Free Republic

Taking Aim at Santorum: The Romney Campaign Misfires. FEB 20, 2012, VOL. 17, NO. 22 • BY JONATHAN V. LAST On Saturday, February 4, a national poll from Rasmussen Reports showed Rick Santorum as the only Republican to lead President Obama in a head-to-head matchup. The next morning, a PPP poll showed Santorum suddenly leading Mitt Romney in Minnesota. So the Romney campaign responded with what are becoming its trademark tactics. Having completely ignored Santorum since New Hampshire, on Sunday afternoon the Romney team sent out a press release calling him “a proud defender of earmarks and pork-barrel spending.” The...

"He could have stopped it, and should have stopped it," Huckabee said. CNSNews.com: Governor Romney should have stood up to the Court and said, "No"? Huckabee: He should've. (August 2008) Old news? Yes — and Mitt Romney hopes it will be ignored or forgotten. How does Romney manage to bury his past political sins? With a lot of help from his former critics — including Governor Huckabee — who seem to suffer from amnesia. But what of the media's duty to vet the candidates? Shouldn't every significant action in a candidate's record be under review? Why is the media —...

If you’re ready to keep fighting the good fight and once and for all restore our republic, then I invite you to join my wife, Gena, and I by endorsing, rallying behind and voting for Newt Gingrich as GOP nominee and then president of the United States.

When Newt Gingrich criticized Mitt Romney's record at Bain Capital, he raised the ire of many conservatives and may have unwittingly mobilized a Republican rank and file now prepared to bestow Romney with the GOP nomination on a silver platter. Rush Limbaugh called Gingrich's criticisms "out of bounds for those who value the free market." Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani was even blunter when he said, "What the hell are you doing, Newt? I expect this from Saul Alinsky!" But perhaps the most interesting defense of Romney came from Mike Huckabee, who took aim at both Gingrich and...

Predictions in politics and government are a fool’s game. The systems involved are chaotic and complex. The players change motive or exit the game unexpectedly. Choices are made for reasons that are often hidden, illogical or against one’s own self interest. Despite this, last year I went out on a limb with 10 perilous predictions for 2011. Surprisingly, eight of the ten guesses are generally correct, albeit some achieving the predicted result in different ways than envisaged. For instance, Stephen Harper did get his majority, but at the expense of the Liberals, rather than through NDP losses. Gas prices failed...

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee predicted Sunday that Mitt Romney will win the Iowa caucuses despite not having spent much time or money there. Huckabee, 56, made the prediction in an appearance on "FOX News Sunday," but warned Ron Paul could still pose a serious challenge to the former Massachusetts governor. "I would probably say that Mitt Romney will end up winning it today," Huckabee told host Chris Wallace. "Now, I think, again, Ron Paul, because of his organization, that is where Mitt is at a disadvantage. He doesn't have the devotion," he went on. "If the weather is good,...

Former Iowa Caucuses-winner Mike Huckabee apparently wants to spend his post-Christmas days deleting hate mail from his inbox. In an interview with Fox News Sunday‘s Chris Wallace, Huckabee delivered a fairly blistering assessment of Iowa frontrunner Rep. Ron Paul and his “fanatical believers.” As if pissing off the Ronulans wasn’t enough, Huckabee denounced his party’s candidates for being too mean to President Obama, whom he called a “decent, patriotic American.” Wallace began by trying to suck Huckabee into his own feud with Ron Paul fans, asking if a win by the Texas congressman would discredit the Iowa Caucuses. The former...

Mitt Romney will be missing in The Gift of Life premiere audience, as well as Ron Paul, a pro-life doctor, and as Jon Huntsman. When I asked Governor Huckabee if tonight amounts to an endorsement application test, Huckabee gives them all a pass. “More than anyone” he tells me, “I recognize that candidates have frantic schedules and all can’t come to every event. Those who don’t come aren’t snubbing the pro-life issue, but those who do are showing that they believe it to be a priority and that is significant.” Interestingly, Nancy Keenan from NARAL takes the premiere as an...

Backstage can be something of an inner sanctum at a presidential debate: even though they are appearing on live television before millions of Americans, the candidates are used to having their clubhouse hermetically sealed from the public before and after they take the stage. That was not the case for the six major Republican candidates who participated in the Fox News Channel forum on Saturday night when the network invited a New York Times reporter to roam behind the scenes as they took turns before a panel of conservative state attorneys general and the Fox News host Mike Huckabee. How...

In Boston, one university has taken steps to help Muslim students maintain an important ritual: bathing before prayer ... Across the country a number of universities, including the University of Michigan in Dearborn and George Washington University in Washington D.C., have installed foot baths. So have two airports, the Indianapolis Airport and KCI Airport in Kansas City, Missouri. In each case the move came with some degree of resistance. ... Some of the foot baths in other states were built using public funds. The American Civil Liberties Union generally objects to public money being used for religious structures.But they don't...

Video announcement

With only five weeks until the Iowa caucuses, GOP candidates are scrambling to persuade undecided voters to choose them. To this end, one of the most important tools they have is the endorsement of other prominent conservatives. Three of the most influential figures in Republican politics have yet to announce who they will support. Here we speculate as to who might receive their nod of approval. • Sarah Palin: Though her power among right-leaning voters has eroded in the recent months, the former Alaska governor still delivers "a sizeable army of supporters" says the Telegraph. Her supporters include both tea...

Mitt Romney has racked up by far more endorsements than any other candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, including a coveted nod from New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, the GOP’s reigning rock star. But with Sunday’s move by the New Hampshire Union Leader to endorse Newt Gingrich in the state’s critical Jan. 10 primary, Mr. Romney will now need to reel in every high-powered Republican name he can. The importance of endorsements is highly debated. But some are clearly more important than others, and the timing of an endorsement can be a critical factor in feeding a candidate’s momentum. With...

The audio about Romney starts at 7:11

Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee gave his thoughts on the 2012 Republican presidential candidates Sunday in an interview with WABC’s Aaron Klein. As the candidates continue to trade rankings in the national polls, Huckabee, who won the Iowa caucuses in his own election bid in 2008, spoke of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s chances of winning the primary. The former Republican presidential candidate urged conservative Republicans to support Romney because he believes the former Massachusetts Gov. has the best chance of defeating Barack Obama in 2012. “Mitt Romney may not be their first choice, but Mitt Romney every day of...

The 2012 endorsement battle is starting to heat up, with former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney sprinting to an early advantage. Over the weekend, Romney landed the backing of two of the top GOP elected officials in New Hampshire: Sen. Kelly Ayotte and Rep. Charlie Bass. But while these types of endorsements (known as “state-specific” on The Fix’s handy-dandy Endorsement Hierarchy) can help a candidate, they are rarely more than a single-day story. Meanwhile, the bigger endorsements — the sort that can say something broader about a candidate and genuinely help him or her over the long haul — are, largely,...

Dear Mike, Paul, and Marco. Help! As the current crop of Republican candidates have all flamed out or carry various electability anchors around their neck, I implore you to get into the race. It is not too late! Republicans are hungry for a candidate that can unite the party. I suspect that such a candidate could capture the nomination without much of a ground game in Iowa. With the right platform, you could quickly capture a majority of the Republican faithful. Essentially, the platform would be built around the already good ideas of the existing candidates. Such a candidate would...

Mike Huckabee had a fairly serious interview with Mitt Romney on Fox News tonight (no "Cat Scratch Fever" this time?) in which the current candidate shrugged off the Chris Christie wooing that is in part born of a rejection of Romney by donors and some establishment figures. Per POLITICO's Emily Schultheis, who helpfully tuned in, Huckabee asked a question about how Romney contends with the repeated new candidates whose names get mentioned. Romney was all praise for Huckabee and his strengths: Romney: "I think we want to win. I think the people in our party want to make sure we...

September 30, 2011 Huckabee: 'Happy With Decision' Not to Run for President Former Arkansas governor on reports he's been approached by Republican activists.

Dude. Mike Huckabee has been approached by Republican and conservative activists unhappy with the current crop of presidential hopefuls and he is considering entering the fray, two sources who have spoken with Huckabee told Reuters… “He is entertaining the request for conversations about it,” one of the sources said. “I do not think it is a complete 100 percent ‘I’m reconsidering’ but he hasn’t shut the door on it.” One of the sources said Huckabee was urged to enter after the recent stumbles of Texas Governor Rick Perry, who appeals to a similar right wing of the Republican party. I...

Mike Huckabee has been approached by Republican and conservative activists unhappy with the current crop of presidential hopefuls and he is considering entering the fray, two sources who have spoken with Huckabee told Reuters. The former Arkansas governor, who made a splash by winning the Iowa caucuses as a candidate in 2008, announced last May on his Fox News show that he would not enter the race. But the conservative Huckabee, who appeals to evangelical Christians and is seen as an effective campaigner, is taking another look at jumping in, said the two sources, who are close to Huckabee. They...

Republican presidential front-runner Mitt Romney brought two of his sons with him Friday to tape an interview with Mike Huckabee, his former rival for the 2008 GOP nomination.

Mike Huckabee, the former presidential candidate and certified non-fan of Rick Perry, says the Texas governor isn't ready for the 2012 primetime. Perry's latest debate performance showed he is "not prepared for the pressure of the presidential stage yet," Huckabee said on Fox News Saturday. "Rick Perry's got a struggle ahead of him." Huckabee compared Perry to 2008 presidential candidate Fred Thompson, who entered the race late to huge anticipation and quickly ran out of steam. During that campaign, Huckabee sought Perry's endorsement, only to see his neighboring governor back Rudy Giuliani. The former Arkansas governor said Perry fumbled the...

This event is a fundraiser for a very worthwhile and VERY NEEDY non-profit Christian school in the Houston area who is facing closure. A sellout for this event would save the school... literally. Please help spread the word. School's website for the event. Join Baptist Minister, Former Arkansas Governor, 2008 Presidential Candidate and the host of the number one rated weekend hit “HUCKABEE” on the Fox News Channel, MIKE HUCKABEE, for a discussion on Lessons in Christian Leadership, including a Q&A session. Also, JONATHAN CHURCHILL-SANDYS, great grandson of Sir Winston Churchill who wil…l be discussing the state of education in...

Mike Huckabee‘s faith made up a significant part of his political identity during his 2008 Republican Presidential bid, and as such Huckabee came out this morning to defend the open airing of faith by other Republican candidates this time around. Speaking to the Fox & Friends crew this morning, Huckabee said he appreciated Texas Gov. Rick Perry‘s openness with his faith, but didn’t see it as a way of “other”-ing the Mormon candidates in the field, Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman. “I want to know what a candidate believes,” Huckabee explained, arguing that electing a religious candidate is not the...

He’s not saying definitively that Romney is the most electable candidate, but add up the soundbites here. Perry hurt himself with his Social Security talk; Perry’s style may not be suited to winning undecideds in a national general election; Perry gives Democrats an endless “Bush II” storyline. Factor in the backstory of Perry famously endorsing Rudy Giuliani over the one southern evangelical governor in the race four years ago and it’s a safe bet that you won’t see any “Huckabee says Perry is most electable” headlines anytime soon. I asked you this once before and most of you guys laughed...

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said Monday that Mitt Romney may be the Republican Party's "most electable" presidential candidate and dinged Texas Gov. Rick Perry for comparing Social Security to a "criminal enterprise." Huckabee's endorsement remains one of the most coveted among Republicans this election season, as the former pastor brought droves of evangelical Christians to the polls for his 2008 presidential run. On Monday, Huckabee noted what some see as another potential hurdle for Perry: his seeming likeness to President George W. Bush, the last Texas governor to occupy the White House. "It gives the Democrats the opportunity to...

On his 6:30 a.m. eastern time "Huckabee Report" he reported the Hoffa throwdown threat from Detroit. However, instead of accurately quoting "sons of bitches" he paraphrased it as "a profanity that cannot be repeated". Now, I am very much against gratuitous profanity. But, this threat needs to be reported exactly as it was made. Here's hoping Rush and sean and Mark get it right. Verbatim.

With her speaking engagement this weekend Sarah Palin has once again managed to bring the 2012 presidential spotlight on herself without jumping into the race, though polls are now showing her chances are rather compromised. Even if she does not run or win, however, at least Mike Huckabee thinks there’s a significant place for her at the table. On Fox & Friends this morning, the 2008 GOP candidate argued that, given her poll numbers, it may be Palin’s fate to “season the food,” but not be the “main ingredient.” “You have to be very stubborn [to run],” Huckabee noted when...

Who's the blond bombshell over Huckabee's left shoulder watching his show right now???? /s

As the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11 nears, Mike Huckabee this week began promoting his company's latest animated educational video for children: "9/11 and the War on Terror." The release of the kids' cartoon has sparked significant criticism, accusing Huckabee of profiting off the 2001 terror attacks.

I just got a call supposedly from Mike Huckabee, asking to sign a petition to kick the U.N. out of our country. I did some research and could find nothing about it at all. Anyone else get the call? Also, why have a phone campaign without a simultaneous web campaign? He wants a million signatures if it is true.

Tim Pawlenty's Iowa operation has just added a big name: Huckabee. Not Mike, but Mike's daughter and former campaign manager, Sarah Huckabee Sanders. She's signed on as a senior political adviser to Pawlenty and will spearhead his effort to place at or near the top of the Ames Straw Poll in August. That's nice and all, and Huckabee Sanders is certainly qualified — she also ran a successful campaign for Arkansas senator John Boozman last year — but the reason this hire is making such a splash today is that name of hers. Mike Huckabee is a popular figure in...

Republican Leadership Conference kicks off C.J. Ciaramella Top Republicans will flock to New Orleans today for the Republican Leadership Conference, where presidential hopefuls and GOP leaders will try to woo the party faithful during the three-day event. The annual conference, formerly the Southern Republican Leadership Conference, has become a bellwether for the Republican Party, especially because of its audience straw polls. Presidential candidates speaking this year include Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann Texas Rep. Ron Paul, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson and former Utah governor Jon Huntsman. (DNC chair looking forward to working...

Former Arkansas Governor and former Presidential contender Mike Huckabee sent an email to supporters of his HuckPAC blasting the left and the media for their overeagerness in digging through the thousands of emails from Sarah Palin’s Governorship released recently. Huckabee practically praises them for their ability to distinguish Palin as above the clamor as she could be while fighting off attacks about her family. Using an excerpt from The Huckabee Report included in the emails, Huckabee says; "You almost have to feel sorry for all the reporters and leftwing bloggers who spent the weekend slogging through 24,000 pages of Sarah...

Michelle Bachmann's new top consultant, Ed Rollins, began his tenure with scathing criticism of potential Bachmann rival Sarah Palin. "Sarah has not been serious over the last couple of years," Rollins told Brian Kilmeade on his radio show, Kilmeade and friends. "She got the Vice Presidential thing handed to her, she didn't go to work in the sense of trying to gain more substance, she gave up her governorship." He suggested that the contrast would favor Bachmann. "Michele Bachmann and others [have] worked hard, she has been a leader of the Tea Party which is a very important element here,...

LITTLE ROCK — Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee foresees a “broke and battered” nominee emerging from the 2012 Republican presidential sweepstakes but says his recent exit from the race is not etched in stone. Appearing today as a guest of the Clinton School of Public Service, the surprise 2008 GOP presidential contender said he did not entirely rule out running next year when he announced last month he had decided against throwing his hat into the ring. Running as a vice presidential candidate next year or for president in 2016 also are not out of the question, he said. “Everything...

Bad week for the Republicans; good week for the president. Mike Huckabee and Donald Trump said no to running against Barack Obama, and Newt Gingrich may already be on the ropes after criticizing Medicare reform -- a key issue for conservatives. Meanwhile, the president kept a low profile while basking in the demise of Osama bin Laden.The Republican field is still wide open, but whoever decides to run should know this: You are not only challenging an incumbent president who will likely raise close to one billion dollars, but you are also going up against the elite media. If you...

Huckabee sure went out of his way to praise the both Obama's and to slam the GOP. I am so grateful this schmuck RINO couldn't raise the funds to run and that his lust for money is greater than his lust for political power. Part 1: Mike Huckabee talks about not running for President and his idea for new Republican reality TV show. Part 2: Mike Huckabee talks about the Republican candidates and if he'll consider VP.

Mike Huckabee, judging by the early opinion polls, would have been among the most formidable challengers to Mitt Romney, the putative front-runner for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination. But Huckabee's departure from the race, paradoxically, could make it more difficult for Romney to prevail. The reason is that with Huckabee off the field, the former Baptist minister's core constituency -- the evangelical Christians who represent nearly half of the GOP's primary electorate -- are now back in play for all competitors. If Romney can't defang the resistance he encountered from those voters in 2008, he faces the threat that they...

Shortly before his announcement that he will not seek the Republican nomination for president, Mike Huckabee made a remark that offers a telling insight into the understanding of politics that characterizes the politicians produced by the current twin-party sham. "People speak of Reagan as if he was absolutely steadfast," he said. "He was in his convictions. But you have to govern in a way that is different than you can campaign." The remark, and the fact that Mike Huckabee is the one who made it, confirm an insidious truth about the cynical New Deal political paradigm that structures the activities...

Which GOP presidential candidate will benefit the most from Mike Huckabee’s decision not to run in 2012? Democrats (103 votes) Tim Pawlenty: 26% Mitt Romney: 18% Michele Bachmann: 13% Mitch Daniels: 12% Rick Santorum: 7% Also receiving votes: Newt Gingrich, 6%; “to be determined,” 4%; Jon Huntsman, 3%; Sarah Palin, 3%; “no one,” 3%; Ron Paul, 2%; Terry Branstad, 1%; “everyone,” 1%; Bachmann and Palin, 1%; Bachmann and Santorum, 1%. Pawlenty “The field of social conservatives with a realistic chance to get nominated is getting pretty small.” “Huckabee’s withdrawal opens up Iowa for next-door neighbor Pawlenty. The only route to...

Mike Huckabee’s supporters might not rush to the side of Sarah Palin, despite the conventional wisdom that she’ll be the key beneficiary of his decision not to run for president next year. Both the former governor of Arkansas and former governor of Alaska are populist Republicans with strong evangelical credentials. Yet there are some significant differences between the two that suggest Huckabee supporters might not flock to Palin en masse. Style Palin’s and Huckabee’s rhetorical styles couldn’t be more different. Palin mocks her Democratic opponents; Huckabee tends to engage them and look for common ground. When first lady Michelle Obama...

A week ago, we’d have told you that former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s presidential aspirations were kaput … and we’d have been correct. Since then, however, four events have conspired to dramatically reshape the 2012 presidential race in her favor – although it remains to be seen whether Palin possesses the gravitas (or the political acumen) to exploit the opening. The question is a simple one: Can Palin redefine herself as a credible candidate? Or will she continue down the pandering path of folksy non-specifics and sanctimonious indignation? Before we attempt to answer that question, let’s revisit the four seismic...

In the weeks before Mike Huckabee punk’d the political press corps with a much-hyped, long drawn-out non-announcement about the presidential campaign he will not be running, he lent his voice to the unofficial website Pray For Huckabee. It consisted of a page that told supporters he was praying about whether or not to pursue the GOP nomination and asked them to pray for him during this time of discernment. Oh, and to please enter their name and contact info. It would have been a canny move for a future presidential candidate. It was even cannier for a guy who decided...

Mike Huckabee, the amiable former governor of Arkansas and Fox News media personality, has decided after all not to run for president. It seems that he does not want to be president and is instead happy doing what he is doing. That leaves the question, if not Huckabee, then who? The former governor had a big following among social conservatives, a considerable voting bloc in the Republican Party. Now that voting bloc has to find someone else to rally around. But whom? There are a few people one can automatically cross off the list. Donald Trump has too much of...

If she decides to run... With both Mike Huckabee and Donald Trump announcing that they will not be running for President, it eliminates two major variables from the scrambled GOP primary field. Huckabee, in particular, would have been one of the frontrunners had he decided to run, so his decision to sit out has major ramifications on the rest of the field. Huckabee would have once again been the favorite to win Iowa. His departure leaves a major void with Iowa's large Republican evangelical Christian base, a group that is now up for grabs. Sarah Palin likely won't run, but...

In light of Mike Huckabee's announcement that he was not running in 2012, I thought it would be appropriate to compare presidential prospects of Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney in respect to gaining the nomination and how well they each might do in the general election if either one was the GOP nominee. So with that in mind here are 10 points to consider: 1) From David Bernstein: a) Of the 28 caucuses and primaries that Mitt Romney competed in up to and including Super Tuesday in 2008 he finished worse than second in 6 races--happened to be in six...

I took a much needed break this weekend with friends and family and so I wasn’t around to blog the big news. Mike Huckabee is out of the running for the Presidential nomination. Now, I said as early as February 22nd that I was betting Huckabee wouldn’t run. So I’m happy to have a winning prediction under my belt. But besides that, this really shakes up the calculus for 2012. Iowa is now going to be wide open, and it leaves the “not Mitt Romneycare” position as one much easier to fill. The question is, who does this benefit? Palin?...

Conservatives for Palin is rejoicing for the same reason some of you now have a dark cloud of fear hanging over your Saturday night. The fundie vote is up for grabs now that Huckabee is out and the second in line candidate is Sarah Palin. Yes, that’s right. Sarah Blood Libel Palin. One day years ago, after the sportscaster fill-in job didn’t work out, a young Sarah Palin told a friend she wanted to be President one day. Today she wants it so bad she chokes on her own bitterness every time she has to say “Obama”. Palin has still...