Governor Mike Huckabee – “Do The Right Thing” – Cultural Conservatism and the 2008 Campaign

Mike Huckabee latest book, “Do the Right Thing”, offers a candid, behind-the-scenes, view of one of the most interesting campaigns of the 2008 general election. Huckabee, former 2-1/2 term Governor of the State of Arkansas, takes the reader through the campaign, which serves as a context and background on where the conservative movement needs to go. As in other books by Governor Huckabee, he addresses and then offers common-sense solutions on the challenging issues facing American’s today.

“Do the Right Thing”, releases today, the 18th, and last evening Governor Huckabee took the time to talk about the book as well as issues facing the Republican Party and conservatism in general. One of the first questions asked was if he would run again is 2012 – a question he’s been fielding since November 5th – he duly noted it was “too early” to make that decision. Most of the questions asked were about the 2008 general election and the role of cultural conservatives in the Republican Party. A brief (abridged) transcript follows:

The Conservative Movement

On the conservative movement and where it needs to go, Huckabee feels that it’s not about what’s wrong with the past, but what needs to be right – from economics to values issues. When asked how to get voters focused on the message, in a political atmosphere that remains highly partisan, Governor Huckabee noted that one problem Republicans’ face is that “we’ve expounded upon the what, not the why”. “If we focus on the why, and carry it out to its logical conclusion – on issues such as health care, national election reform - why they are serious - and here’s how we can fix them – that’s what people are looking for in politicians – what can we do to fix it (the problem) and really fix it”

On Cultural Conservatism

Governor Huckabee also believes that cultural conservatives kept John McCain as close in the race as he was. He went on to explain that Four years ago, George Bush won by a margin of 49 to 51 percent, and the pundits called it a slim victory while in 2008 Obama’s margin was only one point higher, 52 to 48 – Cultural conservatives didn’t lose the election because they are pro-life, they (Republicans) started to loose elections when “we acted like it didn’t matter”. Those people that didn’t see the different between the two parties went ahead and voted for a Democrat for a change.

On Campaign Strategy: Why he went to Michigan with South Carolina in the balance?

“We went to Michigan briefly – two quick trips – one of the things that was happening was that there was a perception that we were only able to play in the evangelical areas of South Carolina and Iowa – what we needed to demonstrate that we were viable outside of the evangelical world, and there was a growing interest in Michigan, the national media was following this, and so we knew we needed to play there – and we had to challenge that philosophy.

On the Division in the Conservative Base: (Those that voted for McCain because they felt they had to and those that just couldn’t)

“It’s easy to second guess tactical or strategic issues, the truth is, this was a tough climate – it would have been tough – McCain was a better candidate than Barack Obama - as to what I believe and what I stood for – it was largely that we did not take the strong stands, on economic policy an the values issue, should have come out against the bailout, be adamant about how crazy that was, get the word out how the Democrats stonewalled. We often got so caught up in the issues that didn’t resonate with the people, a lot of people didn’t care about Reverend Wright - they are worried about getting a paycheck.”

On His Support of Chip Saltzman for the RNC Chair

“The chairman’s race is easy to comment on, obviously I’m supporting Chip Saltzman because I saw his ability to operate a good organization – secondly he has a good understanding of using technology and trying to take our party into the future – on our campaign, it was the creative use of the Internet that got us to where we were – Chip understands the power of new media forms, and I’m convinced that if we don’t get in that game, we’re going to keep getting beat.”

On the Somewhat Negative Book Review in Time

“If people read the book, rather than just read a review, they will realize the reviewers took the most controversial pieces and reduced it down to a paragraph – I do name some names in the context of the campaign, specifically issues that we had with Mitt Romney and I could not tell the story about what’s going on in the party, without some candor, so I talk about it, I was very specific, It was for a purpose, because if I had just said, Mitt Romney didn’t represent a certain position, it could be challenged, but when I talk about times, dates, places and specific comments, it comes to a point where if someone has to challenge it would be a fact not an opinion but that’s not the focus of the book, it’s by intent somewhat provocative, what I try to do is point out that some present themselves a pure conservatives when they aren’t , they are more libertarian”

What Governor Huckabee hopes is that this book “causes discussion, even those that hate it, that’s fine, I want them to show me where I’m wrong, show me how I’m wrong, how there is no connection between the way we live and the cost that it results in. So I think that’s why you’ll find this book provocative but it will be the basis for quite a bit of discussion.”

Having followed the Huckabee campaign from 2006 onward, and having read other books by Governor Huckabee, he gives readers solutions in language that makes sense – common sense. There are hundreds of lengthy tomes, by those “Washington elite” that do the same thing – geared towards members of both parties, in minute detail - and although critically acclaimed they also act as a “sleep aid” - they reach an intended audience, not a general audience. Huckabee, on the other hand, writes so that “we the people” are able to see his vision of the future, as well have a chuckle or two (his humor is part and parcel of his books), and feel that, yes, there is a place in politics for those “outside the Beltway”. His ability to reach people, without preaching dogma, (yes, he was Baptist Minister), is what took him from the Governors’ office in Arkansas, to a serious contender for the Republican nomination in 2008 – on a shoestring budget, bolstered by people who felt they were understood, by a man who does understand, and who explains his positions, not in rhetoric, or canned party phrases (pick a party, we’ve heard them all), but by connecting to those who want to see the party of Lincoln returned to its roots – those roots are as viable today as they were when they party was founded – a unique blend of inclusive, cultural and fiscal conservatism.

To learn more about Governor Mike Huckabee visit: MikeHuckabee.com
Also Suggested: “From Hope to Higher Ground – 12 Steps to Restoring America’s Greatness”

One Thing is Certain - America Will Have a New Party Leader on November 5th

It is the day before American’s go to the polls to elect a new President – the media is in a frenzy, and tensions and tempers are high – today.
Tomorrow when we go to the polls, we will cast ballots for the individual who we feel will do the best job for the country and the one which we feel has values that most closely match our own. What one must also understand, is that whoever is in the Office of the President, is also the leader the a particular party; following a party platform developed by those within the party, a set of guidelines if you will, that lays out a plan for leadership and a direction of for the country. It is safe to say therefore that, be it Republican or be it Democrat, both parties have a unique vision of the direction our country should take, and the members of the party, have chosen a leader to move that agenda forward. The electorate (those who voice their opinion by casting a vote), play a small, but important part in all of this – and the right to vote, is one of the most important benefits of our Republic; it gives each and every citizen the ability to have a say in who will lead the nation and their respective Party. We are privileged to live in a nation that allows the common person to have a say in their government – what is most disturbing is that some, for whatever reason, feel their vote does count. These are the individuals who do have an opinion, and a preference, yet, either to not register to vote, or neglect to vote, and then, have plenty to say once the die is cast.

The 2008 election is no different than any other - with glaring exceptions – the amount of time all American’s have had to choose one over the other has been extended (the media is already running bits on the 2012 race, and in some instances, polling has begun); a steady diet of news and entertainment programs has assailed the public for over two years. 2008 has brought about unprecedented amounts of media coverage, and three firsts – Hillary Clinton, the first woman to run for the Democrat nomination, Barack Obama, the first African American to run and obtain the Democrat Nomination, and Sarah Palin, the first woman to be nominated to a Republican ticket. The media has played a great part in this group of firsts by turning it into a drama of sorts; Sexism was rampant in reporting; Hillary Clinton received more negative press than her opponent, Obama – not about policy, rather, her laugh, her choice of clothing and her makeup were center stage. Sarah Palin has been through a meat-grinder; the press, not found of Conservatives to begin with, took what little restraint, if any, they had applied to Clinton, and abandoned that completely in their treatment of Palin. Race was also brought to the forefront; the idea that one would not vote for Obama because of race, became the theme. Never once, was it played in the media that perhaps someone would not vote for Obama because of policy or lack of experience. Is there racism in America? Absolutely, now more than ever – perhaps some of us have been living under a rock for the past twenty years, thinking that yes, certainly there may be racists here and there, or sexists, but surely, isolated at best, as we have diversity programs in our schools, our communities are integrated, our country is made great by inclusion, and intelligence has trumped ignorance – apparently not. What the media has brought out in the general public is ugly, and it was done deliberately based on a political bias as well as an economical bias (ratings) – the constant drumbeat has further divided us – by political party, gender and race.

When a president is chosen, by the people and for the people, regardless of which President we have on Wednesday morning, the world will not end – we have rooted for our candidates, they have done their best to get a message out to the public, and, because we live in a Republic, a leader will be chosen by a majority. That majority may end up being a million votes, or 20 votes in New Hampshire, but it is the process that should make each and every one of us grateful and proud to be a citizen of this great nation. Whoever is elected should have the full support of the people, should be given a chance to perform and prove that they are worthy of the job that we, the people, hired them to do. Should that President not perform, in four years, they will be replaced – it is the process. The fact that so many American’s become emotionally vested in a particular candidate, aided by the media’s constant drumbeat and the candidate as “movie star” syndrome that developed this election cycle, is perhaps, the biggest hurdle to face the day after the election. Yes, there should be some disappointment if one’s candidate is not chosen, but that is where it should end – we should defy the media and the hype created in this election year (as in the past 8 elections one can recall that each was titled “the most important election”), and go about our business, supporting the new President until 2010 when the entire process begins again.

Obama “Truth Squads” in Missouri - Using Public Officials to Suppress Free Speech

One has to wonder where the line was drawn between our Republic and the tenants of socialism/fascism used by New Progressive Democrats under the leadership of Pelosi/Reid/Kerry and Obama. Apparently, the Obama Campaign has established a relationship between campaign officials and local government officials in Missouri. Prosecutors and sheriffs from across Missouri have joined the "truth squad” – their task: reminding voters that Obama is a Christian and is going to cut their taxes – and that anyone who runs a misleading ad will be prosecuted. Appalled? This is not the first time that the Obama Campaign tried this tactic in Missouri; they ran a similar campaign against Hillary Clinton during the primary. Not one peep from the press – not one cry of outrage - Clinton won Missouri handily. How did the rest of America miss this?

The question now arises – how legal and/or ethical is collusion between a political candidate from one party and state officials and employees aiding and abetting that campaign employing intimidation and threats during a primary or general election? Although both sheriffs and prosecutors are elected Progressive Democrats; telling voters that Obama is a Christian - and that he will cut taxes might not be part of their job description – moreover by insinuating that the opposing campaign’s ads will be misleading or false, is akin to an abuse of power. The “Truth Squad” is interesting to say the least, considering that it was established in order to stifle any questions regarding Obama and/or his record. May of these “truths” have proven to be stretched to the limit. These types of fascist tactics by Obama campaign should be a warning to all people of independent mind. Local Missouri New Coverage in YouTube videos shown below.

John McCain – Attack on Obama.

Barrack Obama has been under attack these past few months by none other than John McCain! Apparently, John McCain, the Republican presidential nominee has had the audacity to advertise the differences between himself and Obama (The much ballyhooed Democrat presidential nominee) to the American Public. Obama’s campaign has, understandably, denounced these ads as nothing more than a vicious attack, going so far as to complain that McCain’s advertising only features Obama in a negative light!

There’s something to be said for that old adage: “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen”.

The straw that broke the camels back (Hold it: Is that politically correct? Let’s discuss: Camels - they can be found in Arabia, sometimes used for transportation - by Arabs who are Muslims - therefore, that phrase might now be categorized as “racist” if used when discussing Obama.) was an ad released this week by the McCain camp (video below for comparison purposes), depicting Obama as a celebrity (truth – media celebrity), using images of Paris Hilton and Brittney Spears (also celebrities) to drive home a point – Obama may be pretty (he’s been featured in his bathing suit on the cover of a magazine), but he needs an entourage of 300 to help him through the day (not unlike Ms. Hilton or Ms. Spears (who have fewer assistants) – is that the type of leadership the country needs?

The ad is funny. It makes its point. It is not offensive (unless of course, the truth hurts).




Additionally, the Obama campaign points out that John McCain only attacks Obama (something politician’s have been doing since time imorium), which is not the case. In between compare and contrast ads (Obama is for this, while McCain is not), McCain runs advertisements that don’t even mention Obama - in fact, they outline his personal beliefs and his plans! Example shown below.




The question then arises: “Do we need an overly sensitive President, who is catered to by an overly sensitive media?” Or do we need someone who can stand a bit of competition and have the character to quip back without needing advice from 300 faithful followers? John McCain, may be “not Obama” for many conservatives (As in: I’m only voting for McCain, because he’s “not Obama”), but credit should be given where credit is due: McCain isn’t out there crying foul when he’s compared to G.W. Bush (ying and yang if one has been alive for the past 25 years), or when his age is called into question (ageism!!) – he sucks it up and presses on – that’s leadership.

John McCain Uses Wife’s Company’s Jet

To the New York Times – “Is this all you’ve got?”

From Politico.com

The New York Times has reported that John McCain has been using his wife’s company corporate jet almost exclusively for campaign purposes. Apparently, it is not an illegal act at all, and one can’t be sure if the Times is more upset over the fact that they cannot find anything of substance to hang on McCain or if it was apparent that the man was being frugal in managing to jet about the country for six months at the price of two months flight time. It is evident that the Times is attempting to question McCain’s character as noted; “McCain has a “signature stance” on campaign finance reform” but he found a “loophole”. To wit – so what and is that all you’ve got? Although, to this conservative, McCain is not the most appealing candidate (given his stance on immigration reform and embryonic stem cell research), yet when the surface is scratched, there is little to criticize from an independents point of view. The man has worked well with both sides of the aisle, and has appeared to vote his conscious, and not a straight party line. This is worth noting.

Additionally, Governor Mike Huckabee, true to his word, is supporting Senator McCain’s candidacy through active campaigning and the Huckpac a political action committee designed to promote conservative candidates.


The Baltimore Sun is calling McCain and Huckabee the “not so odd couple”, citing the civility on the campaign trail as well as Mike Huckabee’s support of McCain in his recent trip through Arkansas. The speculation of McCain’s running mate has begun:
“McCain fielded the obligatory running mate question with his "standard answer," saying that he didn't want to mention any names yet.

But McCain readily admitted that "millions of Republican voters voted for Governor Huckabee" in the primaries, and he wants him to play a prominent role in his campaign. McCain noted Huckabee still has a 65 percent approval rating in Arkansas.
When reporters asked Huckabee if he planned to campaign for McCain, it was McCain who jumped in to answer with a ready: "Yes." (Baltimore Sun) click here for the entire article

A Case for Re-thinking the Candidacy of Hillary Clinton

Photo credit: AlJezeera (Arabic version) Title: The Iron Lady

Although a tedious and somewhat perplexing task, (translation software cannot, of course, offer a literal word by word translation) a trip to the Arabic
AlJezzera News site allows a glimpse into the views of another culture in regards to the U.S. Presidential candidates. One thing is certain; the Al Jezeera Islamic viewpoint is one that decisively favors one candidate over another.

On Hillary Clinton (keep in mind translation software in use): “hylaary] Clinton. Iron lady the palace” "Important questions hesitates a lot in stubborn mass mediums American and the internationalism her coverage for news of campaign the senator [hylaary] Clinton is sovereign the White House previous and Senate bit current [waalsaae'yt] for the democratic winning in candidacy her party in elections the American presidency (November/November 2008) in confrontation of group from males of the party [aal'ashdaa'] advances them the senator is faithful your ['awbaamaa] having [aalkaaryzmaa] and the natural power on the interview [aalmstrsl] who [yxlb] the minds, and the previous senator John Edwards who describes him the some “in democratic children of the party golden” Lama be distinguished in him from beauty in the features makes him similar in boys the American cinema [baal'i][aaft] to his southern intelligence his atheism and accent and his concentration on cases [aaldaaxl] American.”

Apparently the Arabic News Services understands that, Hillary, the Iron Lady, Clinton (depicted as one to be feared), has been confronted by the males in her party who are advancing her opponent, the faithful Obama, who has the natural power of the interview, and the “beauty of a movie star” and overall intelligence.

Ladies, stand up and take notice. One might note that this is the same news service that is a direct conduit for the ranting and ravings of one “Osama Ben Laden” and company, their view of the west is one of distaste – they hope for an eventual conquest and conversion of the corrupt United States and in that conversion, women would be treated abominably. Obviously, a hope is only a hope, but that said, a candidate who is feared by those who would see our country destroyed, is a candidate who may be more desirable than one who is lauded by our enemies or, in McCain’s case, largely ignored.

Although, on a personal level, I disagree with Hillary Clinton’s stand on multiple social issues, I am also well-aware that a “mother of our country” might be the ticket as far as security and national safety are concerned. I have no doubt that in a scenario where our country was threatened and Clinton were in a position to take charge, she would be decisive, she would indeed bring fear to those who would do us harm.

In discussions over why I would choose Clinton over my own party candidate or Obama, male associates accuse me first of choosing her because “she is a woman” – they could not be more in error. It is because I feel she would be the one that would keep us safe. It is because I am one of those voters who is acutely conscious of the conscious threat of terrorism.

Should Mrs. Clinton moderate her position on the current tax code, abortion, marriage and immigration to a more conservative stance, she would be the ultimate candidate. To be fair, all candidates lack true conservative credentials. Obama is the most progressive, McCain has voted consistently across the aisle (which may or may not be a good thing), considered switching party alliance not very long ago, and supports embryonic steam cell research. One thing is certain, women, as Democrats, share the same concerns for the safety of our nation as those that are conservative. It is with a great deal of hope that Mrs. Clinton is given a chance to continue and complete her quest for the Democratic nomination and give Americans, as a whole, a choice between two candidates who have the nations security in mind.