I'm Back

Been a few days since I last updated here, but Christmas, then a Washington, DC vacation intervened. I am home now and recovered from the trip and will post a Huckabee update later tonight. Much has happened since the holidays!

Why I Like Mike...

Summed up simply in a quote by Huckabee on the stump in Iowa:

"They [the Republican establishment] don't mind having us vote for them. They don't mind having us empower them. They don't mind even coming and patting us on the head and telling us they'll think very seriously about taking to heart the issues we think important. But when they get elected, they forget who we are and they never push the issues we think are important. And they are scared to death that someone who isn't part of them might actually get elected and might actually go to Washington with a view saying 'I do know where I come from and I haven't forgotten where I've been and I go for all those people whose odds are stacked against them 20 to 1.'"

Read the rest of the article by Terry Eastland from the Weekly Standard here.

McCain Christmas Ad

Although I am obviously a Huckabee supporter, I really liked this McCain Christmas ad. McCain has comported himself with dignity and with respect for his fellow competitors in this campaign so far and I think that says volumes for his character, even if I may not support him for president.

1000 Miles for Huckabee

I am posting this on behalf of a Huckabee supporter that is a part of the Cary, NC Meetup group. His name is David Zannini and he has started 1000 Miles for Huckabee (http://www.1000milesforhuckabee.com).

David was first introduced to Governor Huckabee through a profile on him in a 2005 article of Runner's World and has been a supporter ever since.

He is a runner as well and is pledging to run 1000 miles in a Huckabee t-shirt before the general election. Please go and check out his site and help support David in his effort to spread the word about Huckabee! Thanks!

Huckabee vs. Romney on Judges

Good article here from the Conservative Voice comparing Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee's record on nominating solid, conservative judges.

On Romney:

"Mitt Romney's record in Massachusetts on judicial nominations is abysmal. His conduct was either an abdication of duty or a complete disregard of the importance of a governor's role in that state's nominations process."

On Huckabee:

"By contrast, Governor Huckabee not only left the Arkansas judiciary better than he found it, but he also vigorously supported the President's Arkansas nominees to the federal bench. Excellent nominees, like Leon Holmes who Democrats obstructed for years. As soon as Holmes was confirmed, colleagues elected him Chief Judge."

Good article...the courts are the primary battlefields of the sanctity of life debate right now. This is the primary area of influence that a president has over these issues, along with a host of other constitutional issues. Chances are the next president will nominate at least one if not multiple Supreme Court justices whose influence will extend far beyond any presidential term. When you stack them up the Romney-labeled "liberal" Huckabee shines in this area whereas Romney has, as the article states, an "abysmal" record. More on Romney's record in this area can be found here.

News Roundup 12/20/07

Seems like after several days of downers for us Huckabee supporters, there is a flood of good news and good press today. Here's a sampling of Huckabee in the news!

Pat Buchanan seems to think the the race is down to two competitors...Huckabee and Romney. He believes that winning Iowa will all but seal the deal for Huckabee, and that Rudy and Fred are essential done. Here's a bit from the article:

"So, two weeks out from Iowa, here are the odds.

Rudy and Thompson each 20-1. John McCain 6-1. He has to win New Hampshire, and even if he wins there, he would be an underdog. Grass-roots conservatives do not like him and would prefer Huckabee.

Mitt Romney 3-2. If he wins Iowa, he is almost unstoppable. If he loses Iowa, he has to come back and beat McCain in New Hampshire. Then it would a Mitt-Mike race through Feb. 5.

And Huckabee? He has to win Iowa. If he does, he will be the favorite in South Carolina and for the nomination, as well."

Michael Reagan, scion of the Great Communicator himself, is generally good for a nice word about Huckabee as well. Today is no different as he compliments the campaign on some smart strategies. He compliments the campaign for the brilliant Christmas ad that every pundit on TV has played a million times, giving Huckabee priceless advertising at no cost to him.

"In addition to seeing Mike Huckabee suddenly surge in the polls, the nation is also witnessing some of the smartest campaign strategies any candidate has displayed in a long time. The former Arkansas governor has shown he can play the game with the best of them, and better than most."

A slew of new polls look good for Huckabee, too.

National Polls

Rasmussen Daily Tracking: Huckabee 21%, McCain/Romney 15%, Giuliani 13% (ouch!)

Fox News National: Giuliani 20%, Huckabee 19%, McCain 19%, Romney 11%

NBC/WSJ National: Giuliani 20%, Romney 20%, Huckabee 17%, McCain 14%

Note: National polls really don't mean too much at this point, so don't get too excited either way. However, the most important thing to note is that Giuliani's fall and Huckabee's rise is not just limited to the early states. As many predicted, once the Republican electorate got serious about their nominee, Giuliani's support would evaporate.

Early State Polls

Strategic Vision Iowa: Huckabee 31%, Romney 25%, Thompson 16%

ABC/WaPo Iowa: Huckabee 35%, Romney 27% (Look at the internals on this one...Huckabee is pulling over 40% of women, 57% of evangelicals and 42% of conservatives)

CNN Iowa: Huckabee 33%, Romney 25%, Giuliani 11%

Survey USA/Live 5 News SC: Huckabee 28%, Romney 18%, McCain 16%, Thompson 15%
The SC poll also has Huckabee ahead as the best candidate on immigration...so much for your commercials and mailers, Mitt...

CBS News SC: Huckabee 28%, Romney 20%, Giuliani 12%, McCain 11%

CNN New Hampshire: Romney 34%, McCain 22%, Giuliani 16%, Huckabee 10%
You might say, "Why put this negative poll in the midst of the good ones?" Well, just watch McCain...other polls have him within a point or two of Romney. If Huckabee wins IA and McCain squeaks by Romney here, then Romney might just be through. Giuliani is dropping like a rock here and a strong third for Huckabee would be a good finish. Oh, and Romney's home conservative newspaper just endorsed McCain...whoops!

EPIC-MRA Michigan: Romney 21%, Huckabee 19%, Giuliani 12%, McCain 10%
Big news here is that Huckabee is now within the margin of error for the lead in Michigan and Giuliani has dropped a whopping 16 points since the last poll. Couple a MI win with an IA win for Huckabee and it will be very hard for Romney to recover to win SC. Remember, his dad was governor of Michigan in the 60s and ran for president himself until a foolish remark regarding Vietnam dashed his hopes. This is practically a second home state for Mitt...he's gotta win here.

Finally we end with California, which is a Super Tuesday state and one of the ones that Giuliani was banking on to help him recover from losing possibly every single January contest. He might want to look in his rearview mirror...methinks I see the Huckabus on the horizon...

The Field Poll California: Giuliani 25%, Huckabee 17%, Romney 15%, McCain 12%
Huckabee has gained 13 points in the last two months in California...and the state is not winner-take-all so even a strong second place would give Huckabee valuable delegates. But also, we Republicans tend to like to back the perceived frontrunner, so by the time Super Tuesday gets here, whoever can rack up the most wins just might jump ahead everywhere.

Huckabee the Fiscal Conservative

In light of the recent attacks on Mike Huckabee's record in Arkansas, I am going to be using this space to more aggressively defend his record and distribute the truth behind the falsehoods out there.

This is an older article, but a good one nonetheless regarding Huckabee's fiscal conservatism, which has been attacked at various points in the last month. Enjoy!

Mike Huckabee is a Fiscal Conservative
by Dick Morris

Newsweek: Romney on Huckabee - The Facts

Newsweek has an excellent article where they detail the facts behind Romney's latest attempt to smear Gov. Huckabee, this time on his crime record. It seems he not only misrepresents Huckabee's record, but the reactions of Massachusetts newspapers on his own record as well. This article is well worth your time. Please forward it along to anyone who might be buying into Romney's deceptions.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/80949

(Honestly, Mitt...if you really want to win the nomination, you are going to need to have the support of ALL Republicans...you are on the very cusp of losing any chance that I personally will support you if you are the nominee...)

Responding to Romney

Man, it seems every time Mitt Romney opens his mouth I lose a little bit more respect for the man. Back in the spring, I really thought I'd be supporting him at this juncture, but the anger and the lies he has been spouting about Huckabee lately makes me glad I took my time deciding on a candidate.

I am also glad to see the Huckabee campaign coming out more aggressively to defend their record. Interesting that when Romney attacks, he calls names and puts inappropriate labels on Huckabee and when Huckabee responds, the bulk of the article consists of verifiable quotes and facts exposing the falseness of Romney's assertions.

Huckabee talks alot about "Vertical Politics", which is simply using the political process to move forward and upward, away from the petty "horizontal" focus on attacking and misrepresenting an opponent, toward looking ahead to how we can actually solve problems and give the next generation a better future. However, that doesn't mean you have to take dirty political attack lying down. The Official Blog has a great new post addressing some of Romney's misguided criticisms of Huckabee's assertion that the Bush Administration has some "arrogant" policies.

Here's the link...please share this with as many folks as you can!

New Polling Data

The race continues to tighten in Iowa as people begin to settle into their candidates right before Christmas:

Rasmussen Iowa

Huckabee 28%
Romney 27%
McCain 14%
Giuliani/Thompson 8%

(It should be noted that Giuliani has pretty much pulled out of Iowa and McCain has recently decided to return and ramp up his campaign there. The question is, if McCain surges, where does his support come from?)

It seems that Romney's attacks have had some effect in Iowa, but with that campaign showing no signs of slowing down the Huckabee bashing, at what point do voters become disgusted with the negativity, especially here at Christmas? Will McCain take from Romney? What about Fred, who is launching a bus tour around the state?

Although it looks good for Huckabee in Iowa, there is still work to be done before he wins the caucus there.

Now, on to New Hampshire...

Rasmussen New Hampshire

Romney 31%
McCain 27%
Giuliani 13%
Huckabee 11%

Now, on the surface, things don't look good for Huckabee in the Granite State. But, this is a must-win state for Romney...if he loses IA and NH, he is essentially through. But look at who now sits in second place...McCain. He has surged in the state that was very friendly to him back in 2000. Some key newspaper endorsements have given him new life in NH. The thing is, though, this is really his only realistic shot to win a state in the primaries except for Arizona. So his role here is more of a spoiler to the Romney camp than serious contender for the nomination.

Best case scenario in NH for Huckabee: Coming off a win in Iowa, he surges a bit in NH to third place. Romney now looks shaky after a second in Iowa pushing a few more voters over to McCain. McCain wins a squeaker with Romney in second and Huckabee vaulting past Giuliani in third. No one really expects McCain to do well in SC, Huckabee is seen as a winner and as having a surprisingly strong showing in a very libertarian state, and Romney has now lost two primaries where he has dumped a tremendous amount of money.

Huckabee can go on to win SC and possibly MI. If he wins MI, then Romney is truly and thoroughly done. The momentum of being a winner can carry Huckabee into a win in FL where polls show him now overtaking Giuliani. So now, we enter Super Tuesday. It is basically Huck vs. Rudy. The down side is, Rudy has won nothing to this point. People will tend to at this point vote for the perceived winner. Rudy may take NY, NJ or other Northeastern states, but Huckabee sweeps the South and Midwest and either wins CA outright or has a strong enough showing there to take enough delegates that Rudy is pretty much done.

So, on the morning of February 6th, Mike Huckabee, for all intents and purposes, is the Republican nominee. Sound crazy? :)

Huckabee on Today Show 12/19/07

Huckabee on Larry King Live 12/17/07

Yet another great interview with Mike Huckabee with Chuck Norris thrown into the mix as well. Great responses to some of the ridiculous stuff the Romney attack machine has been throwing his way as well. This video is well worth your time to watch!

Great New Huckabee Christmas Ad

This is playing in IA, NH and SC and I think it will play well to the folks who are tired of the constant stream of political commercials. Even Mike's critics think it is a brilliant ad!

Huckabee on Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer 12/16/07

I admit, I have not spent much time in this space addressing and shooting down every ridiculous piece of dirt the "conservative" elite and certain Republican candidates has dredged up against Mike Huckabee. I believe that the candidate is doing a great job of taking care of these issues on his own and his website has a section devoted to presenting the truth behind the lies of his opponents.

However, with the hiring of the experienced Ed Rollins as his new National Campaign Chairman, I have noticed that Huckabee has been even more direct in addressing the criticisms of his tenure as governor of Arkansas within the media. What follows is a video of him on CNN's Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer. Ironically, CNN and MSNBC are being considerably fairer to the candidate than the so-called "conservative" Fox News and the talking heads out there in Talk Radio Land. Weird, huh?

Huckabee on Foreign Policy

Here is a link to an article that will appear in the Jan/Feb 2008 issue of Foreign Affairs. Written by none other than Michael D. Huckabee himself.

Here is the summary as a teaser:

Summary: The Bush administration's arrogant bunker mentality has been counterproductive at home and abroad. American foreign policy needs to change its tone and attitude, open up, and reach out. In particular, it should focus on eliminating Islamist terrorists, stabilizing Iraq, containing Iran, and toughening its stance with Pakistan.

Huckabee on "Money and Politics"

Here is a link to a text transcript of an interview with Mike Huckabee on Bloomberg's "Money and Politics" show. Very good answers and a look into Huckabee's fiscal conservatism as well.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2007/12/huckabee_on_money_politics.html

Here is a great answer to the question of what Huckabee would do if he inherited a recession as president. This gives great insight into his philosophy of governing:

"Well, I think every president has to be worried about the what-ifs. But I learned as a governor, you basically are hired to handle the what-ifs. That's the job. It's not the things you plan for; it's the things you don't plan for. That's when character and judgment come into play. It's not that hard a job just to take out the normal routine, cut the ribbons, make the speeches; you really get paid for handling the crises, the things that nobody saw coming. I did that as a governor for 10 and a half years. That's what a president has to do. And that's when you need someone with executive experience who knows that you don't have weeks to have committee meetings. You make a decision; you've got to pull the trigger on it and you've got to take action. And then you have to take responsibility for that action. That's why a president gets elected."

The Boom Continues to Spread...

New polls out for two key states in the primaries...

First, one of the major states before Super Tuesday, Florida, has a new leader...would you like to hazard a guess as to who that might be???

Rasmussen is preparing to report that Mike Huckabee now leads in Florida with 27%!!! This is HUGE...if Huckabee wins Iowa, SC, and Florida before Super Tuesday, this thing could well be over with. Florida is supposed to be Giuliani's firewall before Feb. 5th. However, can he maintain any momentum whatsoever if he goes into that Tuesday with no primary wins?

Huckabee 27%
Romney 23%
Giuliani 19%

Second, IVR Polls has a new leader for Texas as well...

Huckabee 29%
Giuliani 16%
Thompson/Romney 14%

The Texas poll also mentions that it seems that moderates are moving from Giuliani to Huckabee, which accounts for his rise in the Texas poll. So, that kind of shoots holes in the whole "Huckabee can only get the support of the super conservatives" vote, doesn't it?

Piedmont NC Meetup

Hello all, I really need any central NC blog readers to head over to http://mikehuckabee.meetup.com/182/ and join the Piedmont NC Mike Huckabee for President Meetup Group! I want to get this thing off the ground before Christmas and time is rapidly running out! We only have 5 members and I'd like to see at least 15 before we have a meeting. The site says we have a meeting scheduled for the17th, but unless I get a few more folks on board, I may need to move it back until the new year.

Help me spread the word and let's get the Piedmont organized for Mike Huckabee!

http://mikehuckabee.meetup.com/182/

~Justin

News Roundup

(Feeling a bit under the weather the last day or so...)

Here is a quick roundup of what is happening with Mike Huckabee:

Rasmussen Daily Tracking Poll has Huckabee at 23% versus Giuliani's 19%. Giuliani had a big day several days ago that tomorrow will drop off this rolling poll, therefore we could see Huckabee's number jump up again. I'll keep my eye on it.

Most Iowa polls coming out in the last week or so have Huckabee with a lead of anywhere from 5 to 20 percentage points. This in spite of the constant attacks from Mitt Romney and the "conservative" talking heads. Romney is gambling that attacking Huckabee will bleed off enough voters in Iowa to give him a decent finish, but Iowans are famous for not responding kindly to negative ads.

Speaking of Romney, there is some word from the Huckabee campaign that Romney has a film crew in Hope, Arkansas right now. Could he be attempting to dig up some negative info on Huckabee? How would that play in the primaries? Would people really appreciate a fellow Republican going back to a rival's hometown and trying to pry negative stories out of folks? My guess is no...although, the prospect of doing this is downright Clintonian in stature...

It seems that Huckabee is rising in pretty much every poll that comes out of late...

ARG has him tied nationally with Giuliani at 21%

Quinnipiac has Huckabee as the only candidate to gain on Giuliani in the New Jersey primary (as state where Giuliani has been VERY popular). They have Huckabee up to third with 8% behind Giuliani and McCain. Giuliani, however has lost 10 percentage points overall there since the last poll, suggesting that his support may be soft.

Rasmussen has Huckabee (14%) moving up to a statistical tie for third with Giuliani (15%) in New Hampshire. Romney seems to have the Granite State locked up with 33%, but in this crazy political season, who knows? A strong second place showing (high teens) would be a victory for Huckabee. A win in New Hampshire for Huckabee would probably put Romney on the ropes or even out for good. Commentators have stated that the sudden lead Obama has taken there over Clinton could bode well for Huckabee. The thought is that independents and moderates would be drawn to the newly competitive Democratic race, thereby making the Republican race much more conservative. We shall see...

Matt Drudge has made news for himself in recent days for stating that supposedly the DNC is laying off Huckabee in the primaries, calling him an "easy kill" with a "glass jaw" in November. Turns out, the DNC has claimed to have said no such thing. There is even some speculation that the Romney campaign might be behind this. I'm sorry, but the DNC is smart enough to know that if they really think this, that their best course of action is to keep their big mouths shut until after we nominate the guy!

It seems that James Pinkerton over at Newsday would disagree with the assertion that Huckabee is an "easy kill." Just read this article to see why...

More to come later as I address the recent attacks on Huckabee and how we can combat them!

~Justin

Campaign Update

Here is a video update from Chris Saltsman, national campaign manager for Mike Huckabee.



Be sure to stop by the official site, make a donation or sign up to volunteer!

Poll Roundup 12/11/07

The polls are coming out fast and furious and most show Huckabee on the rise or even leading in new places.

Rasmussen Daily Tracking Poll (National)

Huckabee 22%
Giuliani 21%
Romney 14%

Rasmussen Iowa

Huckabee 39%
Romney 23%
All others in single digits

Strategic Vision Georgia

Huckabee 23% (up from 5% in October)
Thompson 20%
Giuliani 17%
McCain 11%
Romney 10%

NYTimes/CBS News National (Read down to the bottom for numbers)

Giuliani 22%
Huckabee 21%
Romney 16%

A word about the NYT/CBS poll...it shows that this race is still very volatile and many Republicans have not made up their minds completely yet. It also seems to indicate that Republicans are tired of their candidates beating up on each other. This could bode well for Huckabee even with the attacks on him, if he can stay above the fray and keep answering the critics with reason and grace.

Mitt Romney Endorses Huckabee???

You read that right...apparently in 2005, Mitt Romney told reporters that he thought that Mike Huckabee would make a "fine president." Wonder if we can get him to confirm that statement now?

December 10th article in the Fort Smith, Arkansas Times-Record

You know, Romney could just make that official and simplify the primary process quite a bit!

Gilchrist Endorses Huckabee

Jim Gilchrist, founder of the Minutemen, has endorsed Mike Huckabee for president. The Minutemen is a grassroots organization committed to curbing illegal immigration.

This certainly takes the wind out of the argument that Huckabee is unacceptable to the hardliners on the immigration issue, doesn't it? :)

More details to come at the Official Blog.

Excellent New Huckabee Ads

From the Official Blog...one is a general vision-based ad highlighting accomplishments in Arkansas, the other is directly about immigration and securing borders. Both (especially the first) are great!

Huckabass

Here is a brief, incomplete and admittedly crappy video of Huckabee jamming with some high school students in Greenville, SC on Saturday. Enjoy!

Mike and Me

Yesterday, I got up at the crack of dawn and headed down to Greenville, SC for an opportunity to see Mike Huckabee in person at a meet and greet. Short version of the story is that it was worth every single minute of driving to see him in person.

People, this guy is the real deal. I don't have a tremendous amount of experience being around people in politics, but I have met a couple of congressmen, a senator and heard Dubya speak on the campaign trail in 2000 in a pretty big venue. The biggest impression I came away with yesterday of Mike Huckabee is that this guy is grounded. He knows what he believes, he knows where he stands on the issues and he has a foundation of belief that guides him. There was no Karl Rove or James Carville whispering in his ear what the focus groups want to hear (at least, as far as I know). Huckabee's position as an outsider and an unexpected candidate gives him the freedom to be himself.

The stump speech itself was excellent...the same things we have been hearing Huckabee talk about his entire campaign. His values, his modest upbringing, the things he got done in Arkansas and how a focus on Vertical Politics can change the horizontal, confrontational mindset that rules politics today. Honestly, if I had to list everything he said in detail, I couldn't do it. But what I walked away from with yesterday was a sense of optimism for the future. This is a guy who has a vision and has the ability to work with people to get it done. I left the venue ready to do whatever I can to get this man elected president of the United States. I guess the worst thing about it is after meeting him, I don't think I could get as jazzed about someone else if Huckabee doesn't win the nomination...but I feel pretty confident that as long as enough people see the Mike Huckabee I saw yesterday, he will win.

I wonder...was this what it was like to encounter Ronald Reagan in 1980? :)

Huckabee Meet and Greet!

I am off to Greenville, SC tomorrow morning to the Huckabee Meet and Greet at the old McAlister Square Mall (I think it is some extension of USC now). Hopefully I'll get to get some good pictures and shake the hand of the next president of the United States!

Meanwhile, check out the Huckabee Roundup over at the official blog.

New Newsweek Poll

According the latest Newsweek poll, Mike Huckabee has rocketed to a huge lead in the Iowa caucuses.

Likely Republican Caucus Voters (12/5-12/6)

Huckabee: 39%
Romney: 17%
Thompson: 10%

Let's face it, for all intents and purposes, this race is pretty much becoming a Huckabee vs. Giuliani matchup. Romney has the personal money to stay in it for a while, but if this trend continues, his campaign is over.

Gas for the Bus!

Click here to keep gas in the Huckabus!

Mobilize for Mike Day Update!

The goal of Mobilize for Mike Day was to send out 100,000 emails from the official site in one day.

As of 11:00 pm EST, we have sent out 102,881 emails! Huzzah! And there are still three hours to go in the day on the West Coast! Folks, the Huckaboom is reverberating across the nation!

Attacks on Huckabee

In the last day or so, a flurry of attacks have been unleashed on Mike Huckabee as a result of his meteoric rise in the polls. Unfortunately, even the so-called "conservative media" seems to want to get in on the act and distort Huckabee's record in Arkansas. This is to be expected when you are becoming the frontrunner, but I wanted to guide anyone who sees this blog to Huckabee's responses to his critics.

Huckabee Truth Squad

Critics may say, "But that is from the official site! Of COURSE they are going to be on Huckabee's side!" My opinion is that any candidate should have the opportunity to correct misconceptions about his or her own record, and if you do not trust that candidate enough to believe them, then it is time to look for someone else for whom to vote.

I for one think that Mike Huckabee's record of integrity and honesty in his entire political career speaks for itself. Read his responses and decide for yourself!

Piedmont NC Meetup!

The Piedmont NC Mike Huckabee for President 2008 Meetup Group is up and running! Please join if you live anywhere in central NC and help us get organized for Mike Huckabee. I am located in Asheboro and our meetings will probably take place there for now, so if you live in Randolph, Guilford, Montgomery, Davidson or Chatham counties please help us help Mike Huckabee.

Direct any questions about the group to me, Justin Tarlton, the assistant organizer of the group.

Special thanks to Jane Hall, the organizer of the Mooresville, NC group for helping me get this started and for being the official organizer (and for footing the cost through January!)

~Justin

Too Much News...

So very much good news and good polls to cover today...

First, Huckabee maintains his lead over Giuliani in the Rasmussen Daily Tracking Poll 21%-18%. It seems that Huck is gaining about a point or two every day. If he keeps on this trajectory, he could have a substantial national lead going into Iowa.

Second, Huckabee has roared into 1st place in South Carolina! This is a must win for the campaign. Couple this with a win in Iowa and a strong second (or even a first) in New Hampshire, and the Huckaboom may well become unstoppable!

Third, it seems that in multiple polls, from multiple pollsters, Huckabee is gaining ground all across the country. He really only has paid staff working in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina at the moment, but in pretty much every single poll he has gained ground in the last month.

There is a clear path now for Huckabee to the nomination. With strong showings and wins early in January, the organization and money will fall into place. There are thousands of grassroots supporters out there just waiting to be mobilized. This is no fluke...this movement is for real!

Linked

NC 4 Huckabee is now linked from the Official Mike Huckabee blog! Hooray! :)

On a lighter note...

Am I the only one that grins when I see the word "Huckaboom" incorporated into news stories?

:)

Windshields 4 Huckabee!

Neat idea from the folks at http://windshields4huckabee.blogspot.com to get the word out simply and easily.

Just buy a car windshield marker and decorate your car with:

Faith. Family. Freedom.
www.MikeHuckabee.com
President 2008

Official Windshields 4 Huckabee Day is Saturday, December 15th. Be sure to get the word out to everybody to show your support then!

Huckabee the Frontrunner!

According to today's Rasmussen Daily Presidential Tracking Poll, Mike Huckabee has overtaken the lead nationally from Rudy Giuliani! This is the first time that Giuliani has lost the lead EVER! Continue the surge! Tomorrow is Mobilize for Mike Day, during which the goal is to reach 100,000 people through the power of the internet. To your right are links to Huckabee sites on YouTube, Facebook, MySpace and Flickr. If you have accounts there, invite all of your friends to check out Huckabee. If not, email a link to the official site (and of course this blog) to the folks in the address book. Let's keep moving forward!

National (12/5/07)

Huckabee: 20%
Giuliani: 17%
McCain: 13%
Romney: 13%
Thompson: 10%

Mobilize for Mike Day

(from the Official Blog)

When: Thursday December 6

Goal: Contact 100,000 Voters

How: Use the internet to outreach to our friends, family members and co-workers.

Why: Educate voters about Mike, counter misinformation being circulated by rival campaigns and build Mike's base of support nationally.

When voters meet Mike Huckabee they like him. When they learn more about Mike Huckabee they want to support him for President.

This Thursday our mission is to contact 100,000 voters in 24 hours. While other campaigns spend hundreds of thousands of dollars micro-targeting voters with canned messages, this Thursday we'll focus on what has worked for us: friends telling friends about Mike Huckabee.

More details to follow...

Cary NC Meetup Group

I just got home a little while ago from the Huckabee Meetup.com group in Cary. It was a great kickoff meeting and a great chance to meet some other Huckabee supporters. I was also impressed with the diverseness of the group that was there. People say that Huckabee is only bringing the so-called "social/religious right" conservatives. There were a number of us (I do put myself in that group) there, but there were fiscal cons and other more moderate folks in attendance as well. I think that speaks to the strength of Huckabee as a candidate. He is one that can bring together the GOP coalition under one banner and can unite us to win in November. Very encouraging...

I would highly recommend that if you live in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill metro area, please get in touch with the folks over at the Cary Meetup. There is another meeting scheduled for Tuesday, December 18th to organize the efforts to assist the SC primary in January. You don't want to miss that if at all possible!

I am also working on a Piedmont NC Meetup group that will encompass my hometown of Asheboro, Greensboro, High Point and all the surrounding areas. Keep your eyes here for more info about that in the next 48 hours!

~Justin

Huckabee on Nightline 12/3/07

Great interview with Mike Huckabee on ABC's Nightline from last night. I only got to see the last 3 or 4 minutes but it is a great tool to share with folks who might be on the line regarding Huckabee. Copy and paste the link and send it out to everyone you know!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjxWZT53gQ8

(Sorry, embedding problems again...click there to watch and share it)

Big News from Rasmussen!

Hello all! Huge news from the Rasmussen Daily Presidential Tracking Poll:

National:

Giuliani: 18%
Huckabee: 18%
McCain: 14%
Thompson: 13%
Romney: 12%

This is the first time Huckabee has shared the lead nationally! Folks, it is only Tuesday...will Huckabee take sole possession of first place by the end of the week??? Time will tell...and in the meantime, share this poll with everyone you know. The Huckaboom continues!

Huckaboom!

That is the highly original headline on Drudge Report today. Why the questionable attempt at humor? Just take a look at this:

Rasmussen Report Daily Presidential Tracking Poll (12/3/07)

National:

Giuliani: 20%
Huckabee: 17%

Head to Head Matchup:

Hillary: 46%
Huckabee: 45%

Obama: 45%
Huckabee: 41%

In both head to head cases, Huckabee has gained points on his likely competitor (2 points on Clinton and 5 points on Obama). So, now Huckabee leads in Iowa, is in second in New Hampshire and is surging all across the board, even against the Democrats. Romney has fallen to 11% nationally.

So who's electable now??? :)

Update: USA Today has Huckabee at 16% versus Giuliani's 25%. The story also notes that no candidate has yet has as great an upward surge as Huckabee has this month. Just wait until next month!

Is Huck Qualified?

The question came up to Mike Huckabee on This Week regarding his qualifications to be president based on some comments by Mitt Romney earlier in the week. Here is his response:

"I know what hungry families look like. I could put a name and a face on them. I know what elderly struggling with how to pay for their medication look like, because I've been in their homes. I've sat with the families when they had to decide whether to take the life support off their 17-year-old in a motorcycle accident. I think that's pretty good preparation to lead a country, where people ought to come first before the paperwork."

I know that empathy is something that many conservatives look at as a sign of weakness, but a president's decisions are not just limited to papers and bills and sound bites. His decisions have an impact on the lives of regular folks. Mike Huckabee is a person who understands that and that is one of the many reasons I support him for president.

Huck on This Week

Folks, this is why I support Mike Huckabee for president! Watch this interview. It is well worth your time. More on this later...

I Heart Huckabee?

Clever video made by a supporter...enjoy!



(Via the Official Blog)

12/1/07 Rasmussen Poll

Some good news from the current Rasmussen polls:

Iowa:

Huckabee: 28%
Romney: 25%

New Hampshire:

Romney: 34%
Giuliani/McCain: 15%
Huckabee: 14%

National:

Giuliani: 24%
Huckabee: 15%
Thompson: 14%
McCain: 13%
Romney: 10%

So, Huckabee extends his lead in Iowa, currently has his best showing so far in New Hampshire, and is essentially tied for second nationwide...It seems that in most polls, Huckabee is gaining some points from almost all of the frontrunners. If he can win Iowa convincingly, come in a strong second in New Hampshire and win at least South Carolina, this whole thing might just boil down to a Rudy vs. Huck race. And, quite frankly, I like my chances in that situation. This surge just goes to show that conservatives are looking for someone to vote for and not to have to wait until November just to vote against Hillary.

Just ask John Kerry what it is like when your supporters aren't so much for you as they are against your opponent...

~Justin

We Did It!

Around midnight CST, the Huckabee campaign reached its November goal and then some.

The final tally according to the official site was: $2,076,467.73

Great job in November! Still have a long way to go, though. If you haven't contributed yet, December is a great time to do so. You can do it here right now!

~Justin

The Immigration Controversy

In my earlier post today, I mentioned the controversies swirling around Gov. Huckabee as he moves forward in the primaries. Probably the biggest one that has come out is his stand on illegal immigration. This issue has become one of the major focuses of the Republican primary, ever since President Bush's earlier failed proposal.

Here is the problem in a nutshell: when he was in Arkansas, Mike Huckabee allowed the children of illegal immigrants to access a state scholarship program in much the same way that regular residents of the state could. Now, on the surface, that sounds unfair, but let's take a second and think about it. The scholarship in question was a merit based scholarship. The applicant had to meet certain academic requirements. In other words, they had to earn it. Second, the applicant had to apply for US citizenship in order to be considered for the award. So, logically, wouldn't it be better to have an intelligent, well-educated US citizen come out of this process rather than an undocumented illegal?

I understand and believe the opinion that an illegal is just that...illegal. But should we really be punishing the children for the crimes of the parents? If you think so, that is fine, but do not slam Mike Huckabee for trying to govern sensibly in a difficult situation.

Overall, the governor is pro-enforcement, pro-border security, and anti-amnesty. Isn't that what we all are looking for anyway? So where is the problem???

~Justin

Check out the following Huckabee/Immigration Resources

Charlie Rose Show Interview on Immigration

Main campaign website answers to immigration issue

Getting Closer...

Less than 2 hours to go Eastern time and the fundraising goal is within reach! About $89,000 left! I have contributed...have you? :)

Contribute to Mike Huckabee here!

Update 1:
11:00 pm EST and we have broken the $2,000,000 mark! Only $62,000 to go!

Update 2:
11:30 pm EST...total $2,023,562!

Update 3:
12:00 am EST...total $20,036,493! It is now December here on the East Coast, but there is still plenty of time for the Midwest and West to chip in! Only $31,500 to go! I am off to bed but I feel pretty confident we will meet our goal before very much longer. Way to go!

Criticizing Mike

I have been an avid follower of political news and blogs on the internet since the Clinton scandal days of the late 90's. I understand that the internet is a great way to regular folks like myself to discuss ideas and opinions with people that I would never have the opportunity to encounter otherwise. As it is though, the internet can become something of an "echo chamber", where truth and logic fall prey to ideology and personal preference.

Reading my regular conservative/Republican sites in the last several weeks of this Huckabee surge, I have to admit that I am getting a little disgusted with some of my fellow conservatives. Before Mike was really on the radar, the bulk of the discussion online seemed to be taken with many people's dislike of Rudy Giuliani and a search for a more conservative alternative to his campaign. There was a small but vocal minority of folks who righteously declared that if Rudy were the nominee, then they would stay home! Although I have never been a Rudy supporter in any way, I certainly would vote for him over Hillary or Obama.

But the saddest thing I have noticed of late is that same self-defeating attitude toward Mike Huckabee. Many folks calling him "Bubba Jr." or an "economic liberal" based on some tough decisions he had to make as governor of Arkansas. Some conservatives are declaring that they will stay home if Huck is the nominee or that his nomination will be the death of the Republican party! How ridiculous is this?

Huckabee's rapid surge to the forefront has certainly hurt the feelings of many hard core supporters of other candidates. I imagine I would feel the same way if someone else surged past the candidate I believed in too. However, this kind of attack should be reserved for our true opponents next November. Yes, we need to vet our candidates and make the best decision we can at this time. But let's leave the name calling and hyperbole out for now. The 2008 election is just too important.

I have no intention of slamming Rudy or Mitt or Fred or anyone else on this blog. I believe that Mike Huckabee is the best candidate we have and I am going to spend my time talking about him, not running down everyone else. Plenty of other places on the net for that...

~Justin

(For the best response to criticisms of Mike Huckabee's record, check out the Truth Squad articles on the official website.)

Who won the debate last night?

Great video from a supporter of Huckabee...

Watch it on the Official Blog...(sorry, I can't get the video to embed properly here. I'll try it again later.)

~Justin

Huck on TV 11/29-30

From the Official Blog:

Thursday, November 29, 2007
(All times are approximate)

4:15 p.m. ET – Guest on CNN’s Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer

5:00 p.m. ET – Guest on MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews

10:00 p.m. ET – Guest on Fox News Channel’s On the Record with Greta Van Susteren

Friday, November 30, 2007

7:00 a.m. ET – Guest on Fox News Channel’s Fox and Friends. (Note the Governor will appear sometime during the program which runs from 7:00 – 9:00 a.m. ET)

(I am going to try to watch what I can of these, but I have to work this evening.)

More Debate Stuff

It seems that CNN might have allowed just a touch of bias into the debate proceedings last evening...what? CNN shilling for the Clintons??? Why, I would never have imagined! :)

And it also seems that many of the other debate questioners were confirmed supporters of Edwards or Obama as well. See here for more details. I have no problem with my candidate facing tough questions from people, even from folks on the other side. But let's have some transparency from CNN on the matter. Does anyone really think that very many of the folks from the Democratic YouTube debate still have Bush/Cheney '04 stickers on their vehicles?

The general consensus as the morning dawns is still that Huckabee won the debate. My favorite response was this one:

Debate Reactions

As I said earlier, many folks on the web think that Huckabee walked away from the debate as the winner, even those who do not personally support his campaign.

Huckabee's official blog has a good rundown of some of those reactions here.

Also, the Southern Political Report did a survey of Florida and Iowa undecided voters who agreed to watch the debate and got the following results:

Florida:

Huckabee: 44%
Giulani: 18%
Romney: 13%
McCain: 10%
Thompson: 5%
Paul: 4%
Hunter: 1%
Tancredo: 1%
Rest: undecided

Iowa:

Huckabee: 32%
Romney: 16%
Giuliani: 12%
McCain: 10%
Thompson: 7%
Paul: 6%
Tancredo: 2%
Hunter: 0%
Rest: undecided

Let's see how this translates into polling over the next week or so...it will be great to see a big Huckabee boost from this debate!

~Justin

YouTube Debate Review

Well, I just finished watching the Republican debate tonight and I have a few thoughts.

Format:
The whole user-submitted questions notion is interesting, but it resulted in some unusual questions, particularly the one to Giuliani regarding his support of the Red Sox in the World Series. Was that really necessary? Were there no other more important issues to cover? I know that people want to see the "human" side of candidates, but this was a Leno or Letterman question, not a debate question.

Performances:
The inital feeling in the blogosphere and through some of the news outlets is that Huckabee is the winner tonight. Granted, I am biased, but I would agree with that. He gave some great answers defending his immigration stance and on his beliefs about the Bible and the death penalty. Much of the evening's focus was on Giuliani and Romney, especially since they each went for the jugular on the first question. Romney seemed flustered at times and was off his game quite a bit. Giuliani did well, but his positions are the problem, not his performance.

Overall, Huckabee was able to stay above the fray, address criticisms of his positions and past decisions and connect with the audience very well. I think he will see a boost in both attention and fundraising with this debate in conjunction with his recent rise in the polls. Hopefully, this is yet another step in Huck's ascendance from obscurity to potential front-runner!

~Justin

Huck on the issues

As I get this blog up and running, I am going to try to direct readers to the best places to learn about Governor Huckabee and where he stands on the important issues of the campaign.

Check out this section on his main website for a good rundown of his positions. Each section also has videos as well that summarize his main ideas. Great place to get acquainted with the next president of the United States! :)

~Justin

CNN/YouTube Debate

Unfortunately, I missed the debate live, but I am going to go watch the tape right now. I'll comment on it a little later. For now, check out the live blogging on Huckabee's Official Blog! Or you can read the debate transcript yourself here on CNN.com!

~Justin

Here's the second part of that debate transcript as well. Enjoy!

Welcome to NC for Huckabee!

Hello fellow North Carolinians and anyone else who happens upon this blog!

The purpose of NC for Huckabee is to keep folks in the Old North State updated on the campaign of Gov. Mike Huckabee for president. For more information about the governor, check out the following websites:

www.mikehuckabee.com (Campaign Site)
www.teamhuckabee.com (Join the team, get Huckabee resources and contribute to the campaign)
Mike Huckabee in the Carolinas (Meetup site for folks in NC and SC)

Please feel free to make comments to the posts, but I am moderating comments to keep out the trolls and such. Hope you enjoy the site and be sure to vote Huckabee!

~Justin