October 18th: Huckabee News Round-Up

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A number of great articles have come out recently in support of the Governor. Here are a few very recent ones we wanted to highlight.

First, Reagan's son supports Huckabee. This should be capitalized on, and quickly.

Full Article: He's the host of a nationally syndicated talk radio show, a best selling author, and the eldest son of former President Ronald Reagan.

Michael Reagan spoke on the MSU Campus Thursday night. He was the keynote speaker at a benefit for the Montana Family Foundation. But, before the banquet began Reagan posed for pictures and candidly spoke about the upcoming presidential election. The conservative says he favors former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee for the 2008 Republican party candidate, but told the crowd he felt Christian voters would be responsible for deciding who ends up in the White House in the end.

Second, David Brooks has a great column in the New York Times:

Full Article: The first thing you notice about Mike Huckabee is that he has a Mayberry name and a Jim Nabors face. But it’s quickly clear that Huckabee is as good a campaigner as anybody running for president this year. And before too long it becomes easy to come up with reasons why he might have a realistic shot at winning the Republican nomination:

First, Republican voters here and in Iowa are restless. That means that there will be sharp movements during the last 30 days toward whoever seems fresh and hot.

Second, each of the top-tier candidates makes certain parts of the party uncomfortable. Huckabee is the one candidate acceptable to all factions.

Third, Huckabee is the most normal person running for president (a trait that might come in handy in a race against Hillary Clinton). He is funny and engaging — almost impossible not to like. He has no history of flip-flopping in order to be electable. He doesn’t seem to be visibly calculating every gesture.

[Note: Read the full article for four more reasons...]

Huckabee is something that the party needs. He is a solid conservative who is both temperamentally and substantively different from the conservatives who have led the country over the past few years.

He’s rising in the polls, especially in Iowa. His popularity with the press corps suggests he could catch a free media wave that would put him in the top tier. He deserves to be there.

Finally, Dean Barnett shares his thoughts on Huck-a-mania:

Full Article: The only pollster that really matters is Scott Rasmussen of Rasmussen Reports. In addition to his unrivaled track record, Rasmussen is also the only pollster who is currently screening for likely voters. So when Rasmussen says something, we ought to pay attention.

Yesterday, Rasmussen released a poll of the Iowa Republican Caucus. Given its surprising results, I'm surprised it hasn't received more attention. Romney's winning with 25 percent; no big shakes there. Fred's in second at 19 percent; again, nothing earth shattering. But here comes the bombshell: Mike Huckabee checks in at 18 percent, a stunningly strong third place showing and within shouting distance of the frontrunners.

Obviously, Huckabee is making a move in Iowa. He has risen from the bottom tier. In fact, he's solidly in the top tier, at least in Iowa. He has a five point lead over Giuliani and a twelve point lead over McCain in the Ethanol State.

Huckabee is the most natural campaigner in the bunch. Unlike one member of the top tier, there's no danger that he'll doze off in mid-sentence. Unlike other members of the top-tier, Huckabee's a social conservative's dream. You want someone rock-ribbed on the social issues? Huckabee's your guy. He doesn't even believe in evolution. His taxing and spending in Arkansas may not be every conservative's ideal, but Huckabee probably has fewer policy skeletons in his closet than anyone else in the field.

The Republican rank and file's disillusionment with the present top tier hasn't been any secret. They have long hungered for the proverbial "someone else" to make their right-wing dreams come true. Mike Huckabee has a real shot at becoming the "someone else" who finally sets conservative hearts aflutter.

What do all these recent high-profile thumbs-up have in common? People are starting to recognize that Huckabee is viable and only moving up. Since that's the only thing that's holding so many conservative leaders back, this is a very good thing.