Romney's Final Abortion Outrage

UPDATED

$50 elective abortions?

Shame on you, Mitt Romney.

Mitt Romney, who is alternately pro-life and pro-choice depending upon the election cycle and audience, has been proclaiming himself pro-life again as he runs for president. He SWEARS that as Governor he was 100% pro-life.

But, sadly, that appears not to be true.

It has become known that among his very last acts as governor, Romney signed legislation that allows elective abortions for just a $50 co-pay.

Is 50 bucks-per-baby "100% pro-life" to you, Mr. Romney?

Source: Politico: "Romney, get real about your abortion record."

UPDATE:

Here's the actual text from the legislation Romney signed (published by National Review's The Corner):

Romney's Health Care Plan:

Provides Taxpayer-Funded Abortions. Abortions are covered in the Commonwealth Care program that Romney created as Governor. Under the program, abortions are available for a copay of $50. (Menu of Health Care Services: http://www.mass.gov/Qhic/docs/cc_benefits1220_pt234.pdf)

Guarantees Planned Parenthood A Seat At The Table. Romney's legislation created an advisory board and guarantees, by law, that Planned Parenthood has a seat at the table. Romney's plan established a MassHealth payment policy advisory board, and one member of the Board must be from Planned Parenthood. No pro-life organization is represented. (Chapter 58 Section 3 (q) Section 16M (a), http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/seslaw06/sl060058.htm)

Incredibly, Romney used his line item veto to strike things from this plan that he found "objectionable" (such as dental benefits for Medicaid patients) but he DID NOT strike the $50 elective abortions or Planned Parenthood's demand that they be given a seat at the negotiating table to ensure the continued EXPANSION of abortion.

Shame on you, Mitt Romney.

New Huckabee Ad Running in Iowa

Foreign Policy Analyst: Giuliani, Romney Could Learn From Huckabee

Michael Shank, a foreign policy analyst with the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University, published an article today in Foreign Policy in Focus that is a must-read.

Shank says (excerpted):

"The former Arkansas governor combines an unmistakable realism with both heroic and social conservatism. This unique combination plays well among a broad Republican base, and its implication for foreign policy is noteworthy."

"...his realist hand stands ready to guard American interests from threats near and far. Under his watch, those deemed terrorists will no doubt get a thorough lashing. On the other hand, Huckabee has a heart for the homeless and believes even the most delinquent of nation-state actors deserves dialogue."

"...his penchant for heroic conservatism, a concept coined by President Bush’s former speechwriter Michael Gerson, is palpable. According to Gerson, what the Republican Party needs is a “conservatism that is heroic in its aspirations” and includes compassionate conservative proposals to confront global AIDS, combat poverty in America, and promote human rights and dignity abroad. Given the Bush administration’s neglect on most of these marks, this much-needed facelift for the Republican Party may well be the reason for the Huckabee hype. Regardless, this combination of hard and soft power has hoisted Huckabee in the polls."

"Unlike more hard-line realists who disparage diplomacy, like former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton, Huckabee sees diplomacy and dialogue as a policy strategy worthy of pursuit. This sets him distinctly apart from Giuliani and Romney, who both boast a military prowess to usurp their presidential predecessor’s performance. But make no mistake, Huckabee’s firepower is aimed and ready, and al-Qaeda’s presence, whether in Afghanistan or Algeria, will be targeted. "

"A realist President Huckabee would focus in his war on terror and more generally in his defense strategy on non-state actors like al-Qaeda because they undermine the nation-state system and directly threaten America."

"His preference for diplomacy and dialogue with Iran fits strategically within a realist framework...garnering votes from realists long disillusioned with President Bush’s military overreach."

" Huckabee is the true compassionate conservative. Few Republican candidates have shown the slightest proclivity for poor-friendly policies. Huckabee is no doubt strategic in his references to Jesus Christ and the New Testament, a poor-friendly message he knows resonates among devout and holiday-attending Christians and compassionate conservatives. But despite the strategic political value of quoting Christ, Huckabee actually seems to believe the message too. This is wise as most Americans want to help the poor."

" ...To Huckabee’s credit, his pro-life stance, one major component of social conservatism, is all-embracing. He prefers to see “pro-life” within the context of one’s entire life span, not simply from conception to birth. Thus, his pro-life stance includes, in his words, “quality education, first-rate healthcare, decent housing in a safe neighborhood, and clean air and drinking water.” No other Republican candidate is so comprehensively social-minded when it comes to pro-life issues, setting Huckabee apart yet again."

"...perhaps more important than any of the previous points regarding Huckabee’s triple threat of heroic conservatism, realism, and social conservatism, is the candidate’s tone. Many Americans are exhausted by President Bush’s military overreach and aggressive intervention strategies and Giuliani and Romney promise more, not less, of the same."

"Giuliani and Romney should take a lesson from the Huckabee appeal: more poor-friendly policies, more diplomacy and dialogue, and a more comprehensive understanding of what it means to be 'pro-life.'”

Huckabee On Target

Mike Huckabee is pheasant hunting in Iowa this morning and hunters take note that he actually knows what he is doing (yes, we know this picture is of Huckabee duck hunting, not pheasant hunting, but its all we had).

According to reports from the field this morning, Huckabee personally downed one of the three birds his party took this morning as reporters watched.

"With an English setter named "Dude" flushing the birds, the avid outdoorsman personally downed one brightly colored ring-necked pheasant that bolted into the air from the snow-covered fields."

"...a candidate who knows how to use a shotgun or form a proper line while pursuing pheasants can...win big marks in rural America with the large non-evangelical hunting crowd."

Contrast Mike Huckabee, a true outdoorsman, with Mitt Romney who stooped to lying about being a "lifelong hunter" and his committment to the second amendment.

BSR

Mike Huckabee and Novo Nordisk

You are going to hear some stuff from the likes of Mitt Romney and the GOP establishment trying to make a big deal out of Mike Huckabee "taking blood money from stem cell researcher Novo Nordisk."

Fortunately, we are here to set the record straight. Novo Nordisk's main line of business is diabetes research and treatment products...they are, in fact, among the largest diabetes treatment companies in the world.

Gov. Huckabee was diagnosed with adult-onset diabetes as a result of obesity, before he completely changed his lifestyle and diet to lose 100 pounds. In the process, he completely reversed his diabetes -- it just amazingly went away. As a result, Huckabee has become a national spokesperson for diabetes prevention.

THAT is why he was invited to speak by Novo Nordisk, and why they made copies of his book "Stop Digging Your Grave With a Knife and Fork" available in foreign language translations.

So, you don't have to believe the ridiculous and desperate lies of Huckabee's opponents. Because you have us.

BSR

Analyst: Huckabee Unbeatable in General Election

MSNBC's David Shuster spent a good part of his early career at a news station in Arkansas where, like us, he got to see Governor Huckabee up close and personal. Shuster knows, like us, that if he wins the nomination Huckabee WILL BE the next president of the United States.

See the video clip HERE.

A Blog Worth Checking

Here's a new Iowa political blog that is written by someone who knows their stuff. Its worth a regular stop as you run your traps for the latest news each day.

http://battlegroundiowa.squarespace.com/

BSR

Merry Christmas!

UPDATE: CBS NEWS says "Huckabee Ad Hits Target." "Some Call it Brilliant."

What makes Mike Huckabee different from any other candidate for president? While Mitt Romney and others are airing hate-filled and misleading attack ads, Mike Huckabee is airing THIS:



THIS IS OUR TIME! GIVE TO THE MOST UPLIFTING AND UNIFYING CAMPAIGN IN U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION HISTORY TODAY!

JOIN US IN BRINGING AMERICA BACK TOGETHER AGAIN.

http://www.mikehuckabee.com/

Pat Buchanan: Iowa Win Makes Huckabee Favorite for Nomination

Pat Buchanan published an editorial today saying that he believes a win in Iowa makes Mike Huckabee the favorite to win South Carolina AND as a result, the nomination.

He's right.

As of today, Huckabee leads in Iowa 28% to 27% over Mitt Romney.

Dallas Morning News Endorses Huckabee

Here's a major Texas endorsement for Mike Huckabee. The Dallas Morning News says "Mr. Huckabee strikes us as decent, principled and empathetic to the views and concerns of others – an antidote to the power-mad partisanship that has led U.S. politics to a dispiriting standstill.

'I'm a conservative,' he likes to say. 'I'm just not mad about it.' Along those lines, what sold us on Mr. Huckabee is a sense that of all the Republicans, he is the change agent the nation most needs."

BREAKING: Romney Disliked As Much As Hillary

BREAKING...

A new Rasmussen poll released today shows Mitt Romney has the highest negatives -- voters who say they are committed to voting AGAINST them regardless of who else is on the ticket -- of all the GOP candidates. A shocking 47% of voters surveyed say they will vote against Romney -- tied with Hillary Clinton.

On the other hand, Mike Huckabee is statistically tied with John McCain for the least negatives among all GOP candidates.

BSR

Gov. Huckabee: Report from the Front Lines

UPDATED

Gov. Huckabee gives us a report from the front lines in Iowa.



UPDATE

Here's an excerpt of an exciting glimpse of what its like inside the Huckabee camp right now in Iowa (by Michael Schiffer, blogger for The Washington Note):

Today in Coralville, [Iowa] ...the hotel room used for his "meet and greet" was overflowing, and filled with the sort of positive buzz and electricity that campaigns just can't buy. Huckabee is the breakout phenomenon of the 2008 campaign, and in the flesh here in Iowa its easy to see why.

To start with, Mike Huckabee is astonishingly normal. He strikes you as someone who could just as easily be your neighbor as standing behind the podium running for president. That counts for a lot here. And he is a fantastic storyteller...telling the tale of a rag-tag citizenry rising up in 1776 against the "most efficient, best equipped, and best financed" army in the world -- leaving little doubt [it is his] campaign [that] is rag-tag -- but blessed by God -- and [it is Romney's that] has the army of advisors, consultants and fund-raisers.

Huckabee also connects with the crowd as an economic populist and proponent of small town values. For most Iowans, that works in spades. "Designer labels" came up a few times...as a shorthand reference to the class and cultural divides within our nation and within the [Republican party, too]. His "fair tax" plan...elicits revival style call-and-response murmurs from the audience.

And he hits the mark on national security with his "Billy Jack" doctrine -- both on substance and the demographics of his crowd.

Just as important as hitting any of the policy points he closes out his speech by a naked appeal for help -- "I need you" -- and an appeal to Iowans' sense of their anointed role in selecting presidential candidates, telling the crowd that "if I win here it will "solidify the role of Iowa like nothing else would".

There can be little question that Mike Huckabee has the big mo in Iowa right now. And talking to people after the event its clear why: He comes across as real and genuine and down to earth -- but as someone who shares the values of a republican electorate that...is almost half evangelical, and with the "experience" box checked by his years in the governor's mansion.

The story of a rag-tag rebel army overcoming the well-oiled machine of empire is a good one. And in just thirteen days we will see if history repeats itself for Mike Huckabee here in Iowa.

-- Michael Schiffer

E.J. Dionne: Huckabee Puts Fear of God Into GOP Establishment

E.J. Dionne, the highly respected op-ed columnist for The Washington Post and Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, published a brilliant column today that reinforces a lot of things we've been telling you.

We excerpt his column for you here, with our editorial comments, and provide a link to the full column below.

Huckabee the Rebel

By E. J. Dionne Jr.

Friday, December 21, 2007

Dionne: The rise of Mike Huckabee has put the fear of God into the Republican establishment. Its alarm has nothing to do with the Almighty.

The Huckabee surge represents a break with what has been standard operating procedure within the GOP for more than a generation. Huckabee's evangelical Christian army in Iowa ignored the importuning of entrenched leaders of the religious right and decided to go with one of their own.

MHP2008: Just yesterday, we blogged about this very thing, saying "failed by their so-called 'leaders,' the average Christian conservative has now taken a stand."

Dionne: [Huckabee] has exposed a fault line within the Republican coalition. The old religious right is dying because it subordinated the views of its followers to short-term political calculations.

MHP2008: Yesterday we said "[Huckabee] has ALREADY become THE most powerful social conservative in America. The old guard of so-called "Christian leaders" are gone."

Dionne: The white evangelical electorate is tired of taking orders from politicians who care more about protecting the wealthy than ending abortion, more about deregulation than family values.

MHP2008: Yesterday we said "No more are [Christian conservatives] willing to be "easily led" and privately scorned by the very people whom they have worked so hard to elect, only to have the issues most dear to them be jettisoned."

Dionne hypothesizes that Huckabee may have tapped into more than just evangelical support. He may, in fact have tapped into a much broader and deeper movement in the Republican party that conservative writers Ross Douthat and Reihan Salam called "The Party of Sam's Club" in a 2005 Weekly Standard article about a group of people who are "broadly religious and socially conservative, but deviate from the party in their backing for government involvement in a wide range of policy areas, such as government regulation and more generous assistance to the poor."

MHP2008: We told our readers about this trend way back in June of 2006 (we called them "Wal-Mart voters"), long before Huckabee even decided to run for president, saying "we believe Governor Mike Huckabee, if he runs for president in 2008, stands to benefit substantially from the rise of the Wal-Mart voter bloc."

Dionne: "the rebellion [Huckabee] is leading is a warning to Republicans. The faithful are restive, tired of being used and no longer willing to do the bidding of a crowd that subordinates Main Street's values to Wall Street's interests.

MHP2008: We said "'Beware of him that is slow to anger; for when it is long coming, it is the stronger when it comes...' Folks, the Christian conservatives have been slow to anger."

Full Dionne article available here.

BSR

Time For the Christian Right to Rise Up

“Beware of him that is slow to anger; for when it is long coming, it is the stronger when it comes..."

-Francis Quarles, Poet, 1592 -1644

Take a good look at that quote. In it, you'll see what is happening within the Republican party right now. It has become clear to Christian conservatives that the GOP "establishment" has been using them. Not only that, it has become clear that the GOP establishment has taken them very much for granted -- scorned them, in fact.

And they aren't happy about it.

Mike Huckabee is a Southern Governor with a long track record of success and a demonstrated ability to unify and work effectively across party lines. He also happens to be an Authentic Christian Conservative -- a former Baptist minister, in fact. He is also a highly skilled communicator.

He is, in short, the perfect candidate. One would have expected the Republican establishment to get behind him -- and one would certainly have expected Christian leaders to get behind him.

But that didn't happen. The establishment got behind Giuliani (pro-choice, anti-gun and pro-gay marriage) and Romney (a blatant, pandering flip-flopper on abortion) and the so-called "Christian leaders," shockingly, followed dutifully along.

Why? RedState's Erick Erickson sums it up quite accurately: "The other day I said all the attacks on Huckabee come across as so anti-evangelical, so anti-southern, and so anti-social conservative...the establishment New York-Washington Corridor of Mainstream Intelligentsia and parts of the New York-Washington Corridor of Conservative Intelligentsia attack his Christmas ad...Seriously? ... the criticism lodged at [Huckabee] reveals...that while many in the establishment right want evangelicals in the coalition, they just really don't want them in leadership positions...."

Governor Huckabee understands this, saying to CBN's David Brody recently: "There is a level of elitism that has existed, the chattering class if you will, who lives in that corridor between Washington and Wall Street...they were polite to us. They were more than happy for us to come to the rallies and stand in lines for hours to cheer on the candidates...But when they got elected, behind closed doors, they would laugh at us and speak with scorn and derision that we were...'the easily led.' [The elites said] 'it's okay if you guys get a seat on the bus, but don't ever think about telling us where the bus is going to go'."

Well, as it turns out the so-called "Christian leaders" ARE easily led...lining up to endorse the establishment's chosen pro-choice, weak family values candidates like sheep.

But, while failed by their so-called "leaders," the average Christian conservative has now taken a stand. No more are they willing to be "easily led" and privately scorned by the very people whom they have worked so hard to elect, only to have the issues most dear to them be jettisoned.

Folks, the Christian conservatives have been slow to anger. Read that quote at the top of this post again.

I believe STRONGLY that Mike Huckabee is destined to win the nomination and ultimately the election. I've believed it since 1996 and I've blogged about it since 2005.

He has ALREADY become THE most powerful social conservative in America. The old guard of so-called "Christian leaders" are gone and, being only 52 years old, he's going to be around for a long, long time.

The "establishment" is about to be told where the bus is going - and Mike Huckabee is driving it.

Meth Attacks on Huckabee "False and Misleading"

Here it is, folks...proof of how low the desperate Romney campaign is willing to go (so far) to lie to and mislead you (excerpted - for full text, click Newsweek.com link below).

Romney on Huckabee II
Romney attacks Huckabee again with false and misleading claims.

By Justin Bank and Lori Robertson factcheck.org
Dec 19, 2007 Updated: 3:02 p.m. ET Dec 19, 2007

Published by Newsweek.com

Romney launched a negative ad this week, attacking Huckabee's record on methamphetamine laws and the clemencies he granted as governor of Arkansas. We found that:

The ad says Romney "got tough on drugs like meth" while governor, but the legislation he supported never passed, and his state's laws are much weaker than Arkansas'. Convicted meth dealers face both minimum and maximum prison terms in Arkansas that are four times longer than those in Massachusetts.

The legislation Huckabee supported did shorten the amount of time a convict would have to serve before being eligible for parole from 70 percent of the sentence to 50 percent. But Arkansas has strict meth laws that are far tougher than those in Massachusetts. In fact, the bill Romney criticizes was drafted with the help of Arkansas state prosecutors to help alleviate overcrowding problems in the state penal system.

The Romney ad uses news clippings to bolster Romney's claims. However the ad reconstructs the words of the newspapers to distort the original reporting.

For example theRomney ad shows a June 12, 2007, Associated Press tagline under the headline "never pardoned a criminal." But the closest the AP article comes to saying that is this: "During the four years Romney was in office, 100 requests for commutations and 172 requests for pardons were filed in the state. All were denied."

The language from the ad appears nowhere in the news article, which actually focuses on Romney's refusal to pardon an Iraq war veteran who had been convicted of assault at age 13 for "shooting another boy in the arm with a BB gun, a shot that didn't break the skin." After returning from duty in Iraq, the veteran wanted to become a police officer but needed to have his childhood charge pardoned first. Romney refused twice, despite the recommendations of the state Board of Pardons.

We're not passing judgment on either governors' record on clemencies, but we take issue with Romney's misleading attempt to claim this news article endorsed his actions. It didn't.

Huckstock!

HUCKSTOCK!

Some call it "Huckaboom." But we know what it really is...HUCKSTOCK is well underway.

JOIN THE MOST IMPORTANT AND HISTORIC CAMPAIGN IN U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION HISTORY TODAY!

JOIN US IN REUNIFYING AMERICA.

MIKE HUCKABEE

AUTHENTIC. CHRISTIAN. CONSERVATIVE.

WWW.MIKEHUCKABEE.COM

Everybody Copying Huckabee

This guy is right. EVERYBODY is copying Huckabee. Sorry folks, there is only one Authentic in this race.

BSR

Columnist: Huckabee Like Reagan

Doug Patton, freelance columnist and Senior Writer for GOPUSA.com, published an article today on TheRealityCheck.org titled "Huckabee Confounds Elites as Reagan Did."

In the article, Mr. Patton gets it absolutely right. Here's an excerpt:

Huckabee’s national campaign chairman, Ed Rollins, was typically glib in his comparison of Mike Huckabee, circa 2008, and Ronald Reagan, circa 1980. Rollins, who managed the Gipper’s 49-state landslide re-election campaign in 1984, says he remembers Democrats salivating over the prospect of running against the former actor, both in his campaigns for California governor and for president.

“I remember them saying, ‘Please, let us run against Reagan,’” Rollins recalled.

If Democrats are gleeful at the prospect of running against Huckabee, Republican elites are positively hysterical at the thought of the grassroots selecting a presidential standard-bearer. It reminds one of 1976 and 1980.

When Reagan challenged the hapless, pro-abortion, accidental president, Gerald Ford, for the 1976 Republican presidential nomination, the GOP establishment was furious. This California cowboy was going to destroy the party’s chances for maintaining its tenuous, post-Watergate grip on the White House.

When Reagan ran in 1980, the Republican powers that be were again apoplectic over the prospect of nominating this pro-life, pro-family, pro-capitalist, anti-communist actor-turned-politician. Most of them preferred a moderate, pro-choice blueblood named George Herbert Walker Bush. They just didn’t get it.

Similarly, they do not get Mike Huckabee. For the media and the Republican establishment, the only suitable choices are Rudy Giuliani, John McCain or Mitt Romney. President Huckabee? Graduate of Ouachita Baptist University with a degree in Religion? Are you kidding me? He didn’t even attend Harvard or Yale! He wasn’t even a member of Skull and Bones!

[T]here are similarities to our last great Republican president. Both came from humble beginnings. Both rose from unique circumstances to surprise the experts by becoming successful governors. In a campaign season when every GOP candidate is desperately trying to evoke the memory of Ronald Reagan, Mike Huckabee possesses the sincerity, humility, strength of conviction and the optimism to make us believe that America’s best days are still ahead.

That is vintage Ronald Reagan.

Following The Footsteps of Reagan

Don't miss the current issue of Newsweek.

BSR

John Hawkins on Mitt Romney

Conservative blogger John Hawkins of Right Wing News published an article at Townhall.com where he very accurately describes the real problem Mitt Romney has:

"The reality is that the Romney who is running today does not hold the same positions as the Romney from a few years ago and if he won the nomination, the Romney who runs in the general election is probably not going to hold the same positions as the Romney you're hearing from today."

BREAKING: New Poll Shows Incredible Strength of Huckabee

BREAKING!

NEW POLL INFORMATION

HUCKABEE HAS STRONGEST CROSS-OVER APPEAL OF ALL CANDIDATES

FIRST AMONG CONSERVATIVES - DOUBLE'S SUPPORT OF NEXT CLOSEST COMPETITOR

DRAWS EQUAL SUPPORT FROM REPUBLICANS AND INDEPENDENTS

DRAWS EQUAL SUPPORT FROM MEN AND WOMEN

FIRST AMONG ALL AGE GROUPS


New poll information released today by Rasmussen shows the incredible strength of Mike Huckabee's support nationally. Among self-described "conservatives" nationally Huckabee's support is double that of his next closest competitor (Giuliani).

Nationwide, Huckabee attracts 30% of conservative voters. Giuliani earns 16%, Romney 14%, and Thompson 13%.

Huckabee also attracts roughly the same percentage of support from Republicans and from Independent voters. No other candidate has the cross-over appeal of Huckabee. Giuliani places second among Republican voters and McCain is second among Independents...neither is able to attract both. Neither Thompson nor Romney are able to attract a majority of either republicans or independents.

Huckabee also has the strongest appeal to both men and women. Among men, it’s Huckabee 23%, Giuliani 20%, and Thompson 14%. Among women, it’s Huckabee 24%, Romney 17%, and Giuliani 15%. Again, no other candidate has the cross-over appeal as Huckabee.

Finally, Giuliani is stronger among younger votes, Romney among those who are older, but it is Huckabee, again, who leads them both among all age groups.

NOW IS OUR TIME! CONTRIBUTE TODAY TO THE MOST IMPORTANT AND HISTORIC CAMPAIGN IN U.S. PRESIDENTIAL HISTORY!

JOIN US IN REUNIFYING AMERICA

MIKE HUCKABEE. AUTHENTIC. CHRISTIAN. CONSERVATIVE.

WWW.MIKEHUCKABEE.COM

7 Minutes With Mike Huckabee

This 7 minute video of Mike Huckabee's Interview on the CBS Early Show is very much worth your time.

Chicago Tribune: Huckabee's Foreign Policy Reaganesque

Mitt Romney finds himself falling far behind in the polls to Gov. Mike Huckabee, so he has started attacking him at every opportunity. Today, Romney attacked Huckabee's recent foreign policy statement, saying Huckabee should apologize to President Bush.

Here's the trouble with that. Mike Huckabee's foreign policy is not exactly consistent with Bush's...it is actually more consistent with Ronald Reagan's. And you don't have to take our word for it.

The Chicago Tribune has carefully analyzed Huckabee's foreign policy statement and made the following determinations: "Huckabee's foreign-policy: more Reagan than Bush."

We're going to provide you with details from the Chicago Tribune analysis below, but first let us state something that is very important. Mitt Romney attacked Huckabee and demanded an apology to President Bush for one reason only: He looked at the polls and saw that among Republicans Bush's foreign policy position enjoys strong support. He felt that he would benefit by defending Bush. What Romeny didn't understand is that Republicans also support-- indeed the still revere-- Reagan's foreign policy, and would return to it in an instant.

And more troubling still is this: Not only did Romney fail to recognize a Reaganesqe foreign policy when he saw it, but he is also no fan of Reagan's. Despite the fact that he repeatedly invokes Reagan when trying to convince people he is fit to be President, Romney has in fact been venomously dismissive of Reagan in the past, as evidenced in the video provide above.

Mike Huckabee has been a Reagan conservative since birth. Romney DENOUNCED Reagan to win the Governorship of Massachusettes and then EMBRACED Reagan in order to run for President.

Keep that in mind.

More about Hucakbee's foreign policy from the Chicago Tribune:

Huckabee's [policy is based in] what is assuredly Reagan territory, that he opposes the obscure Law of the Sea Treaty.

Reagan opposed the treaty [as a] threat to U.S. self-determination. By saying he was the first Republican presidential candidate to come out against the treaty, Huckabee is telling conservatives he was the first to see what Reagan saw...

This position...actually puts Huckabee to the right of Bush since the president supports the treaty.

Here's another example of Huckabee [assuming] Reagan's mantle. He wants to increase military spending to Reagan-era levels when they were six percent of the gross domestic product versus 3.9 percent today. Again, this goes far beyond anything Bush has tried to achieve...

Huckabee goes on to take a very Reaganesque view of the use of the U.S. military. He's opposed to nation-building. Bush was too, of course, until he got caught up in the neocon vision to remake Iraq as part of a new domino theory in which the nations of the greater Middle East would tumble towards democracy.

For more on the Chicago Tribune analysis, click HERE.

Huckabee Takes Lead in Electoral Rich Texas

While everyone is focused on the "early primary states" of Iowa, South Carolina and Florida (of which Huckabee now leads all) we'd also like to point out that Gov. Huckabee now leads comfortably in electoral vote rich Texas as well.

Here's the latest from the great state of Texas (as of 12/13):

Huckabee 29%

Giuliani 16%

Thompson 14%

Romney 14%

Analyst: Iowa and South Carolina Can Give Huckabee Nomination

Respected political analyst Douglas Schoen has published an editorial in which he determines that "the more enduring point is that the Republicans seem to be falling in lockstep with Huckabee. Huckabee’s latest numbers suggest that if he has a win in Iowa (where has a huge lead) and wins South Carolina (which he leads by 7 points), he could receive enough momentum to carry the nomination.

Poll: Huckabee Surge Continues

According to today's daily Rasmussen Report presidential tracking poll, released minutes ago, Gov. Mike Huckabee's remarkable surge continues both nationally and in key early primary states.

NATIONALLY

Nationally it’s Huckabee at 21%, Giuliani 19%, Romney at 15%, Thompson at 13% and McCain at 12% (see recent daily numbers).

IOWA

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of the Iowa caucus finds Huckabee with 39% of the vote, Romney with 23% support, and everyone else in single digits.

SOUTH CAROLINA

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey shows Huckabee with 25% of the vote, Romney with 18%, Thompson with 18%, Giuliani with 12% and McCain with 9%. A month ago, Romney and Thompson were on top.

FLORIDA

Huckabee now leads in the Sunshine State Primary with 27% of the vote. He is trailed by Romney at 23% and Giuliani at 19%. Fred Thompson is at 9% in the poll, John McCain at 6%.

Romney: Kept Promise To Do Nothing

Mitt Romney, on Meet the Press with Tim Russert today, was asked about his repeated and suspiciously timed flip flops on abortion to which Romney replied (paraphrase):

"I promised the people of my state that I would do nothing to change the laws about abortion and I kept that promise."

Wow, Mr. Romney. Very noble of you. Such leadership.

Huckabee Dubbed "Reagan's Heir"

From the London Telegraph:

Mike Huckabee has seized the mantle of Ronald Reagan at the end of a week in which he pulled ahead of his Republican rivals in the key opening races for the White House nomination.

The former governor of Arkansas has taken a lead in four out of the five important early nominating states and has now hired the man who guided Mr Reagan to the greatest landslide in American political history as his campaign chairman.

Ed Rollins hailed Mr Huckabee as the candidate he has been waiting for since "the Great Communicator" left the political stage two decades ago.

"People are always asking: 'Who's the next Ronald Reagan?' Well, I was with the old Reagan. I can promise you that this man comes as close as I've ever seen," Rollins said.

How important is Rollins? The Republican strategist Jim Nuzzo said: "Ed Rollins has got the deepest Rolodex in the business. Nobody knows where the Republican bodies are buried better than Ed Rollins. Heck, he buried some of them himself."

Editorial Note: For more on the strength Rollins brings to the Huckabee campaign, see Reasoned Audacity.

BSR

An Open Letter to Former Doubters

We know that there are many out there who signed on early with the so-called "top tier" candidates. We want you to know that there are NO hard feelings here in the Huckabee camp. Mike Huckabee is an Authentic Christian Conservative -- and as such, he and his entire campaign is built around love and forgiveness.

If you are on the outside looking in -- and rethinking your earlier decision to join on with other candidates -- please feel absolutely free to join Huckabee.

Professional consultants, Christian leaders who endorsed someone else, paid staffers and volunteers.... ALL ARE WELCOME!

JOIN US AND REUNITE AMERICA. WE ARE WAITING WITH OPEN ARMS.

www.MikeHuckabee.com

Reagan Mastermind Ed Rollins Joins Huckabee Campaign

Veteran campaign consultant Ed Rollins, who led Ronald Reagan's 1984 landslide re-election campaign, has joined the Huckabee campaign.

BREAKING: "Stunning" Huckabee Surge Continues

BREAKING...

ACCORDING TO RASMUSSEN, GOV. MIKE HUCKABEE'S "STUNNING" SURGE IN THE POLLS HAS EXTENDED FAR BEYOND IOWA.

NOW THE FRONTRUNNER IN SOUTH CAROLINA AND FLORIDA

This just in from Rasmussen Reports' latest automated telephone polling of Republican voters in Florida:

"Mike Huckabee now leads in the Sunshine State Primary with 27% of the vote. He is trailed by Romney at 23% and Giuliani at 19%. Thompson is at 9% in the poll, McCain at 6%.

The polling firm adds that:

"Those figures reflect a stunning change in the race since November when Rasmussen Reports polling found Giuliani on top with 27% followed by Romney at 19% and Thompson at 16%. Since then, Huckabee has gained 18 percentage points and Romney picked up four points. Giuliani is down eight, Thompson is down seven, and McCain is down four."

Florida's primary is set for Jan. 29 -- which puts it after the key early contests in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada -- but before the Feb. 5 Super Tuesday sweepstakes when more than 20 states hold their primaries or caucuses. Earlier, we noted that a new poll has Huckabee in the lead among Republicans in South Carolina.

EDITORIAL NOTE: It is important to remember that the Huckabee surge in states outside of Iowa is due almost entirely to the public's wide acceptance of his MESSAGE. Hucakbee has barely spent any time or any money in these states. This speaks to the incredible strength behind his support.

I believe we are beginning to see Huckabee's path to the nomination begin to materialize. He will win Iowa. He will win South Carolina. The momentum coming from those wins will only increase his exposure and lead in Florida. If Huckabee manages to win Florida, it will quickly become a forgone conclusion in the minds of many BEFORE Super Tuesday. If his lead holds in Florida, watch for the "inevitability" discussion to begin after South Carolina.

NOW IS OUR TIME: GIVE TO THE MOST IMPORTANT AND HISTORIC CAMPAIGN IN U.S. PRESIDENTIAL HISTORY TODAY: www.MikeHuckabee.com

New Poll: Huckabee "Most Presidential"

According to a new Rasmussen poll, when asked which candidate appears most presidential, GOP voters name Mike Huckabee first.

CBS News' Bob Schieffer: "Huckabee is for real."

According to US News and World Report, CBS Evening News reported last night that "a brand new CBS News/New York Times poll just being released shows a dramatic shift on the Republican side. Nationwide, Giuliani still leads but by the slimmest of margins. One point. The story? Mike Huckabee's surge into second place. He's up 17 points since October."

CBS Evening News' Bob Schieffer said "I guess I wouldn't rate it up there with an Old Testament miracle but it is a remarkable thing that happened. I think that Mike Huckabee is for real."

BREAKING: New Poll: Huckabee Way Up; Giuliani Way Down

Political Wire just posted that an advance look at new early primary state polling confirms that the Huckabee surge is real, is continuing, and is now coming largely at the expense of Rudy Giuliani-- whom the Wire describes as "imploding."

Huckabee's Support Broader Than 'Elites' Admit

New York Times Op-Ed Columnist Frank Rich writes today that so-called Washington political elites are "shocked" by Mike Huckabee's sudden and explosive rise in the polls. He “came from nowhere,” Robert Novak huffed last week.

Rich goes on to say "... having failed to anticipate so much else...the press pack has proved an unreliable guide to election 2008."

Indeed.

We find this interesting here at MHP2008 because we have been saying literally for YEARS now that the so-called "front-runners" annointed early on by the MSM were simply not going to fly with Republican voters. And we didn't just say that on this blog...more than a few reporters have contacted us directly via email over the last couple of years (you know who you are) and we told them directly.

Here's just a sample of what we were saying as far back as May 2005 :

Giuliani: A celebrity and a name, but he's pro-choice. That makes him a non-starter.

McCain: Just committed presidential suicide with the filibuster deal.

Mit Romney: A governor, but of Massachusetts. He would not play well in the vital south...not only that, but he's suddenly changing his position on abortion just in time for a 2008 run. Nothing like a little hypocrisy and pandering to endear oneself to the voters. He's toast.

Do we think we are brilliant political minds? No.

Frankly, that is what is so amazing about the MSM's steadfast adherance to their wrong-headed 'frontrunner" predictions for the last couple of years. We know that if WE were able to see the ridiculousness of it, THEY should have been able to.

So, back to Mr. Rich's column. He says that the MSM had it wrong about Huckabee all along, and now that he has broken through the ceiling they tried to impose on him, they are now trying to write it off as coming merely from the support of "evangelical" voters ... as if his support could not be more widespread than that.

Rich disagrees (excerpt). "That doesn’t explain Huckabee’s ascent to first place in some polling nationwide, where Christian conservatives account for a far smaller slice of the pie than in Iowa. Indeed, it doesn’t entirely explain Huckabee’s steep rise in Iowa, where Romney has outspent him 20 to 1, a financial advantage that Romney leveraged [unsuccessfully] to crush Huckabee in the state’s straw poll just four months ago."

"The fact to remember about Huckabee’s polling spike is that it occurred just after the G.O.P. debate on CNN, where Romney and Giuliani vied to spray the most spittle at illegal immigrants."

"Next to this mean-spiritedness, Huckabee’s tone leapt off the screen. Attacked by Romney for supporting an Arkansas program aiding the children of illegal immigrants, he replied, “In all due respect, we’re a better country than to punish children for what their parents did.” It was a winning moment, politically as well as morally. And a no-brainer at that. Given that Tancredo polls at 4 percent among Iowan Republicans and zero nationally, it’s hard to see why Rudy-Romney thought it was smart to try to out-Tancredo Tancredo."

"The real reason for Mr. Huckabee’s ascendance may be that his message is simply more uplifting — and, in the ethical rather than theological sense, more Christian — than that of rivals...".

Mr. Rich, thank you for being a thinking member of the press. Thank you for not being one of the lazy, "cut-and-paste" types we wrote about here in June 2005.

BSR

Yes, He Can.

We've been following the news for days here as Gov. Mike Huckabee's campaign has gathered steam. His rise began as the result of his consistently strong debate performances, but it really began to gather steam in Iowa after he surprised everyone by coming in second in the Iowa straw poll.

As Iowa began to like Mike, the rest of the country began to take notice and guess what? They like Mike too.

A new poll released today shows that Huckabee's surge is no longer coming from undecided voters or supporters of second tier candidates....Huckabee has now become the favorite of conservatives who had previously been committed to Romney, Guiliani and McCain.

Here are the incredible and exciting new numbers in Iowa (Newsweek poll, Dec. 5-6) as compared to a Rasumssen poll from Nov. 28.

Huckabee 39 (up from 28 on Nov. 28)

Romney 17 (down from 25 on Nov. 28)

Guiliani 9 (down from 12 on Nov. 28)

Newsweek said its poll showed other Republican candidates were showing signs of "fading" in Iowa. Ex-senator Fred Thompson, a Hollywood actor, and Sen. John McCain of Arizona, also saw their support fall, according to the poll, which had a margin of error of 3 percent.

Welcome Pro Life Democrats

Well over two years ago we authored this post inviting pro life Democrats to consider joining Mike Huckabee. As we said, we know most Democrats do not subscribe to the most liberal tenets of their party's platform. They are good Christian folks who support things like stong family values and looking out for the most vulnerable people in our society, including the unborn.

That is who Mike Huckabee is, too. A former Baptist minister, Mike Huckabee is strongly pro-life. And as a person who grew up in a blue collar (he joking says 'no collar') family in Hope, Arkansas (yes, THAT Hope) he maintains reasonable and realistic and compassionate stances on other issues important to you. Things like immigration reform, education reform, Medicaid reform, and health issues.

You are welcome here.

BSR

Keep Huckabee Rolling!

Every pundit and political operative in America knows Mike Huckabee is on a serious roll. Let's KEEP HUCKABEE ROLLING!

www.GasForTheBus.com

Another MHP2008 Milestone

We're pleased to report that just a few minutes ago we surpassed 400,000 visitors!

The first 200,000 took almost two years. The next 100,000 took just several weeks, and now we are on pace to hit the half-million mark sometime around New Years Day. The Huckabee train is rolling!

HELP MAKE HISTORY. GIVE TODAY. www.MikeHuckabee.com

Huckabee Explosion Continues: Now National Frontrunner

According the Rasmussen Reports, an extremely well-respected political pollster, Gov. Huckabee has now surpassed Guiliani as the national frontrunner for the GOP nomination.

Says Rasmussen: "While enjoying an amazing surge, Mike Huckabee has earned support from 20% of Likely Republican Primary Voters nationwide. Three points back, at 17%, is Rudy Giuliani. That’s the lowest level of support ever recorded for Giuliani in the tracking poll and represents a seven-point decline over the past week. Huckabee has gained eight points during the same time frame (see recent daily numbers)."

Huckabee's explosion since the last GOP debate is absolutely stunning to everyone -- pundits and pollsters alike -- because it happening despite Huckabee's much less well-funded campaign and the fact that he has campaigned little outside of the early primary states.

It is no surprise to us, however, or the the regular readers of this blog who have known for almost 3 years that this was going to happen. We hereby put you on notice: The time is LONG SINCE PAST that you should get on board with the Huckabee train.

No hard feelings, former supporters of Brownback, Thompson, McCain and Romney...you are welcome here! Join the family and help change America.

GIVE TODAY WWW.MIKEHUCKABEE.COM

Thank You, Club For Growth

Over the last couple of years, I spent quite a bit of time writing posts to refute the "hit pieces" being issued by the Club For Growth on Mike Huckabee's campaign. I was worried, back in the early days, that the Club's lies and misrepresentations would succeed in harming the campaign.

Ultimately, I stopped worrying about it because I realized that each time the Club issued a hit piece it gave Gov. Huckabee the opportunity to set the record straight and each and every time the MSM looked into the Club's ridiculous claims it resulted in fantastic articles like these:

"Mike Huckabee on the Obligation to Govern", The State, South Carolina.

"Ads Paint Huckabee as Taxer, But Record More Complicated," New York Times

These articles set the record straight and were picked up by the Associated Press and run in newspapers and news programs all over the country, reaching FAR more people than the Club's original false and misleading claims could ever reach on their own.

These articles were chock full of quotes like: "Gov. Huckabee actually opposed [the] tax cut. Why? 'Well, I supported the elimination of the grocery tax, but not the timing [it] would have meant we literally would have closed nursing homes, had to slash Medicaid. I mean, it’s one thing to trim the fat off the bone, it’s another thing to start going into the bone itself.' That wouldn’t worry the Club for Growth..."

And this: "The Club for Growth...has...poured money into anti-Huckabee advertisements [claiming] Huckabee 'spends money like a drunken sailor,' but the record offers a more complex picture...the portrayal of him as a wild-eyed spendthrift is hardly apt."

So we say "thank you," Club for Growth, for helping get the true facts about Mike Huckabee's record out during the time he had no money with which to get it out himself.

The bigger story in all this, as we wrote way back in September, is that the once-respected Club for Growth has allowed itself to become the mouthpiece for just one person -- the Club's single largest contributor -- who has a personal vendetta against Mike Huckabee--and it has demonstrated a willingness to lie and mislead in the process. In so doing, we predicted, the Club has forever destroyed its own credibility, even while it served to prove out Huckabee's.

Sad? Yes. Stupid? Absolutely. But thanks!

BSR

National Review: Huckabee Surge "Stunning"

BREAKING...

GOV. MIKE HUCKABEE SURGING "EVERYWHERE."

NOW FRONTRUNNER IN IOWA, TIED FOR SECOND IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.

HAS PULLED WITHIN 3 POINTS OF GIULIANI NATIONALLY.

NOW WITHIN ONE POINT OF HILLARY.

"SERIOUS CONTENDER FOR NOMINATION."

According to National Review, in the first full round of national polling completed since last week’s debate among Republican Presidential hopefuls, Huckabee has pulled to within three points of the frontrunning Rudy Giuliani. Heading into the debate, Giuliani led Huckabee by twelve.

Not only that, new polling data released today shows that Huckabee has pulled to within a single percentage point of Hillary Clinton in a general election match-up. Huckabee is also a frontrunner in Iowa and essentially tied for second in New Hampshire.

THIS IS OUR TIME!

We've been predicting this for almost three years. We told you last week that Huckabee's campaign is not just going to change THIS race...it is going to change U.S. presidential politics forever.

Huckabee is winning with his MESSAGE ....and as the money comes in (as it is now) more and more people will hear this message. The Huckabee train is rolling, folks. It's LONG PAST time to get on board.

How many great people for the last 200+ years -- people who would have been great presidents--have stayed out of the race because they believed they could not compete for lack of funds?

Mike Huckabee has changed all that.

GIVE TO THE MOST UNIQUE AND IMPORTANT PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN IN U.S. PRESIDENTIAL HISTORY TODAY: www.MikeHuckabee.com

Welcome "This Week" Viewers

A special welcome to viewers of ABC News' This Week with George Stephanopoulos. In the finest of southern traditions, we invite you "Come on in and sit a spell."

Grab yourself a nice hot cup of coffee and settle in to learn more about Mike Huckabee.

We have a lot to share with you about Mike Huckabee and why he is the right person, at the right time in our history, to be president of the United States.

First, however, we have big news. According to the Rasmussen Reports Presidential Tracking Poll released just a few minutes ago, Mike Huckabee has now moved into 2nd place NATIONALLY!

Rudy Giuliani 22%

Mike Huckabee 17%

Fred Thompson 14%

John McCain 14%

Mitt Romney 11%.

Ron Paul 6%

No other Republican 2%

More importantly, Rasmusses says "Giuliani continues to lead nationwide, but his lead is shrinking." He describes Huckabee as "surging."

We predict that as Fred Thompson continues to wither, much of his support with go to Huckabee, as will that Mitt Romney, who saw his national support peak at 17% on November 14th and has been flagging ever since.

It is important to note that Huckabee has done with with virtually NO money up to this point (money is certainly flowing in now!). Huckabee's performance in this campaign has been nothing short of miraculous and it has all the pundits scratching their heads...already, Huckabee's campaign has become a subject of study for political scientists around the world.

Quite simply, by all measures of presidential politics, Huckabee's campaign shouldn't even EXIST, much less be SURGING. Huckabee knows this, saying to TIME magazine this week that he likes to think of his campaign as the fat bumblebee whose ability to fly has baffled generations of scientists. 'The bumblebee, being unaware of these scientific facts, goes ahead and flies anyway,' Huckabee said.

But it is no surprise to us. We've known Mike Huckabee for over 10 years. We've been watching him lead and interact with people - democrats, republicans, conservatives, liberals, rich and poor, all races and genders, and all ages for a long, long time. Guess what? In almost EVERY instance, he won them over. He may not have changed everything about their politics, but they liked him and they knew instantly they could trust him.

In what has to be the greatest upheaval in generations of U.S. presidential politics, Huckabee is winning with his MESSAGE. And even more striking is the fact that his message is mostly being communicated word-of-mouth.

But why?

It is really quite simple. Mike Huckabee is genuine. He is authentic. He is a lover of God and just a good person. What you see with Mike Huckabee is EXACTLY what you get. Unlike his competitors (one in particular) he is not scripted by consultants (even if he could have afforded them, he wouldn't have used them) and he has not crafted a "nuanced" message for each different group he speaks to.

MIKE HUCKABEE. AUTHENTIC. CHRISTIAN. CONSERVATIVE.

That sums it up.

Now, here are some things we can share with you to help you learn more about Mike Huckabee. And then, we hope you will visit www.MikeHuckabee.com to CONTRIBUTE today. Become a part of the most exciting and miraculous campaign in U.S. political history!

Democrats Fear Huckabee the Most.

MSM's David Broder on Mike Huckabee.

Grover Norquist on Mike Huckabee.

Round-up of videos from the Dailey Show, Colbert Report, MSM appearances, and positions on key issues.

Michael Medved on Mike Huckabee.

There is of course a TON more in our archives. Look for them in our sidebar ---->

GIVE TO HUCKABEE TODAY. BE PART OF U.S. POLITICAL HISTORY!

WWW.MIKEHUCKABEE.COM

Huckabee, Authentic. Romney...Not So Much.

From The Day newspaper, New London, CT:

Who Is The Real Romney?

By Ted S. Warren

If Republicans nominate former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney to be their party's presidential candidate, whom are they going to get?

Are they going to get the candidate who once said: “I believe that abortion should be safe and legal in this country. I believe that since Roe v. Wade has been the law for 20 years that we should sustain and support it. And I sustain and support that law and the right of a woman to make that choice.”

He made that comment in 1994 when he was running for the U.S. Senate in Massachusetts.
When running for governor of that state in 2002 he was again asked about laws permitting abortion: “I will preserve them. I will protect them. I will enforce them.”

Or will Republicans get the candidate who now says that, if elected, he will work to get Roe v. Wade overturned. The one who says it should be up to states to decide whether abortion is illegal and, if he could have his way, he would make it illegal.

Pressed during the most recent debate on this moral and political about face, Mr. Romney explained, “On abortion, I was wrong.”

How convenient.

In 1994 and 2002 he was running in politically liberal Massachusetts. It did not take a lot of courage to be pro-choice there. Now he needs the votes of social conservatives to win the Republican nomination.

Democratic Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts said it best. Mr. Romney's not pro-choice or anti-choice, he's “multiple choice.”

Perhaps Republicans, if they choose Mr. Romney, will get the candidate who, back in that 1994 election, said he looked forward to the day when homosexuals could serve “openly and honestly in our nation's military” and who sought the support of gay rights groups.

Or maybe they will get the candidate who no longer thinks allowing homosexuals in the military to come out of the closet is such a great idea after all.

“At this stage, it's not the time,” said Mr. Romney at the recent debate when asked if gays serving their country should be allowed to be forthright about their sexual orientation. If elected president he “looks forward to hearing from the military exactly what they feel is the right way.”

That wishy-washy, evasive response drew well-deserved boos.

Maybe they'll get the candidate who once said, “Look, I was an independent during the time of Reagan-Bush. I'm not trying to return to Reagan-Bush.” Or they could get the candidate who pledged at the debate “to follow the pathway Ronald Reagan blazed.”

They certainly will get a candidate so timid and politically careful that he will not even say whether he considers waterboarding to be a form of torture.

Voters know candidates modify positions to get elected and routinely utilize the art of nuance. But Mr. Romney, with his willingness to so completely change positions on morally grounded issues, has set new lows for political duplicity.

If Republicans want a candidate who will do or say anything to get elected, Mr. Romney's their guy.