Huckabee returns to Iowa!

November 22, 2010 by 4 Comments

Mike Huckabee returned to Iowa. The professional articles and professional bloggers have written about his press conference and speech at the Iowa Family Policy Center Event in Des Moines. Interested people will be able to read exactly what Mike said and see photos of his time on stage playing bass with the Praise Band and video of the Press Conference.

While these articles document the actual words spoken by Mike Huckabee this post comes from the heart of a Huckabee supporter.

Some background:

In 2008 I caucused for Mike Huckabee in an overly crowded room and counted what I thought would be 7 voters for Huckabee. My count was off by 40 as there were 47 votes cast for Mike. I left the caucus room to hear the reports that Mike Huckabee was the winner of the Iowa Caucus. With excitement and delight I headed for the Victory Celebration in Des Moines. There I was surrounded by many other happy Huckabee supporters and witnessed the very ecstatic Mike Huckabee revel in his win and success for all the time spent with Iowa voters in the hot Iowa summer and cold Iowa winter.

I watched Mike Huckabee all through the 2008 campaign. I saw him placed on the side of the stage during the debates. I listened to the great amount of wisdom and information he shared in the small amount of time he was allowed to answer questions. I heard pundits and reporters make fun of Huckabee’s name, how silly he looked in his Iowa hunting gear, and make comments about his remarkable sense of humor. Let’s just say that reporters and others did not always appreciate Huckabee’s sense of humor as much as I did.

It was with great sadness for me that Mike Huckabee dropped out of the 2008 Primary and John McCain went on to run against our now President Obama.

My Huckabee for President campaign buttons, bumper stickers, and yard signs went in to storage but my Huckabee heart and soul continued in action because of a few words scratched on a piece of paper and kept in plain sight for me to see daily:

“YOU BE THE SOMEBODY – YOU DO THE SOMETHING.”     Mike Huckabee

Fast forward to 2010 election.

Grass roots Huckabee Iowans worked for Bob Vander Plaats and other local candidates. By now we were seasoned and experienced with net working, literature drops, and making phone calls and more. We were also hearing speculation about which Republican candidates would enter the 2012 Presidential race.

With the election over the speculation has increased. On a daily basis the names of Palin and Romney are uttered as the front runners for the Republican Party. Numerous on line polls are up for voters who follow such things to vote for who they think will be the nominee. Potential candidates make the trip to Iowa. The drama builds.

The drama for me continued on Sunday, November 21.

Mike Huckabee returned to Iowa.

I watched the large crowd file in to the IFPCA  event. There were seasoned citizens, young couples holding hands, people in wheel chairs, babies in infant carriers, teenagers. Iowans in suits and Iowans in jeans.

I listened in as Mike Huckabee answered questions from the media. Here was the Huckabee I had come to respect and admire with his terrific communication skills and easy going way to answer even more Palin questions.

I observed those in the audience enjoy Mike playing a guitar with the Praise Band. More delight.

And then, with so many others, I listened to Mike give the keynote address.

No teleprompter and speaking from the heart. His kind voice and inspirational message listened to with such intensity that I was reminded of the saying ‘you could have heard a pin drop’. Well, except for the row of men sitting behind me that at certain times in the speech would say “Amen”!

Yes, Mike Huckabee had returned to Iowa!

And Mike Huckabee has something that the media seems to fail to understand in their passion to say ‘Palin’ and ‘Romney’.

Mike Huckabee has boots on the ground in Iowa. And not just boots, he has grandma types with Huckabee hearts with signs and buttons ready to dust off when taken out of storage. He has volunteers who are now experienced with net working not just with other Iowa supporters but nationally, as well.

Mike Huckabee has said “this is my race – my pace” and while we wait for his official word as to whether or not he will be a candidate for the 2012 election he did give people like me a message on this visit to Iowa. It came through loud and clear and it came in the form of a beautiful purple tie.

Purple is my favorite color. Mike Huckabee is my favorite candidate. My grandma walking shoes are ready.

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Mike Huckabee’s Visit to Iowa: The Beginning of the Beginning?

November 17, 2010 by Leave a comment

I have kept up to date on political news regarding the 2012 Republican presidential nomination for over two years.  The central theme that has come from most pundits on the Republican side  is that “Huckabee won’t run.”  After hearing this for two years I am now convinced that this opinion is more of state of denial than a stated fact.  I have watched poll after poll come out and have seen Governor Huckabee’s name at the top or near the top for Republicans’ choice for their next nominee.  Even though the conservative media pushes other candidates, such as Mitt Romney or Sarah Palin, and leaves Huckabee’s name out of the conversation completely or hits him with some cheap shots, the people are adament; they still want Mike Huckabee.  Perhaps someday the Republican elite will be forced to accept that.

This Sunday, November 21, the 2008 caucus winner will make his first trip to Iowa since the midterms to be the keynote speaker at Iowa Family Police Center Action’s “Celebrate the Family” event.  This trip to Iowa alone raised eyebrows about a possible run for the White House, but not as much as what Huckabee has been saying about the event.  First there was this statement from Huck PAC’s Executive Director, Hogan Gidley, stating the purpose of Governor Huckabee’s visit to Iowa when there was some confusion on what he will be speaking about at the event.  Next there was the interview that Mike Huckabee did with Steve Deace on the largest Iowa radio station in the days leading up to the event in which he seemed to be basically marking his territory and touching on all points important to the Iowa caucus voter, and he also made it clear that the door is open for another run.

So, when those on Huckabee’s same team who hate him because he is not one of them say that “he won’t run” I realize that they are actually saying a silent prayer because what is evident to me is also clearly evident to them.  It may be Mike Huckabee that the confetti will fall on during the next Republican National Convention and it also is likely it may be him we are swearing-in as President of the United States in 2013.

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Mike Huckabee Coming to Iowa

November 8, 2010 by 2 Comments

Governor Mike Huckabee will be making his first trip to Iowa since the conclusion of the midterm elections in which his Political Action Committee was very successful assisting 94 candidates across the nation at all levels of government with their wins, which is a 75% success rate, and ten of those victories were in Iowa.  In polling news Huckabee has defeated President Obama by 8 points in a head-to-head match-up and was also the favorite for the Republican nomination if he chooses to run in 2012.  He has a new policy book coming out in February which I am sure will include a book tour and possible another visit to Iowa in the future.

On Sunday, November 21st, Governor Huckabee will be the keynote speaker at the Celebrate the Family event put on by Iowa Family Policy Center Action.  It will be held at First Federated Church in Des Moines from 2:00-5:00 p.m.  At 2:00 p.m. there will be hors d’ oeuvres and dessert buffet and the program will begin at 3:00 p.m.  Huckabee will be using his experience as a pastor turned politician to address the need for the church to engage in our culture to preserve family values.

The invite from IFPC Action included this information about the event:

Governor Huckabee will be speaking about the role of the church regarding God-honoring civics, the current assault on life, marriage and family, and what it means to be a Christian statesman. The afternoon will include a dessert & hors d’ oeuvres buffet, praise and worship music, and exciting new announcements regarding the Iowa Family Policy Center Action. Come join us for an inspiring afternoon!

Please visit the Celebrate Family section on the Iowa Family Policy Center website.  There are special opportunities for sponsorship, a special invite to pastors and churches, and $25 general admission reservations.

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Conservative Republicans will fight on

November 2, 2010 by Leave a comment

It continues to be very disappointing for many Iowans that Bob Vander Plaats is not the Republican candidate on the ballot. Not to be deterred, Bob’s supporters have worked hard on campaigns for other candidates and for the Iowa for Freedom effort to promote voting NO on the 3 Iowa Supreme Court Justices.

Many times in the past two years it would have been easy to give up, stay home, and heaven forbid, pout.  Participating in politics is not an easy thing to do. From my own experience, elections and Republican outcomes don’t always go the way my conservative heart wishes they would go. To assist me in the effort to keep on keeping on, I have two quotes by my computer to encourage me when the going gets tough.

“You be the somebody, you do the something”. Mike Huckabee

“Fight on and fly on to the last drop of blood and the last drop of fuel, to the last beat of the heart.”  Baron Manfred von Richthofen

Chocolate helps, too.

With this post I want to give a shout out and thank you to my friends in Iowa Defense Alliance. We are a small but committed group of Conservative Republicans who blog what we think and feel. In recent posts for candidates such as Brenna Findley, Kent Sorenson, Tim Gartin, Chad Steenhoek, Karin Sevde, Rick Sanders, Tom Shaw, Renee Twedt, Brad Zaun, Stephen Howell, Jane Hodoly, and Kim Pearson we have attempted to get the word out about terrific candidates. It is my hope that we will join many of these candidates in happy celebrations!

I am also thankful to the new friends and patriots that I have come to know in my life involved in politics. These people are All-American kind of citizens with a common passion for standing up for the Constitution and conservative values. Our networking and commitment have been valuable leading up to this election night and we are more than ready and prepared for what tomorrow brings.

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Report from Story County

November 2, 2010 by Leave a comment

Tom Latham Headquarters in Ames is buzzing with activity. Wow, more volunteers than there are phones available to make “get out the vote” calls. It is amazing to observe so many patriots in one place working their hearts out to urge people to vote!

I am pleased and thankful that Story County Republicans have so many willing workers. Not only the phone calls, but putting out yard signs, door knocking, literature drops, food for the workers, giving hard earned money for campaigns  –numerous ways to make the grass roots effort successful.

It is  awesome to report such great and happy news!

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Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller’s Glass House

November 1, 2010 by 4 Comments

As the 2010 general election rapidly draws to a close Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller has come under fire for potential unethical and quite possibly illegal campaign activity. This weekend Miller acknowledged that his campaign has borrowed $95,000 from two of his subordinates in the Attorney General’s office. Craig Robinson has adequately detailed why this turn of events is so troublesome in a recent post on The Iowa Republican. For the most part I agree with the assumptions and conclusions that Craig has come to. However, I do wish that Craig had addressed the rebuttal made by Miller during an interview on the subject with WHO TV. Please watch the video here.

The first claim I would like to mention here is the fact that Miller claims that his subordinates offered the loan to his campaign, that he did not solicit it. If this was the case, why was the money not given in the form of a donation? Perhaps these subordinates of his are looking for a way to ensure that Miller is beholden to him?

Next he claims that this complaint is nothing more than a desperate move by a desperate campaign. What he fails to realize is that his own actions seem to debunk his claims. If his opponent, Republican Brenna Findley, was in a losing race; why accept the loan in the first place? Why place yourself in a potentially illegal situation if you are so confident that you are going to win? The only plausible answer to these questions is that Attorney General Miller is himself not particularly confident that he will prevail in tomorrow’s general election.

And finally it seems that WHO is attempting to carry the water for Attorney General Miller by repeating his accusation that Brenna Findley’s campaign has been financed by outside interests. What WHO failed to do was check the campaign finance reports for Miller and Findley to see if that accusation was accurate. After perusing through the reports filed in the month of October I have found Attorney General Miller to have received a large number of donations of significant amounts to ascertain that his campaign has been funded by outside sources. For your perusal I will include some of the donations rendered to Miller.

  1. Donald Flexner-New York, NY-$20,000
  2. Linda Killinger-Shoreline, WA-$10,000
  3. Robert Silver-Darien, CT-$10,000
  4. Hanly Conroy Bierstein Sheridan Fisher & Hayes LLP-New York, NY-$10,000
  5. Anthony Geldermen III-New Orleans, LA-$5,000(twice)
  6. Milberg LLP-New York, NY-$7,500

Well you get the picture. If WHO or any of the other main stream media in Iowa had done their homework they would realize in short order that Miller’s accusation of Findley’s campaign being funded by outside sources is nothing more than the rhetoric of a scared politician. The truth be known it is Attorney General Miller that has campaigned on the backs of outside sources. He has taken thousands upon thousands of dollars from individuals and groups in places like New York, Maryland, Tennessee, California, Texas, Colorado, and so many more. It almost makes you wonder if Attorney General Miller has ever heard of the saying those who live in glass houses should not throw stones, because by now Miller’s glass house is shattered.

In closing I would urge each and every person that reads this post to pass it on to your friends and families. You need to let them know that our current Attorney General is nothing more than a career politician intent on keeping his job. He is not a public servant who places the integrity and honesty of his office before his own personal agenda. Finally you need to spread the truth because it appears that the media in Iowa will not.

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