Cinderella Man 2.0

Here's a cool video compiling scenes from this wild ride so far. A good example of how the media is clueless when it comes to political predictions. And an inspiring look at Governor Huckabee's ups and downs and ups.

Mike at CPAC

Video clip of Governor Huckabee's great speech at CPAC this morning...



You can find the rest of it at youtube, if you just click again on the video. Heck, i'll add the links...

Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Huckabee Endorses Reagan

The Calvinator mentions the great answer by Governor Huckabee in the debate last night. Here's the clip...

You need to Watch This

And send the link you all you friends.

Issue: Economics

I'm not going to type a long defense of Governor Huckabee's Economic record or plan. Instead, I'm simply going to point everyone to the video of Governor Huckabee's speech to the Detroit Economic Club last Friday.

There should be a new rule that any critic must address what the Governor said in this speech before being allowed to attack him as a "Liberal."


Part 1:



Part 2:



Part 3:



Part 4:



Part 5:



This is one of the best speeches I have ever heard, and I have two degrees in Speech Communication, so I've studied some of the best.

Arthur Branch Lives!

The previously moribund and laconic Fred Thompson fired a broadside against Governor Huckabee in the recent South Carolina debate. Reading from notes, Thompson catalogued a litany of supposed "sins" by the apostate Huckabee. It's true that he doesn't hew to the rabid orthodoxy of talk-show conservatism, and that he confounds the elites. But Thompson's shot represents part of what we decry about the political process. It's barely better than the freak show, reducing nuanced policy positions to half-truth soundbites, in a format that does not lend itself to response. It's time to grow up.

My first reaction was "well, looks like Arthur Branch nailed his lines, and on the first take, too." The outburst reminded me of someone who half-wakes from a dream, and loudly and urgently blurts out something incomprehensible. A mom would sooth, "that's ok sweetie, just go back to sleep."

But that's just me being snarky.

As for the charges themselves, The Calvinator takes on one of them below – school choice and vouchers. As for the NEA of New Hampshire support, i find it foolhardy to eschew the support of a large group of Americans. I'm glad that some of these unions are recognizing that a large portion of their members are conservative, and wish to express their support of a conservative candidate, not just the same-old Democratic entrenchment. Reagan understood that, garnering the endorsement of the Teamsters and PATCO, and 44% of the union vote in the 1980 election. McCain echoed that approach in the 2000 primary.

Blame America first? How can anyone honestly look at Huckabee's platform and conclude that? It's just an immature bromide. I've never heard any leader talk more authentically and passionately about the founding fathers, about the Declaration of Independence. Huckabee is insistent about American sovereignty. He was the first candidate to come out strongly against the Law of the Sea Treaty, due to concerns about our sovereignty. He talks about the pride of knowing you're in a country that people want to break into, not out of. Huckabee loves America.

Guantanamo? Here are Huckabee's comments in a press release from December. He advocates the same position as John McCain, which is that if the legal assumption bears out (awaiting a SCOTUS ruling) that no additional rights would be granted, then there is tremendous symbolic benefit from closing Guantanamo and moving the combatants to Ft. Leavenworth. By the way, i couldn't find any online evidence that Fred Thompson has visited Guantanamo for a first-hand view, as the other candidates have, including Huckabee.

Taxpayer-funded programs for illegals? There is nothing in Huckabee's platform that would do that. In fact, his immigration plan is tough enough for the endorsement of the founder of the Minutemen, Jim Gilchrist. The reference is surely to the college scholarship plan that Huckabee had in Arkansas, where children of illegals could qualify for a state college scholarship, provided they met the academic criteria AND were applying for US citizenship. Besides that, if you think of this issue logically, we already provide taxpayer funding education for illegals, with our K-12 public schools. This position has been enforced by the Supreme Court, and can be justified on economic rationality grounds. If they're here, it's better to be educated than not. The solution isn't to leave them uneducated; the solution is to choke off the flow first.

Ban smoking nationwide? Again, there is nothing in Huckabee's platform that calls for that. He has stated, at the Lance Armstrong Cancer Forum last summer, that if Congress signed a bill banning smoking in public places, that he would sign it, as he did in Arkansas. Based on worker safety issues. It's a reasonable position, though i do agree there is some merit to the federalism criticism that Fred makes.

But the main point of all this is that this Thompson approach doesn't lend itself to a grown-up review of the issues facing us. Thompson earlier called for more substantive Lincoln-Douglas type debates, but then backed off (chickened out?) when Huckabee took him up on the offer. BRING IT ON, i say. His broadside in the Myrtle Beach was the very example of what he had decried about the process. Thompson was right then; what happened?

P.S. Thompson also (tellingly?) flubbed the definition of the "Reagan Coalition", leaving off a big chunk of it. He said the coalition was "limited government and a strong national defense." He made no mention of social conservatives, drawn to Reagan and the GOP for their advocacy of pro-life policies, and a general regard for traditional family values. These voters have flocked to the GOP regardless of their economic position.

The truth about Taxes

Share this with your friends who are buying into the hype about Governor Huckabee's tax record in Arkansas.

Huck!

Two young Huckabee supporters, with keen musical talent, have created 3 cool videos, taking familiar songs and tuning them to the key of Huckabee. This is the 2nd one created and my favorite of the 3 - Huck!



And the most recent one, released after the Iowa victory, melds Green Day with Oasis. (Link to their original video - Breakfast at Huckabee's)

Maybe
He's gonna be the one to change things
And as for me
I'm voting Huckabee

My Own Two Hands

I love this Huckabee-supporter-created video featuring the song My Own Two Hands by Ben Harper and Jack Johnson. As the supporter asks on the youtube page...

What can we imagine if we all took the time to live in harmony with the world and people around us? What would the world be like if we had a president who lived by that philosophy?

Let's all make use of our own two hands, using all the gifts God gave us, to make this world a better place. To quote Henry Van Dyke: "Use what talent you possess - the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best."

Post-Iowa Viewpoints

Some of the better or more interesting commentary i ran across about Huckabee's victory in Iowa.

Joshua Trevino has some very good advice for the Huckabee team.
K Street Mole talks about the Medved and Brooks articles
One Mom - media gets it wrong
The Dunn Report - this site is new to me; has a nice review of Mike's "Seven Hopes"
David Brooks with Two Earthquakes - too good not to link directly
The 7-10 digests the GOP results

And i'll close with the video of Mike's outstanding victory speech.

Audacious!

It was the most audacious event in world history. God, creator of the universe, comes to earth in the form of one of his loftiest creations. Entering the world in the shared and natural humility of childbirth. God as man, with a wrinkled crying face, a crown of mussed hair topping a misshapen head, robed in delivery goo. It was the coming of Christ.

We now celebrate this audacious event with our culture's most involved holiday which we call Christmas. The coming of Christ. The gathering of Christ. As Irenaeus put it almost 2000 years ago, "God became man so that we could become divine." (Irenaeus also said one of my all-time favorite quotes: "The glory of God is man fully alive.")

I like how this one blogger put it.

Christmas is a celebration of three comings of Christ. First, we celebrate the historical coming of Christ. The readings in the Church proclaim the story of Jesus' birth to a young virgin. We are reminded of his lineage, the conditions of his birth in the poverty of a manger, the angelic proclamation to the shepherds, his presentation at the temple, and the visit of the three wise men. The stories are told in the opening chapters of the gospels of Matthew and Luke for those who would like to read the narratives on their own.

Second, we celebrate the presence of Christ come among us today. Christians believe that the Spirit of God is always active in the world, gently guiding us and prodding us toward conversion. Nothing happens without a reason. There is not a stray molecule anywhere in the universe. Christmas is a celebration of God coming among us today! The Church often uses sacraments and symbols as signs of grace, and people are often aware of the power of the Spirit present in these activities. However, God's grace surrounds us all the time. Christmas celebrates God’s coming into our everyday lives - our work, our family, and our friendships.

Third, we celebrate the hope for the day when Christ will come in glory to gather the saints. One day, all who are being saved will be with the Lord in paradise. Whether we come to the Lord through natural death, or whether the Lord will come to us at the end of the world, Christians look forward to eternity with God. This will be our greatest happiness! As children anxiously await the arrival of Santa Claus, the Christian waits in joyful hope for eternity with our God!

Huckabee

So what does all this have to do with Mike Huckabee? Well, Mike had the human audacity to actually mention Christ when speaking of Christmas, as he attempted to set politics aside during the Christmas season, in a Christmas card ad that is all the buzz.

New Huckabee Ad

I love this ad. It's my favorite one yet. I wish it had been ready for the Youtube debate, and we could have avoided all this distraction over the use of the label "Christian Leader".

What i like best about this one is that it highlights the "competency" leg of my 3-legged presidential stool.

Tribute to Henry Hyde

We take a break today from our regularly scheduled blogging to pay tribute to a great American, Henry Hyde. Mr. Hyde served in Congress, representing Illinois for over 30 years. He recently was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest honor for civilians. The citation noted:

A veteran, a lawyer, and a public servant, Henry Hyde has served his country with honor and dedication. During his 32-year career in the House of Representatives, he was a powerful defender of life, a leading advocate for a strong national defense, and an unwavering voice for liberty, democracy, and free enterprise around the world. A true gentleman of the House, he advanced his principles without rancor and earned the respect of friends and adversaries alike. The United States honors Henry Hyde for his distinguished record of service to America.

He is best known to me as a champion of pro-life causes, most notably as the author of the Hyde Amendment, which halted federal funding of abortions and abortion advocacy groups, both in the US and around the world.

His approach and demeanor for congressional politics fits in well with our theme here at Huck The System. True political leadership is about making the country better, not consolidating your power and position. Consider this comment in Rich Lowry's column about Hyde:

He once told incoming congressmen, in the political axiom he lived by, that they "need to be at least as clear on the reasons why they would risk losing as they are on the reasons why they wanted to come here in the first place."

Here's a nice video of fellow congressmen & women paying tribute to Hyde. Note the bipartisanship.



Other good youtube links:
More tribute
Series of videos from fellow representatives

Video of the Day: Anderson Cooper

That guy driving the SUV is Drake, whom we met last night. He's a recent graduate of Wake Forest. He's also the guy that got shoved aside and to the floor by a reporter after a recent debate.

Quite the gig he's drawn.

Video of the Day: Nightline

don't miss my other posts below from earlier today, but here is a good clip on Huckabee from the Nightline news show...

Chuck Norris Approved

Mike Huckabee revealed his first campaign ad this morning during his interview on Fox. And it's a doozy. Check it out...



Not what you'd expect from the typical campaign, huh? And that's what i like about it. From a marketing (not political) perspective, it is clearly designed to build awareness, the proper approach for Huckabee at this point. Even on the Fox Sunday show, the sort of TV program made for the highly involved, they introduced the segment with (paraphrasing) "just who is this guy?". This ad will draw interest, create conversation and buzz, and drive interested folks to the website. I doubt it runs all the often as a paid TV ad, but will get plenty of free PR, and will be a viral hit on the web.

And then Mike will follow (quickly) with serious issue-oriented ads, or ads that highlight his engaging personality.

Video of the Day: Politically Uncorrect

Huckabee - politically uncorrect

p.s. Mike moves into a 2nd place tie nationally in the daily tracking poll by Rasmussen. It's time for my friends and family to get on board.

The Price of Freedom

Here is a great video with a segment of a speech that Mike Huckabee made to the Midwest Republican Leadership Conference earlier this year. It tells the tale of Arkansas high school teacher Martha Cothren imparting a lesson on the price of freedom. If it seems free to some of us, that's because some paid very high prices.

Consider this on this Veterans' Day. And check out Huckabee's proposed Veterans' Bill of Rights for areas where we are falling short.

Must-Sees

There are some things you just have to see or read. Things that don't necessarily need my commentary.

First, Huckabee's outstanding speech (which he wrote himself) at the FRC's Washington Briefing. This was a speech for a specific audience. Part 3 is the best part, when Mike goes into full sermon mode talking about David over Goliath, et al. Part 1. Part 2. I'll try to embed Part 3 here...



Second, this article by Jonathon Alter at Newsweek. If you still have doubts about Mike's electability in the general election, see Alter's take, as he concludes that Huckabee is the GOP's best bet.

Huckabee comes across more hopeful than Giuliani, more believable than Romney, more intelligent than Thompson and fresher than McCain. He would hold the base and capture moderates drawn to his down-home style. His greatest asset is that he alone among the Republicans "speaks American." He connects to his audience with stories and metaphors and a geniality that can't be faked.

Mike's Last Name

In honor of Mike and his last name...