HUCKABEE "MESSES WITH" THE DEMOCRATS IN TEXAS

[NOTE: GET THE LATEST COMMENTS ON HUCKABEE'S RUN HERE (http://speedzzter.blogspot.com)]

According to news reports, Governor "Iron Mike" Huckabee delivered the following remarks to a huge, enthusiastic crowd in Plano, Texas:

"I know there's some wonderful rhetoric floating out there from Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. But you need to ask yourself, do you want your taxes to up or go down?"

"Down!" the crowd shouted.

"Do you want us to protect life or disregard human life?" Huckabee asked.

"Protect!"

"Do you want us to have a strong military or do you want to drop the guns and run for your lives?"

"Strong!"

"My friends, I believe we ought to be on the offense and not the defense when it comes to terror. I believe mothers and fathers raise better kids than governments ever will. Governments ought to get off the backs of parents. I am convinced that the best government is the most local government. We don't need Washington telling everybody in Texas how to live, let Texas decide those things for themselves. And the fact is, there's one candidate in this race who's run government and been chief executive and that would be me."

WATCH "IRON MIKE'S" PLANO TEXAS RALLY HERE!

While John McCain is vowing to "go to war" with the newspaper that endorsed him before the New York primary (the New York Times) over a mostly rumor and innuendo "bimbo erruption" story and is debating an unconservative public campaign financing deal with flyweight Barack Obama, Mike Huckabee continues to lay down the gauntlet for REAL REAGAN-STYLE TRADITIONAL CONSERVATISM.

Although Mike Huckabee has been dogged by the front-loaded, winner-take-all primary schedule and the corrosive influence of the Gucci Chameleon, Bishop "Slick Willard" Mitt Romney's $42 Million Dollar attack war (egged on by the out-of-touch Eastern elitists of GOP "attack radio" and Romney's paid surrogates at the radical "Club For Growth"), Huckabee has "stuck by his guns" in using the "bully pulpit" of the 2008 nominating campaign to spread a powerful traditional conservative message.

Should McCain falter or should the surge in his "bimbo war" with the New York Times turn badly, Mike Huckabee still stands tested and ready.

He's simply doing exactly what he has promised to his loyal supporters: He's staying in until someone has 1191 committed delegates. And he's focusing on the traditional conservative issues that matter most to REAL Main Street, America-First Conservatives.

Mike Huckabee is a valuable and exciting component to the national conversation over the future direction of the U.S.A. He should be commended for continuing to give voice to the concerns of traditional social conservatives.

The "Values Voter" Blog has has an interesting analysis of the odd dynamics of 2008's unreasonable primary schedule:

"In contrast to McCain, all of former Governor Mike Huckabee's wins have come in states where a Republican must win in order to win the General Election."

"The bottom line is pretty clear: McCain has a huge lead largely because of voters who are not representative of the those who have given the GOP its most recent victories. And one additional issue is evident. Ability to attract swing voters is not such an asset in states that have a prolonged history of voting for Democrats during a year in which there are two popular Democratic candidates and an unpopular Republican President. And when the popular leading Democratic candidates is showing unusual strength in places where the leading Republican candidate needs to win but is not winning by much, it spells trouble in November according to the current course."

Mike Huckabee staying in the race is critical to preventing John McCain and the GOP platform from "drifting" too far in the "Blue State Republican/swing voter" direction. Without a strong conservative like Mike Huckabee keeping John McCain "honest," McCain could be lured too far to the left by his increasing engagements with Barack-the-crock Obama. At least one blogger, Sunlit Uplands, has identifed 10 serious risks where McCain drift could be an issue.

It is important that "Iron Mike" Huckabee continue to champion the traditional conservative issues that might be ignored if the campaign switches too early into a vote-buying contest with the "Tammany Hall" Democrats.

Still some self-important "conservative" wonks are slathering on the ad hominem attacks against "Iron Mike."

The so-called "Conservative Post" blog calls Mike Huckabee "the Huckster" and compares him to an unwelcome party guest that won't go home, a "crazy uncle," and a "clown." Then these pontificating "guardians" of conservative orthodoxy question the honesty and sanity of Governor Huckabee:

[HUCKABEE:] “Let me assure you that if it were about ego, my ego doesn’t enjoy getting these kinds of evenings where we don’t win the primary elections,” Huckabee told reporters at a Little Rock hotel.

“We’re really going against an incredible headwind every day, and what I have to remind individual voters is that their voice and their vote still counts. Nobody can take that away from them unless they just give it away,” Huckabee said.

[Conservative Post] "This guy is delusional… it is all about his ego. Like McCain, now that he got a taste of the National lime light, he doesn’t want the media attention to stop. He thinks he’s being clever - using the campaign to strengthen the Huckabee brand. What he doesn’t understand is that timing is everything in politics and show biz, and he’s missed his peak. Every day he says in the race, the guy just looks more and more like the clown he’s turned out to be…"

This vapid, ad hominem-laced "analysis" ignores the obvious fact that -- unlike any of the other candidates for the GOP nomination -- Mike Huckabee has energized a critical constituency in the Republican Party.

When self-appointed thugs like the "Conservative Post" spew their bile calculated to "gatekeep" the primary and convention process, they aren't just attacking Mike Huckabee. They are attacking millions of voters who believe that voting for Mike Huckabee is both a sacred right and a solemn privilege of citizenship.

Moreover, if in fact the "Conservative Post" is really conservative, why aren't they celebrating that SOMEONE is STILL drawing huge crowds of electrified primary voters to hear a strongly TRADITIONAL CONSERVATIVE MESSAGE? Why shouldn't the voters in Texas, Ohio and elsewhere have a real campaign and a real opportunity to vote their consciences?

Is the Republican party now so monolithic and uniform that there is no room for debate or elections?

The ridiculous, juvenile attacks of the "Conservative Post" on Mike Huckabee are inaccurate, shameful and beneath the standards of proper conduct for the Republican party. However, the "Conservative Post" telegraphs its apparent disloyalty through the following "web poll:"

"Should Conservatives Bolt the Republican Party to Form Their Own Party?
Yes, Enough is Enough!
No, I Like Compromising my Principles"

Their are no other alternatives in the "Conservative Post" poll.

"Iron Mike" Huckabee, unlike the "Conservative Post" is commmitted to supporting the GOP nominee . . . even if it's not Mike Huckabee.