NO "GREEK TRAGEDY" FOR THE DEMOCRATS

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Now that Mike Huckabee's gone and McCain coasting to the GOP nomination in September, what is there left to blog about in the 2008 election?


The Democrats . . .

Fuel for the blogging fire today comes from a Real Clear Politics hand-wringer entitled "Are Dems Headed for a Greek Tragedy?"

The thesis for the "Greek Tragedy" theory is that a sagging Hillary Rodham Clinton and an upstart Barack "John-McCain-has-forbidden-us-to-use-his-middle-name-that-rhymes-with-McCain" Obama will somehow manage to turn their contest-of-personality into a party-splitting internecine hate-fest that cannot win in November.

(The longer the Democratic nomination show runs, the more we will see these sorts of wonkish "inside baseball" angst-ridden opinion pieces from the mainstream media political set)

But the "Greek Tragedy" speculation prompted Speedzzter to whip up a somewhat sarcastic comment that turned out to be such a fun piece of writing, it should be posted again here:

As much as Speedzzter would enjoy seeing the Democrats break out into a metaphorical civil war or collapse into a Chicago '68-style chaos, don't bet the taxpayer-subsidized, all-organic family farm (or the welfare check) on it.

A large number of radicalized Democrats (including a significant plurality of irresponsible losers scamming for yet another big government handout) would vote for a rotten, maggot-filled watermelon for president if it ran as a Democrat in 2008.

Obama's "9-to-1" supporters will NEVER, EVER, EVER stray from the Democratic "plantation" in '08 . . . even if the cult of Obamamania totally collapses or if the sneaky Clintonistas were to engineer a complete and total "theft" of the nomination. That's a solid, bet-every-devalued-Dollar-in-your-pocket-and-take-out-a-second-subprime-mortgage-for-some-more-coin-to-wager lock.

Should HRC fail to pull it out, nearly everyone supporting her will enthusiastically leap to another free-spending, tax-hiking, weak-on-defense, fetus-hating, lose-in-Iraq liberal.

Just the chance that a liberal (any liberal) would likely appoint 3-5 "living Constitution," make-it-up-as-you-go activists from the ranks of the "pirate" trial lawyers bar and the ACLU to the U.S. Supreme Court is enough to drive the looters and freeloaders on the left to vote "early and often" regardless of whether Obama or HRC prevails.

Moreover, the elite "Superdelegates" and the limousine/private jet liberals who run the show in the Democratic party will force an Obama/HRC liberal dream ticket as a made-for-HDTV show of left-wing unity.

(Sorry, Al Gore will have to be satisfied with outsourcing his massive carbon footprint and remaining the left's richest and most celebrated loser).

Such a mulatto/female Democratic ticket, regardless of which of the two almost indistinguishable tax-hiking, wild-spending, surrender-first leftists heads it, would be about enough to send your average superficial liberal into hallucinations of ecstasy (and that's without any assistance from drugs).

And that's not even counting all of the dead people who will somehow cast a ballot for the Democratic nominee . . . .

Republicans simply cannot count on an imaginary Democratic split to yield any tangible benefits for the GOP in 2008.

[Okay, so Ann Coulter has nothing to fear from "Truth with Speedzzter," but hopefully you enjoyed reading this post as much as Speedzzter enjoyed writing it]

HUCKABEE CROSSES THE “FINISH LINE” WITH HONOR

[UPDATE: After posting this, Truth with Speedzzter became aware of an eloquent blog by campaign correspondent Joy Lin. Ms. Lin's blog makes many of the same points as the blog entry below, but with the elegance and grace of a highly-paid network journalist. All Huckabee supporters should read Ms. Lin's blog]

“Little Rock, AR – Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee concluded his 2008 bid for the Republican nomination for President tonight, calling upon his supporters to embrace the candidacy of U.S. Senator John McCain (AZ).”

“Huckabee, a champion of conservative values, said: ‘I extend my congratulations – and my commitment to John McCain and the Party – to do everything possible to unite our party and our nation, to be the best country we can be, not for ourselves, but for future generations. I am grateful that Senator McCain has led an honorable campaign because he is an honorable man.’”

“‘It's now important that we turn our attention, not to what could have been or what we wanted to have been, but what to now must be, and that is a united party,’ Huckabee stated in his speech to supporters gathered in Texas tonight.”

“Huckabee said, ‘Not only have we fought the good fight and finished the race but more importantly, we have kept the faith. I would rather lose an election than lose the principles that got me into politics in the first place.’”

“‘While many in the establishment never really believed I belonged, there were many in the country that did,’ he said. ‘Thanks to their sacrifices, I had a voice – and I only pray that I have been able to give them a voice.’”

“Huckabee said he represented average Americans who work two jobs to meet ends meet; conservatives who want less – but more efficient – government with less corruption; people who believe we should overhaul our tax system, implement the Fair Tax and get rid of the IRS; the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines, who keep us free; those who cherish life and those who have yet to be born.”

“Huckabee, who ran an extremely small but cost-effective campaign, concluded his remarks by stating, ‘Our battle was never about us. It was about our country and its liberty. Now, we join with Senator McCain in the rest of that battle, not for who gets elected, but for what we can do when we get elected.’”

“Huckabee finishes the race with delegates from his victory in eight primaries and caucuses. He won caucuses in Iowa, West Virginia, and Kansas. Huckabee also won primaries in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Louisiana, and his home state of Arkansas.”

Almost immediately, a huge outpouring of support flooded the blog at www.mikehuckabee.com.

A number of pro-Huckabee bloggers also posted heart-felt reactions and support for Mike.

FIVE SMALL STONES WEREN’T ENOUGH THIS TIME

The bottom line is that more conservatives chose Senator John McCain over a true Reagan Conservative with an excellent record of executive public service.

Thus, the conservative carping over John McCain’s nomination should end now.

McCain won the GOP nominating contest “fair and square.” (Of course, McCain still has to be voted the nominee in September, but baring a disaster of some sort, such a vote is a fait accompli at this juncture.)

So why did Huckabee “cross the finish line” in second place?

Why weren’t “five small stones” enough to fell the Goliath of the GOP establishment and paid “attack radio”/Fox News Channel elites?

For Huckabee’s faithful Evangelical Christian supporters, the ultimate conclusion is that it wasn’t God’s will for Huckabee to win at this time.

The miracles of young David vs. Goliath or of Gideon’s small band against the Midianites are milestones because of their improbability and abnormality.

Mature Christians know that they are often called to be faithful in apparently “lost causes.”

Mike Huckabee “fought the good fight” and “kept the faith.” It is of no dishonor whatsoever that he did not prevail. He obediently did what he was supposed to do according to the dictates of his conscience.

Mature Christians know that obedience isn’t about achieving a particular result (although reaping a bountiful harvest can be a blessed temporal reward).

“We sow the seeds but God gives the increase.”

In other words, obedience is about the PROCESS of stepping out in diligently in faith, doing what’s right and following the leading of the Lord -- often times in spite of what the elites and the know-it-all wags of this World say.

For more secular pundits, theological excuses aren’t tangible enough. They will point to the following Huckabee failures:

1. Not enough money: Huckabee’s lean campaign was simply too anorexic to compete nationwide. And it wasn’t well-funded enough to beat back the misrepresentations of the Gucci Chameleon, “Slick Willard” Mitt Romney and his bought-and-paid-for surrogates over at the Club for Growth.
2. Not enough organization: Little money meant Huckabee had to rely on spirited volunteers acting without leadership in too many places. Although this worked in Iowa, it wasn’t enough in the states which came to dominate the primary season: the large, winner-take-all Northeast and Florida. It also meant that the Huckabee campaign had to concede several Western caucus states to the huge Romney/LDS organizations.

3. Inability to deflect skepticism about Evangelicals: The elites and Romney-ians tagged Huckabee with the label of “Evangelical candidate” early on. In much of the U.S., Evangelicalism is grossly misunderstood and is a “suspect” movement. Notwithstanding Mike Huckabee’s sterling sense of humor, his base guitar playing and other attempts to diffuse the rigid, fundamentalist “Southern Baptist minister” stereotype, Mike Huckabee was not able to attract enough “secular conservatives” to his cause.

Evangelicals should be somewhat troubled that millions of ordinary Americans are so ignorant or skeptical of conservative Christians that they would categorically reject one for national leadership. Obviously, had Evangelicals been more effective at spreading both the culture of Evangelical Christianity and in obeying the “Great Commission” in the decades leading up to this election, the seedbed necessary for Huckabee’s success would have been much more fertile in the Northeast, Midwest and Pacific Coast.

The harsh, often Anti-Christian rhetoric heard during this campaign and the pervasive, unreasonable bias against a high-profile Evangelical such as Mike Huckabee ought to awaken all Evangelicals of the need to become more obedient and active in spreading the Gospel – not so that some future Evangelical could be come President or so that Evangelicals are more popular in general, but so that millions of lives are transformed by the saving power of Christ.

4. Foreign Policy Deficit: Mike Huckabee never gained much traction with the Foreign Policy Conservatives.

Although he said the “right” things about the War in Iraq, Israel, and U.S. strength abroad, Huckabee never spoke with sufficient detail to overcome the skepticism of foreign policy wonks (who naturally distrust the international inexperience of state governors). McCain, of course, used this issue to his advantage against the entire GOP field.

5. Talk Radio: Justice Clarence Thomas once complained about a “high tech lynching,” but we’ve now seen what a concerted effort to destroy an honorable conservative looks like.

Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and a whole host of lesser lights never gave Mike Huckabee any fair treatment. Instead these elite GOP “attack radio” shills became the de facto arms of rival campaigns. The irony is that their attacks against Huckabee yielded an arguably even worse outcome for their conservative followers: the nomination of John McCain.

6. Fred Thompson: Thompson was a lazy, uninspiring spoiler.

[Speedzzter would like a refund of the money he contributed to Thompson’s effort before Speedzzter became convinced that Mike Huckabee was the best choice in 2008]

His lackluster campaign flourish in South Carolina slouched in just enough to turn McCain into the clear front runner. Had Huckabee garnered a fraction of the conservative votes that Thompson bled away, he would have won the Palmetto State and the subsequent course of the election could have been significantly different.

7. Evangelical disunity: Mike Huckabee said that if he couldn’t hold his base together, he couldn’t win.

Yet a whole host of self-anointed Evangelical leaders, such as Richard Land, Pat Robertson and others imbibed deeply the Romney-ian/Club for Growth/Elite GOP Attack Radio Kool-Aide and focused their support on other, more flawed alternatives.

Certainly some of Huckabee’s inability to unify the Evangelical community (at least among Southern Baptist leaders) was a lingering consequence of apparently choosing the wrong side twenty years ago in the Southern Baptist “Holy War.” But other Evangelical leaders apparently viewed pragmatism and secular opinion over principled voting.

8. Too high of a mountain: Jumping from being a little-known Southern governor to being a national candidate is a daunting task.

Only Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter have been able to do so in recent times. But Carter and Clinton were successful during a virtual vacuum in the power structure of their party. Although the GOP primary had no strong front runner or heir apparent, the GOP did have a massive field of potentially viable candidates.

Unlike Carter, who in 1976 could build grassroots support during an attenuated primary season and capitalize on an overwhelming wave of anti-Washington, post-Watergate, Post-Vietnam, "anti-Stagflation" sentiment, Huckabee had little time to capitalize on his upset win in Iowa. Huckabee’s effort was overly dependant upon “retail politics” and he was under-equipped for a multi-million dollar “air war.”

And unlike Clinton, who could occupy the “moderate Southern Democrat” slot mostly alone in 1992, Huckabee had to split the analogous conservative vote with a whole host of other candidates. Thus, Huckabee had to rise too far, too fast to have anything better than a long-shot chance at success.

9. Taxes: Huckabee rose and fell with his “Fair Tax” plan. Some realists rejected it outright as impossible or impractical. And the radical nature of it turned scores of special interests who bank on tax breaks and subsidies in the current byzantine tax code against him.

Ladle on the Romney-ian/Club For Growth/Attack Radio distortions of Huckabee’s fiscally-responsible Arkansas tax record, and the tax issue became a problem for Huckabee that his lack of funding and organization couldn’t overcome.

10. Conservative disunity: Conservatives were unable to coalesce around any alternative to John McCain.

Rudy couldn’t win Social Conservatives.

Fred Thompson couldn’t generate any grassroots excitement.

Romney had a “snowball’s chance” of winning in the South and among Evangelicals and blue-collar conservatives.

Still, all of these competed with Huckabee for conservative voters.

Thus, Huckabee couldn’t position himself early enough as the conservative alternative to McCain. By the time it was mostly a two-man race (not to discount the fervor and fund raising of the libertarians/drug dealers supporting Ron Paul), Huckabee could only strive for a brokered convention, and not an outright win. At that juncture, too many conservatives chose party unity and pragmatism over principle.

Mike Huckabee far exceeded any expectations that the political chattering classes had of him. He is a new star rising in the GOP. He has energized a critical segment of the Reagan coalition in a year when the GOP is somewhat dispirited.

Sadly, he didn’t win, though. His five small stones, "happy warrior" Charisma, folksy charm, and rock-solid faith simply weren’t enough to overcome a Katrina-sized hurricane of skepticism and lies about him and his supporters.

America is better for the fact that Mike Huckabee used this campaign to spotlight the issues that matter most to social conservatives.

And America is worse off in that the same old Eastern Establishment/Country Club/Wall Street/special interest elites who mostly run (and ruin) the modern GOP choked off the process and denied the voters the choice of a true, traditional Reagan Conservative in November.

FEBRUARY SLUMP DEMONSTRATES FORD’S WEAKNESS IN CARS

It could have been worse.

General Motors (GM) took a 12.9% dive in February 2008, down to 268,737 units sold in the United States of America market(But GM is only down 6% for calendar 2008 to date in the U.S.A.).

Cerberus’ Chrysler L.L.C. plummeted 14%, to 150,093 and the MoPar brands have fallen 13.1% in calendar 2008 in the U.S. market.

According to Business Week:

“Ford Motor [Company](F) sales, including Jaguar, Land Rover, and Volvo, dropped 6.6% from the year-ago month, to 196,060 [in the U.S. market]. Year to date, Ford dropped 5.4%, to 355,336. Ford, like GM, has been intentionally cutting back on low-margin sales to daily rental fleets; that business was down 20% in February, accounting for about 60% of the company's decline. But the result wasn't much different for retail sales: Not counting fleets, sales were down 6%, the company said.

"What we're seeing today is definitely the downside of a business cycle, whether or not it's ultimately designated a recession," says Emily Kolinski Morris, Ford senior economist for North America.

However, Toyota, which has a better mix of small cars than FoMoCo, only fell 2.8% in the U.S. market.

All of the blame cannot be laid on the faltering U.S. economy.

Nor can all of the blame be placed on the assumed nexus between the liberal environmental/consumer movement (e.g. Consumer Reports obvious anti-Detroit bias) and the Asian auto makers.

A large chunk of blame rests in FoMoCo’s failure to update and diversify its automobile line-up.

Based on strong sales of the Civic and Fit (both of which are arguably fresher designs than Ford’s Focus), Honda actually increased sales in February by 4.9% and is up 1.5% for calendar 2008.

FoMoCo’s gross neglect is demonstrated in Four critical market segments:

1. The Youth Market: While the Mustang certainly is an iconic car that millions of young drivers lust after, the vast majority of youths will never be able to swing the huge insurance/fuel/monthly payment burden of purchasing a new one.

And even if they could, a whole generation of parents brought up on the “Consumer Reports” mythology (which constantly and consistently dogs rear-wheel-drive sports models) would never sign off on one.

Instead, car buying youth end up in Civics or a variety of more “sensible” Asian cars.

Ford’s problem is that it hasn’t developed a sporty, affordable Sub-Mustang model which mixes practicality with style and panache. Recent small Fords (excluding the underpowered SVT Focus) have had all the youth market appeal of a hair shirt.

Some would say this die was cast back in the 1970s when virtually all of the Detroit automakers conceded the majority of the entry-level car market to the more diversified imports.

But with 35 m.p.g. Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards looming (even if the NHTSA “attribute” regulations eventually soften the blow a bit for FoMoCo), and the graying of FoMoCo’s loyal customer base, Ford must figure out how to build a desirable and affordable youth market model so as to offset enough high-performance V8 Mustangs to satisfy the adult market.

Of course, the Mustang should not be compromised as it was during the infamous Mustang II era (1974-1978) or during the pre-Fox body Mustang GT “daze” (1979-1981) just to chase a few more youth market sales.

Instead, FoMoCo needs to develop a “Sub-Mustang” that is more affordable, practical, fuel efficient, sporting and grassroots “tunable” than the late Mercury Cougar or Ford Probe. Obviously, the halo version of such a youth model should master Mitsubishi’s EVO and Subaru’s WRX STI. But the grassroots “mainstream” model should offer a high level of insurable performance potential at a value price.

Ford also needs to be the first to bridge the import tuner and hybrid worlds with a VW-style twin-charged gas-electric hybrid version of the “Sub-Mustang.” Such an out-of-the-box model would surely generate a wave of youth market enthusiasm.

The “Sub-Mustang” is not a replacement for more “mainstream” models such as the Focus. But as Toyota demonstrated long ago (while Ford was wasting time and money on the Pinto), the small car market is highly segmented and diverse. As fuel prices and environmental pressures increase, more diversity in small cars and more sporting models are essential.

2. Large Sedans: It’s clear that renaming the prosaic Five Hundred as the Taurus didn’t fool anyone. GM’s Chevrolet Impala and Toyota’s Camry still handily outsell Ford’s oversized FWD lump. FoMoCo is reportedly cutting back to only one shift at the Chicago Assembly Plant to cut supplies of the slow selling Tauri/Sable models.

Ford must find a way to build a sedan that generates some sort of mass-market excitement. Impala has achieved a modicum of success in spite of its lackluster FWD specifications because it doesn’t appear be an automotive equivalent to a corrective shoe. Instead, Impala offers an “SS” model with a somewhat fuel-efficient V8, as well as a number of lesser models.

Curiously, Carl Edward’s second 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup win (at Las Vegas on March 2, 2008) in his Roush-Fenway “common template” Ford Fusion funnycar was paced by a Dodge Charger in police livery. This reminded FoMoCo viewers that Dodge is making serious inroads into FoMoCo’s Police Interceptor market share and of FoMoCo’s general neglect of the Panther lines.

Of course, no Police Interceptor can run with a Hemi-Cop Dodge because FoMoCo has withheld Hemi-killing 4-Valve/DOHC Modular V8s from the Panther line (save the nearly forgotten and underdeveloped Mercury Marauder). And FoMoCo hasn’t significantly updated the specs of the Panthers for five years (and has held onto the styling for ten model years).

To be sure, FoMoCo needs two large sedans.

It needs both an anvil-tough body-on-frame Panther-based RWD model for fleet and traditional sedan buyers and a smaller Impala/Camry fighter. And it needs to leverage its V8 heritage with superior DOHC 4-valve direct injected eights as halo models in both lines. (The V8s don’t have to be huge, but optional eight cylinder power (combined with cylinder deactivation and other fuel saving technologies) offer an important psychological link with Ford’s glorious past.

Moreover, both large sedans need a lot more “American swagger” and sportiness than either the Crown Victoria/PI/Grand Marquis/Town Car or the lackluster Taurus/Sable. The old Ford Interceptor concept car showed that some at FoMoCo may have understood this. But typical FoMoCo inaction has caused Ford to continue to miss this market.

Additionally, FoMoCo must take a page from the Europeans and offer torquey turbo diesel options in both of its large sedans.

3. Sports Sedans: Pontiac’s exciting new G8 and Cadillac’s CTS (along with a whole host of RWD BMW, Audi, Mercedes and Lexus models) point to a serious deficiency in FoMoCo’s line: A lack of serious sports sedans. Sports sedans are not high volume models, but are high profit and high profile ones. Sports sedans make a serious statement about the engineering acumen of an automaker.

Ford, of course, has produced serious sports sedans in Australia based on its RWD Falcon. Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) offers more than one exciting Falcon-based grand touring sedan in the Land Down Under. But Ford’s hapless North American operation has been content for decades to bleed sales to BMW, Audi, Lexus, Cadillac and now Pontiac.

Ford has also occasionally built a flabby, overpriced sport sedan at Jaguar. But Jaguar’s impending release from the FoMoCo fold (as well as its historically poor sales performance) suggests that Ford needs something a bit more disciplined and serious in this segment to be competitive.

A serious RWD sport sedan (with optional turbo diesel and “Eco Force” twin turbo V8 and six) is an essential statement that Ford must make to be taken seriously as international automaker. Without one, Ford will continue to lose owner loyalty to GM and the luxury imports.

4. Small trucks: How old is the Ranger? Who can even remember?

Yet with huge gas prices weighing down the entire American economy, FoMoCo is not very well positioned to sell smaller, more fuel efficient trucks. An updated Ranger with more powerplant and cab/bed options is critical to leading the shift to smaller, more fuel efficient trucks and vans.

A street-going, all-wheel-drive high-performance model inspired (loosely) by Baja 1000 trophy trucks would also be a segment breakthrough.

Ford will continue to suffer -- boycott or none and regardless of the state of the American economy -- as long as it fails to provide a diverse line-up of affordable, exciting and desirable vehicles.

ARE OHIO & TEXAS “MAKE OR BREAK” FOR CONSERVATIVES?

Contrary to the Elite GOP media spin, John McCain has not “mathematically eliminated” Governor Mike Huckabee.

McCain does not have 1191 COMMITTED delegates yet.

As many have pointed out, uncommitted delegates are UNCOMMITTED and can vote however they want at the GOP convention in September. Thus, until McCain has 1191 COMMITTED delegates, Mike Huckabee has at least a theoretical path to stop McCain.

However, too many conservative Republicans are acting as if winning 1191 COMMITTED delegates and then staying politically viable for the next six months until the GOP convention is a mere formality.

For his part, McCain is already “counting his chickens.”

Like a chicken, he’s ducking and dodging debates with Mike Huckabee.

Like a mother hen, he’s apparently sitting on what’s left of his campaign "nest egg" because he’s reportedly nearly at the FEC spending limit for the primary season.

And he’s “crossed the road” and “flown the coop” by campaigning more against the one he assumes will prevail in the Democratic Donnybrook instead of shoring up the conservative base of the GOP “back home.”

Of course, McCain’s mostly “big blue state” plurality path to the GOP nomination has undoubtedly (but incorrectly) taught him that conservative power in the GOP is waning.

As Speedzzter has previously written, if conservatives are not wholeheartedly behind John McCain, then voting for Mike Huckabee is the last clear chance to avoid his nomination and to send a powerful message to the Eastern GOP elites.

It is now up to true conservatives in Texas and Ohio to vote their consciences.

If true conservatives in Texas and Ohio fail to send McCain and the Eastern GOP elites a message in sufficient numbers, Conservatives in those states may be fairly labeled as “all hat and no cattle” or “all talk and no action.”

It’s clear that Mike Huckabee has energized many social conservatives. That much is evident from the continuing enthusiasm that many conservative voters have for his campaign (even after the monolithic chorus of GOP media elites have screamed for “Huck’s Army” to “cease fire”).

But it’s also true that the lingering effects of the corrosive propaganda war funded by Mitt Romney and his paid surrogates at the hypocritical “Club for [No] Growth” has taken its toll.

Conservatives who fail to stand in 2008 (not in 2012 or 2016) for true, rock-solid Reagan conservatism by voting for Mike Huckabee deserve John McCain as a nominee.

It’s not enough to pine away for 2012.

It’s not enough to wistfully dream of an “ideologically pure” third party.

It's not enough to turn toward Congress or local elections (neither of which can stop Hillary/Obama from packing the U.S. Supreme Court and the Federal Judiciary with appointed-for-life liberal ACLU/trial lawyers who will make up the meaning of the Constitution and our laws as they go.)

And it’s certainly not enough to float ridiculous, jack-legged trial balloons, such as a McCain-Romney ticket. (The Gucci Chameleon, “Slick Willard” Mitt Romney lost in the vast majority of the bedrock Red States that the GOP must hold and he de-energizes a sizeable plurality of the voters that ANY GOP nominee must have to win in November)

True conservatives in Texas and Ohio – if they are serious about their convictions -- must take a hard look at John McCain and Mike Huckabee. A hard look that’s independent of all of the paid GOP media spin, public opinion polls and the conclusions of the elite pundits.

If Texas and Ohio conservatives are willing to make a fair, honest, objective comparison, Speedzzter is certain that they will adjudge Mike Huckabee as the true, Reagan conservative choice for the GOP nomination.

The truth about Governor Huckabee is as follows:


1. With ten-and-a-half years of experience running state government, Governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas has more relevant executive experience than any candidate in the race – either Republican or Democrat.

2. Recognized and tapped by his peers for leadership, the National Governor’s Association selected Governor Huckabee as it’s Chairman,

3. TIME Magazine honored him as one of the five best Governors in America.

4. Governor Huckabee is a fiscal conservative who cut taxes almost 100 times in the state of Arkansas, including the state’s first broad-based tax cuts, and turned a $200 million deficit into an $850 million surplus.

ISSUES

1. TAXES/ECONOMY –Governor Huckabee supports The FairTax because it will restore the “Made in America” label, making American goods 12-25% more competitive, boosting economic growth, increasing our exports, and securing American jobs. It also prevents criminals or illegal aliens from avoiding taxes, and makes the taxes we all pay 100% transparent.

2. GOVERNMENT SPENDING – Governor Huckabee is committed to reducing government spending. One way he’ll do this is by reducing the cost of welfare. Governor Huckabee will work with states to reduce welfare roles through programs like the one he implemented in Arkansas, which reduced welfare roles by 50%.

3. HEALTH CARE –Governor Huckabee will implement a consumer-based healthcare system that emphasizes preventative medicine and wellness. Because 70% of our $2 trillion dollar healthcare costs is spent treating chronic, preventable diseases, this approach will make healthcare more affordable for everybody while keeping us healthier.

4. FAMILY VALUES –Governor Huckabee supports a federal constitutional amendment to protect the right to life. He Successfully fought for Arknasas’ marriage amendment and strongly supports a similar, federal constitutional amendment defining marriage as a union between one man and one woman.

5. IMMIGRATION –Governor Huckabee will secure the border (with physical barriers, electronic surveillance, and more border-patrol personnel and detention facilities). He will also end sanctuary cities and increase penalties on, and enforcement against, employers who hire illegal immigrants. Governor Huckabee will make sure the border patrol has adequate funding to end our “catch and release” system so that everyone caught trying to enter illegally, overstaying their visa, or committing a crime will be held until they’re tried, convicted, and deported. Gov. Huckabee has also signed the Numbers USA "No Amnesty" Pledge.

6. WAR ON TERROR AND IRAQ – Governor Huckabee knows it takes a large, well-equipped military to ensure our national defense and to deter conventional military confrontations. He also knows we need large, well-equipped intelligence and Special Forces operations for our national offense – so we can effectively find and eliminate terrorists threats at home or abroad. Governor Huckabee will be a Commander in Chief who knows that IF WE HAVE TO FIGHT A WAR, our President has to fight it the way our GENERALS tell him it can be won, not the way we wants it to be won.

7. ENERGY INDEPENDENCE –Governor Huckabee will implement a program to end the import of foreign oil in the next ten years by increasing domestic oil production in the short term, and then replacing oil-based energy infrastructure with alternative and renewable energies.

8. CLEMENCIES – Arkansas Governors grant clemency, but the parole board grants parole. Wayne DuMond’s parole was granted by the board and NOT Governor Huckabee.

9. TAXES –When Governor Huckabee left office, the tax rates remained exactly the same as when he first came into office. Governor Huckabee returned almost $400 million to Arkansas taxpayers, and he also DOUBLED the standard deduction for individuals and married couples, DOUBLED the childcare tax credit, and eliminated the marriage penalty. He also repealed capital gains taxes for home sales, lowered the capital gains rate by 25%, expanded the homestead exemption, and set up tax-free savings accounts for medical care and college tuition. Gov. Huckabee has also signed the Americans for Tx Reform's pledge not to raise taxes.

10. SECOND AMENDMENT-
• Lifetime member of the NRA, member for over 15 years
• First Governor to have concealed-carry permit
• Removed restrictions on carry permit holders • Protected gun manufacturers from frivolous lawsuits
• Opposes reauthorization of the Assault Weapon Ban
• Opposes expansion of the unconstitutional “Brady Bill”
• Opposes waiting period for purchase of firearms
• Opposes background checks on private firearms transactions at gun shows
• Will nominate judges who interpret the Constitution a the Founders intended, rather than as a “living document reflecting current political trends or opinions”
• An avid hunter and conservationist, and a member of the Ducks Unlimited, National Wild Turkey Federation and BASS.
Governor Huckabee has also been a rock-solid supporter of the right to life (unlike Mitt Romney -- proud father of the $50 abortion co-pay health plan).

Governor Huckabee has said "No candidate has a stronger record on the sanctity of life than I do. I have always been actively and aggressively pro-life. I first became politically active when I helped pass Arkansas' Unborn Child Amendment, which requires the state to do whatever it can to protect life.""As Governor, I used that Amendment to pass pro-life legislation. The many pro-life laws I got through my Democrat legislature are the accomplishments that give me the most pride and personal satisfaction. I banned partial birth abortion, I required parental notification, I required that a woman give informed consent before having an abortion, I required that a woman be told her baby will experience pain and be given the option of anesthesia for her baby, I allowed a woman to have her baby and leave the child safely at a hospital, and I made it a crime for an unborn child to be injured or murdered during an attack on his mother."

"What I accomplished as Governor proves that there is a lot more that a pro-life President can do than wait for a Supreme Court vacancy, and I will do everything I can to promote a pro-life agenda and pass pro-life legislation. If I'm saddled with a Democrat Congress, I'll veto any pro-abortion legislation they pass. I will staff all relevant positions with pro-life appointees. I will use the Bully Pulpit to change hearts and minds, to move this country from a culture of death to a culture of life. I have no desire to throw women in jail, I just want us to stop throwing babies in the garbage."

Unlike McCain, Governor Huckabee is not best remembered for being a “hyphenated politician” (i.e. McCain-Feingold, McCain-Lieberman, McCain-Kennedy . . .)

Governor Huckabee, instead, is a true, consistent Reagan conservative.

Hundreds of true, grassroots conservatives in Texas have endorsed Governor Huckabee.

March 4, 2008, is a time for choosing.

Will true conservatives simply choose to “go with the flow” or will they vote their heart-felt convictions, notwithstanding what the elite leaders of the GOP say?

March 4 is the time when all true conservatives in Texas and Ohio should rally for their Country.

March 4 is the time when true conservatives must take a stand against the Washington D.C. belt-way of doing things.

In other words, it’s a time for choosing Governor Mike Huckabee – the last true Reagan conservative standing.