucus and primary states, a national platform on Fox News and ABC Radio until he does declare, and charisma to steal the show once he does enter.

Governor Huckabee will also be staying front and center in the news until this summer even without declaring a candidacy for POTUS.  He is scheduled to leave on a two-week trip to Israel the end of January and then will be hosting a week-long Alaskan cruise in June.  In between those two events he is fitting in a mega tour for his new policy book due out on February 22 called A Simple Government:  Twelve Things We Really Need from Washington (and a Trillion That We Don’t!) And this just isn’t any other book tour as it will be spreading the love to two early caucus/primary states…Iowa and South Carolina.  There are 40 stops on this tour with over a quarter of them being in these two states alone:  six destinations in Iowa and five in South Carolina.  And with the media just chomping at the bit for the presidential race to start but the heavy hitters in the GOP dragging their feet to enter, this event should get quite a bit of attention.

Hang on.  This should be quite a ride if you are a Huckabee supporter.  Is it summer yet?

Huckabee: Tucson, Iowa, and Healthcare

How can I lump all three of these subjects together you ask?  Because in a 24 hour news cycle that never sleeps it is almost inevitable that newsworthy topics pile up on top of each other.

The very little input I am going to give on the Tucson, Arizona, shooting tragedy is this:  the left’s reaction was sickening and the right’s reaction to the left didn’t really leave a good taste in my mouth either.  This is about human life and the ugliness of this world and not politics.  I thought Governor Huckabee had a great response to the whole issue and also to Pres. Obama’s address in his daily radio show The Huckabee Report.

First of all, congratulations to President Obama for what was easily the best speech of his presidency. He struck the exact proper tone in noting that while this does give us an opportunity to reflect upon the importance of being civil in our disagreements that it is wrong to assign blame for the personal violent actions of a mad man to other people’s political speech.

Whether out of bias or a quest for controversy or maybe just out of habit some members of the chattering classes went chasing blindly after an angle that would stir the most heated responses and they lost sight of the real story and that is the worst possible failure for a journalist. Even now after the president spelled it out for them many are still making the same mistake and missing the point about the president’s appearance at the memorial.

It is not about politics, whether it is going to raise his approval ratings or boost his reelection chances, and it certainly isn’t about sleazy opportunists who leapt to blame a senseless tragedy on the political speech of whatever side they disagreed with. No, it was about 20 people in Tucson…. I can’t believe that some people have to be continually reminded of this but some things really are bigger than politics and this is one of them. And all Americans should be grateful to our president for saying it beautifully.

In the week following what happened in Arizona two different polls were released showing Mike Huckabee with solid support for a potential second run for the White House in the First in the Nation caucus state of Iowa.  We all know that Huckabee loves Iowa and it is apparent that the Hawkeye state still supports him as a presidential candidate.  Good news for someone who is still undecided about another presidential campaign and may need a little push.

And lastly, Huckabee remains one of the outspoken voices to repeal the Healthcare Act known as Obamacare.  He just wrote a piece yesterday entitled “The Healthcare Act – Return to Sender” and it starts out like this:

We were told—and sold– everything except the truth about the details in the healthcare act. And then, despite a majority of Americans rejecting this massive change in public policy, Congress enacted it anyway. That’s not the way it’s supposed to work in our representative democracy.

He is also one of the main faces promoting the “Repeal the Healthcare Act Now” campaign with a video ad for http://www.repealitnow.org.  Signatures on the petition for Congress to repeal Obamacare are now over 500,000.

Draft Huckabee 2012 Project Launched

During the sleeper time period between Christmas and New Year’s a new CNN/Opinion Research poll was released showing Mike Huckabee as the clear front-runner when it comes to percentage of Republicans who would support his candidacy if he chooses to run for President in 2012.  Add this to various other polls and it is no coincidence that Huckabee is a strong contender to win the Republican nomination and the most formidable opponent to face-off against President Obama in November of 2012.

What a perfect time for supporters to encourage Governor Huckabee to run for President as he has stated time and time again he has not made a decision yet and that decision will come later in 2011.  The encouragement of a grassroots movement to Draft Huckabee 2012 could be what sends him the message and seal the deal to throw his hat in the ring once again after almost three years of defining himself and his political stances on television and radio.  (Good luck to his critics who try to twist his stances and distort his record like they did in 2008, because it won’t be that easy in 2012 after Huckabee has been in millions of people’s living rooms and cars since the last election.)

Join the Draft Huckabee 2012 movement by signing the petition on the new website, like the page on facebook, and follow the movement on twitter.

Separating Fact from Fiction-Huckabee’s Stance on Cap and Trade

Isn’t it odd when a link or video pops-up from over three years ago from when someone last ran for President when no candidate has declared a run for the White House yet in the next cycle?  There is no other explanation when this happens except for certain entities don’t want this individual to run for POTUS again because he just might win.  This individual is Governor Mike Huckabee and once again his stance on mandatory cap and trade is getting twisted and this is his statement to help separate fact from fiction.

In an attempt by bloggers to provide another “GOTCHA” moment – video of a speech I delivered at a climate conference is circulating around as “evidence” of my support for the mandatory cap and trade bill.

To help sort fact from fiction, here is my position – just as it was in 2007:

Like President Reagan and both Presidents Bush, I do support voluntary cap and trade that would allow responsible companies to sell carbon credits to other companies whose emissions exceed the current legal levels – the goal would be a reduction of carbon emissions over a period of time. In the video, I specifically named Wal-Mart from my home state as an example of responsible corporate policy.

The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 – that President Bush ultimately signed was not a cap and trade law. It addressed automobile fuel economy, the development of bio-fuels energy, and efficiency in public buildings and lighting. The reference I made in the speech about the House’s action was because it established a responsible and scientific standard for counting carbon emissions – the House had passed it, but the Senate had not. Even in the voluntary approach, having a standard is necessary. In my speech, I specifically said “carbon counting.” Those who are now breathlessly trotting out their attacks that I supported mandatory cap and trade have simply not done their homework.

That is a far cry from supporting a mandatory federal tax and certainly dramatically different from the 2010 legislation known as the Kerry Bill, which I strongly opposed; as evidenced by numerous comments I made in print, in my daily radio commentaries and on my weekly television show.

I do believe that all of us have a responsibility to be good stewards of the environment and to be respectful of the fact that we are responsible to God for good and careful use of His creation. That is exactly the position I’ve held politically and attempted to practice personally.

Mike Huckabee Wrapped-Up Another Book Tour and Another Comes in 2011

Governor Huckabee has just wrapped up another book tour.  This time he was promoting his Christmas book A Simple Christmas from last year which has been updated and his new children’s book Can’t Wait Till Christmas which stems from one of the chapters in the adult version.  This was a more low-key tour as about half the stops were made than he normally does when promoting a book.  This time he visited the states of Arizona, California, Florida, and New Jersey.  I believe these were all states he had not visited before on a book tour with the exception of Florida.  He received an amazing response in these states in which many times hundreds of people were lined up to meet Huckabee and have their books signed.

While on the tour Gov. Huckabee also took the time to give some important lectures and speeches.  One of these was in Orange County in Southern California where it seemed he was taking a Presidential campaign for a test drive, and the attendees were enthusiastic about his message.  While going back to the east coast for his Fox News show and another book signing Huckabee stirred emotion at the 28th Beit El Dinner in New York where he received a standing ovation.  While on the book tour trail Huckabee was very open to talking to the press which could be because he is a natural behind the camera and microphone and is confident in his message.  There were two really good spontaneous interviews:  one was conducted at the Reagan Library in California and the other one was with NewsMax while he was in Florida where he stated that he could take the White House in 2012.

Can’t Wait Till Christmas debuted at number ten on The New York Time’s Best Seller List last week and Huckabee has already announced that he will have a new policy book coming out at the end of February 2011.  I have been made aware that this spring book tour will have a large amount of destinations and in states that could send a message.  It will be interesting to see the footprints of Mike Huckabee in 2011 since he has remained so popular and continues to lead in polls not only for the GOP nomination in 2012 but also in head-to-head match-ups against President Obama.  Maybe soon he will get some respect.

Huckabee for President 2012-Run Mike Run Campaign

Mike Huckabee’s Visit to Iowa: The Beginning of the Beginning?

I have kept up to date on political news regarding the 2012 Republican presidential nomination for over two years.  The central theme that has come from most pundits on the Republican side  is that “Huckabee won’t run.”  After hearing this for two years I am now convinced that this opinion is more of state of denial than a stated fact.  I have watched poll after poll come out and have seen Governor Huckabee’s name at the top or near the top for Republicans’ choice for their next nominee.  Even though the conservative media pushes other candidates, such as Mitt Romney or Sarah Palin, and leaves Huckabee’s name out of the conversation completely or hits him with some cheap shots, the people are adament; they still want Mike Huckabee.  Perhaps someday the Republican elite will be forced to accept that.

This Sunday, November 21, the 2008 caucus winner will make his first trip to Iowa since the midterms to be the keynote speaker at Iowa Family Police Center Action’s “Celebrate the Family” event.  This trip to Iowa alone raised eyebrows about a possible run for the White House, but not as much as what Huckabee has been saying about the event.  First there was this statement from Huck PAC’s Executive Director, Hogan Gidley, stating the purpose of Governor Huckabee’s visit to Iowa when there was some confusion on what he will be speaking about at the event.  Next there was the interview that Mike Huckabee did with Steve Deace on the largest Iowa radio station in the days leading up to the event in which he seemed to be basically marking his territory and touching on all points important to the Iowa caucus voter, and he also made it clear that the door is open for another run.

So, when those on Huckabee’s same team who hate him because he is not one of them say that “he won’t run” I realize that they are actually saying a silent prayer because what is evident to me is also clearly evident to them.  It may be Mike Huckabee that the confetti will fall on during the next Republican National Convention and it also is likely it may be him we are swearing-in as President of the United States in 2013.

Mike Huckabee’s PAC Huge Election Day Victories and Defeating Pres. Obama in the Polls

Huck PAC may not throw around the most money and Governor Huckabee looks at principles and not polls before endorsing candidates then usually endorses early (when it matters the most) and travels state to state for candidates while his grassroots volunteers, Team Huck, make phone calls and knock on doors.  Because of this and many other efforts Huck PAC had one of the most successful midterms out of all the major PACs with a 75% success rate.

Here is Huck PAC’s recap:

GOVERNOR MIKE HUCKABEE AND HUCK PAC ENDORSED CANDIDATES EXPERIENCE HUGE ELECTION DAY VICTORIES

Governor Huckabee and Huck PAC Release Statement About the Election Results

Little Rock, AR – Governor Mike Huckabee said, “On November 2nd Americans overwhelmingly spoke with one voice, sending a message to Washington that we will not be ignored. The demise of the Republican Party predicted two years ago was obviously unfounded. But now is the time for all the new officeholders to hold true to their promises and bring about the type of change they promised and their constituents desire. Huck PAC will continue to support Republicans at all levels of government, and will continue fighting for conservative causes until we take back the Senate and ultimately the White House. We’ll continue to grow Team Huck membership in all 50 states, adding to the thousands of volunteers that helped make yesterday’s victories a reality.”

This election cycle Huck PAC endorsed 126 candidates at all levels of government: Governorships, US Senate, US House, State Senate and House seats – all the way down to County Clerk. Huck PAC candidates were victorious in 94 races, came up short in 25 and 7 are still too close to call.

Governor Huckabee said, “Endorsements don’t win races, candidates do. And Huck PAC tries to help candidates on the basis of their principles, not their press or polling favorability. We often purposely pick underdogs who are clearly behind, but clearly great and principled candidates – because I know what it’s like to be written off by the elite punditry class without regard to issues. Huck PAC wants all of its candidates to win, but we are proud of each one we’ve endorsed and would do it again.”

Hogan Gidley, Executive Director Huck PAC added, “Governor Huckabee was active in many races, headlining rallies and fundraising events for candidates across the county, recording robo-calls, GOTV messages, not to mention radio and television ads. Much of what the Governor did for candidates flew under the DC press radar, but the candidates who received the help sure appreciated it. In fact, towards the end of the election, Governor Huckabee traveled to about 10 states a week working for our endorsed candidates.

We’d like to truly thank our national grassroots organization, Team Huck, who made thousands of phone calls for candidates, knocked on countless doors and helped mobilize votes nationwide. Our loyal national network of volunteers who are hardworking and committed – ever fighting for what and who they believe in. Our volunteers are the best in the country.”

To view the winning candidates and where they are please see the map that Huck PAC has supplied.

Also, fresh off of his midterm victories Mike Huckabee has defeated Pres. Obama by 8 points in a CNN poll and also was the favorite for the Republican nomination.

Life is good.