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Rockin' Huckabee
Monday August 20, 2007
The Washington Post article mentioned below by David Broder is reprinted in full in today's St. Pete Times. Along with a third page photo of the Gov. at the Iowa Straw Poll.
Nice ink! | | | |
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Sunday August 19, 2007
Two new articles this morning about Mike.
The first is from the Pittsburgh Tribune. Editorial page columnist Salena Zito does a nice job showcasing Huck's populist appeal.
On the Dems feelings:
"If he had money, he would be our worst nightmare," says Democrat strategist John Lapp.
and this:
Lapp, who helped bring down Republicans in 2006 as executive director of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said, "The real threat of Mike Huckabee is that he is a happy warrior, a down-home guy comfortable in his own skin. Right-wing conservatism with a smile."
and also this:
Strategists on both political sides agree Huckabee has great appeal to Middle Americans who work hard to support their families, who want lower taxes and responsible leadership, and who go to church every Sunday but don't feel the need to tell you all about it.
On potential:
"He definitely cuts into Fred Thompson," said Republican strategist Charlie Gerow. "Huckabee easily picks up the disaffected Republicans that were the 'none of the above' in the AP poll last month, taking big chunks of them into his column."
It is a nice column, read the whole thing here:
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/opinion/columnists/zito/s_522812.html
Also today a nice piece in the Washington Post by Op-Ed columnist David S. Broder talking about the strategy the Gov. employs in the primary race.
On overall presentation:
Huckabee is testing the same themes -- but not in the strident, angry language that Buchanan used when he urged his followers to "ride to the sound of the guns." Huckabee comes off as the friendly, down-home country preacher, a retired Baptist minister who can soothe and entertain the congregation, not just warn them of the fires of Hell.
and this:
He mixes this with a set of social-issue positions strong enough to attract the kind of religious-right support he has in Iowa but leavened with enough tolerant-sounding messages to appeal to the independents in New Hampshire. He says he speaks for a kinder, gentler fundamentalism that cares as much about fighting poverty and protecting the environment as it does about abortion and gay marriage. And he decries talk that God favors one party over another.
On the economic worries:
"The economy looks good when you measure it in macro terms," Huckabee said Thursday during a stopover in Washington, "but a lot of families are struggling just to reach the next step on the ladder." Having grown up in a family where "you finished everything on your plate, because you never wasted a thing," Huckabee said that he empathizes with the anxiety of "people who have no trust fund, no safety net to fall back on."
Another nice column on the Gov., read it here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/17/AR2007081701687.html | | | |
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Saturday August 18, 2007
There is a story about Huck on politico.com by W. James Antle III who is a writer for The American Spectator. The article touches on some nice aspects of Huck's financial thinking and a few good quips directed toward some of his detractors.
On his more populist approach to the election:
"Huckabee has also added a new wrinkle to his platform by fusing social conservatism with economic populism. The latest man from Hope is careful to insist, 'I'm not a Wall Street Republican, I'm a Main Street Republican.'"
and this:
"He recently told reporters that if the GOP represented 'the people who are getting $100 million bonuses and not the people losing their jobs because of it,' the party would be on the losing side of the ballot."
and finally:
"Attacking Wall Street and anti-tax advocates may seem like a counterintuitive strategy for winning the Republican nomination, but Huckabee's approach makes some sense. He sees his natural constituency as the middle-class families who comprise a low-income bloc compared to the GOP's business wing."
Responding to critics of his record at Arkansas:
"Instead of running from his increase in Arkansas' gasoline tax, Huckabee says the state needed the revenue to fix the roads."
and:
"He doesn't mince words when defending himself from his free-market conservative critics. When the Cato Institute gave him an 'F' on its 2006 fiscal policy report card, Huckabee retorted that the libertarian think tank deserved 'an F on their grading capacity.'"
and this, refering to clubforgrowth.org:
"Huckabee dismisses them as 'full of oatmeal' (the closest he seems to get to profanity), a mere 'Washington special interest,' and, most scathingly, the 'Club for Greed.'" -- my favorite
Read the whole article here:
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0807/5428.html | | Posted by postaldog at 3:45 PM - | |
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There's an interview in the online version of the Wall Street Journal available today. The interviewer is Brian Carney, who does a fairly condescending interview, but it brings out a few good looks at Huck's thinking on several subjects. Below are some quotes:
On the ridiculous notion of carbon offsets:
"I sometimes think that this whole idea of carbon credits, it seems to me a bit like buying indulgences from the ancient church. I find that just almost bizarre--that that's the answer, that I can waste all the energy I want and then justify it by writing a check and saying, 'Oh, I bought up some credits.' "
On the danger of China's behavior, something I mentioned in my other blog:
"I think we've got to be worried about the trade deficit. . .If they were to devalue the dollar through their actions, it would have a dramatically negative impact on our economy. . . .I've also said we don't have free trade if you don't have fair trade and it's not fair trade if they're not abiding by the same rules and regulations that we are."
On the basic principle of getting gov't out of the way of innovation:
"It doesn't even have to be federally funded as much as it has to be a federally turned-loose innovation in the private sector. Imagine the potential profits out there for those who can develop the clean, sustainable and replaceable domestically produced energy sources."
If you can get past the jarring condescention from the interviewer, it is a good look at Huck. See for yourself:
http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110010489 | | | |
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Friday August 17, 2007
Local liberal rag St. Pete Times has the following quote on it's editorial page:
"I hope by September he'll say, 'Hmm, my time has come and gone. This other guy has already got a couple of laps on the track on me.'"Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee, talking about all-but-declared GOP candidate Fred Thompson.
This is followed by a reminder that Mike finished second in the Iowa straw poll. Whether it's a slam at Thompson or a left-handed pat for Mike, the publicity only helps Huck's candidacy.
For college students:
If you're interested in the political process and want to support Mike Huckabee's presidential bid, you can join Students for Huckabee. E-mail them at students@explorehuckabee.com
update:
I added the Gov. to the bigredtent.org website a while back. Supposedly this site is going to be a netroots-type thing for Republicans for fund-raising and such. They are currently building a slate of candidates for fund-raising and promotion and typically the only presidential candidate they have on the slate is Mitt Romney, like he needs the money. This is exactly what we are fighting against, this dismissive attitude by even our own party.
If you haven't already, drop by the site, sign-up and vote on my stump for Huck. More publicity and more funds give him the chance to succeed for all of us.
| | Posted by postaldog at 9:31 AM - | |
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