GOP Dark Horse Feels His Oats

Ex-Ark. Gov. Mike Huckabee Makes Gains In Iowa, But His Candidacy Faces Major Obstacles

(CBS)  But Andrew Dowdle, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Arkansas, says high fundraising expectations would be at odds with Huckabee’s background. “Arkansas is a smaller state and it's been a traditionally Democratic state,” he said. “Even though there are moneyed interests for the Republicans, it's not like most states where the moneyed interests are going to be predominantly Republican.”

However, Dowdle said Arkansas is not unlike Iowa, where Huckabee is performing best. Both are relatively small, mostly rural states, making them suitable environments for the kind of one-on-one, retail politics that doesn’t require a lot of money and advertising. Republicans in both states tend to be conservative churchgoers who can spread word of a candidate they like among their congregations.

That makes a strong second-place finish, and maybe even an upset win over Romney in Iowa, a distinct possibility, Dowdle said. “If you look at a forum that would the most suitable for him and his traditional strengths, you couldn't ask for a better contest than Iowa for him,” he said.

Iowa pollster Ann Selzer, who conducts the Iowa Poll for the Des Moines Register, the state’s largest newspaper, says her research shows the “Huckabee bounce” is genuine. “There seems to be an overall fit there on the conservative side, a fit in terms of tone and ethic,” she said. “Especially on the born-again [Christian] side -- Romney still leads there, but Huckabee's performing well and surpassing Thompson. The question we have is how big that block will be on caucus night.”

But for all of the promise Iowa holds, Huckabee’s road after that contest is rocky. He polls in the single digits in New Hampshire, which appears likely to hold its primary less than a week after Iowa’s contest, giving Huckabee very little time to take advantage of a strong finish in the caucuses. After South Carolina’s primary, the campaign goes into overdrive with primaries in Michigan and Florida quickly followed by nearly two dozen states holding contests on Feb. 5.

Huckabee does not have a strong organization in these states, many of which demand high spending and TV advertising, particularly California.

“It is very, very tough to see a path to the nomination for him without a serious infusion of resources,” Fabrizio said. “The free media ride is only going to take him so far. If he comes in second in Iowa, he'd have to come in second in New Hampshire and he'd have to win in South Carolina. There'd have to be that kind of momentum shift.”

With the process already geared against Huckabee, it doesn’t help his chances that there are some factions within the Republican Party actively working against him. In particular, fiscal conservatives, led by the anti-tax Club For Growth, have been critical of Huckabee’s record while governor, claiming that he increased a number of taxes.

In a piece written for the conservative National Review, Club For Growth President Pat Toomey said Huckabee had compiled a “stunning record of big-government liberalism” and warned that his presence on the GOP ticket, as either president or vice president, “would hurt the party’s prospects more than it helps.”

Huckabee has said the Club’s claims are distorted, saying many of the increases they cite were enacted by public referendum. While he supports replacing the income tax with a national sales tax - called the FairTax by supporters - Huckabee’s record is not one of an ardent tax-cutter, and he has warned his fellow Republicans against being seen as a party of the rich and powerful.

“The stuff that the Club For Growth has put out has been so thoroughly debunked time and time again,” Huckabee said. “The record itself is a good one and certainly that of a fiscal conservative. You balance your budget; you live within your means. Instead of just being an ideologue and focusing on taxes, what you focus on is that the people are getting what they pay for with their taxes and you're sensitive to the needs you've got to confront.”

It also appears he has done little to persuade leaders of the Christian right to support him, even though he was enthusiastically received by attendees of the Family Research Council’s Values Voter Summit in Washington in October. FRC President Tony Perkins said Huckabee’s outreach has been lacking.

“He’s defined himself, kind of, as ‘not your normal conservative,’” Perkins said. “That’s been his mantra. We’re not really sure what that means and he hasn’t really spent time with the base developing that support. I think he may be taking it for granted.”

Huckabee, in a press conference at the Values Voter Summit, said the support of such leaders is not integral to his presidential bid’s success. “It could be that I might not have spent as much time dealing with them on a personal level,” he said. “They were expressing their view of what they saw in the field. But there’s a growing sense of coalescing in the movement, and I just hope I’m the one they’d like to coalesce around.”

[lanefiller1]

Anyone interested in what Huckabee is like face-to-face should check out this funny (but true) column at: http://goupstate.us/index.php/lanefiller/2007/11/02/title_14

[kjvprophet]

What we need is a President who will show us the way. Not the old way. Not the same way, but a NEW WAY. Think about this for a minute. What if we pulled all of our troops out of South Korea? They''ve been there for 50+ years. What if we quit worrying about Iran, but instead, realized that its having a nuclear weapon will not mean the end of the world? What if we pulled all of our troops out of the Middle-East, and brought them all home? What if we realistically addressed the National Debt, and paid attention to REALLY DOING SOMETHING about stopping illegal immigration? These are the ideas of Republican Presidential candidate, Dr. Ron Paul. He''s a ten term Congressman and a physician who has delivered over 4,000 babies. He''s an intellectual who''s published four books, three of which are devoted entirely to sound economics and one to foreign policy. He was raised on a dairy farm in Pennsylvania as a pious Lutheran, but now he attends a Baptist church. Paul is given to mulling things over morally. Whenever he recollects the helicopter pilots he treated as an Air Force Flight Surgeon (Captain) during the Vietnam War, a war which he now says was "totally unnecessary and illegal," he laments, "They were gung-ho. I''ve often thought about how many of those people never came back." Candidates with the high level of personal integrity and proven track record of adherance to The Constitution, Congressman Paul has always demonstrated only come around once in a lifetime, if we''re lucky.

[kjvprophet]

Ron Paul represents a different Republican Party from the one that Iraq, deficits and corruption have soured the country on. It''s ironic that other GOP candidates are scared to death of his message, BECAUSE his is more conservative than theirs. Being anti-war IS CONSERVATIVE. Another key difference between his message and the others is that he is a strong defender of The Constitution, which protects our civil liberties. The other Presidential candidates, who are mostly NWO Oligarchs, want to erase your liberties. They''ve tried hard to exlude Paul from the spotlight, along with the sold-out, mainstream media. In late June, despite a life of antitax agitation and pious churchgoing, he was excluded from a Republican forum sponsored by Iowa anti-tax and Christian groups. Ron Paul does not represent your Father''s school of political thought. He represents your Founding Fathers. He stands for a certain idea of The Constitution; the idea that much of the power asserted by modern presidents has been usurped from Congress, and that much of the power asserted by Congress has been usurped from the States. Though Dr. Paul acknowledges flaws in both The Constitution (it included slavery) and its Bill of Rights (it doesn''t go far enough), he still thinks a comprehensive array of positions can be drawn therefrom: against gun control; for the sovereignty of States; and against foreign-policy adventures. His message draws on the noblest traditions of American decency and patriotism.

[kjvprophet]

RON PAUL SETS NEW GOP FUNDRAISING RECORD
Freedom is apparently popular, folks. I''m glad it is. In just the last 24 hours (Nov 5, 2007), he raised over $4,200,000 in grass roots donations from his supporters nationwide, beating Mitt Romney''s previous one-day (Republican) record of 3.1 million Dollars. Do the math, folks. Ron Paul certainly isn''t getting any money from the bankers or the military industrial complex like all the sold-out NWO candidates both on the left and the right who pretend to be his equal. He''s getting support from millions of REAL people who share in his Hope For America:

-- No more meddling in other country''s political affairs
-- No more aggressive military actions overseas
-- No more pseudo-wars like the "War on Drugs"
-- No more IRS and unconstitutional income taxes
-- No more Federal Reserve (the group of private banks which owns our government)
-- No more abortion
-- No more U.N. participation
-- No more federal Laws which are not authorized by The Constitution
-- No more federal erosion of State sovereignty
-- No more all-powerful federal government

They don''t call him "Dr. No" for no reason. The Doctor is in! Join us in this 21st Century political revolution at ronpaul2008.com

Remember, folks. Freedom isn''t free.

Thanks to everyone for your support!

[gunnerv1]

I don''t believe in false prophets
Friends don''t let friends be prophets

[mcvett]

All Huckabee has to say is:

"I''m just a man from a small town called Hope"

and based on previous years, liberals should swoon.

LOL

[mcvett]

All Huckabee has to say is:

"I''m just a man from a small town called Hope"

and based on previous years, liberals should swoon.

LOL

[mcvett]

All Huckabee has to say is:

"I''m just a man from a small town called Hope"

and based on previous years, liberals should swoon.

LOL

[perception5]

And Mitt Romney''''''''s "quiet storm" continues despite the efforts of America''''''''s corrupt liberal MSM wolfpack press to de-rail his nomination..........."Today, Paul Weyrich, Chairman and CEO of the Free Congress Research and Education Foundation, announced his support for Governor Mitt Romney and his campaign to be our country''''''''s next President. Paul Weyrich is one of the premier leaders in the conservative movement, having founded the Heritage Foundation and the American Legislative Exchange Council. "As he travels across the country, Governor Romney has outlined a blueprint to build a stronger America rooted in our common conservative principles. With a clear conservative vision to move America forward, he will strengthen our economy, our military and our families. More importantly, he already has an exceptional record of putting conservative values to work. Because of his experience, vision and values, I am proud to support Governor Romney," said Paul Weyrich. With today''''''''s announcement, Governor Romney said, "Paul Weyrich has put his stamp on the conservative movement in this country. It is an honor to have his support and counsel. Through our efforts, we can work to ensure that Washington always stands on the side of building stronger American families."

Mitt Romney leads strongly in Iowa, New Hampshire, and now South Carolina.......just the facts!

[lastdance4]

RE :
Law Offices
CBS News

Explain this Chronic ...Habitual...and Harassing - Political Spam -
Posted by : LAProphet..... (aka NHProphet)

Every day - All Week long within most of the topics on
The CBS News Site

Lastdance

[laprophet]

What we need is a President who will show us the way. Not the old way. Not the same way, but a NEW WAY. Think about this for a minute. What if we pulled all of our troops out of South Korea? They''ve been there for 50+ years. What if we quit worrying about Iran, but instead, realized that its having a nuclear weapon will not mean the end of the world? What if we pulled all of our troops out of the Middle-East, and brought them all home? What if we realistically addressed the National Debt, and paid attention to REALLY DOING SOMETHING about stopping illegal immigration? These are the ideas of Republican Presidential candidate, Dr. Ron Paul. He''s a ten term Congressman and a physician who has delivered over 4,000 babies. He''s an intellectual who''s published four books, three of which are devoted entirely to sound economics and one to foreign policy. He was raised on a dairy farm in Pennsylvania as a pious Lutheran, but now he attends a Baptist church. Paul is given to mulling things over morally. Whenever he recollects the helicopter pilots he treated as an Air Force Flight Surgeon (Captain) during the Vietnam War, a war which he now says was "totally unnecessary and illegal," he laments, "They were gung-ho. I''ve often thought about how many of those people never came back." Candidates with the high level of personal integrity and proven track record of adherance to The Constitution, Congressman Paul has always demonstrated only come around once in a lifetime, if we''re lucky.

[laprophet]

Freedom is apparently popular, folks. I''m glad it is. In just the last 24 hours, he has already raised over $4,000,000 in grass roots donations from his supporters, beating Mitt Romney''s previous one-day (Republican) record of 3.1 million Dollars. Do the math, folks. Ron Paul certainly isn''t getting any money from the bankers or the military industrial complex like all the sold-out NWO candidates both on the left and the right who pretend to be his equal. He''s getting support from millions of REAL people who share in his Hope For America:

(1) No more meddling in other country''s political affairs
(2) No more aggressive military actions overseas
(3) No more pseudo-wars like the "War on Drugs"
(4) No more IRS and unconstitutional income taxes
(5) No more Federal Reserve (the group of private banks which owns our government)
(6) No more abortion
(7) No more U.N. participation
(8) No more federal Laws which are not authorized by The Constitution
(9) No more all-powerful federal government

They don''t call him "Dr. No" for no reason. The Doctor is in! Join us in this 21st Century political revolution at ronpaul2008.com

Thanks Everyone!

[laprophet]

"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win."
- Mahatma Gandhi

There is simply no other politician like Ron Paul. He understands the ills of our nation and how to cure them. The Doctor is in!

[laprophet]

I support Ron Paul and his non-interventionist foreign policy. Hitlery wants to continue our illegal police action in Iraq until at least 2013, and she does not rule out a preemptive (nuclear) first strike against Iran. Ron Paul voted against our (undeclared) war in Iraq, which was sold to us with lies. The area is more dangerous now than when we entered it. We destroyed a regime hated by our direct enemies--the jihadists, and created thousands of new recruits for them. The war in Iraq has cost more than 3,400 American lives and almost a trillion dollars. We need a leader in the White House who will ensure this never happens again. Both Jefferson and Washington warned us about entangling ourselves in the affairs of other nations. Today, we have 750 foreign bases and troops in 130 countries. We are spread so thin that we have too few troops defending America. And now, there are new calls for a draft. We can continue to fund and fight no-win police actions around the globe, or we can refocus on securing our borders against illegal aliens who are invading our country from the South. No war should ever be fought without a Declaration of War voted upon by the Congress, as required by The Constitution. Under no circumstances should the U.S. again go to war as the result of a resolution that comes from an unelected, foreign body, such as the United Nations. Too often, we give foreign aid and intervene on behalf of governments that are despised. Then, we too become despised.

[laprophet]

Ron Paul does not support secret offshore prisons like the one in Guantanamo, wherein our government tortures prisoners, who have no right to redress of grievance, or to Writ of Habeus Corpus. Ron Paul promises he will close these "illegal prisons" down. He wouldn''t necessarily just release the prisoners either. He said he would simply bring them to detainment facilities on U.S. soil where they would be entitled to an attorney, and to their day in Court--American Justice. Significant others agree with Paul. "Essentially, we have shaken the belief that the world had in America''s justice system by keeping a place like Guantanamo open and creating things like a military commission," former U.S. Secretary of State, Colin Powell recently said.

[brettrix]

Huckabee insists he can raise and spend the money required for a strong showing - the campaign recently reported raising $1 million online in October alone.

That is about 1/120th of what Dr Paul raised today - don''t waste your vote or your time with Huckabee... choose a winner, Dr Paul.

Freedom isn''t free

[laprophet]

People have gotten wise to the fact that vaccines are contaminated with DNA fragments, viruses, fungus, mercury, and a cocktail of other poisonous toxins. Fleets of reputable studies have been published globally detailing the wide swaths of destruction caused by vaccines, including autism. So, now the establishment is on the offensive, attempting to bully us into submission. Big Pharma is one of the biggest businesses in the world. It is among the top three purchasers of advertisement in print, TV and radio. Thay have major pull. President Bush recently vetoed a Bill which would have forced Big Pharma to remove mercury from vaccines. If that''s not bad enough, parts of the so-called Patriot Act contains provisions that essentialy remove the spectre of civil liability against Big Pharma with respect to vaccines. This was done under the quise of protecting Big Pharma in case they had to quickly develop a vaccine to combat some form of biological terrorism. No other candidate for President understands health issues as well as Dr. Ron Paul does. He not only supported the Bill which would have removed mercury from our vaccines, he voted against the Patriot Act as well. Dr. Paul., an OB/GYN physician, who has delivered over 4,000 babies, has been the national leader in preserving our Health Freedom. He feels that Americans are justifiably concerned over the government''s escalating intervention into our freedom to choose what we eat and how we take care of our health. Go Ron Paul!

[laprophet]

Unlike Hitlery and the so-called GOP frontrunner, Giuliani, Dr. Paul fights for the right of an innocent, unborn child. He believes the right to life is at the heart of the American ideals of liberty. His professional and legislative record demonstrates his strong commitment to this pro-life principle. In 40 years of medical practice, he never once considered performing an abortion, nor did he ever find abortion necessary to save the life of a pregnant woman. In Congress, he authored legislation that seeks to define life as beginning at conception (HR 1094). He is also the prime sponsor of HR 300, which would negate the effect of Roe v Wade by removing the ability of federal courts to interfere with state legislation to protect life. This is a practical, direct approach to ending federal court tyranny which threatens our constitutional republic and has caused the deaths of 45 million of the unborn. He also authored HR 1095, which prevents federal funds to be used for population control. Many other GOP candidates, except Giuliani, talk about being pro-life. Ron Paul took direct action to restore protection for the unborn. As an OB/GYN doctor, he delivered over 4,000 babies. That experience made him an unshakable foe of abortion. Many of you may have his book, Challenge To Liberty, which champions the idea that there cannot be liberty in a society unless the rights of all innocents are protected. Ron Paul respects the dignity of human life.

[laprophet]

Like Ron Paul, I believe the biggest threat to your privacy is the government. We must drastically limit the ability of government to collect and store data regarding a citizens'' personal matters. We must stop the move toward a national ID card system (e.g., The Real ID Act). Under this new Law, states are currently issuing new driver''s licenses embedded with standard identifier data (RFID chips). Although, some states like Montana are refusing to comply. A national ID with new tracking technologies means we''re heading into an Orwellian world of no privacy. Ron Paul was one of the few members of Congess who voted against the Real ID Act. Also, under current medical privacy protection rules, which Ron Paul also opposed, insurance companies and other entities have access to your personal medical information. Finally, there''s the so-called Patriot Act, which Congressman, Ron Paul also voted against. As originally proposed, it expanded the federal government''s ability to use wiretaps without judicial oversight; allowed nationwide search warrants non-specific to any given location, nor subject to any local judicial oversight; made it far easier for the government to monitor private Internet usage; authorized sneak and peek warrants enabling federal authorities to search a person''s home, office, or personal property without that person''s knowledge; and required libraries to turn over records of books read by their patrons. Ron Paul sponsored a Bill to overturn the Patriot Act.

[laprophet]

I agree with Ron Paul about the issue of illegal immigration. The talk must stop. We must secure our borders now. A nation without secure borders is no nation at all. It makes no sense to fight terrorists abroad when our own front door is left unlocked. Ron Paul has a plan: (1.) Physically secure our borders and coastlines. We must do whatever it takes to control entry into our country before we undertake complicated immigration reform proposals. (2.) Enforce visa rules. Immigration officials must track visa holders and deport anyone who overstays their visa or otherwise violates U.S. Law. This is especially important when we recall that a number of 9/11 terrorists had expired visas. (3.) No amnesty. Estimates suggest that 10 to 20 million people are in our country illegally. That''s a lot of people to reward for breaking our Laws. (4.) No welfare for illegal aliens. Americans have welcomed immigrants who seek opportunity, work hard, and play by the rules, but taxpayers should not pay for illegal immigrants who use hospitals, clinics, schools, roads, and social services. (5.) End birthright citizenship. As long as illegal immigrants know their children born here will be citizens, the incentive to enter the U.S. illegally will remain strong. (6.) Pass true immigration reform. The current system, and those proposed by ALL other candidates, is incoherent and unfair, and would allow up to 60 million more immigrants into our country. Vote for Ron Paul.