Sotomayor, The Huck Man and Funny People

-As I'm writing this, the honorable Judge Sonia Sotomayor is in the process of being confirmed. It should go down without a fight. As a conservative, I will note that I, for one, will choose not to care about this today. Sotomayor, as controversial as she's been, is a very qualified Judge who I believe will be fair. We have to pick our fights, and this is not one of them. She's going to be confirmed anyway, so why fight it? Especially with the growing population of hispanics that are beginning to make up a decent chunk of the electorate.  Let's use our resources to fight deficit spending and healthcare reform, not this. 

-The Huck Man (my new nickname for Mike Huckabee....because, you know, we're practically best friends. I mean, I shook his hand at a book-signing) is still "flying under the radar", apparently. This, for reasons I can't even fathom. What else can the man too? He's been the most popular candidate in the polls (Fox, CNN, Washington Post, etc.) by FAR. He's also been leading or one point off the top in every poll I've seen including many other GOP Internet polls. Yet for some reason, he slips pollsters minds while they are polling for Mitt and Palin. (They might as well test Jeb Bush and Ron Paul as well. Let's just forget the frontrunner, eh?)

-As I was watching Al Franken deliver his Sotomayor love letter in the hearings today, I just thought, "What is he doing in public office?" He looks, and acts, like he should be in the cast of "Funny People", not in the US Congress. But there he sits. 

-Halfway through Glenn Beck's "Common Sense". Beck is very cynical and a little loud (much like his show), but brings up some excellent points. One thing you find out about Glenn very fast is, although he is a big-conservative, he's not a big-republican. He equally hates all politicians. Although his book, thus far, is at times cynical and pessimistic, it should be read by all Americans, regardless of political affiliation. I think democrats would be surprised to hear that Bush takes more shots than Obama in this book. 

-BREAKING NEWS: OFFICIALS TO OBTAIN SEARCH WARRANT FOR JACKSON'S DOCTOR'S HOUSE. 

BREAKING NEWS: JACKSON'S DOCTOR GOES OUT TO LUNCH.

Is anyone else tired of the day-to-day soap opera that unfolds on every major news network, highlighting Michael Jackson's death? Ok, he died. It's sad, and I expect it to be reported. His funeral is a big deal, and I don't mind hearing about that. It's a homicide? Ok, interesting. But do I really want a line-by-line reading of his will or a daily account of his doctors? NO! It's getting out of hand. GET IT TOGETHER, PEOPLE!! There are still important events happening, like, gee....I don't know, the confirmation of a Judge to the Bench! Or how about America's gradual path to SOCIALISM! Pull yourselves together. 

-Michael Vick is back to the NFL. Sad story....

-Can we (and by We, I mean the people) STOP asking to see President Obama's birth certificate? Nobody likes a sore loser. The man's American. And guess what? HE'S CHRISTIAN!! Because he has dark skin and a funny name we now can't believe he's an American? We can do better than that. 

Who I like in 2010

I've been all about 2012 ever since President Obama was sworn into office. Putting Mike Huckabee in the White House has become my #1 goal. However, the 2010 elections are quickly approaching. As we've seen in multiple votes already this year, it's becoming increasingly important to have representatives in Congress that will share our values and opinions on issues. Here's a few that we can start with.

Remember, regardless of whether or not you live in their home state or not, join these great men's causes and help them get elected. Getting men like these elected all over the country is becoming increasingly important. Once you join, please take a couple seconds to invite your friends, as it's very easy. 

Matt Lockett, Kentucky 6th

The similarities I see in Matt and Mike Huckabee just keep coming. He is an ordained baptist minister and firmly believes in less government, strongly against bailouts and massive amounts of government spending, and a strong defender in the sanctity of human life. Matt is a great man who's got a great future in public service. You can join Matt's cause here:

Matt's Website 

Facebook Page 

Rex Rice, South Carolina

 3rd 

Rex is truly a down to earth guy. It's been a joy to have had multiple conversations with him already. Much like Mike, he's very conservative on just about every issue. Rex considers himself "The Fair Tax Congressman" and is a very strong supporter of it. Please help him out in his run to the White House:

Rex's Website 

Facebook Page

(You can find him on twitter as well)

Marco Rubio, U.S. Sen

ate in Florida 

Marco truly has a 

bright future ahead. Someday, he will lead a powerful Republican Party. I encourage you to watch a video of him, because he is very, very impressive, and hard not to like. It's obvious he's very smart and very capable of being elected to the Senate. He's already received an official endorsement from Huck Pac. His conservative values and his "it" factor make him an attractive candidate for 2010. 

Marco's Website

Facebook Page

These are just a few of many who need all of our help. Please, if nothing else, join their facebook pages and invite your friends (simply by clicking the "Suggest to Friends" tab under their picture then clicking "select all"). This will go along way in spreading the word and getting true conservatives elected in 2010, and really beginning to make a difference. 

Time to turn it into "Huck Mode"

In 2008, Mike Huckabee was looked down upon as the “God-Candidate”. Maybe not so much looked down upon as counted out. Sure, he got questions in debates—about evolution. Sure, he got press coverage—when his Christmas ad showed a cross in the background. It seems like we never actually heard about the issues with Mike. Which is a shame. It was frustrating as a Huckabee fan that I was told I should “pick a real candidate” while being laughed at.

Only a year later….whose laughing now?

The tables have been drastically turned. Mike has turned into a “third party religious candidate” to frontrunner. Which is why I’m calling all Huckabee fans to click on “Huck Mode.” Defined by Webster’s dictionary, “Huck Mode” is: “1) an attitude of severe pride for Mike Huckabee, 2) a non-stop campaign for Huckabee or 3) being a true conservative with defined, useful ideas.”

I’m calling all Huckabee fans to turn on all three. Here’s how to do it.

Grassroots

According to CNN, Fox News and just about every internet poll in the world, Mike Huckabee is the frontrunner for the Republican nomination 2012.  It seems, barring a freak incident (aka, catastrophes), that it is inevitable that he will run again in 2012. He’s already begun to schedule Iowa events in the hopes that Iowans will again pick him as the republican nominee. This seems very likely. If he can win the state with little support or media attention, and very little money, then he can win it as the frontrunner.  This is a cause for pride.

One huge way to show that pride for Mike is through grassroots websites and groups for Mike. A great one is Huck’s Army. Be sure to visit the website or the facebook page and become a member of both. Huck’s Army even has a forum where you may go and discuss all things Mike Huckabee. Blogging for Mike is always good, as well as showing him a little love on social networking (facebook, twitter, etc.) is always useful as well. Even make a small donation (a large on works too) to Huck Pac and create an account with them as well. I can tell you that the more these groups grow, the stronger Mike looks, and becomes, with the upcoming elections in 2010 and 2012. This is vital if you want to see a conservative revolution in these years.

However, you joining is not enough. Be sure that your friends, co-workers, family members and total strangers that you meet on a day-to-day basis, are very aware of these sites as well. You’d be surprised at how fast a group can grow if each member took this mindset and accepted the group as it’s own and spread the word. I challenge you to find out.

Constant Campaigning

Want to become a Mike Huckabee spokesman? Guess what? Yes you can!! (sorry for the choice of words…) Whenever you talk about Mike to a friend, you have the ability to impact the way he votes. If you consider yourself a “Mike Huckabee fan”, you instantly become one of his (many) spokesman—each as important as the next. It’s very important that you familiarize yourself with Mike, his policies and his past, the good, bad and the ugly. You need to be able to tell the person who asks about your bumper sticker why it’s there and why Mike would benefit this country. You’ll also find the “haters”. These people could be anywhere from Romney fans to liberals, who will attack Mike and his former policies. (If you need a good reference point for this, check my blog archive. I’m sure you’ll find useful tools there.) You need to be able to tell these people the truth and support your opinion.

Now that you are on Mike’s communication staff, try your hand in advertisement staffing as well.  A “Mike Huckabee 2012” bumper sticker is VITAL right now. A t-shirt or two wouldn’t hurt either. I’ve also just ordered my “Mike Huckabee Signature Coffee mug” from Mikehuckabee.com.  Different items like these are great conversations starters for you to tell people about Mike and spread the word about the many organizations (such as Huck’s Army) that you’re involved in, and to invite them too!

 

Conservative Ideals

If you’re reading this, then you more than likely agree with the spread of conservative ideals. You probably want less government and lower taxes. You are probably conservative on most social issues. Maybe you just like the Fair Tax. You don’t have to agree with all of Mike’s policies to like him. But I think all of us, regardless of whether or not we agree on each little form of policy, want to see real change in Washington and want to see it in the form of Mike Huckabee. We want to see it in the form of faith and character, as well as in the form of bringing real, positive change to all our lives. We can all agree on that.

I hope you’ll join me along with many others devoted to Huckabee’s cause in changing politics as usual and to start acting like a frontrunner. Instead of being satisfied with where we are, let’s build the strongest grassroots army the world of politics has ever seen and show Mike we are with him every step on the way. It doesn’t start in two or three years—it starts now! Now is when we turn on Huck mode and begin to spread the word. I hope you’ll join us.

Defending America

"Did you know that two thousand years ago a Roman citizen could walk across the face of the known world free of the fear of molestation. He could walk across the earth unharmed, cloaked only in the words 'Civis Romanis', I am a Roman citizen. So great was the retribution of Rome, universally understood as certain, should any harm befall even one of its citizens." 

-President Bartlett from "The West Wing" 

I am a West Wing addict. I do 3 things (other than essentials like eat, sleep, etc.) just about every day when possible: 1) Read my Bible 2) Workout and 3) Watch the West Wing. If you aren't an avid watcher now, I advise you to go buy Season 1 as soon as possible, as it's blend of drama, comedy and politics is unmatched by any show I have ever watch. The only thing that could possibly make it better was if it was a Republican White House. Of course, President Bartlett's administration is very liberal, which is why I disagree with much of the policy on the show. However I also disagree with the writings of Dan Brown, but it's still exceptional writing, which I appreciate. 

I bring this up because many times, the West Wing sometimes shapes how I think. The writers are very informed and knowledgeable. One such not-so-liberal instance was in the Episode from Season 1, a Proportional Response. A new President Bartlett and his staff are just settling in the White House. The President befriends Maurice Toliver (who's just recently become a father of a little boy and a like-able character) , an army doctor who gives the President regular medical checkups. Toliver's plane, while traveling to the Middle East for a routine mission, is shot down unprovoked. The President's staff advises him to use a "Proportional Response" by hitting a smaller target like an army building, which is usually deserted anyway, prepared for the attack. The President is furious, and demands a larger attack that won't look like they're "docking someone's allowance." 

It's funny how, despite having a Military that is unmatched by any ever to walk the earth, we still seem to be the target of bullying. Terrorists attacks or threats, whatever it is, it seems to be never ending. On September 11th, 2001, we were attacked by these criminals for hopefully the last time. Standing amongst the rubble of the World Trade Centers, President Bush stood with a Microphone and, after an on looker shouted "We Can't hear you!", he bellowed these words: "I can hear you. I can hear you, the rest of the world can hear you, and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon." The crowd burst out in applause and chants of "U-S-A! U-S-A!" George W. Bush didn't come back with a Proportional Response. The came back with the wrath of God, crippling the ones who did this horrible deed. 

I would consider myself a "Bush Fan". He made his mistakes and there are certainly things about his Presidency I would change. There are few President's who can say different. I do not believe he will go down in history as one of the greatest President's ever or one of the worst ever. His decision to invade Iraq will continue to be one of the most controversial ever made. Only time will tell if it was the right decision or not. If Iraq does continue improvement and does and becomes a democracy, then a job well done. If not, it will be a tragedy. However, few can deny that Bush restored lost dignity and respect to the White House and the Office of the President. He took out a dangerous tyrant despite overwhelmingly high public disapproval. He showed it was acceptable for his faith and policies to mix. He also did something which is rare in Washington: he did what he thought was right, not what he thought would be popular. 

War is never an easy thing. Putting the lives of young men and women in the middle of combat must be a taxing decision for any President. Yet, at times, we need it. Terrorism was one of the fastest growing trends around in 2001 and 2002, and American's were frightened at the thought of being attacked at any moment. This should never happen. America is the greatest country in the history of the world. Our military should strike a fear so great that not a soul would dare step on this soil with intent to harm. A "Proportional Response" is no good. In times like these, we should use the full force of the American military to wipe the floor with our enemies. 

Now let's be very clear. I'm not saying America should go to war every time a plane gets shot down. I'm saying that when we feel threatened or feel like our citizens are in danger, we should attack with all we got. It works much like a prison system should. As of now, prisons aren't nearly as tough as they should be. What do criminals have to be afraid of? A life without financial struggle? A life where they can relax, play basketball, lift weights and get an education? Prison isn't scary like it should be. Prison should be an awful place that frightens people outside it's walls so much, they wouldn't dare do anything that could lead there. It's the same idea for our military. If you show you strength and power and more importantly, show you aren't afraid to use it, attacking America won't be thought of lightly, if thought of at all. 

Americans, as President Bartlett said about the Romans in the West Wing, should be able to walk the earth "unmolested" with just one defense, "I am an American." 

The Conservatives Guide to Defending Values

As the world watches a virtual civil-war unfold over the issue of abortion, I figured I would do my part to best "de-fuse" the situation. I'm not trying to shape your opinion to mine, or shape it into anything else, for that matter. I hope you'll see where I'm coming from and keep an open mind about everything you read, then shape what you believe. 

"Values voters" have always played an prominent role in elections. They shape how candidates act and what they talk about, and also can have a big impact on election day. Republicans often hinge their campaign on these voters coming to the polls. But what is a "values voter"? What motivates them to give their vote to a certain candidate? Often, the voter will find an evangelical Christian who makes it very known that he/she is pro-Bible, pro-life and against gay-marriage and stem cells. Often times, they would also be very much opposed to anything trying to remove the word "God" out of anything, and keeping the Ten Commandments everywhere. 

However, there is one negative part to this. The "values voter" is often uninformed and only follows the Bible for guidance. Now let's be clear, many voters are uninformed when they enter the polling place. I'm not just picking on values voters. I'll also point out that I, myself, are conservative on most "values issues." Where my problem comes in, is how conservatives often justify their views. 

Now, I'm as big a "Bible Fan" as you'll find. I read my Bible everyday and believe the Bible is God's Word. I'm a proud Southern Baptist and don't plan on changing that any time soon. However, as much as we would like to believe that every word in the Bible is the way we should live, we simply can't do it. Here's how I like to look at the Bible: "Anything Jesus said or did is fact and should be an example for us. Everything else is up for interpretation." One popular Christian argument for being  against homosexuality is the Bible calls homosexuality an "abomination". This, if you're not already familiar with it, is in Leviticus(20:13). What most Christians fail to realize after making this argument (aside from, sadly enough, the liberal you're arguing with may not care what's in the Bible at all), is that you only need to flip over a few pages to Leviticus 11 to justify death to all football players (Lev. 11:7-8- "touching the skin of a dead pig makes one unclean"), to justify slavery (Exodus 21:7) and even putting people to death for working on the Sabbath (Exodus 35:2). Although I believe the Bible gives many useful insights as to values issues, the Old Testament (which is often considered more of a "history" than a way to live) is not one of them. 

Instead, a conservative's way of being opposed to Gay-Marriage, if they even are opposed to it, should dive more into reasons that effects today's life than pulling out scripture verses, which can almost always be interpreted different ways. An example of this would be to point out that a child, which there is little disagreement among experts on this point, grows up better with one loving mother and one loving father. Of course there are many tragic families out there without the word "loving", in which case, sure, it would be better to have two loving fathers. However, there are just as many homosexual mothers and fathers who are poor parents as heterosexuals. It also a respectable view that you believe marriage is an institution, and changing it would open too many doors. Who says polygamist won't be next? I can tell you that these arguments will be more respected in debates than pulling out verses from Leviticus. 

While on the subject of homosexual marriage, I'd like to interject with a small defense of liberals. "Liberal" is often thrown around as a very negative term. I believe it is, for the most part, negative. However, let's not forget it's "liberals" that ended slavery in this country. It's "liberals" that got women to vote. I think in 30-40 years, we will look back at this point and see the persecution of homosexuals as akin to women and african americans and that the Bible was often pointed to as justification for these. As I said, I'm against homosexual marriage, but I'm strongly opposed to any "gay-bashing" and do not believe homosexuality is a sin. I simply believe homosexual marriage would open a whole new can of worms to be dealt with. If they want civil unions, I have no problem with it. Marriage, as I said, is an institution. 

Another popular values issues is abortion. We are seeing in the media the current friction between pro-lifers and pro-choice people with the murder of Dr. Tiller who was often called "Tiller the Baby Killer". However, I believe that both sides are seeing this for what it is. Murder is never a good thing, and never the solution to any problem, no matter how drastic (which is why I'm anti-capital punishment. Another argument for another day. Facebook me for more on that). I'm glad to see both sides condemn this tragedy. Yet, the debate on abortion presses on. Now, I'm a pretty fair minded person. I usually see the issue from both sides before making my choice. But this is one issue that I simply believe, there is no gray. This is an absolute wrong. What does the Bible say about it? One clear passage that almost all pro-lifers use for abortion is "even before you were in the womb, I knew you." This clearly shows that God says abortion is wrong. However, it's relatively easy for a smart liberal (they make those?) to poke holes in this argument. Here's a little devils advocate for you: "But the verse clearly says 'BEFORE you were in the womb.' Well what's that? That could easily mean the man's sperm. Does that mean birth control is wrong? Is it killing a (potential) baby every time a man produces sperm that doesn't fertilize a woman's egg?" (hey, I'm trying my best to keep this "PG" rated) So, conservatives are forced to find other avenue's of arguing. Try this one on for size. Every year in America, there's always high profile murders that make the front page of Fox News and CNN. Many times, these include the murders of babies, and sometimes, even unborn children. These stories always make me think 2 things: A) how awful it is and how that person better get the maximum jail sentence and B) how stupid our government is. Why B? Here's why. This is the first sentence from a local news story in Maryland: "[David Miller, who] is accused of killing his girlfriend is charged with her death and the death of her unborn child." There is another instance of a mother killing her own child by way of drinking poison, only to find she will be tried for the murder of child is the judge feels the child could have survived. What kind of messed up system is that? You are charged with the murder of unborn children, when any mother can just stroll down to a health clinic and have it done legally? This is should be the shouting point of every pro-life person in the world, not Biblical scripture. 

There are many more values issues that will continued to be debated. Conservatives, sadly enough, will continue to spout off ill-informed pieces of information, when their opinion is quite valid and many of their points correct. For example: We should have the Ten Commandments and prayer in schools and government buildings because our country was founded on Christian values. Values? Yes. Christian? No. Our country was founded on religious freedom, whether that be Christian, Quaker, Mormon, Mennonite or Muslim. The founders believed in religious freedom and believed that Church and State should be separated. In fact, most of the founders were Deists, which is far from Christian. I'm just pointing out that the founders weren't the Christian we think them to be. They no doubt believed in God, but that doesn't make them Christian.

Here's my personal view on it all: I'm a Christian and I believe in the Bible. I am not for FIGHTING for prayer in schools and the Ten Commandments in schools. Do you know why? They already are! Why do we have to take 10 minutes out of our kids education for a prayer that's likely to be phony anyway. I'd much rather have the group of Christian kids circle together in the lobby for real, heartfelt prayer. There is no law saying that I can't pray in school, so I did so. There was no law prohibiting me from posting the Ten Commandments in my locker. That's enough for me. The founders would have been adamantly opposed to anything that forced Christian Values on anybody, including a Christian prayer every morning. My view is Christians should stop raising heck over points like prayer in schools when we already have it. Instead, the resources fighting that should go to funding things like a magnetic Ten Commandments in lockers or setting up FCF (Fellowship of Christian Friends) in schools without one. This would be a much for valuable use of our time and focused, not on winning a partisan war, but getting things done. This type of action would be an example not only to the future of our Country, but our government now. If Washington adopted that attitude, we would live in a much more efficient America. 

I want to be very clear that I'm not opposed to the Bible shaping views. The Bible, for the most part, defines who I am and what I believe. If not the Bible, then no doubt my religious views. Jesus' words and actions help make me who I am. But I realize that the Bible is far too complex for even an evangelical like me to understand. I also understand that it's not meant to be taken literally and almost impossible to use as an arguing tool. I'm not trying to change values voters opinions, just the way they back up those opinions. I'm not tired of being the "values party", but am tired of the other party hitting us for being uninformed and closed minded. If you are a values voter yourself, I encourage you to look beyond just values and look into fiscal, foreign and domestic policy in a candidate. I believe the values voter who goes to the polls only to vote for values is messing up the electoral process. Voting for a candidate only because he is pro-abortion would be kind of foolish, considering Roe vs. Wade still hasn't been overturned, through multiple Republican Presidents. You need to vote for the man who will improve this country the most. I'm not saying that can't be a pro-life candidate, because it probably is. But look around for a good candidate, not one who's strong on just one issue. 

I hope values voters continue to care about values, if that makes sense. These are important issues we are faced with everyday that I would not want to be neglected. But America's largest problem maybe just being informed, which unfortunately includes values voters. If conservatives all of a sudden became the "informed party" and began to crush the liberal side in almost any debate, we would see a shift in power in the country faster than the republican to democratic one we saw in recent years. To make a long story short- read your Bible, pray for our country, but become educated on realms outside religion. Be a Bible expert AND a current events expert. It will go a long way, I promise you, in electing good conservative candidates and more importantly, getting things done. 

(Related Readings: What you should know about Politics...but don't [Conrad], The Faith of George W. Bush [Mansfield], The Moral Compass [Bennett].

Conservatism dead? I think not

It's come to my attention that "conservatism" is dead. The Liberal Media, also known as "The Media minus Fox News", has led the charge to buy a nice casket, set visitation and funeral times and put the GOP away. Headlining the obituary: "The GOP has died because they are too conservative and unable to change with the times. The GOP also suffered from lack of leadership." According to just about everything you and I will read or hear on a daily basis will cover either the dominance of the democrats or the death of conservatism. 

Ironically, it is the MEDIA that proves to me that conservatism not only has a pulse, but is running around all over the place and gearing up for a battle in 2012. According to the recent Nielsen Ratings, Fox News flexes its muscles. For Sunday, May 24th, Fox News cleaned up house by taking 719 total viewers compared to CNN at 389 and MSNBC at 344. During prime-time it was more of the same with Fox News at 1019, CNN at 515 and MSNBC at 427. 

This means, of course (for all who've had elementary school math), that not only did Fox News destroy the other stations, but beat the other major 2 COMBINED. Yet conservatism is dead? But there's even better news. Huckabee was by far the most popular show on, and joined Fox News Sunday and Geraldo as the only ones reaching 1,000 viewers. Here's a little chart for you: 

Total Viewers: (L +SD)

Total day: FNC: 719 | CNN: 389 | MSNBC: 344 | HLN: 259 

Prime: FNC: 1019 | CNN: 515 | MSNBC: 427 | HLN: 376

	5p:	6p:	7p:	8p:	9p:	10p:	11p:
FNC	NewsHQ:	FNSunday:	Report:	Huckabee:	Madoff:	Geraldo:	Huckabee:
	760	1034	972	1035	930	1091	619
CNN	Zakaria:	Newsroom:	Newsroom:	StateOf:	King:	Newsroom:	News/State:
	286	344	383	305	694	546	503/327
MSNBC	MTP:	Special:	Special:	Special:	Special:	Special:	Special:
	237	195	300	464	446	372	440
HLN	HLN:	Prime:	Issues:	Grace:	Issues:	Grace:	Showbiz:
	276	225	362	445	355	364	277

That's not just in the South folks--that's all over America. Oddly enough, the media itself is showing us that the media is wrong in saying conservatism is dead. (I know...almost as confusing as Joe Biden) 

Next, do we lack leadership? Honestly, yes, we probably do. There is no glaring leader for the GOP, as Steele is the only one in that position and he's not grasping that role. The leader of the 2012 Republican polls right now, Mike Huckabee, is more in a position of movie star than GOP leader. 

That being said, would I change the fact that we don't have a clear cut leader? No. Though we don't have one big guy at the top, the GOP has plenty of able politicians all over the place willing to stand up and fight for conservative values. As long as a leader emerges by 2012, there's really no rush. Until that time, I will continue to back the Party and not just one particular person. 

The Republicans have some very strong candidates for 2012, including Mike Huckabee, who is becoming extremely popular through his Fox News TV Show and his Radio Program. 

Don't look now, but I think the GOP is rising from the grave. 

Get Excited Huckabee Fans

In addition to my electoral predictor from an earlier post, this is more of why I truly believe Huck's got a great shot in 2012. 

The GOP

Lately, the GOP has been in a flux. With seemingly no leadership and the democrats taking over Washington, the GOP is in as big a hole as it's ever been in. The field for 2012 is wide open. Names have ranged from Romney, to Gingrich, to Pawlenty, to Palin and even General Patraeus. The list of possible candidates ranges to over 20 names (and yes, that includes Ron Paul). Yet one has begun to rise above the pack. After a 2008 campaign that started with him being completely unknown and having very little money (compared to the other candidates, that is), he ended it in second place, with his own TV show and radio program, a NY Times bestseller and a on the front of Time Magazine. I'm talking, of course, about Mike Huckabee. 

Even since his win in Iowa, he's had enthusiastic supporters everywhere he goes. Lines at book-signings for his new book "Do the Right Thing" extended into the parking lot. His show has landed a spot on prime time TV and seen excellent ratings. Yes, Mike Huckabee is becoming popular. It probably happened to all of us at some point. Maybe it's when we finally hit puberty, or we hit that home run in baseball or when we aced the test no one else did- at some point, most of us had that moment when we became popular seemingly overnight. Except, none of us are running for President of the United States. 

Mike has channeled his popularity from the entertainment industry to polls for the 2012 Presidential Election. He's leads every poll I've seen of GOP candidates, and most aren't inside the margin of error. He is the only on who is considered "popular" with a favorability rating of 44/36 (being 44% like him, 36% don't). And, with the margin of error, he could be the only candidate within a single digit deficit of the President. With his TV show's rising popularity and his book still performing well, along with his dedicated followers left over from 2008, it's hard to see how Mike Huckabee won't win the Republican Nomination in 2012. 

The Media Darling Obama 

So that leaves Obama. His fluent speaking style and charming personality would make any GOP candidate cringe. However, President Obama is currently in an unique situation. His spending bills in the poor economic time are considered risky, and its put him in a odd situation. If this economic package is a full blown success and turns the economy around (I believe, highly unlikely), then he wins re-election. If it completely fails, he loses (he probably wouldn't even win the Democratic Nomination). However, what is most likely is that his stimulus package does have some positive effect, but doesn't "stimulate" like it was supposed to. Come the time of the Iowa caucus, the economy is still in poor shape, even if a little better than it was when he was elected. Even if it's significantly better, but still below average, I think he's still in bad shape. Because now we have a average-at-best economy and and now the national debts as high as it's ever been. Americans are going to blame him, and will not re-elect him. 

Enter, Mike Huckabee. Who, after gaining momentum with early wins in Iowa and South Carolina, becomes near impossible to stop. He cleans up shop in the South and performs extremely well with moderates. He wins the republican nomination then sneaks out an electoral victory on election day. 

It's an exciting thought for Huckabee fans, that a man like him can get elected President. They always say, "A Good Man can't be elected President." 

I don't believe that.