How Governor Huckabee Can Be Nominated

Aside from the fact that just from examining the man's record, personality, and general attractiveness as a candidate, I want to explain a few scenarios as I see it that would help Governor Huckabee stick out from the rest of the pack and actually be able to win nomination.

First of all, we have the widely speculated candidates: Mike Huckabee, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich...and now: Sam Brownback, Chuck Hagel, and Tommy Thompson. Without trying to be too simplistic, let me do some elimination of those who I honestly, cannot see even making it to Iowa by January 2008. Tommy Thompson, don't see his candidacy going anywhere. Ever since his name has been floated, I haven't heard any interest in him. He doesn't seem to be very charismatic (a must in modern politics), doesn't even really play well on television, and plus has the baggage of being in Bush's cabinet at one point. Plus, even though he comes from a potential swing state, I doubt he'd bring Wisconsin into the fold. We don't need a candidate who can't even carry his own state.

Chuck Hagel...nope. He is considered John McCain's protege, and John McCain eclipses him. Newt Gingrich...nope. Although he is considered to be "the brains" of the conservative movement, he has too much baggage from the past. Plus, his experience is limited to the House of Representatives. Anybody remember the last time we had a president elected directly from the House? His name was James Garfield.

Rudy Giuliani, not a chance. Although I like him, I and probably 80% of all Republicans do not like his politics. Star power is not enough for him to be nominated. He has way too many loose ends to tie up with the different wings of the party. He should have been working on that long ago.

Now, this leaves the field to McCain, Romney, Huckabee, and Brownback. Brownback is probably not going to be able to stir enough people with his message to be able to get attention needed for a successful candidacy. He has spent time in the Senate, which in and of itself is a negative for his candidacy, but on top of that, what has he done in the way of accomplishments to stick out from the other 99? Answer: not much.

Now we have it narrowed down to the big 3, which I have actually been saying all along that these three would be the stars in 2008: McCain, Romney, and Huckabee. McCain has irked most of the wings in the party, but people will be willing to nominate him in order to keep the White House. Don't kid yourself if you believe otherwise. So he is the man to beat, obviously. That leaves Governors Romney and Huckabee duking it out on who is the better man. A lot of the social conservatives are oooing and awing over Romney, but when it gets right down to the bottom line, his Mormonism will probably be an insurmountable obstacle where he needs the most support...the Bible Belt. You have the likes of Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson hinting that they would support a guy like Romney, but at the end of the day: 1.) If a candidate like Huckabee comes along, they probably view him as the evangelical favorite, and 2.) even if they don't, those types of figures don't really have much sway with rank and file church goers, who will probably cling to prejudiced views against Mormons and really like the fact that Huckabee is a former evangelical minister. So, in a two man race: Huckabee vs. McCain, it is a battle to see who will win and where. Huckabee, coming from the South has the obvious edge here; plus he is playing well in early states like Iowa and New Hampshire. If he scored upsets in either of those two states, and then headed into the first string of Super Tuesday primaries (many of which are in the south) with momentum and scored on his home turf, McCain would be forced to work against his momentum and win in pretty much all of the midwest states in order to get the edge back. Which considering the way most primary battles go, once one candidate has big momentum, they usually ride it to nomination.

I will say this...without a doubt: a Huckabee/McCain ticket or even a McCain/Huckabee ticket is the absolute best possible scenario for the Republicans to win in November of 2008.

Huckabee's Political Philosophy

I have been hearing people on the right criticize Governor Huckabee's political philosophy...some actually accusing him of being a liberal, especially when it pertains to issues like taxes. First of all, this is nonsense. On the issue of taxes, some are criticizing him for actually having raised taxes at one point during his tenure as Governor. They are also citing the conservative Club for Growth's "F" grade on Huckabee when it comes to tax policy for that very reason. Well I want to offer some context for those who are criticizing him (mainly people who do not reside in nor understand the State of Arkansas). According to our state constitution, as in many other states', we have an Amendment that requires a balanced budget. It is a safeguard against deficits and total fiscal irresponsibility. Fiscal responsibility(something our "beloved conservatives" on the national level have yet to learn) would dictate that under those circumstances, you either raise the necessary taxes to make sure you have a balanced budget, or you cut funding to crucial areas such as education...something Arkansas simply cannot do, due to the State Supreme Court's ruling that funding is inequitable and insufficient. Besides money well spent in education shouldn't be looked upon as waste, but rather an investment in the future. So these people who are so wrapped up in ideology instead of practicality need to step back, and look at the reasons why something like a tax increase was necessary. As Huckabee has stated, he is for responsibility, and is unwilling to sacrifice the weakest in our society; he said he will not "bend down and kiss the ring" of the Club for Growth just because they are supposed to be the authority on taxes.It is time for leadership in the Republican Party and in the nation as a whole, that is not wasteful, that is responsible, yet is not willing to cut those who in Christ's words are, the "least among us." If the party is going to be controlled by the evangelical Christian element (which I honestly wish it wasn't), then it ought to freaking act like a Christian. Governor Huckabee, as a man of God, I believe is the best man suited to do this. And for those who are concerned about his philosophy, according to the website On the Issues, a site that studies the stances of most all public officials on a state-by-state basis...Governor Huckabee is rated as a Conservative Moderate, as indicated by the chart above. If you are so ideological that you demand a far right conservative, I urge you to visit OnTheIssues.org and look for yourself and see that not a single one of the major candidates on the Republican side fit that criteria.

Welcome to my Mike Huckabee for President blog!

Welcome to the unofficial Mike Huckabee for President blog site. It is dedicated to the election of my Governor as President in 2008. For the last 10 years, Governor Huckabee has reigned over an unprecedented era of growth in our state. He has maintained honor and integrity serving the people of Arkansas with steadfastness and conviction. Governor Huckabee is a strong conservative, yet is much more pragmatic than ideological. He has gotten results, not just made empty promises. As a former minister, he epitomizes the essence of "compassionate conservatism," helping to create ARKids First, a health care program dedicated to serving those who are not poor enough to be on Medicaid, yet not wealthy enough for private insurance. As he prepares to leave office, he is leaving Arkansas with the largest surplus the state has ever had, totaling near $900 million. When he took office, Arkansas' highways were rated the worst in the nation; now they are ranked as the most improved in the nation. I have had the wonderful privilege of meeting Governor Huckabee many, many times and know that he is a man of the highest character who cares about all Arkansans and all Americans. I believe he has just the right combination of common sense, charisma, and proven leadership to be our next President.

I invite you to check back often for updates, and I invite you to post your thoughts on his potential candidacy as well as weighing the pros and cons of him and other possible Republican nominees.