Caucus craziness, it was a busy week ending with Huck victory!

Well fellow politicos, here is some of what my last few weeks looked like...

Contacted by numerous members of national media. Quoted in Boston Globe, Miami Herald and others. Asked to be interviewed and followed pre-caucus by CBS news (I declined). Participated in Frank Luntz focus group night before caucus that aired on Hannity and Colmes. Precinct chair for Johnston 3 here in Polk county that fulfilled prediction that it would be highest turnout precinct in Polk Co. for Rs with over 600 attendees. PBS was at my precinct caucus. Among others, we had the following candidates or surrogates for campaigns at our caucus speaking on behalf of candidates:

1. Alan Keyes on his own behalf.


2. Former Senator Tim Hutchinson of Arkansas on behalf of Mike Huckabee.


3. Tag Romney on behalf of his father Mitt Romney.


4. Ed Cox, son-in-law of former President Richard Nixon on behalf of John McCain.

Final vote totals at my precinct caucus:

1. Huckabee --219


2. Romney -- 208


3. McCain -- 104


4. Paul -- 33


5. Giuliani -- 28


6. Thompson -- 26


7. Keyes -- 14


8. Hunter -- 0

Unfortunately, by the time we wrapped up the caucus and I dropped off packet at GOP HQ, Huckabee victory party was pretty much over. I can tell you, Romney's less than honest negative campaign hurt him. The overwhelming majority of that Fox New focus group I participated in were really turned off by the negative attacks. One participant said the final straw for her was when she came out of church to find a piece hammering Huck on her windshield, courtesy of the Romney campaign. I received THREE anti-Huck direct mail pieces in ONE day right after Christmas. I can also tell you that his representatives at the caucus were obnoxious and rude. His campaign also placed HUGE signs all over the auditorium in advance of the caucus. Romney likes to think he is the most "Reagan like." I guess he forgot about the Gipper's 11th commandment. I learned a lot about Romney's character in the way he behaved when he fell behind. I guess when you outspend your opponent 20:1 and then fall behind, you get desperate and nasty. I've never seen such a negative, deceitful campaign waged in a Republican caucus. Sounds like Romney's campaign was no less deceitful or negative towards McCain in New Hampshire. I believe it will come down to Huckabee or McCain competing against Giuliani for the GOP nomination. I think one of the key things Huckabee and McCain share is authenticity, and people respect and appreciate that. Romney will tell you what he thinks you want to hear and change his positions based on the office he is running for. Romney is in trouble. His pulling funds out of S.C. show he has given up there. If he doesn't win Michigan, he is probably done. He does have a great "resume" but is not genuine. This flip-flopper from Massachusetts will meet the same fate that another one from that state, John Kerry did -- defeat.

Huckabee electable? Bet against it at your peril if you're his opponent or support one of his opponents!

We've all heard it, Huckabee can't win. So how has he gone from an also ran to top of the pack in Iowa and the Carolinas and top two in most any national poll you want to cite? I think a lot of it is very well explained by his authenticity. He is a different kind of candidate, and I'm not talking Ron Paul or Dennis Kuccinich different (those guys are flat out weird). I think it is worth noting that a great article discussing his authenticity and sense of humor can currently be found in Der Spiegel. That's right, the famous German publication. You see, Huckabee isn't just big in early caucus/primary states and now our national press, but even the international press. Here is the link to the Der Spiegel article: http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,521991,00.html

Also, if he's not electable, how come the Fred Thompson direct mail piece I received this week was attacking Huckabee and not Romney? All the other pot shots being taken at him in the last 1-2 weeks wouldn't be happening if he wasn't a threat to the other candidates. One of the biggest charges against him, (that he is not fiscally conservative enough) should be put to rest. He has by far been the most efficient (even frugal) with his resources during this campaign. His fund raising is ramping up relatively quickly. Should he win Iowa and South Carolina and finish in top 3 in New Hampshire, the money will come. There is a lot more money on the Republican side that is still sitting in donors' pockets. Some of those waiting to commit that thought Fred Thompson might be their man are learning that Thompson is not the real deal. That guy has run a LOUSY campaign. He had all kinds of free media hype, and squandered it all. The concerns about his work ethic have been proven to be well founded. Once 1-2 front runners emerge a great number of those donors will start to write the checks. I posted a blog months ago talking about Huckabee having the "Big Mo," but he is really getting there now. There's still time and room to get on the Huckabee bandwagon, make the leap!

Look who's #1 in Iowa now (besides the U.N.I. Panthers)

Yes, Governor Huckabee is now #1 in Iowa according to the latest Des Moines Register poll. Romney is a good man, but the fact that Huckabee has passed him with only a fraction of the budget and staff is a testament to the strength and appeal of Huckabee as a candidate. I'm pretty confident he will be in the top 3 in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina. The key will be if he can raise enough money quick enough with the momentum he is gaining to mount a national campaign.

Since I mentioned my Panthers, their season came to end at the hands of the Delaware Blue Hens Saturday. I believe they are still the best team in the Football Championship Division, but to Delaware's credit, they played a nearly flawless game. The fumble recovery for a touchdown brought back memories of the national championship game against Appy St. two years ago, when that play was the difference maker in U.N.I.'s eventual defeat on that night. Oh well, hopefully U.N.I. will pick my spirits back up with a win over the Hawkeyes this week in their basketball matchup. Look for it to be a Panther state in basketball, as it was in football this year.

Check out hucksarmy.com and save08.com

Two websites worth checking out:
www.hucksarmy.com and www.save08.org
The two are connected/related. Bill Goins, a guy that came in and made a real difference for the Governor at the straw poll is behind it. Please feel free to list me as the person that referred you. Time to crank things up with the Iowa Caucuses moved up to January 3, 2008.

Conservatives that stand for something?

Sorry for all two or three of you that read my blog, I know I've been a load. However, if you've been waiting for another rant from me, you're in luck as I've gotta comment on a few recent endorsements.

1. Brownback. Give me a break, does he really think anyone besides Huckabee better reflects the conservative values he supposedly supports? I have to say, it is not the only way I have been disappointed by Brownback. Early on, I was leaning towards him before I really did my research based on tips from good friend Randy Bremner. I had become aware of Senator Brownback some years ago when I saw him at a Promise Keepers conference in Kansas City and I then began to follow his votes and the stands he took in the senate. I admired many of the positions he took and legislation that he sponsored or co-sponsored, but the way his campaign was run and some of the juveniles he had in key positions in Iowa should have had him embarrassed. A lot of dirty tricks to include sending clowns in flipper costumes to Romney event, "felon" costume to Huckabee event, etc. His campaign was also behind the false information regarding Romney's buses for the Iowa Straw Poll. I guess I expected better from a supposed Christian. I think his McCain endorsement is partially due to sour grapes/jealousy over Huckabee kicking the holy crap out of him in the Iowa straw poll despite him outspending Huck by a huge margin.
2. Robertson. This shows just how out of touch and irrelevant the guy has become. For him to throw his support to the most liberal Republican in the field and using the war on terror as his excuse shows that he apparently stands for nothing in terms of the social issues anymore. He's embarrassed normal Christians so many times, I tend to think it may be a positive that Huckabee didn't get his endorsement. I realize Pat Robertson has done much for the conservative cause over the years, but he's probably done more damage than good in recent years.

Harkin continues to be a pathetic embarassment for Iowans

I can't really say I'm surprised, but Senator Harkin would not vote to oppose MoveOn.org's disgusting ad questioning General Petraeus' integrity. When will my fellow Iowans come to their senses and throw the weasel out? He continues to be more partisan than any member of the Senate with the possible exception of Ted Kennedy. Of course in addition to Teddy, he had Hillary voting with him. Obama couldn't seem to make the vote, even though he made another one moments earlier. What a wuss. I guess the Harkins, Kennedys, and Clintons of the world at least had the balls to cast their indefensible votes. (Bloggers note: I didn't accidently include Hillary and balls in the same sentence). Sorry, I can't always trust a subtle line to get noticed, probably underestimating the intelligence of my readers. It is beyond my understanding how this guy (Harkin) continues to get re-elected after ongoing embarassments. You would think that video of him with Howard Dean during his primal scream moment would have been enough. If libs think Reagan was the Teflon president, Harkin must be the Silverstone/graphite/nothin' sticks to Senator. Sorry for the rant, but Harkin is such a disgusting pile of garbage, I just can't take him much longer.

Huckabee rocked the Values Voter online debate, tweaks to blog.

Just caught the last half of the Values Voter debate sponsored by the American Family Association. They included a unique (admittedly a bit cheesy) technique of posing questions to the three front runners that did not attend and then showing their empty podiums. In my admittedly biased opinion, Huckabee hammered the rest of them. Alan Keyes and John Cox were even in attendance. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Alan Keyes, but he's demonstrated already in previous campaigns that he is not viable, and serves no useful purpose to the campaign entering at this late date. In fact, he is harmful as he risks diluting the support of Huckabee, the only authentic conservative that actually has a chance. As ususal, Ron Paul was out in left field--literally. One thing this debate demonstrated is that Huckabee was the only one on the stage that has the tools, experience, credentials, and gravitas to be a viable representative of the conservative cause. It is time for Cox, Keyes, Paul, Hunter, Tancredo, and Brownback to pack it in. Reflecting this, I just updated my poll to include only Giuliani, McCain, Romney, and Huck. They are the only four with a chance. And while McCain has had a slight resurgence of late, I really think he will start to slide back the other way again soon. And yes, I include Fred Thompson in the group that should pack it in. One other blog update, I've added links to a few additional blogs I check out from time to time. Check them out, and if you like what you see, please consider leaving an encouraging comment.