Huckabee Mobilizes Arkansas National Guard, Citizens To Help Katrina Victims

Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee has mobilized the Arkansas National Guard, dispatched extra State Police personnel to assist refugees streaming into south Arkansas, and gone on statewide television urging Arkansans to give to to the Red Cross.

"What the Red Cross needs now more than donated goods is cash," the governor said. "We're doing everything in our power to be a good neighbor. Our office has been flooded by calls today from people asking what they can do. The best things they can do now is lend a helping hand to those who are in our state to escape the storm, making a donation to the Red Cross disaster relief fund and pray for those who are still trapped."

Some Needed Perspective On 2008

We've blogged several times over the last few months about our irritation with the MSM's penchant for spilling trainloads of ink writing about 2008 GOP "frontrunners" who in reality are either not running (Cheney, Jeb Bush, Rice) or could not win the nomination even if they do (McCain, Guliani, any Senator). So we're pleased today to find this must read blog by Bob Waters at GOP Insight, who says:

"Certainly strong showings in the early polls by candidates greater knowledge of whose positions would render them ideologically unacceptable to wide segments of the party, or whose name- recognition combines with the personal dislike and distrust of many within the party, should not be taken quite as seriously as many in the blogosphere seem to be taking the current, highly distorted snapshots of the Republican race. When increased attention to Giuliani's position on abortion and McCain's track record are combined with greater familiarity on the part of Republican voters with people like Allen and Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, those pictures will portray something very different from what we're seeing now."

We strongly encourge you to read the entire blog here.

BSR

Other Bloggers On Mike Huckabee: August 30, 2005

Last weekend, Governor Mike Huckabee appeared on the liberal-leaning "Real Time With Bill Maher" show on HBO. It was seen by liberal "KC" of Rogue Planet, who says: "It was an interesting trio – a Southern Republican governor, a playwright, and a gay liberal columnist/humorist. The problem was that by the end of the episode, I liked Huckabee much more than I liked either Ensler or Savage."

Don't worry, KC, it happens to everyone who meets Huckabee. Here, for example, is another liberal named "Doomsy" from The Liberal Doomsayer who watched the show and blogs: "Mike Huckabee was a revelation to me. I couldn't believe I was watching a Repug with a self-deprecating sense of humor! My God, I hope Karl Rove didn't see the program, or else he'd have Huckabee kidnapped, sent back to the factory and turned into a good, unquestioning Bushco zombie."

Justin Ready of 2008 Political Perspective had this to say about Huckabee after the governor's trip to New Hampshire on Saturday. "Huckabee is starting to make a message for a potential campaign. I think he can carry the compassionate consevative thing very well...certainly as Governor, Huckabee has been very creative legislatively and has appealed to broad cross-sections of people in Arkansas which is still a majority Democratic state despite the GOP's recent electoral successes."

Brew at I'm Just Waiting For The Robot Invasion noticed Huckabee's New Hampshire trip and says "Really, what's Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas doing in New Hampshire?
He's trying to convince everyone he's a moderate reformer. In other words, he's runnin' for president. That's what."

Ryan James of RyanJames.tv reports quite comprehensively on the Governor's trip here. Thanks, Ryan!

David Garby from Denmark-based blog Amerikansk politik says this about Huckabee: "Guvernør Mike Huckabee (R-AR) skal på en længere tur til New Hampshire, her skal an bl.a. mødes med lokale republikanske politikere og partifolk. Desuden er der indlagt et par bogsigneringer af Arkansas-guvernørens nye bog "Quit Digging Your Grave with a Knife and Fork: A 12-Step Program To End Bad Habits and Begin an Healthy Lifestyle." som ikke er en biografi. Et skriver New Hampshire Union Leader." Thanks, David (I think).

Frank Meyers of the great campaign blog Presidential Primaries 2008 reports on our story about Huckabee getting an early endorsement from New Hampshire. Thank you, Mr. Meyers!

Mark Coffey, from the great young blog (I won't say "new blog" anymore, because he's blogged more in 6 months than many do in a year!) Decision 08 also reports on Huckabee's New Hampshire trip. Thanks, Mark!

Tidbit: Check out The Grand Old Portal.

More to come. Check back often!

BSR

A Report From New Hampshire

We received an email this morning from Shaun Doherty, Pelham GOP Town Chairman, who sends us this link to the Politics NH website with a story about Mike Huckabee's visit over the weekend. Shaun says "It seems like everyone who meets the Governor loves him!"

BSR

Mike Huckabee Makes Case In New Hamshire

From the New Hampshire Union Leader:

Arkansas' GOP governor tests NH's political waters

MANCHESTER - Republicans may be the dominant party in Washington D.C., but Gov. Mike Huckabee said he's a member of an endangered species in his heavily Democratic state of Arkansas.

Huckabee, a potential GOP presidential candidate in 2008, was in New Hampshire on Saturday - his first visit to the earliest primary state. Speaking at a breakfast gathering, Huckabee had harsh words for the political climate in the nation's capital.

"Washington is paralyzed. They're not getting anything done," he said. "It's a polarized environment and a paralyzed environment."

Real reform is happening in individual states - in education, welfare, and economic development, the new chairman of the National Governors Association said. Huckabee made frequent quips at the podium but shared his passion describing the struggles of ordinary citizens, including those he dealt with as a Southern Baptist minister. He said his religious background is often used against him, but that he got into politics because he felt politicians did not understand how they affect people's lives.

Echoing the compassionate conservative theme that marked the Bush campaign of 2000, Huckabee said the party needs to show a sense of compassion. "I don't know if it's the reality or it's the perception that Republicans are more interested in businesses and corporations than they are people," he told reporters later. "Frankly, good policies will have an impact across all socio-economic boundaries."

Huckabee also referred to mandatory sentencing laws that have contributed to rising prison costs. "It's very very expensive. We have now started to incarcerate our way out of the drug problem. Because we really don't have so much a crime problem, we've got a drug problem," he said.

On The Road With Mike Huckabee

One of the most important things a candidate for president can do is get out in the early primary states and meet and make friendships with local leaders. That is what Mike Huckabee did today in New Hampshire. We received this nice email from New Hampshire House of Representatives member D. J. Bettencourt today, after he met Governor Huckabee. Thank you, Representative Bettencourt, and welcome to the team ;)

"My name is D.J. Bettencourt and I am a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives. I represent Rockingham County District 4 and am a Majority Caucus Whip. I thought that you and readers of your blog might find it interesting that I attended an event today with Governor Huckabee and found him
to be very articulate, very intelligent, and a genuine individual. I found that
he connected very well with the audience and following the event I heard a
number of people remarking how impressed they were with him. With New Hampshire having the first in the nation primary, impressing folks here is very important. I can only speak for myself, but I was very impressed and should Gov. Huckabee decide down the road to run for President I would be inclined to support him. Keep up the good work."

Rep. D.J. Bettencourt

Photo by Shaun Doherty

On The Road With Mike Huckabee

We received the following nice e-mail, along with a few pictures from Manchester New Hampshire Young Republican Shaun Doherty, after he met Governor Huckabee at a breakfast meeting this morning. This is Shaun pictured with the Governor. Thank you, Shaun!

"Hello, I had the pleasure of having breakfast in Manchester with Governor Huckabee this morning. As a member of the Young Republicans, I got to meet with him outside when he got to the Radisson hotel. He was very personable, good
humored, and knows what he is talking about. He was kind enough to sign a copy of his "Digging" book for me and pose for a photo. I was very impressed with his speech and the answers he gave at the Q&A after the breakfast. I didn't know much about Governor Huckabee besides what I read on your blog and the bio on his website, but after today, I am seriously considering endorsing him if he runs in 2008."

Talk to you soon,
Shaun Doherty
Pelham GOP Town Chairman

Other Bloggers On Mike Huckabee

Governor Mike is having a great week. Yesterday he put in a respectable showing in Patrick Ruffini's August straw poll (see post below), last night he appeared on the liberal-leaning "Real Time With Bill Maher" show on HBO, today he speaks at two important GOP meetings in New Hampshire and meets with activists, and tomorrow he heads to Georgia for the Southern Governor's Association meeting. Now, on with the show:

Mein Vein BlogoVault saw Huckabee on the Maher show last night and says "Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee was also on, and held his own against these moonbats as well, with me cheering him on in a studio full of Clintonista Koolaid Drinkers. Well done, sir."

Captain Ed at Captain's Quarters says of 2008 "Allen makes the best case for the top slot, including his status as a Southerner. Mike Huckabee would also be a good selection, although his name recognition doesn't come close to Allen's." We're working on the name recognition thing, Captain! Thanks.

Pat Lynch of Lynch at Large says "Governor Mike Huckabee is having one of the most significant weekends of his political career."

John Hawkins of Right Wing News says: "There is a large group of Republican governors who might make excellent candidates: Mike Huckabee (AR), Mark Sanford (SC), Bill Owens (CO), Haley Barbour (MS), Tim Pawlenty (MN), Ernie Fletcher (KY), & Jeb Bush (FL), just to name a few." Thanks, Mr. Hawkins!

Anthony Surace at The Templar Pundit says of Ruffini's straw poll "Mike Huckabee managed to win his home state of Arkansas. I have a feeling Huckabee is going to emerge as the real Southern candidate in this race. I simply don't see much that appealing about George Allen and I suspect a great deal of his support comes from being the generic Southern conservative in the race. I expect after the '06 midterms a lot of the people voting Allen will start to shift to Huckabee as they see more of these two."

More to come,

BSR

Patrick Ruffini August Straw Poll Results

Huckabee team, I am pleased to announce YOU DID IT!

After not even being in Ruffini's first 2008 straw poll, all we hoped for was a respectable showing in Governor Huckabee's first appearance. Well, that is exactly what we got.

The poll was dominated nationally by Guiliani, who won 39 states. George Allen swept pretty much everything else, with a notable exception (for us).
Huckabee won Arkansas.

That's enough for Ruffini to officially declare Huckabee a dark horse, saying "... Mike Huckabee and Sam Brownback win “primaries” in their home states of Arkansas and Kansas respectively."

While this polls means little in terms of the actual election, it does one important thing -- it generates buzz.

All we wanted out of this straw poll was a respectable showing and a "place at the table" when the MSM and bloggers write about it. That's what we got.

Check out this graphic from Ruffini's blog, where Huckabee's name appears right up there with Guiliani, Allen, Gingrich, Romney and Brownback.

Congratulations and thanks for all your hard work!

Onward and upward,

BSR

More Iowa Exposure For Huckabee

David Yepsen of the DesMoines Register writes about Mike Huckabee today in an editorial titled "If we don't shape up, the government may intrude." Yepsen discusses the current obesity crisis in America and the enormous strain it is placing on taxpayer-funded health programs like Medicaid and Medicare, saying:

"One political leader who is doing something about these problems is Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. While governor, the 50-year-old Republican chief executive lost 110 pounds in one year. He now runs marathons, has written a book about his fitness experiences and is making personal health the centerpiece of his tenure as chairman of the National Governors Association.

Huckabee's got an inspirational personal story, it obviously works and is one that may help more Americans get fit. It's also one Iowans are likely to be hearing more about because he's mentioned as a possible presidential candidate in 2008. (And we never dismiss the presidential prospects of an governor born in, yes, Hope, Ark.)."

BSR

Opportunity Knocks; Huckabee Answers

Governor Mike Huckabee, already scheduled to be the keynote speaker at New Hampshire's largest GOP gathering this weekend, has agreed to fill in at another GOP event after Governor Mitt Romney abruptly cancelled. Romney cancelled his planned appearance at the Nashua GOP "Steakout" yesterday, leaving event organizers scrambling.

''Somehow we have to keep on trucking and keep these 120 people happy," Sandra Ziehm, the event's organizer, said yesterday, referring to the people who have already purchased tickets to the fund-raiser. ''I'll think up some good jokes and stand on my head."

In discussing Romney's change of plans, Ziehm said, ''I can't imagine he would do this on purpose -- it certainly is not healthy for him. I have to go on good faith that he has had some kind of conflict beyond his control that he thinks is serious enough to risk alienating all these people."

Folks, I can tell you now that Mike Huckabee will charm the pants off of these people and he will make the most of this opportunity.

BSR

Huckabee's Weekend Plans

Governor Mike Huckabee is going to be a very busy man this weekend.

Friday: He heads for Los Angeles for an appearance on HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher." He leaves the studio and travels directly to Boston.

Saturday: He heads over to New Hampshire where he'll attend a "private breakfast meeting at the Center of New Hampshire Radisson Hotel in Manchester with key state Republicans, a meeting with the New Hampshire Young Republicans to prepare them for a national Young Republicans' voter registration push that week and headlining a state GOP "issues and answers" forum on education and health care. He'll mix in media interviews and then head for Dover for the Strafford County Republican Committee barbecue and the Seacoast Irish Festival. He'll do an unspecified event in Portsmouth followed by a private house party in Durham."

Sunday: Huckabee heads to Georgia where he will attend the annual meeting of the Southern Governors Association in Greensboro. And, because he is also training for the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington D.C., Huckabee plans to take time out from the conference to run 16 miles Sunday.

Whew!

BSR

Happy Birthday, Governor Huckabee!

Mike Huckabee turns the big 50 today.

Happy birthday, Governor! We hope you get to go fishing.

Ryan James offers his birthday greetings, plus a little more....

New Features

Comments and trackbacks are now enabled on the blog. Enjoy!

BSR

Huckabee Climbs Back To 5th

Tim Saler, of RedState and TimSaler.com, dropped Mike Huckabee off of his weekly Top Five list of GOP candidates last week, noting that the move was likely temporary. This week, he has Huckabee back in the 5th position due to the govenor's planned appearance at a key New Hampshire GOP event this coming weekend, saying:

"Well-liked by virtually everyone who comes in contact with him, in terms of presidential potential for 2008, Huckabee is in the unique situation of being an experienced governor, a battle-tested social conservative, and finding himself out of office after the 2006 elections. He is charismatic, compassionate, articulate, and has a good personal story to tell. In other words, he is everything that you could ask for in a presidential candidate."

Saler has much more to say, so click on over here.

BSR

Huckabee Hot On eBay?

Here's a new one. This comes from U.S. News & World Report:

What's hot on eBay? Anything from potential 2008 candidates. A spokesman for Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee says that some constituents are writing the governor's office just to get return letters that they can hawk. The governor jokes, "My barber was going to sell clippings from my haircuts, but my hair is getting so thin that he decided he would just market one hair at a time."

I checked eBay and sure enough, there's a Huckabee letter there now. Check it out.

Huckabee In The Hunt

According to The Seattle Times, more than a dozen prospective candidates from both parties have visited Iowa and New Hampshire or taken other steps toward a possible run for president. For some, that has meant penning political books (Democratic Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware); for others, toughening their stance on social issues to woo conservatives (Republican Govs. George Pataki of New York and Mitt Romney of Massachusetts), softening their credentials to woo moderates (Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee) or revving up their political-action committees (Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, Democratic Gov. Tom Vilsack of Iowa, Republican Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas).

Many say they cannot remember an earlier or more intense start to a presidential campaign. But there is good reason for the early activity, observers agree. The 2008 presidential election is likely to be the first in more than 50 years without a president or vice president running. Although opinion polls have established nominal front-runners on both sides — analysts say the fight for the White House is unusually wide open.

"Right now you could flip a 12-sided coin and come up with the nominee," Craig Shirley, a veteran GOP strategist, said of the Republican race.

That makes the next 16 or so months a time of tryouts and tire-kicking for would-be candidates, most of whom are actively reaching out to major donors, top party strategists and the most hard-core political activists. This small group of hyper-involved partisans provides the early money and support that eventually will allow the most successful contestants to build a nationwide following.

"Many of the candidates are known only as names and not individuals," said Bill Dal Col, a Republican strategist who ran publisher Steve Forbes' 1996 and 2000 presidential campaigns. "People in Iowa and New Hampshire want to get to know you individually, or feel they do. ... That kind of courtship takes a lot of time and effort."

More Details About Huckabee's New Hampshire Trip

In nine days, Governor Mike Huckabee will travel to New Hampshire to be the keynote speaker at the largest GOP gathering in the state. But that is not all he'll be doing. In addition to "the proverbial testing of the Presidential waters", Huckabee has the following items on his agenda, according to The Union Leader:

On Saturday, August 27 he will have a "private breakfast meeting at the Center of New Hampshire Radisson Hotel in Manchester with key state Republicans, a meeting with the New Hampshire Young Republicans to prepare them for a national Young Republicans' voter registration push that week and headlining a state GOP "issues and answers" forum on education and health care. He'll mix in media interviews and then head for Dover for the Strafford County Republican Committee barbecue and the Seacoast Irish Festival. He'll do an unspecified event in Portsmouth followed by a private house party in Durham."

Whew!

Wonder what the "unspecified" event is?

BSR

Victory for Huckabee: Soft Drink Industry To Limit School Sales

Beverage industry marketers have announced plans to limit sales of soft drinks in the nation's elementary and middle schools, a victory for Governor Mike Huckabee's Healthy America initiative. Huckabee, who recently took over as chairman of the National Governor's Association, dedicated his year-long chairmanship to changing the faulty thinking of our current health care system and "changing the paradigm of health care in America."

Among the primary goals of Healthy America is addressing the childhood obesity epidemic in America. Already, Huckabee has partnered in a 10-year campaign to fight childhood obesity with former president and Arkansan Bill Clinton, and successfully lobbied for limits on junk food sales and increased physical activity in Arkansas' public schools.

BSR

One Thing The Democrats Can't Fake

Here's some food for thought. We began blogging here several weeks ago that we believe Democrats plan to try to win back the south by trying to appeal to rural voters with a morals and values platform. That's trouble for Republicans if they can successfully pull that off. Fortunately for Republicans, it won't be easy. This tactic is fraught with peril for the Dems, because they run the very real risk of turning off voters by pandering on the one hand, or alienating their liberal base on the other.

Or both.

But they are becoming smarter on the subject, which means we should keep paying attention. Today, we direct your attention to an editorial about some recent research conducted by the Dems:

One thing the Democrats can't fake
Monday, Aug 15, 2005
By John Brummett

The only Democrat to unseat a Republican member of the U.S. Senate in the last two cycles, Mark Pryor of Arkansas, told a gathering of frustrated centrist Democrats a couple of years ago that one of his out-of-state consultants did some research and concluded that Pryor ought to talk about his religious faith in every speech. Pryor said he was wholly comfortable doing that, and pretty much did so. He also ran a television commercial showing his family with bowed heads around the dinner table. He got 54 percent of the vote while Democrats were getting their clocks cleaned everywhere else, especially in other parts of the South.

Pryor's advantage was that he appeared not to be faking anything, most likely because he wasn't. A serious cancer scare in early adulthood had influenced him to membership in an interdenominational and evangelical church. The preacher in that church interviewed him in a dubious and challenging way about Pryor's hairsplitting position on abortion (he thinks it's wrong, but that repeal of Roe v. Wade would be an impossible mess) and published the transcript on the church Web site. The published dialogue showed that Pryor held his own with the minister on Christian theology, both in terms of Biblical passages and modern literature.

So, last week the Democracy Corps, an alliance of Democrat strategists founded by old Clintonites like James Carville and Stanley Greenberg, released findings of focus group studies among disaffected George Bush supporters in Colorado and Kentucky and rural voters in Arkansas and Wisconsin. They found that nearly all economic issues work among those rural voters to the benefit of Democrats, but that it doesn't matter because cultural issues are defining. Particularly among noncollege rural voters, there was little awareness of differences between Democrats and Republicans on health care, prescription drugs, economic policy and retirement security. Those voters assumed that the party closest to them on cultural issues would be closest to them on other issues as well.

An unidentified rural voter in Arkansas was quoted putting it this way: "I'm proud to be an American because of the way this country was founded. And (Republicans) stand up for this nation's Christian heritage. There's no question that -- I believe this with all my heart-- that this country is blessed the way it has been for all these years because of the way it was founded. And God's looked on us favorably. And I think Republicans have that at heart, most of them do. And it shows in the moral stance they take. Because you hear all the time that there are no absolutes, but there truly is, and I think (Republicans) recognize that and try to push that in their agenda."

Unless a Democrat can connect with that fellow naturally, he'd best not try it. Howard Dean recently went to Arkansas talking about how Jesus preached more like a Democrat than a Republican, and it was fairly laughable. Dean met in Arkansas with Tim Wooldridge, a Church of Christ lay preacher who is running as a Democrat for lieutenant governor. "I told him you have to be real, to be bona fide," Woodridge said, "because if you're not, you're going to smack of hypocrisy and gag people."

The fact is that many Democrats are like I am. They think the aforementioned rural voter in Arkansas has a narrow view of the world that actually contradicts true religion. We don't think God blesses his children in geographically based rewards. We think America was founded on religious freedom, not Christian religion. And we see plenty to be ambivalent about. Any Democrat so inclined had best run on the two coasts and the upper Midwest and let the Rick Santorums and the rare Mark Pryor or Tim Wooldridge have the in-between, at least until this religious-right mania subsides, as we pray it will.

--end--


Will the Dems figure out how to dupe rural southern voters by 2006? Probably not. But the experience will help them improve their techniques by 2008. That's why Republicans should reach out to moderate, pro-life democrats now.

BSR

MSM: Huckabee Right On Illegal Immigration

UPDATED!

Governor Mike Huckabee is against illegal immigration and supports the deportation of illegal immigrants captured in the U.S.

But, as recent events show, enforcing our immigration laws is not as simple as merely rounding up illegal immigrants and deporting them.

Back on May 24, 2005 we talked about Governor Mike Huckabee's stance on illegal immigration in a blog titled "Mike Huckabee On Illegal Immigration: The Kids Matter." This post was prompted by a huge amount of criticism the Governor received for advocating prenatal care for the unborn children of immigrants and in-state tuition eligibility for Latino children who graduate from Arkansas high schools.

In a nutshell, Huckabee's stance on illegal immigration is that illegals who are caught should be deported. Period. But if they are not caught, and instead remain here to raise their families, Huckabee's pro-life sentiment drives him to support providing prenatal care for all unborn children--no questions asked. And because the Arkansas constitution dictates that all children, regardless of legal status, be provided with public education K-12, Huckabee believes those who graduate and are academically eligible deserve to be eligible for in-state tuition rates.

In other words, the children of illegal immigrants should not be punished for the crimes of their parents. The kids matter.

Since we posted that story, a new development has arisen in Arkansas that perfectly illustrates why Huckabee is right on this issue. But you don't have to take our word for it.

Here is a very interesting and important editorial about Huckabee. It is interesting because it very effectively describes his stance on illegal immigration. It is important because it was published by The Morning News in Northwest Arkansas, which has one of the fastest growing Latino populations in the United States.

As you read this editorial, you should remember that almost no other area in the U.S. has experienced a more rapid or more overwhelming change in its local culture than Northwest Arkansas.

Several days ago, federal immigration officials, without first alerting Arkansas law enforcement, raided a poultry plant in Arkadelphia, AR. They rounded up over 100 illegal immigrants and hastily deported them. That's fine. What isn't fine is that the feds did not take the necessary time to see that some 30 children of the deportees went with them. Many of these children, some infants and many natural born American citizens, were effectively orphaned. Now that you are up to speed, here's The Morning News' editorial:

The Morning News
Huckabee Right About Children Left in Lurch

Gov. Mike Huckabee has a definite flair for infuriating people by refusing to adhere to a rigid party line. That's one of the things we appreciate most about him, although we still have our disagreements. This talent was most recently displayed when Huckabee weighed in on the recent immigration raid on an Arkadelphia poultry plant. The raid netted 119 people who were working at the plant and had bought fake IDs from a former worker. Most, if not all, of those arrested in the raid have since been deported. In a simplistic world of bumper-sticker politics the arrest and deportation of 119 illegal immigrants would be non-controversial. No one -- including the governor -- endorses law-breaking.

But in the real world there are all too often complications. There are added considerations that go beyond the simple formula of "They broke the law so they should be arrested and deported." In this case there were some 30 complications. About 30 children were left in limbo when one or both of their parents were arrested without warning and removed from the country. Huckabee thought those children, some of whom are U.S. citizens by birth, deserved more consideration. He went beyond just saying so and directed the state Health Department and the Department of Human Services to provide whatever assistance they can to these children. Huckabee also released $1,000 from his emergency fund to buy food, clothing and even school supplies for the children.

That brought the wrath of the righteous down on the governor. Jim Harris, a spokesman for Huckabee, said the office has been getting calls from as far away as California from people irate over the governor's supposed coddling of illegal residents. But that's not what this is about. Huckabee has never suggested that those 119 people shouldn't have been arrested and dealt with according to the law. What he has said, and we agree with him here, is that the arrests and deportations could have been better coordinated between federal, state and local agencies and that the interests of the children could and should have been taken into account. There was no urgency, nothing to justify separating these families this way. That's what this is about and to his credit that's what Huckabee, and not his cranky callers, understands.

--end--

UPDATE: Monday, August 15: The Log Cabin Democrat reports today that the deportees are already returning to Arkadelphia less than three weeks after the raid. A young pregnant woman, separated from her husband and children, was dropped off about a block inside Mexico and immediately made her way back across. She probably beat the immigration van. This further illustrates what is wrong with our system. If you want to guarantee that deportees return to the U.S., separate them from their children.

UPDATE II: Tuesday, August 16: U.S. Senator Mark Pryor (D-AR) says the Arkansas immigration raid described in this blog will be a case study as congress takes up immigration legislation this fall. "I do think it's a legitimate question to ask," he says. "Do we have the right protocols in place?

Emphasis added by BSR

Quote of the Day

"Medicaid is a 45 RPM program in an MP3 world."

-Governor Mike Huckabee

To learn more about Mike Huckabee's positions on Medicaid reform, click here, here, and here.

BSR

Mike Huckabee Hosts Republican Governor's Association

Governor Mike Huckabee is hosting a Republican Governor's Association regional forum in Little Rock this week. Attending are RGA Chairman Kenny Guinn (NV), RGA Vice Chairman Mitt Romney (MA), Governor Matt Blunt (MO), and Governor Rick Perry (TX). The topic of discussion is health care. A press conference is scheduled for Tuesday, August 16.

A Promo For a Great Blog

Mark Coffey, of the great Decision 08 blog, has been working very hard for some time to migrate his blog over to WordPress. He finally got it done and the results are very impressive. Hop on over to check it out and be sure to change your bookmarks and links.

Congrats, Mark!

BSR

Huckabee New Hampshire Appearance Details

More details about Gov. Mike Huckabee's keynote address at the Strafford County Republican picnic, the largest GOP event in New Hampshire, on August 27 are now available. Check it out.

BSR

News & Views: Friday, August 12

Happy Friday. Since I'll be away much of the weekend on personal business there may not be much blogging going on. That said, here's a rundown of today's news and views collected from the traps I normally run each day.

Political Wire reports about a recent poll showing that John McCain currently leads in New Hampshire. What's great is that Mike Huckabee is included in the poll -- that's progress, folks! What isn't so great is that Huckabee failed to move the needle. It will be interesting to follow how that begins to change after Huckabee delivers the keynote address at the largest GOP gathering in New Hampshire later this month.

Ryan James blogs about a sad chapter in Arkansas' history. On March 24, 1998 two 13-year-old boys pulled a fire alarm at their school in Jonesboro, Arkansas and then shot into the crowd as people exited the school, killing four girls and a teacher who tried to protect them. Today one of the two shooters, Mitchell Johnson, turns 21 and will be released from juvenile detention. Governor Mike Huckabee, who at that time had barely gotten his feet wet as governor, led the state through its shock and grief over the incident. Later, he published a book on the subject on violence among children called Kids Who Kill: Confronting Our Culture of Violence.

2008 Commentary has a great blog today that illustrates just how silly the 2008 polls are right now. At this time in 1997, more than two years before the 2000 election, Jessie Jackson and Dan Quayle each had 10%.

Be sure you check out the Bloggers 4 Huckabee members today (sidebar).

More poll analysis by The Next Prez, who wonders why Huckabee and other "notables" were left out. Plus you can vote for Huckabee in the poll on his site.

The Templar Pundit makes a similar observation.

Here's a great blog on the SCOTUS debate from RedState. To me, the Supreme Court is the most important thing remaining for the Bush administration. Lets hope they don't squander the opportunity.

John Hawkins at Right Wing News provides all the news thats fit to link.

Here's a new blog I discovered. Blue State Conservatives is well done and provides an interesting look into blue state politics.

Check out the very bottom of The Uncompassionate Conservative's page. He's got a cool Bloggers 4 Huckabee bug down there. As founder, I'm ashamed to say that I have not yet found time to give Bloggers 4 Huckabee the identitity it deserves. Nicely done, sir!

In a bit of sports news, you've probably heard about the horrific collision between two New York Mets players that caused grievous injuries. Wizbang has the video. Warning: Not for the squeamish. We're praying for the full recovery of both men.

If you ever thought about running for office, Political Gateway is an invaluable resource. Check it out.

More to come. Check back often!

BSR

Other Bloggers On Mike Huckabee

All I can say is "wow." A must read from Tim Saler.

BSR

Huckabee Featured in New York Times (Again)

Governor Mike Huckabee's national profile continues to rise. Here's a link to a feature about him in today's New York Times called "The Governor Who Put His State on a Diet."

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Photo by Chris Dean for the New York Times

Huckabee Limits Junk Food, Soft Drinks In Arkansas Schools

In his continuing battle to improve the health of Arkansans, Governor Mike Huckabee successfully implemented his plan to increase physical activity and limit unhealthy snacks and soft drinks in Arkansas public schools when the State Board of Education approved the plan on Monday. The new exercise and junk food rules are a part of Huckabee's long-running campaign to improve health in Arkansas by creating innovative programs that have insured tens of thousands of previously unisured children, allocated 100% of the state's tobacco settlement monies to health improvement, measured and reported schoolchildrens' body mass index (BMI) to parents, and provided incentives for state employees to lead healthier lifestyles.

The new public school exercise and junk food standards became necessary when a state study last year showed that 40 percent of Arkansas' 450,00 students are obese or overweight. These statistics, which are similar to national averages, are alarming to health care professionals because diseases like diabetes, hypertension and heart disease among young people are already on the rise.

Huckabee, who opposes un-funded mandates from the Federal government, had hoped to avoid issuing the new rules as an unfunded mandate to Arkansas' schools. He initially recommended that voluntary implementation be left to local school officials, and the state board voted in June to tentatively approve the standards as guidelines, giving districts discretion in implementing them.

But Huckabee changed his stance last month, after a public comment period in which professional medical groups, clinicians, the director of the Arkansas Department of Health, and others urged that the standards be mandatory for all 450,000 Arkansas public school children.

Huckabee, who became chairman of the National Governor's Association in July, is taking his often copied health initiatives to the national level to help combat a national epidemic of obesity among both children and adults. He launched his Healthy America initiative which is modeled after his nationally acclaimed Healthy Arkansas initiative.

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Other Bloggers On Mike Huckabee

Internet traffic for Governor Mike Huckabee continues to pick up. Here are several links to blog posts about, or at least mentioning, Huckabee today.

The National School Board Association blog, in a post titled "The South Has Risen Again," discusses recent advancement in education in the south including in Arkansas under Mike Huckabee.

Think Progress discusses the harsh criticism Governor Huckabee recently received from anti-immigration types after he stood up for the well-being of 30 Latino children, some as young as 2 years old, left behind in Arkansas when the Feds deported their parents. Huckabee opposes illegal immigration, and wants illegal aliens deported when caught, but he will fight like a tiger for the well-being of the children of illegal immigrants, born or unborn.

Chaos Digest has taken notice of Huckabee and our blog. We'll take that as a compliment.

A few days ago, Kilo at Spark It Up! asked "Who Is Mike Huckabee?" Seems he found out and now says "the more I learn about him the more I like." And while Kilo looked to us for Huckabee info, he also looked to The Templar Pundit, who continues to provide his own adroit analysis of our man. Perhaps we'll soon have two more members of Bloggers 4 Huckabee?

Over at 2008 Political Perspective, the candidate preference poll wrapped up this week with Huckabee in a statistical tie for first place with .... well, you'll have to head on over and see for yourself.

Huckabee slips a bit in Tim Saler's weekly rankings, but he's still in the top 5. At this early stage, we can't say we are displeased by that.

Ryan James reports on Saler's rankings here.

New blog The Next Prez has his own weekly rankings going, plus you can vote for Huckabee in his preference poll.

Southern Appeal blogs about Huckabee's new book, Quit Digging Your Grave With a Knife and Fork, here. If you would like to order a copy, you can do it here.

Here's the scoop on Mike Huckabee's upcoming keynote address to the largest GOP gathering in New Hampshire coming up on August 27. This is an important day for Huckabee, so we'll be talking more about it later on.

This is not really about Huckabee, but at least it mentions this blog. My submission to this week's Carnival of the Clueless at Right Wing Nut House was published. Kinda fun.

More to come. Check back often!

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Mike Huckabee in New York Times Magazine

Governor Mike Huckabee is featured in New York Times Sunday color magazine, published today. It shows a bit of the sense of humor and wit that Americans will fall in love with as they get to know him.

The Skinny on Politics

Interview by DEBORAH SOLOMON
Published: August 7, 2005

Q: Congratulations on your new appointment as the chairman of the National Governors Association.

Thank you. I know it sounds impressive, but it may be one of those things for which I will need condolences in about six months.

Q: When Bush entered office, he promised to rescue governors and their states from federal clobbering. How do you feel about the fact that this administration is using the National Guard to fill in for troop shortages in Iraq, leaving states unprotected in the case of natural disasters?

It is a big concern. In Arkansas, we have just over 10,000 men and women in our Guard, and throughout the Iraqi-Afghan war we have had about 7,500 men and women in service at one point or another.

Q: The demands of homeland security are also being dumped on the states.

The federal government doesn't have the guts to put out a national ID card, and they are trying to make 50 states come up with this program. Congress is now asking the states to make every driver's license a national ID card, or passport. It's absurd. The cost to the states will be staggering. Congress did not allocate enough money to implement it. You would have to train your front-line Department of Motor Vehicles workers to become screeners of citizenship.

Q: You were born and raised in Hope, Ark., the hometown of Bill Clinton, and as a conservative Republican you have said some terrible things about him.

He has campaigned against me when I've run for election, and I have done my good party duty when he has run. But we get along personally. His mother and my father were classmates in high school. In April, he asked me to co-chair the national initiative on childhood obesity.

Q: I assume that is because you recently shed 100-plus pounds. How do you feel about being known as the best dieter in politics?

It's one of those few times when a politician actually likes to lose. It also means that I am a much smaller target than I used to be.

Q: Many of us admire the anti-obesity campaign you launched in Arkansas schools two years ago.

Arkansas is now the only state that screens every student in public school for body mass index. We weigh them and measure their height, and with that, we compute the body mass index and mail the results home to the parents. We let them know if their child is overweight.

Q: Could it be embarrassing for a child?

The kids don't know the numbers while they're still standing in line. It's not like we say, ''Oh, we got a big one here!''

Q: Do you blame the fast-food industry for this country's weight problem?

We tend to demonize industries, but it's my fault that I was overweight. No one ever forced me to go to McDonald's and order a triple cheeseburger or the largest fries they had, along with a milkshake.

Q: Have you ever tried their salads?

They're quite good, but you have to leave the dressing off, because the dressing is no good for you.

Q: Do you think Americans are lazy?

Without a doubt. We're the victims of our own successes and prosperity, which have caused us to change our lifestyles from being people who had to hunt for our food to people who have more than we can possibly consume. We go to gyms and pay people so they can help us sweat. Isn't that amazing? My dad was a fireman. On his days off, he worked in a mechanic's shop fixing cars. He never had to pay someone and say, ''Help me learn how to sweat.''

Q: You recently formed a health political action committee and are rumored to be making a bid for the White House in 2008. What if you wind up running against Hillary Clinton?

Well, that would be an interesting twist, wouldn't it? But I may follow another path and move to New York and run against her for Senate.

UPDATE: The article is also discussed at Free Republic.

Huckabee: Keep Government Out Of Church Schools

Governor Mike Huckabee, on a recent radio program in Arkansas, said he does not support the idea of a school voucher system that would allow parents to use state-funded vouchers to pay tuition at private, faith-based schools. "If the state were to give you a voucher, then in essence the state would be funding a faith school and would have some control over that faith school," the governor told a caller from Conway. "That's problematic for me as a person of faith."

Huckabee, a potential candidate for president in 2008 who is credited with one of the most remarkable turn-arounds in public education ever achieved, said the school vouchers issue a "valid policy discussion" he hopes to discuss more in the future.

For more opinion on this subject, see RyanJames.tv and The Next Prez.

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News & Views

More thoughtful analysis by The Templar Pundit here.

And this.

Political Wire proves that the 2008 campaign has officially started.

Get your Mike Huckabee for President bumper stickers here (Note: not affiliated with this blog).

Kilo at Spark It Up wants to know who Mike Huckabee is. No word from him yet on whether he found out.

Republican Sen. Rick Santorum, a potential rival for the 2008 nomination, just shot himself in the foot.

More to come. Check back often!

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Other Bloggers On Mike Huckabee

Anthony Surace, of The Templar Pundit, blogs his thoughts today about whom to support for the GOP nomination in 2008. He systematically thinks his way through the entire laundry list of of "GOP hopefuls" and comes to same conclusion we have: There are very few viable options for the Republican party -- and Mike Huckabee is one of them.

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Just In: Huckabee Guatemala Trip Cancelled

We've just received word that Governor Huckabee's trip to Guatemala, scheduled to depart tomorrow, was cancelled within the last hour. We're hearing it may have been due to defense department concerns over security. The trip was to take place jointly with the Arkansas National Guard.

More news as we hear it.

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Top 10 Liberal Oxymorons

After reading today's news out of the Democratic party, I could not resist. So, without further adieu:

Top 10 Liberal Oxymorons

10) Civil Disobedience
9) Devout Atheist
8) Girly Man
7) Global Village
6) Open Marriage
5) Tentative Decision
4) Government Worker
3) United Nations
2) Family Planning

(Drumroll) And the number 1 new liberal oxymoron is....

Progressive Patriotism!

Announcing 'Bloggers For Huckabee'

Like Mike? Have a blog? Join 'Bloggers 4 Huckabee', the first coalition of bloggers who support Governor Mike Huckabee for president. Step up and get your B4H Member Number today.

To join, email: bluestaterepublican[at]yahoo.com

Just replace the [at] with @

More Eye-Popping Education Results For Huckabee

Last Friday, we reported some remarkable results from Governor Mike Huckabee's education reforms in Arkansas. Today, there are more.

According to the Associated Press, the Arkansas Department of Education released information today showing that Arkansas has experienced a 108 percent increase in the number of students taking advanced placement (AP) exams this year versus 2004. According to Ken James, head of Arkansas' education department, the results show Arkansas' education is on the right track because taking an AP exam is a predictor of later success.

According to the department, the increase is the largest any state has ever seen in a single year in the 50-year history of the AP exam.

Governor Huckabee lauded the results, saying it proves education reforms are working. Huckabee's efforts helped secure legislation that requires AP courses in English, math, science and social studies be available in all Arkansas high schools.

Under Huckabee, Arkansas has adopted one of the most rigorous high school curricula in the nation. Dubbed Smart Core, it requires that every high school student take four years of English, four years of math, and three years each of science and social studies. Without such standards, Huckabee said, white kids in wealthy suburban schools are often the only students who have access to advanced classes. "This has forced schools to recognize that we have to provide an equal education for every student regardless of where he or she lives in the state," said Huckabee, who chairs the Education Commission on the States, a clearinghouse of education information for policy-makers.

Mike Huckabee delivers.

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Rob Runs Update

Here's a link to Rob Perschau's weekly column in the Kansas City Star. This is a great story. Rob, after hearing the news about Mike Huckabee's recent journey from obesity to completing the Little Rock marathon, was inspired to train for and run the Kansas City marathon next month.

Rob launched a blog (RobRuns) to track his training and mentioned his Huckabee inspiration. We found it and posted it. Very shortly after, Governor Huckabee himself left an encouraging comment for Ron on the blog. Then, it turned out that Rob works for the Kansas City Star and was offered the opportunity to write a weekly column about his training. In today's column, he has the following to say about his developing friendship with the Governor:

"A few short hours after my first column went on line, and before it had been promoted in any way, the governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee, wrote to offer encouragement. He was in contact three times last week, which astounds me. Not one word of politics has been uttered..."

Those of us who know Mike Huckabee don't find this astounding at all. That is just the kind of person he is. Caring, compassionate, uplifting, encouraging, supportive, thoughtful, friend. These are Mike Huckabee's most powerful traits.

Rob -- and the rest of America -- will soon find this out for themselves.

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Note: Neither Mr. Perschau nor the Kansas City Star have endorsed Mike Huckabee or any campaign or political position of Mike Huckabee. This is a sports story. Nothing more.

It's About Time

Updated

Well, after going it alone for almost 6 months we are pleased to report that we now have company. We've discovered a new blog that, like ours, has dedicated itself to promoting Governor Mike Huckabee for President of the United States. Take a look at The POTUS Blog.

We have not been contacted yet by Potusblogger, nor can we find an email address for him/her. We hope they drop us line soon.

Welcome to the Huckabee bandwagon!

Update: And now another new Huckabee blog. This one launched August 2. Check out Mike Huckabee, A Refreshing Choice in 2008.

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Other Bloggers On Mike Huckabee

UPDATED

The buzz is definately picking up for Mike Huckabee, as is our traffic.

Tim Saler's weekly GOP presidential candidate rankings on RedState have Mike Huckabee back to number two. Saler cites the strength of Huckabee's position as a governor (versus that of a senator who must defend a voting record) and his record of educational improvement in Arkansas. Huckabee is ranked behind Senator George Allen (VA) this week.

Please click over to 2008 Political Perspective and vote for Mike Huckabee in the online poll there. He's doing very well. Let your voice be heard!

Anthony Surace at The Templar Pundit posted a pretty darn good profile of Governor Huckabee over the weekend. The only real weakness Anthony pointed out in Huckabee's record is a lack of foreign policy experience -- though that has not stopped the American people from repeatedly electing Governors, none of whom have had any significant foreign policy experience, to the White House.

Ryan James agrees last week was a very good one for Governor Huckabee. Thanks, Ryan!

Campaign 2008 Commentary picked up on the news about Huckabee's upcoming trip to New Hampshire.

George Washington University's P2008 site has some good info on Huckabee and all the other candidates, too.

Various Miseries blogs about the records of all the GOP top contenders, including Mike Huckabee.

Updated (link fixed): Doug Daniels has a new blog called The Next Prez, where he ranks both Democrat and Republican candidates. He's got Huckabee at number 5 and rising saying Huckabee is "gaining name recognition, and may have the charisma other conservatives lack." You can also vote for Huckabee on Mr. Daniels' poll.

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