Conservative Corner

Mike Huckabee Surges After Straw Poll

2007-08-16T18:56:00.000-07:00

Okay, the media attention Mike Huckabee has gotten over these past few days has been truly astonishing. I don't think anyone could have predicted this amount of attention. There's a new article on Huckabee appearing what seems to be every other hour.

I think we are all witnessing a historical rise to the Presidency for Mike Huckabee. Almost everyone who gives Huckabee a look ends up being incredibly impressed by him.

According to his blog on MikeHuckabee.com, there have been over 1,000 NEW contributors donating to his campaign in only three days. He also said that traffic to their site has gone up enormously (obviously, with all this media attention!). And also interesting is that there have been more blogs and young people from schools gearing up to start the engine of what is going to be a massive Huckabee train.

I wish all the Huckabee supporters could read all of the articles I have, but there are simply too many to list. It's overwhelming. But just go to http://news.google.com and type in "Huckabee" and you'll see what I mean.

The future looks very bright for Huckabee. I am especially excited about his chances in South Carolina, considering he has such a smart and charismatic guy working for him in former SC Gov. David Beasley. Huckabee is making great history with this incredible march to the top.

What Are You Waiting For, Fred Thompson?

2007-08-14T21:57:00.000-07:00

Fred Thompson is going to run for President, obviously. He even has a campaign website set up where people can donate and email his website to other people. Of course, he's not going to have people waste their money on donations if he's not running; what are they contributing to if he doesn't?

So the question is, when is Fred Thompson going to OFFICIALLY jump in the race? Because as it stands, people are becoming more and more frustrated at his lack of official entry. The growing anger at his delay is making people wonder if they are ever going to get a chance to really know who Fred Thompson is, via debates or other outlets. Surely Fred doesn't just expect all of us to vote for him when he jumps in at the very last minute, where he doesn't have to ever debate or confront the issues? We as voters are not that stupid are we?

If Fred doesn't officially announce his candidacy within the next week or two, then he is truly a coward who can't face the political heat. It's not genius what you're doing Fred, it's pure political cowardice. Either get in the race now, or stay out completely. Don't do this to everyone.

Mike Huckabee is in the Top Tier

2007-08-12T14:27:00.000-07:00

From this article from cbsnews.com:

"We're in fact in the first tier, I think, by everybody's estimation, and here's why," Huckabee told Jim Axelrod. "It wasn't just that we surprised people with a second showing, it's that we did it with so few resources. I mean, this really was feeding the 5,000 with two fish and five loaves, an amazing kind of day for us."

Huckabee is exactly right. His amazing showing at the straw poll yesterday proved that he is the right man to carry the conservative message. With considerbaly less money than Sam Brownback, he was able to get more people enthused about him. That should send Brownback a loud and clear message: you are not our guy!

Huckabee proved that he can get people to be excited about him. And that is what it is all about!

IT'S TIME TO DROP OUT SAM

2007-08-12T01:27:00.000-07:00

Sam Brownback has showed that, for all the money and effort he spent in Iowa, he has no appeal. He is not gaining traction. He is losing steam.

Mike Huckabee on the other hand, has crossover appeal. He is charming, engaging, affable, and most importantly, charismatic. Mike Huckabee is the RIGHT messenger to carry our conservative message.

Sam Brownback is dull by comparison. It is in his best interest to drop out of the race AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. If he doesn't, he is just wasting everybody's time, including his own.

They Like Mike

2007-08-12T00:47:00.000-07:00

The National Review Online has a great article talking about Huckabee's amazing success at the straw poll you can read here.

TIME's website tells us how Huckabee was truly mobbed by the media for the first time throughout this campaign right after the straw poll results came in. Read TIME's article here.

Huckabee has an INCREDIBLE amount of momentum... more than I could have imagined. Let's see if he can capitalize on it all and turn this into a mainstream, media-heavy force. Team Huckabee has surprised me so far... I am hoping they keep this campaign in high gear.

The excitement continues to mount.

MIKE HUCKABEE TAKES SECOND PLACE AND TOP TIER POSITION

2007-08-11T20:41:00.000-07:00

Ok, I will admit it. I was skeptical as to whether or not Huckabee could have taken second place in tonight's Iowa straw poll. After all, he had low funds and no buses. But I guess in this case, the man is more important than the money.

Huckabee's surprising second place launches him into the top tier; in my book anyway. Mitt Romney essentially bought first place with his TONS of money. He is a rich man, and money can buy lots of things. Votes included.

Now, as I predicted, Ron Paul did not beat out Huckabee, Brownback OR Tancredo. In fact, He came in fifth place... proving that the internet noise his supporters make is merely a passionate few rather than a true revolutionary movement. Ron Paul will go on, but so what?

Tommy Thompson did absolutely HORRIBLE! He started his campaign touring ALL the Iowa counties... and he said it's Iowa or bust for him. Well, he unequivocally lost Iowa very badly... so he needs to withdraw from this race as soon as possible and stop wasting everyone's time.

Duncan Hunter likewise did pitiful, with not even a percent of the vote. He needs to drop out. And Tom Tancredo did exactly what I thought he would do: very mediocre. He doesn't ignite passion. He needs to seriously think about withdrawing his candidacy as well. Although I suspect he will continue his campaign, citing the need to keep the immigration issue in the spotlight (whatever!).

As for my man Sam Boring Brownback (Even his campaign signs are hideously plain and ugly), he ain't leaving any time soon. He will continue to lose his support to Huckabee, who now looks to be the more powerful conservative in this race. Brownback is spiraling downward after tonight's results.

So the big, incredible story here is Mike Huckabee. I am stunned, shocked, impressed, and very, very happy. The media better not ignore this significant triumph tonight. We won't let them ignore it.

Let the Huckabee movement begin.

RON PAUL = SNAKES ON A PLANE

2007-08-10T20:18:00.001-07:00

Ron Paul's fanatical fan base on the internet will not translate into mainstream success. The internet is good at making the fringe and far out seem like it is actually popular with tons of fans. The reason for this is because the underground now has a place to voice their passion. Underground movements are always passionate for sure, but at the same time it is called underground for a reason. Not many people see or hear of them. The internet gives them an "above ground" voice, if you will. Their passion is clear, but their numbers are still few compared to the mainstream.

Take the movie "Snakes on a Plane" with Samuel L. Jackson, for example. That movie had an internet fan base rivaling any other internet fad. You could feel the fanatical pulse of that movie's fan base seemingly across the whole world wide web. Surely it would have translated into huge box office dollars, right? Wrong. It was actually a pretty big flop making only $34 million. Remember, this tidal wave of support was simply an underground movement transferred and made visible over the internet.

That's why I say that Ron Paul is what Snakes on a Plane was. Essentially, his fanatical base of online support is merely giving a voice to the passionate underground cult of Ron Paul's candidacy. There is no real world Ron Paul movement going on. It's an underground cult of fanaticism hyped up to the highest degree possible over the internet. That's why he barely registers a blip on national scientific polls.

If Ron Paul fares better than any candidate at the Iowa straw poll tomorrow other than Tommy Thompson, then I will be surprised. He may have his underground operatives working overtime for him over there, but if he beats Mike Huckabee, Sam Brownback, or Tom Tancredo, I will be shocked and eat my words of this posting. But honestly, I'm not worried. He's a fad.

Huckabee has momentum going into Ames, Iowa straw poll, but...

2007-08-09T16:43:00.000-07:00

Yes, Mike Huckabee has undoubtedly gained some pretty evident momentum going into Saturday's straw poll in Ames, Iowa. But I am very skeptical as to whether or not this momentum will translate into huge numbers in the straw poll.

First of all, Huckabee doesn't have the organization the other candidates have. Even candidates like Sam Brownback, Tom Tancredo and probably even Ron Paul have some pretty tangible organizations in Iowa that seem to outdo Huckabee's.

I have seen Huckabee tout momentum before, after the first few debates that took place. I agreed there was momentum... but in the end, it didn't translate into campaign dollars, and Huckabee ended up raising some of the lowest amount of money out of all the candidates for the second quarter. Only Tommy Thompson raised less. Oh, and by the way, I am seriously wondering if Tommy has a better organization than Huckabee in Iowa as well... he started his campaign from the very start as an Iowa or bust deal. So even he has me worried.

There's an article you can view by clicking here on politico.com that talks about how most of the other candidates have rented out buses, vans, trucks, and other hauling vehicles to transfer their supporters to the straw poll. And Huckabee? Well, he doesn't have the money to get any, and even if he did, their isn't any left to get.

So this momentum I keep hearing about is good news. But the fact remains that Huckabee better have some amazing tricks up his sleeve if he wants to come out near the top of the pack on Saturday. And if he does come out near the top, despite his lower level organization, low funds, and no transportation for his supporters, then truly he is a special candidate that has the potential to win the nomination. Because anyone that can overcome those odds will be a force to reckon with for sure.

Can he do it? We will see. And if he does, then Huckabee is officially top-tier; at least in my book anyway.

Tommy Thompson says no to YouTube, but yes to YouTube Debate.

2007-08-03T13:21:00.001-07:00

It's curious why Tommy Thompson, a very low-tier Presidential candidate, would say yes to a YouTube debate, yet does not even have a YouTube account of his own for which to share videos. Every other notable Presidential candidate has one... and it seems to be obvious that all candidates should have YouTube, MySpace, Facebook accounts, etc. So why has he and his campaign left YouTube out? Perhaps because Thompson has too many embarrasing moments for video to capture, and him adding his hat to the YouTube arena would make those moments more desirable to capture and promote? Who knows why... but it seems a little weird to say yes to a YouTube debate when you are completely ignoring the YouTube community by not having an account.

With that said, let's watch Tommy Thompson look like a deer in headlights in this clip when he was asked whether or not employers should have the right to fire people based upon their sexual orientation. In this clip he says they should have that right, but later on the Bill Maher show, he made up the worst excuse by saying his hearing aid wasn't working, and plus he had very bad diarrhea, and reversed his answer! Tommy doesn't have any clue... he might as well depart from the race right now.

Mike Huckabee Supporters - - It's Now or Never

2007-07-19T20:58:00.000-07:00

If you have been following the Presidential campaign of Mike Huckabee at all, then you have probably heard about the extremely modest fund-raising total his campaign reported for the second quarter. Only about $764,000, which is chump change compared to the media darlings Giuliani, Romney and McCain.

While these numbers are discouraging, all is not lost. In fact, I think that despite his fairly low sum of money, he has actually been steadily gaining momentum.

Huckabee's campaign total for the second quarter was mostly garnered on a mediocre website with an even worse domain name (explorehuckabee.com). His new website makes it exponentially easier to donate to his campaign, with a clean look and easy domain name of www.MikeHuckabee.com. Had this website been launched earlier in the quarter, I think his total would have been a good bit higher.

But the website is just one step of momentum Huckabee has taken. In fact, Huckabee has been increasingly in the media lately. Especially his comments about Michael Moore which was picked up by the Drudge Report. Michael Moore and his movie had been hugely talked about, so Huckabee commenting when he did, and the way he did, gave him a boost.

The debates he was in were great for his candidacy, but they were probably only watched by political junkies who already had a horse in the race. So these debates couldn't have been expected to raise Huckabee's profile to the very top when only a small amount of political junkies were watching. The best he could have hoped for out of those debates was a bump in media attention and some clever, quotable quotes. The debates served as sort of a launching pad for his notoriety. Huckabee achieved all that he could have achieved out of all three debates.

I think the more Huckabee's campaign continues to push hard, the more people will inevitably take notice of him. And when people take notice of Mike Huckabee, I can assure you they will like him.

There is still tons of road for Huckabee to travel. As long as he and his campaign continue to push down that road, then a Huckabee win in the primaries is actually still quite conceivable.

If you like Mike, then it is your absolute duty to do all that you can to help him immediately. Of course donations are the first priority, but if you simply can't donate a few dollars to his campaign, then there are other things you can do. Be an activist for Mike Huckabee.

Don't just support him in silence, but show your passion for his candidacy. Tell everyone you know about him, write your local newspapers showing your support, or your favorite news or other website. Shout his name and ideas from the rooftop.

Don't let this opportunity for Republicans slip away. If it does, we will be stuck with a candidate that will be easily defeated in the general election.

Support Mike Huckabee. It's now or never.

www.MikeHuckabee.com

NewsMax Blasts Huckabee

2007-07-03T00:30:00.000-07:00

The conservative NewsMax.com recently did an article blasting Mike Huckabee's record as a conservative while he was Governor of Arkansas. They mention his tax raises while Governor, but what they don't mention is that Huckabee lowered taxes 94 times. They also don't provide Huckabee's explanation for the few times he did raise the taxes, therefore I will provide that here.

Here's what Huckabee said on Meet The Press in January of 2007:

I was the first governor in the history of my state to ever lower taxes. We lowered a total of 94 different taxes and fees. We did things that streamlined and made government more efficient. But we were under a Supreme Court order to raise revenue for our schools. We did it, but with the insistence that we wouldn't just raise money, we would raise standards and expectations.

Did we raise taxes on fuel? Yes, but 80% of the people voted on improving what was the worst road system in the country. [emphasis mine]

Huckabee had valid reasons for the few tax increases.

Why didn't NewsMax mention that 80% of the people voted FOR the fuel tax? What are they trying to accomplish here by leaving important things like that out?

The NewsMax article goes on to say:

And while on the subject of taxes, Huckabee has shrugged off the criticisms of those who charge him with having been a tax-and-spend executive while in office.

He hasn't shrugged them off, he has responded. But articles like this don't care -- it seems as if some conservative groups are bent on supporting socially liberal candidates like Giuliani, all the while acting like those liberal issues can be justified in some sense. But a few tax increases are a conservative killer? Where's the hit piece on Giuliani for being a social liberal?

Obama - A Voice of Reason?

2007-06-29T14:42:00.000-07:00

Barack Obama was asked whether or not President George W. Bush and VP Dick Cheney should be impeached or not. His answer?

"I think you reserve impeachment for grave, grave breeches, and intentional breeches of the president's authority," he said.

"I believe if we began impeachment proceedings we will be engulfed in more of the politics that has made Washington dysfunction," he added. "We would once again, rather than attending to the people's business, be engaged in a tit-for-tat, back-and-forth, non-stop circus."

His answer is kind of surprising, given the intense left-wing anger at President Bush, and their red faced chants about impeachment.

Meet Senator Switchback

2007-06-29T14:11:00.000-07:00

Sam Brownback has done a fantastic job at earning his new nickname, Senator Switchback:

John Kerry and Dick Durbin Want to Control Talk Radio

2007-06-27T09:47:00.000-07:00

John Kerry says that the "fairness doctrine" should come back because conservatives have been able "squeeze down" and "squeeze out" opposing views. That is just simply insane.

We live in a media age where any point of view you want to hear is readily available to you. We have the internet, television, newspapers, magazines, etc. and John Kerry wants us to believe that conservative talk radio is somehow squelching alternate viewpoints? I would laugh it wasn't so scary what they are trying to do here. They want the government to control opinions they don't like. If there was any reason to not support liberals in government, here it is.

And now I present to you, communist Kerry:

Don't worry, John Kerry and Diane Feinstein aren't alone, Dick Durbin (D) has also thrown his support to government controlling talk radio. It looks like the democrats believe if no one wants to hear them on talk radio, force them to by government regulation. Incredible.

Mike Huckabee Holds Blogger Conference Call

2007-06-26T11:41:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to participate because of unavailability, but I listened to an audio version online at the official Huckabee blog.

He talked about the fairtax -- about how it was unfair to take more money from people as they worked harder and made more money. If I am trying to save money and working long hours, why should the government penalize me even more for working that much harder to save? It's unfair -- and this fairtax plan has a way to fix that in a very reasonable manner.

He said he was opposed to the current immigration bill. He said the border needed to be effectively closed off before any immigration bill is passed.

He also talked about how message was more important than money. Some of the other guys may have money, but they are trying to mold their message to the money, whereas Huckabee has a message already, so the money he does have is more effective at promoting that.

Here are a few other sources talking about how the conference call went:

I was able to participate in another conference call with GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee this morning. Once again, he displayed an ability to communicate his depth of knowledge about a wide variety of national issues without using sound bites or talking points. -Lonestar Times

Both Huckabee and his supporters addressed the effects of blogging and the national media attention. Huckabee praised bloggers “who have really become one of the most important informational sources in the process of electing the president. The impact of blogging and how that has such an incredible effect in getting information out to people is probably going to be the story of the ’08 race. -MSNBC's First Read

For more reaction, go to the Huckabee blog linked above.

Obama Says Conservatives have 'Hijacked' Faith

2007-06-25T21:38:00.000-07:00

Yes, Barack Obama, in a desperate move to garner support from the faith community, is pushing the oft-repeated statement that conservatives somehow hijacked the Christian faith.

"But somehow, somewhere along the way, faith stopped being used to bring us together and faith started being used to drive us apart. Faith got hijacked, partly because of the so-called leaders of the Christian Right, all too eager to exploit what divides us," the Democratic presidential candidate said in a 30-minute speech before a national meeting of the United Church of Christ.

The truth is, the conservative Republicans have gotten the support of most of the evangelical Christian community because they fall in line with their views. There is no hijacking going on, conservative Christians don't like the progressive things happening to our country, like gay marriage, abortion on demand, organizations like the ACLU (who is always siding with liberal democrat views) systematically trying to censor Christianity from the public.

"At every opportunity, they've told evangelical Christians that Democrats disrespect their values and dislike their church, while suggesting to the rest of the country that religious Americans care only about issues like abortion and gay marriage, school prayer and intelligent design," he said.

The fact of the matter is, the issues he mentions are vital to the Christian doctrine. If we start destroying the foundational doctrines of Christianity, then the rest of it falls down and becomes irrelevant, because we would have then made the Bible have no authority whatsoever. Obama is typical in his liberal, unathoritative Christianity.

This is just one more part of the puzzle for democrats. In this election, they have been trying to talk more about faith, all the while trying to appease those who hate Christianity. They are trying to walk a fence, but they are transparent. The forum CNN gave them on faith was a joke, and they will always end up looking as exactly what they are: hostile to those who give the Bible full authority on all moral matters.

Diane Feinstein Wants to Control Talk Radio

2007-06-25T19:17:00.000-07:00

On Fox News Sunday, Diane Feinstein told Chris Wallace that she was looking at reviving the "Fairness doctrine." This was a law that was repealed in 1987 that forced radio broadcasters to air the other side of their view. As if people can't find "the other side" in this vast information age. Give me a break!

In other words, Feinstein is showing her true colors by wanting to have a liberal government control more aspects of the media. How Scary.

Supporting Mike Huckabee

2007-06-25T17:57:00.000-07:00

I have decided to support Mike Huckabee for President because:

*He is a great advocate of the FairTax plan, which does away with the IRS, takes away income tax, and puts forth a consumption tax. Most reasonable and fair.

*He has leadership experience, and has shown a proven record of getting the other side to support him. His 10 year stint as Governor of Arkansas has shown the country that he is a great leader. Time magazine also listed him as one of the best governors.

*He was a pastor, which has allowed him to relate to the common human experience in a way that other politicians have not been able to do. He knows how it feels when a family is in poverty, or when a family or person is dealing with a major sickness. He knows it better than most politicians ever could.

*He is a very effective communicator. He can talk about any issue and articulate his position in a way that anyone can understand. He's clear, concise, and invokes humor and analogies when appropriate. Compare this with President Bush, where communication seems to be his biggest problem.

*His stance on social issues is as conservative as you could want. His uncompromised Christianity guides his moral convictions, which means he won't be a flip-flopper. He stands where he does because he truly believes in it, not because of political expediency.

What Mike Huckabee needs is exposure and money. His campaign can only go as far as the people will take it. Therefore, if you feel so inclined to help his very important campaign get off the ground and in to the top tier of candidates, then donate to his campaign now by clicking here!

Mike Huckabee is a diamond in the rough. All the other candidates look very bland and unappealing next to Huckabee.

I support and endorse Huckabee for President in 2008!

South Carolina Poll Shows Surprising Numbers

2007-06-18T17:00:00.000-07:00

There is a new South Carolina poll out from Mason-Dixon that shows some surprising numbers for the Republican crop of candidates. John McCain is at some of his lowest numbers ever in SC. He's at 7 percent, and Fred Thompson is actually in the lead over Rudy Giuliani, 25 to 21 percent. Romney was at 11 percent.

The poll results also showed that "Twenty-eight percent were undecided." That is a lot of undecided voters, most of which are more than likely looking for an authentic conservative candidate.

Surprisingly, Former Governor Mike Huckabee is polling at 5%, which is some of his highest numbers yet in that state. Huckabee is slowly rising, while it seems like the front runners are slowly falling. This race could get interesting very soon.

From the outset of this campaign season, I think most people could see that the leading candidates had some severe shortcomings from a conservative standpoint, and I think it is only a matter of time before that frustration hits the breaking point. If and when that time comes, look for candidates like Mike Huckabee to be strong contenders in this race.

I can actually see a race near the end that has Thompson and Huckabee in the two leading positions. It may seem far out there now, but let's give it a couple months and see where this thing ends up. I'm telling you, the Giuliani/McCain flame is fading fast.

The Republicans didn't have any strong conservative candidates from the start, but I honestly believe they will have them in the end.

Ruth Bell Graham - A Wife of Great Example

2007-06-15T22:00:00.000-07:00

The wife of Rev. Billy Graham was a role model for wives everywhere. Humble, intelligent, loyal, bold -- yet meek. She was graceful and caring, and kept God first in her life. Her death at age 87 is sad, but her life was full, and her legacy of virtue certain.

Ruth Bell Graham will be missed, but her life will also be celebrated -- now, and for many years to come.

Fred Thompson - Republican Savior?

2007-06-09T00:42:00.000-07:00

Fred Thompson has pretty much thrown his hat into the Presidential race. There is major buzz about him right now, and he is placing second in national polls, right behind Rudy Giuliani. Pretty impressive.

However, I have some questions as to his lasting appeal to most voters. First, he is too old looking. Yes, that's right, he looks like a grumpy old man. Yet, he has a sort of tough-guy deep voice that kind of gives some appealing character to his old look. Also, he doesn't seem to be a particularly strong or eloquent speaker. Sitting there listening to him is sort of a bland affair.

He's fine on the issues from a conservative stand point, but most of us know, it is more about how you can connect with voters than it is about your stand on the issues. Especially in the primaries, since candidates don't usually differ all that much.

I'm worried that this buzz for Thompson is just going to fade once he enters the race and becomes over exposed. Once Thompson has declared his candidacy, then what? He allegedly hates campaigning, probably because of his age, so what should we expect in that regard? We shall see.

Sam "Boring" Brownback Challenges Romney in Iowa Straw Poll

2007-06-08T22:15:00.000-07:00

Sam Brownback is challenging Mitt Romney in the Iowa Straw poll (a meaningless but perhaps somewhat influential political poll).

I wish Sam Brownback would exit the race. He is strong on conservative issues, but he lacks any type of punch in terms of presentation. Which, in all honesty, is huge in Presidential politics. He is, quite frankly, boring. And he is sort of ciphering votes away from Mike Huckabee, who has the presentation and character qualities better suited as a Presidential candidate.

Brownback won't win the straw poll, and when he doesn't, he needs to exit the race, along with about 4 others.

Welcome to Conservative Corner

2007-06-06T21:33:00.000-07:00

As I warm up this new humble new blog here, I just want to inform any who might be reading this that I will be giving daily entries into this blog. Especially as the political season continues to heat up. Please join me as I bring a fresh conservative perspective on the daily news and politics that continue to roll in.

Please, keep an eye on this blog. Bookmark it if you must.

Thanks for reading.