Huckabee discusses Rudy (sort of)

On the heels of Mike Huckabee's successful SC strawpolling last weekend, here's ("Didn't Play in Spartanburg"--Townhall.com) an interview by Terence Jeffrey with Huckabee about Rudy Giuliani's prospects as GOP nominee in 2008.

Here's part of the set-up for the article--you need to go read Huckabee's answers yourself:

"These straw polls not only exposed Giuliani's relative weakness in one of the nation's most Republican states, they also demonstrated the potential appeal of Huckabee, a Baptist minister and unapologetic pro-life and pro-marriage conservative, who in two gubernatorial victories proved he could win crossover voters in a key swing state.

The Arkansas state legislature and congressional delegation are dominated by Democrats, but the state has picked the presidential winner nine times in row."

Cross-posted at WisdomisVindicated.

Moveon.org's puppet network!!!!

For the love of Pete, don't the GOP candidates know that Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann aren't Republicans?!?!? Variety.com - Candidates commit to MSNBC

But I like how the reporter, Michael Learmonth, refers to MSNBC's commissioning for the debate a "coup"--yes, it is, and the Left wing of the Democrat Party backed said coup.

"They said it would be the first debate of the 2008 campaign. Now the candidates have made it so by committing to MSNBC's Democratic debate in South Carolina this week and Republican debate in California next week.

It's a major coup for the third-ranked cable news net, which appears to have won the sweepstakes for the first made-for-TV events of the 2008 election cycle."

Cross-posted at WisdomisVindicated

Serious traction in SC for Huckabee

This report from on the ground in South Carolina is good news for Mike Huckabee and anyone who are interested in more than political equivalents of beauty pageants. And it'll be good news (for me) when a report about Huckabee doesn't include an allusion to Bill Clinton.("Former Arkansas governor earns highest rating") Here's the beginning of the article:

"Spartanburg County conservatives, it seems, finally have taken a liking to the man from Hope, Ark.

Not Bill Clinton - the other guy.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who grew up in Hope, left Spartanburg on Saturday with the highest score given by several hundred Republican county convention delegates to six GOP presidential contenders (and a surrogate speaker for a seventh).

Although many of the candidates also hit conventions in Greenville, Laurens and Richland counties Saturday, only in Spartanburg were they asked to tailor their speeches to specific issues: the war in Iraq, border control, 'fair trade,' the Bush tax cuts and social issues - particularly abortion rights and the definition of marriage."

Oh, and the report provides some background on how/why Duncan Hunter fared so well in this particular straw poll: support from the owner and employees of local textile company Milliken & Co.

Cross posted at the WisdomIsVindicated blog

Huckabee: GOP must remember its roots to win in 2008

From a SC paper, glimpses of Huckabee's stump speech.Huckabee: GOP must remember its roots to win in 2008 | GoUpstate.com | Spartanburg, S.C. Here are some barbs aimed at the "top tier" candidates:

"'I didn't just recently come around to the idea that life begins at conception. I didn't just get converted to the notion that the Second Amendment is there so you can protect your family and your property, and so we can protect our nation. I'm not a recent convert to the idea that the Bush tax cuts are right, because frankly it's unfair to tax a person for having died after you've already taxed him for having lived.'"

I wish he had alluded to "McCain-Feingold."

Huckabee Running Strong in SC

The MikeHuckabeePresident2008 blog is reporting (here) that Mike Huckabee finished second (5% behind Mitt Romney) in a Greenville County, South Carolina straw poll. Unfortunately, this poll reflects that Huckabee is the second choice among a seemingly Socially Conservative demographic.

That being said, it is significant that Huckabee didn't have to expend millions of dollars to virtually tie Mitt Romney.

UPDATE: CNN is also reporting about Huckabee's strong showing in SC:McCain fairs poorly, Huckabee well in S.C. straw poll - CNN.com:

"In Spartanburg, each of the candidates gave a 10-minute speech and was evaluated on how he handled five different issues. The issues discussed were the war on terror and war in Iraq, border security and illegal immigration, fair trade, making President Bush's tax cuts permanent and social issues like abortion and gay marriage.

About 700 people participated and awarded the candidates one, three or five points. Huckabee finished first with 3,522 points, Giuliani came in second with 3,161, followed by Hunter with 3,090 and Romney with 2,972. Brownback earned 2,931 points, Cox had 2,456 and McCain got 2,027."

It's interesting how well Duncan Hunter did in both of these straw polls, even though he wasn't in attendance. (UPDATE: It appears that Hunter was in attendance at both of the events in which he fared relatively well).

Brownback and Huckabee (and McCain) back ultrasound availability

This article highlights the annoying practice of spokespersons running interference for candidates. I especially like the spokes-tactic of repeating a non-responsive statement like "the (governor/senator/candidate) is FILL-IN-THE-BLANK," when asked for an off-talking-points question. I like it when statements come directly from a candidate's mouth.

But anyway, Mitt Romney isn't commenting on this particular pro-life legislation, but other candidates are. ("Mitt Romney Won't Comment on South Carolina Abortion-Ultrasound Bill")

"Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who has signed pro-life bills into law as governor in his state, says he backs the idea.

'I'm pro-life and my attitude has always been if we're going to take a position, take it on the side of preserving life,' he said. 'Anytime we can help to highlight what an abortion is, that would be a good thing.'
. . . .
Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback said he supported the bill as well.

'I applaud the South Carolina legislature for considering this strong pro-life legislation,' said Brownback. 'An unborn child deserves as much protection as we can offer, and I believe this legislation moves us toward that goal.'

Brownback continued, 'Throughout my career in the United States Senate, I have been committed to upholding and fighting for pro-life policy. I believe, and always have, that we must defend life at every stage.'
"

Note: McCain said he supported the bill as well.

Wanted: A Conservative-Enough Candidate Who Can Win In November

Bill Hobbs (at elephantbiz.com) posts about Richard Viguerie's opinion that the GOP race is still prime for a darkhorse's emergence. ("Wanted: A Conservative-Enough Candidate Who Can Win In November"). Hobbs writes:

"Each of the 'big three' have enough conservative 'stuff' in their record to win over some [Conservatives looking for the most conservative candidate who can win the general election] - Giuliani cut taxes in New York, was tough on crime and is seen as a leader who won't shrink from the war on terror; McCain's also right on the war and solidly pro-life; and Romney stood against gay marriage and for cutting taxes in the liberal bastion of Massachusetts. But none is a complete conservative, hence the reluctance of [Conservatives looking for the most authentically Conservative] to gravitate toward any of them.

Yet the dismal poll numbers for the more conservative candidates . . . tells you that the group of conservatives seeking a conservative who can win in November is actually quite large, while the group of conservatives just looking for the most authentically conservative candidate is smaller.

And yet the fact that none of the Big Three is running away with the race also tells you that the group of conservatives seeking a conservative who can win in November is not yet convinced that any of the three can win the general election."

I agree that Conservative Republicans can be split into those categories, but I disagree with Bill inasmuch as his post assumes that (a) people are paying attention to the race and (b) name ID has a HUGEly disproportionate impact on who people "support" in a poll at this stage.

I believe that it is early enough that noone needs to be biting a knuckle and jumping on any perceived bandwagon. In my opinion, the GOP race is still in the "getting the parade permit stage."

Huckabee: Character issues apply to GOP, too

Here's another report (on MSNBC.com) re. the Huckabee conference call. ("Huckabee: Character issues apply to GOP, too" - MSNBC.com) Perhaps the writer needed to add some sizzle to the report or was trying too hard to be succinct, but having heard the exchange live, I can say this characterization of the question and answer about his book is off base.

"Huckabee denied that the book showed he was not taking his presidential campaign seriously, and said there was little work he did in updating the book."

There wasn't a contentious question or statement in the entire call (take that as you wish), and gee, when's the last time that a candidate wrote a book (much less re-released one) a year out from the first primary?

(NOTE: There are some excellent resources on this page for researching the 2008 field)

Cross-posted here at WisdomisVindicated.

Huckabee re. character and cash-on-hand

I just got off a media conference call with former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee (I slipped in as a blogger . . .) Here are highlights from the call, and Huckabee's responses, as best as I was able to capture them (sorry, no recording capability today).

The call was hosted by Gov. Mike Rounds (SD) who is the chair of Huckabee's national steering committee. Rounds heartily endorsed Huckabee as a proven leader who can bring people together for positive results, citing his experience with Huckabee who previously served as head of the National Governor's Association.

Huckabee had a lot of good things to say--he said his campaign for the GOP nomination was going to be about Consistency, Authenticity and Proven Results (sounding similar to Bob Corker's campaign theme(s)--perhaps excepting the "consistency" angle).

In answering a question about his nat'l organization, he referenced Tennessee's own Chip Saltsman and noted that his first quarter fundraising numbers were more accurately termed "first 6 weeks'" numbers for him, as opposed to other candidates who have been running for President for awhile. Very true.

In answer to a question about Iraq ("Um, the American people want us out of Iraq, what is your position on Iraq?") Huckabee said,

"the fastest way to get out of Iraq is to win in Iraq; . . . we definitely will lose if we indicate to our opposition that we'll be leaving at a certain point and all they have to do is wait for the clock to run out. I think we should have a goal of conclusion but not a time-frame of conclusion."

During the call Huckabee mentioned (in answer to a question about future books) a scheduled re-release of one of his previous books in the coming months, Character is the Issue. Which provided an excellent segue into the question I intended to ask him anyway, "How important/relevant is personal character, past and present, in choosing a candidate?"

Huckabee responded, more or less,

"I'm one of those people who believe it (personal character) is important. If we aren't able to keep promises made to people who are closest to us, it's relevant to ask how they would keep promises made to voters. . . .

"And if it's true what I'm hearing from some in the Christian or Evangelical wing of the Republican Party that candidates aren't going to be held responsible for issues of character, then I would say a lot of Republicans will owe Bill Clinton a great big public apology. . . . We can't have a set of rules that we apply to Democrats and can't apply to ourselves," he said, adding that otherwise, "that shows it [criticism of Clinton] really wasn't about principle. It was about personality, character assassination and politics."

Though I don't agree that Clinton's lying (which led to his impeachment) was a purely personal matter (Clinton's survival instincts turned arguably personal "sins" into undeniably public matters--don't lie under oath, Bubba), I do agree that personal character is relevant in assessing a person's qualifications to hold the most powerful office on the planet. Indeed, even Liberals have discovered personal morality as they try to tear down Republican candidates . . .

More reports on the conf. call.

That vishus, vishus cycle of "electability"

CBSNews' blog asks the question, "Why Aren't We Hearing More About Brownback and Huckabee?"(here), and the conclusion is that vicious cycle of credibility-as-a-Pres-candidate>media-attention>fundraising-capability>media-attention, etc. Here's the key quote of journalist Ververs:

"'Up until now, they haven't gotten the attention because they haven't demonstrated that they have much support,' said Ververs. 'In order for that to be demonstrated, they need to have some tangible evidence – which would be polls, fundraising, things we can measure support by. And if you look at those measurements, they are far behind people that supposedly aren't that conservative.'
. . . .

That won't be easy, however, unless they can get the press corps to pay a little more attention to them and a little less to the candidates with better fundraising and poll numbers. "

At this stage in the game, voters--especially my peoples, should pay less attention to "conventional wisdom" and eagerly back the candidate that resonates with them on policy. I won't deny that a candidate like Fred Thompson has appeal for his potential to appeal to voters in a general election, but there's no need to dumb down the debate on what really matters--the policy, more than a year out from actual votes being cast.