It'll cure what ails ya

I'm still battling a sinus infection down here.

This morning, despite the pain and discomfort, I was determined not to let it slow me down and keep me home bound for another weekend. So, I forced myself to drive downtown to a Huckabee campaign meeting. (Big news: the state hq is supposed to be opening right here in Orlando on Monday morning!!) But, about an hour and a half into things, a coughing fit overtook me, and I had to make a hasty exit. Kinda embarassing, actually, because I know my flight to the door distracted the speaker. Oh, well, hopefully she's amongst the socks reading this and will now understand the reasons and accept my apologies . . .

Anyway, the coughing subsided enough by the time I got back to Apopka, that I was able to run in to the Winn Dixie to pick up a few things to soothe my aches and pains. You know, chicken noodle soup, etc.

But, if you really want to know what is making me feel even better than all that store-bought stuff, it is the Republican forum they just had on FoxNews tonight.

After seeing it, I will not be surprised on Tuesday if Huck doesn't lap Romney and come in second up in New Hampshire. Old Mitt is really wounded after Iowa, and McCain (among others) really let him have it.

I particularly liked it when McCain laughingly acknowledged the Mittster as the "candidate of change" in the Republican field. Not because he's bringing new ideas to the table, or anything like that. Rather, because he changes his convictions on things like the sanctity of life depending on what audience he is addressing . . . that left the former Massachusetts governor stone-faced. Just beautiful!!

And, of course, Mike Huckabee delivered another stellar performance.

So, hopefully tomorrow I'll feel well enough to finally take down the Christmas tree . . . we'll see!

Huck wins in Iowa!

Caucus Day in Iowa!

Remember, all ye Republican socks out in Iowa, today is the day!

Please show up at your local precinct at 7pm tonight and caucus for Mike Huckabee to become the next President of the United States!

Oh, and to all ye Democrat socks out there: It's not too late to show your dissatisfaction with your party's current crop of candidates by just staying home tonight!!

Mitt Romney: You can't buy the truth, you can't even rent it!

It is no secret that former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney has been outspending Mike Huckabee by a margin of 20 to 1 in his efforts to buy the presidency by winning the Iowa caucuses.

And, rather than using all that money to tell the folks in Iowa why they should caucus FOR him, he's spending it all on spreading lies about Huckabee.

So, let's begin to set the record straight:

1. As Governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee signed a bill in 1999 that doubled sentences for production and distribution of methamphetamines. In fact, they were FOUR TIMES longer than sentences imposed in Massachusetts under Romney's "leadership." Huckabee is tough on crime.

2. Arkansas' state budget did increase during Huckabee's 10+ years as governor, but that increase was less than 4%--a rate even the New York Times has acknowledged as astonishingly low.

3. Mike Huckabee actually CUT overall taxes in Arkansas. There were a few examples when court orders and a public referendum forced increases to improve education and infrastructure. But, Romney conveniently "forgets" the 94 other taxes that Huckabee cut, including: elimination of the marriage penalty, indexing for inflation, and doubling the childcare tax credit.

4. Romney actually RAISED the tax burden in Massachusetts. He did so by calling his increases "FEES" instead of "TAXES," merely a matter of semantics, perhaps. But, it cost his constituents an extra half-billion on top of what was already one of the highest rates of taxation in the country.

Romney plays fast and loose with the truth, and not just when it comes to attacking Mike Huckabee. Notice his recent gaffe, in which he claimed his father had marched alongside Martin Luther King during the Civil Rights Era. What a whopper that was, and it was uncomfortable watching him try to squirm his way out of it when the media held him to account.

With everything going on in the world today, what America needs more than anything in its new president is someone they can trust. And, given Romney's pattern of lying to the folks in Iowa, I don't see how anyone could trust him in the Oval Office.

I am not alone in hoping caucus goers reject Romney's lies and, instead, choose to support the only candidate on either side of the aisle who has the executive experience to govern this country and the honesty we should demand from our leaders: Mike Huckabee.

Go, Mike, go!

Huck in the Dryer!

In case you missed it, Mike Huckabee was down here in Central Florida yesterday.



That's a photo of him and his wife Janet at the Orlando Executive Jetport at Herndon.



They came down here to attend a breakfast in Winter Park and a fundraiser out in Windermere before heading back to Iowa.



I think the Huckabees and their staffers were a little surprised when they arrived at Herndon to board their jet, because the parking lot was PACKED with supporters.



But, then, how often do we socks in the dryer get an opportunity to see the next President of the United States?!?



Go, Mike, go!

3 Reasons Why Mike Huckabee's Poll Numbers Are Rising

In case you missed the latest poll out of Des Moines, our favorite presidential candidate now leads the Republican field:

Mike Huckabee = 29%
Mitt Romney = 24%
Rudy Giuliani = 13%
Fred Thompson = 9%
John McCain = 7%
Ron Paul = 7%
Tom Tancredo = 6%
Undecided = 4%

"So, where did this guy come from?" That's what a lot of lost socks are asking nowadays, having apparently missed all the posts in this dryer over the last several months.

The momentum that put him on top has been building for quite some time, and it's due to three primary reasons, in my humble estimation:

1. He has a sense of humor. That's a rarity amongst politicos nowadays. I mean, can you even imagine someone like Hillary Clinton making jokes about herself?! So, the governor's self-effacing manner makes him stand out in the crowd.

2. He knows how to govern. He can speak in confidently and in clearly understood terms about how he made government work for the people of Arkansas while he was governor, and how he'd like to translate that to the federal level. More importantly, he approaches public policy problems from an optimists' viewpoint--something we haven't seen since (dare I invoke the name?!) Ronald Reagan.

3. He is a unifyer. I know that sounds somewhat trite. But, he's not campaigning to simply beat-up on the other guys. Rather, he's trying to rally folks to his message of coming together to tackle the myriad challenges that face all Americans, regardless of partisan stripe.

The bottom line is, you don't have to be a Republican to like Mike. I've given you the three big reasons, as I see them. But, I'm sure if you stack him up against "the other guys," you'll come up with a few dozen more yourselves. So, give him a look, ye socks. A lot of folks in Iowa already are . . . if you believe the polls!

What leadership looks like

The Huckabee campaign began airing a humorous new commercial in Iowa this weekend, featuring Chuck Norris in all his "Walker Texas Ranger" glory.

I don't mean this to be a criticism of Norris or the Huckabee campaign staff, but I would have preferred them to use this video on "What leadership looks like" on the Iowa airwaves.

Judge for yourselves!

Brownback bows-out . . . finally!

Good news out of Kansas today.

U.S. Senator Sam Brownback has finally pulled out of the race for the GOP presidential nomination.

I say "finally," because he really should have pulled out after his poor showing in the Iowa Straw Poll.

But, better late than never, I suppose.

His withdrawal leaves a clear choice for values voters in this primary: Mike Huckabee!

12 Action Steps to Stop Cheating our Children

Ok, I'm not even going to acknowledge what transpired in Baton Rouge last night. Rather, I am going to continue telling you socks how great Mike Huckabee is. Polls out today, show that he has finally broken into the "top tier" . . . at least in Iowa. He's edged past both John McCain and Rudy Giuliani in that state, and is definitely on a "vertical" trajectory!

Anyway, here are today's action steps for your socks with kids:

1. If you are a parent, attend PTA and parent-teacher conferences.

2. Never miss a musical performance or shool play your child is involved in.

3. Volunteer to help out in at least one school activity a year.

4. Attend a school board meeting, but be careful! You might be tempted to run for a seat on the board!!

5. Know how your child's school test scores compare to other schools in your community, state, and nation.

6. Know how much your district spends per pupil in education.

7. Know how much teachers, coaches, principals, and superintendents are paid.

8. Ask the local school district for a breakdown of the school budget: administration, athletics, academics, and the arts.

9. Find out how serious your school is about the arts.

10. Ask for test scores of a class over a five year period--stagnant, declining, or improving?

11. Visit a private/parochial school and ask how their expenditures compare to public school spending.

12. Talk to your state legislator and express your interst in their voting record on education.

Straw Poll by Numbers

You socks out there in the blogosphere who know me well in the "real world" know I'm a numbers guy.

So, I'm going to let yesterday's numbers out of Ames, Iowa, speak for themselves.

Mitt Romney's campaign spent an estimated $5,000,000.00 to garner a whopping 4,516 votes. That works out to over $1,100 per vote.

Mike Huckabee's campaign spent about $150,000.00 to come in "second place" with 2,587 votes. That's less than $58 per vote.

Which of these two guys has assembled a more efficient team?

You decide.

Use the numbers.

Now, who do you want to be in charge of the federal budget--your tax dollars?

We all know who got the most bang for the buck in Iowa yesterday . . .

Sorry, Mitt.

Ames Aims

I am heading out the door to do some weekend type running around, but a little event out in Iowa will be on my mind the whole time.

I'm talking about the straw poll in Ames.

There's a lot riding on it.

Mitt Romney, the former governor of the lovely little commonwealth of Taxachusetts, has invested an inordinately huge amount of money on this event. And, why shouldn't he? I mean, the man is obscenely wealthy.

So, if the result is a foregone conclusion, why the big interest?

Well, because, all the politicos are going to be focused on who comes in second.

And, my hope is it will be Mike Huckabee.

Stay tuned if my hopes are realized. The former Arkansas governor could get a big bounce out of this little straw poll despite his comparatively meager budget. Good numbers in Ames will show his campaign's organizational ability, not to mention his supporters' level of commitment.

Oh, and if you're going to be anywhere near Ames today, I'll spring for the $35 cover charge if you promise to cast your ballot for Mike. And, any wavering Romney reporters are welcome to change their minds at the last minute!

Keeping my fingers crossed as I head out the door . . .

Huckabee on Hardball

My favorite former Arkansas governor continues to wow the press. Tonight, it was Chris Matthews on MSNBC.

Matthews led in to Mike's segment with an interview of a retired steel worker named Steve Skvara who is having a tough time finding health insurance for his 56-year-old wife. He's covered by Medicare himself, but had been depending on his former employer's health care plan to cover her until she qualifies for federal assistance. Unfortunately, that former employer (LVT) had gone bankrupt, leaving no health care coverage in the aftermath and taking one-third of the employee pension funds.

Naturally, Matthews followed-up on this segment by asking the governor what he would do to fix problems like this.

And, Mike hit the ball out of the park.

He correctly pointed out that the Republican Party is not a wholly-owned subsidiary of Wall Street, and shouldn't act as such. We need to stand up to "sheer, unadulterated greed" that rewards high-level executives with hundreds of millions of dollars in bonuses while asking front-line workers to accept deep pay cuts.

As to health care in this country, Mike reminded Matthews and his viewers that he has long been an advocate of a major paradigm shift. First, we need to discard the post-WWII mentality that tied coverage to a person's job. People don't work at the same place for 30 years anymore. So, their coverage should be tied directly to the person, not their employer. Keyword="portability." Secondly, we need to approach health care in terms of PREVENTION, not just intervention.

Finally, Matthews uncharacteristically threw Huckabee a softball, asking him how democratic the upcoming Ames Straw Poll really is since it costs $35 to vote in it. Obviously, it is not an exercise in democracy. Rather, as Mike reminded him, it will show both organizational strength/ability of the candidates AND (more importantly) the level of motivation of their supporters.

"Everybody likes you, Mike," Matthews concluded with a big grin.

"Like me on Saturday," was Huckabee's response, with an even bigger grin!

Go, Mike, go!

Authenticity, Sincerity, and Candor

Those are the three words former House Speaker Newt Gingrich used while speaking to the National Press Club in Washington today to describe Mike Huckabee's campaign to become our next president.

Newt gets it.

The national media does not. At least, not yet.

Witness Bill Sammon on FoxNews tonight, who framed the contest underway in Iowa in terms of Romney v Giuliani and implied that Huckabee is simply angling for a VP nod. Tripe!

What Huckabee IS doing is what people like Gingrich and millions of others across this country have been wanting to see for a long time: He's growing as a candidate with each passing day. He's speaking in terms of patriotism over partisanship. And, hopefully, he will (as Newt predicted) emerge as the most interesting dark horse candidate in American history.

Cynical reporters like Sammon assume that Huckabee steers away from attacks on the other candidates, because he is shooting for #2.

Clearly, Sammon doesn't know much about Mike Huckabee.

And, if last Sunday's debate in Des Moines is any barometer of true feelings in Iowa, Sammon won't be the only pundit with a surprised look on his face after the Ames straw poll.

Huckabee is better at communicating and connecting with an audience than any candidate out there--in either party. Those strengths should take him to the top of the GOP slate and on to the White House.

Huckabee wins Iowa debate!

It was a crowded stage in Iowa this morning, reflecting the fact that Republicans still have no clear front-runner in the race to choose a successor to El Presidente.

Of course, you know who my pick is: Mike Huckabee.

But, he is still struggling to gain that "top tier" status so frequently used by the media to refer to Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani, and John McCain.

Today, he may have broken that trio's grip on the top tier, at least according to one focus group.

Going into the debate, the 29 members of the group were leaning this way: Romney 9, Giuliani 8, Thompson 5, McCain 2, Huckabee 1, others 4.

After the debate, there was a dramatic swing in support: Huckabee 14, Romney 10, Giuliani 3, Thompson 1, and Hunter 1.

That's right. When voters listened to these guys talk, side-by-side, Huckabee's support skyrocketed from 3% to 48%!

I think what won voters over most was Huckabee's criticism of dependance on Middle East oil. Of course, he was speaking in front of an Iowa crowd that, no doubt, would prefer we all abandon oil entirely in favor of corn-based fuel. But, that's beside the point.

What stuck out in my mind the most was Mike's response to George Stephanopoulos when he asked how a Huckabee administration would differ from a Bush administration. He reminded the crowd how he'd governed in Arkansas, and that he always kept a frame hanging on the wall by his desk. Every week or so, he'd put a different picture of some ordinary citizen in the frame. But, here's the kicker: beneath the frame was a label that read "Our Boss." Huckabee did not want anyone in his administration to forget who the boss REALLY is: the people.

Hopefully the people are hearing Huckabee's message beyond Des Moines. Because, when you listen to his message, he stands head and shoulders above the other candidates out there.

Go, Mike, go!

Snipers take aim at rock star

If you need any proof that my favorite GOP presidential contender is on the verge of becoming a "top tier" candidate, take note of the increased sniping he's been forced to endure lately.

I've already dismissed the "Club for Growth" and their idiotic assessment of Mike Huckabee's awesome tenure as Governor of Arkansas. But, they're still trying to label him as a tax-and-spend liberal. What a hoot! The truth is he made tax cuts of historic proportions while in office.

Now, it seems Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas, who has presidential ambitions of his own, is trying to label the ordained Baptist minister as anti-Catholic. His accusations stem from an email sent by a fellow appropriately named Tim RUDE from Windsor Heights, Iowa, who claims to be a Huckabee supporter. But, I don't know how anyone could take Sammy B seriously, especially considering Huckabee's campaign manager Chris Saltsman is a Catholic, as are MANY of his pro-life supporters. In fact, there are quite a few who fall into that category right here in the Sunshine State!

Unfortunately, Saltsman has opened a new can of worms in responding to Senator Sam's ridiculous assertions. He inadvertently misspelled the name of the junior senator from Illinois in an email of his own, demonstrating Brownback's own supporters are blatantly demonstrating religious intolerance. He pointed out the "Baptists for Brownback" website and its claims that Hillary Clinton, Barack OSAMA, and Fred Thompson (among others) are "hell bound." Obviously, this was a typo. But, it's still causing something of a stir, and distracting attention from Saltsman's underlying point.

All of this would be regrettable, as it takes focus off Mike Huckabee's unique message that the Republican Party needs not only to hold tightly to its conservative roots but also to become better stewards of the environment and speak out against corporate corruption and greed.

But, I prefer to see the silver lining in all this: the snipers wouldn't be taking aim if Mike wasn't doing something right.

He had an awesome appearance with CBS's Jeff Greenfield on last night's news, coming off as the common man's candidate. They pointed out how his small budget forces him to fly coach on commercial flights while "top tier" candidates have private jets. The silver lining there is that he is in the trenches even when he travels, shaking hands and getting to know the people he wants to serve. And, who knows, maybe it will inspire him to do something about the onerous flight delays, etc., when he's in the White House.

That's right, I said WHEN he's in the White House (not if)!

Go, Mike, go!

Dead Fred

Have you ever been to a rummage sale, flea market, or other such event and found those sad piles of discarded old photographs?

I guess, I just think it's sad because I'm such a passionate genealogist and cannot fathom the thought of being so careless with heritage.

Anyway, I can't afford to buy all those stray photos I encounter personally. But, sometimes, I'll write down the names and dates and post queries on the internet to try and track down a surviving family member who might treat these treasurers with the respect they are due.

And, I've had some successes with this method of reuniting people with their ancestors.

But, now, there is a website devoted to this awesome endeavor:

http://www.deadfred.com

Check it out. You can search by surname or location, and you might even uncover some of your own long-lost relatives!

I quickly located the above photo of my own kinsman Abraham Blakesley (1842-1923) who served in an Iowa regiment (the horror of it!) during the War Between the States. Check out the uniform on Abe, huh?!