This Is Why Mitt Romney Is Winning

Mitt Romney continues to widen his lead in Iowa (now leading by a 13.5 point average) and is almost back in double digit territory in New Hampshire (8 point average). This after media reports that Rudy Giuliani is poised to catch Romney by surprise. I'm just not seeing it, folks. And while his recent uptick in the polls is impressive and suprising, Mike Huckabee is simply too late to make a difference.

Mitt's ability to bring social conservatives into the fray is considerable given his Mormon faith. Even the uber-conservative Dr. James Dobson (of whom I am no fan) has said he will not support Giuliani or Thompson...but he hasn't ruled out Romney yet.

The following video clip is a good example of precisely why Mitt Romney continues to wow voters in every state he is campaigning. Anywhere voters have had the chance to meet him and spend quality time with him, he is ahead or very competitive. This is telling. The guy is simply down right likeable and he makes sense on the issues. Despite media reports that he is (unintentionally) condescending to ordinary voters, I think this is the Romney most of us know and like. Take a look.

Giuliani Scrambles for New Hampshire Victory

Writing for Politico.com, Mike Allen and Jonathan Martin report that Rudy Giuliani is now hustling for a victory in New Hampshire, where he trails Massachussetts Governor Mitt Romney. This, after basing his entire campaign on the assumption that he can win the primary by forsaking New Hampshire and Iowa, and winning in the big states like California, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Illinois, etc, in what Allen and Martin have dubbed a "de facto national primary". My only problem with their assessment is how rosy it is for Mayor Giuliani.

Tis true, Mitt Romney did lose some ground in the Granite State after the Fox News debate hosted in that state (in which both Giuliani and McCain had mega-performances). After that debate, Mitt Romney was the only candidate who lost
significant ground. But, tellingly, he never lost his lead. RCP showed him bottoming out with an average 3.8 point lead, and he has since bounced back to a 6.7 point lead. According to Giuliani's campaign manager, Mike DuHaime, "We do have a long-term approach, but that doesn’t mean it’s all about Feb. 5.”

I have three words in response to DuHaime. BULL. OH. KNEE.

Giuliani has not been intersted in New Hampshire until it appeared he could win
there (he can't), and he has totally given up on Iowa, and he will not win Michigan (another state that is all but a sure thing for Romney). It is very likely that Giuliani will walk away 0-3 after Iowa, New Hampshire and Michigan. All that, and Fred Thompson is giving him a run for his money in South Carolina.

Bottom line: Rudy is finally realizing his strategy is not working. He needs the early states, and his scramble for a victory in New Hampshire in the last 60 days is proof positive that his "de facto national campaign" is failing.

I wrote last week that time was running out for Mitt's opponents. All I can say is, I'm glad to see that Rudy Giuliani is a reader of Right Up Front.

EDIT (10/29/2007, 11:51PM): Mitt Romney has picked up the endorsement of popular New Hampshire Senator Judd Gregg. This just keeps looking worse and worse for Giuliani.

EDIT (11/01/2007, 7:30PM): Mitt Romney is now leading on the RCP charts in South Carolina.

On Congressman Duncan Hunter

You know, we pay alot of attention and lip service to all of the major front runners on this blog. Even Mike Huckabee is starting to get a lot of attention, not only here at Right Up Front, but in the national media as well. The lesser known candidates, though, never get mentioned here, or anywhere.

It was in this spirit that I paid a visit to Congressman Duncan Hunter's campaign website today. For those of you completely out of the loop and only listening to the mainstream media, Rep. Hunter is also running for president.

I really like Duncan Hunter, and I'm never bored or annoyed when he gets asked a question. As a matter of fact, I find myself usually very anxious to hear what he has to say. This man knows what he's talking about when it comes to trade and jobs. I took the following clip right off of his website. The beginning is really kind of sophomoric, but only for about 15 seconds. The rest is just him talking. And I think you'll like what you hear.

Huckabee Breaks Double Digits

In the latest Rasmussen poll, Mike Huckabee has risen to ten percent nationally. That's just two points behind Mitt Romney. This is just further evidence of Governor Huckabee's momentum. To top it off, for Huckabee, the money is finally coming in. In a matter of days, the campaign has raised it's fundraising goal for the month of October from an insignificant $200,000, to now over a million. As it stands, he is currently at almost $750,000. Looking at the front page of his website, the numbers just keep going up. If contributions continue at this rate, the campaign will more than likely raise their monthly goal again in a matter of days.


This Huckabee momentum is certainly cause for concern for the other Republican contenders. Huckabee as a lot of support in Iowa and New Hampshire, but they all say the same thing, "I like Mike, but I don't know if he can win." It's now becoming evident that he has as much of a shot as anybody. I would predict a lot of people jumping ship and a huge spike in the polls for Huckabee. In a poll of committed voters in Iowa, Huckabee ranked first. Voters are not solidly committed to Mitt Romney yet. I'm going to go out on a ledge and say that, in the next round of Iowa polls, Huckabee will have surpassed Fred Thompson for second place, and will be within striking distance of Romney.

A Huckabee upset in Iowa no longer sounds far fetched. He's certainly in a solid position to pull a close second, and with the money finally coming in he may just have a shot at this thing.

UPDATE: U of F Police Reinstated After Taser Incident

Andrew Meyer, the University of Florida student whose cries of "Don't tase me, bro!" echoed 'round the country, may be a little disappointed this evening. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has cleared university police after they used a taser to subdue Meyers, who, in the process of making a spectacle of himself, resisted officers as they attempted to remove him from the auditorium.

As with most liberals, Meyers was far too in love with the sound of his own voice to actually comply with police orders. He is charged with disrupting a public event and resisting arrest. Is Right Up Front suprised by the findings in the FDLE report? HA! Far from it!

As we reported in the aftermath of this debacle, police maintain that while in the back seat of the police cruiser Meyer told them it "isn't your fault" and "you were just doing your job". They also insist he was quite calm and cooperative behind closed doors, only thrashing about violently and screaming like a girl when cameras were present. It was a truly Oscar worthy performance only managable by someone as left-wing as Hollywood itself.

Hopefully, Meyers will be prosecuted for his infractions. He's lucky being a complete moron is not also a crime.

Time Running Out for Romney's Rivals

As the clock ticks on, counting down the time until the Iowa caucuses, GOP rivals of Governor Mitt Romney are finding themselves running out of time to win that state's nod for the nomination. Rudy Giuliani and John McCain have all but ceded Iowa to Romney, who leads there by an average more than 11 points. Polls have had him leading the Hawkeye state uninterupted since mid-May; and his nearest competitor, Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, lacks the fundraising capabilities of Romney and the personal fortune to which the former Massachusetts Governor and business legend has access.

Perhaps the other Republican candidates' only shot at derailing Romney's chances at the nomination are in New Hampshire, where he enjoys significant name recognition due his border state relationship and aggressive ad campaign. Romney took the lead in that state in mid-May as well, and hasn't relinquished it since, although his average lead on the RCP charts has dwindled down to only 4.2 percent. He hit rock bottom with a lead of only 3.8 points in late September and seems to be holding steady.


The big question is, what happens if Romney is able to win in each of the first two primary states? The Romney camp insists that they do not expect to win both (although the surely must win both to have a chance at the nomination), and they are quick to point out that no Republican nominee in recent history has ever won both states (George W. Bush won Iowa in 2000, but went on to lose New Hampshire to John McCain). He trails far behind other front runners in other early states, such as Florida and South Carolina, where his average is barely better than his national average (just 12.7). But, if he manages to defy history, he is all but certain to gain the nomination. The tidal wave of free media that he will no doubt gain after his victories will carry over into other states, and after that, its all in the bag. He already holds a comfortable lead in Michigan, another early primary state, and is competitive, and even leading some polls, in Nevada.

Rudy Giuliani has staked his campaign on the assumption that Romney cannot win both Iowa and New Hampshire. The only problem for Rudy is that Romney must not only lose in New Hampshire, Rudy must win it also. This could be a problem for him if Mike Huckabee pulls off an impressive (and suprising) second place in Iowa and rides that surge to a second place showing (or even a win) in New Hampshire. Mitt Romney is assured to win Iowa and at least second place in New Hampshire, but Rudy must win New Hampshire to stay viable. That is almost certain.


Rudy's worst case scenario if he loses the Granite State lies in Fred Thompson, who is either leading or nipping at the heels of Rudy in South Carolina and Florida. If Rudy does not win New Hampshire and goes on to lose even one of those states to Thompson, his campaign is over. Period. Mark my words.

Mitt Romney, on the other hand, has staked his political career and much of his personal wealth on the assumption that he can win both of those states. If he loses New Hampshire he will be forced to make up for months of virtual neglect in other early primary states in only a matter of weeks. He is absolutely dependent upon a surge of support and media coverage to win him each and every primary after New Hampshire. He has said as much himself.

With less than 90 days until the first votes are cast, the GOP nomination is still anything but certain. But Mitt Romney's rivals are running out time, and that is not debatable.

Huckabee Surpassing Fundraising Goals

Mike Huckabee this week has surpassed his fundraising goal for the month of October. Huckabee set a low goal of $200,000 for the month which he met almost immediately. He then upped his goal for the month to $450,000 and within a matter of days is poised to surpass that goal as well. It appears Governor Huckabee has found some desperately needed money. He has already begun to put the money to use, creating his first web ad. It's unorthodox, yet intriguing. Check it out:

Mitt Romney Takes It To Hillary

Finally, Mitt Romney is acting as if he's the assumed nominee. This is a play from Giuliani's playbook that I think can work for Mitt. If this is what we can expect from him in a debate against Hillary, then I say let's do it. Go get 'em, Mitt!

GOP Debate in Florida, Winners and Losers

The Republicans duked it out in Florida tonight, and I think that Duncan Hunter's comment to Fox News political correspondant Carl Cameron best represents my views of the first 30 minutes; to paraphrase the Congressman, "you're questions so far have done enough to divide this party". Thank you, for saying what everyone was thinking, Congressman.

Now, onto the winners and losers:

RUDY GIULIANI (first): Rudy won this debate hands down, and you should all know by now that I don't hand out compliments to Rudy on a daily basis.
He was clear, articulate, and frankly responds well to criticism of his stances on abortion and gay marriage. If we can take him at his word that we "have nothing to fear" from him, as he told the Family Research Council a few days ago, then I am totally prepared to support him in a general election. The only problem with Giuliani is the very real threat of a third party candidacy if he gets the nomination. This would be disasterous for the GOP's prospects in 2008.

MITT ROMNEY (tie, second): His performance during the first half of the debate was truly terrible. He looked tired, his hair looked as if he'd been in a boxing match, and his answers, to me, were slow and cumbersome, particularly his response to his first question. Rather than sounding articulate and prepared he seemed to be searching for an answer behind the seemingly canned stump speech he was giving. John McCain did everything but call Romney a liar in this debate and Mitt did absolutely nothing to defend himself, except to call McCain an American hero.
Each candidate was asked if he was the most conservative, and none of them answered, but Mitt passed up a great opportunity to show that he is most conservative. When asked why he was the ONLY front runner to support a federal marriage amendment, why didn't he say "Because I'm the most conservative candidate"? It would have certainly made sense, and it was handed to him on a silver platter. Instead he just talked about why the other should be like him on that issue. Lame!

Lucky for Mitt he had the first question of the second round and he absolutely knocked it outta the park. Unfortunately for Mitt, everyone else also nailed their first questions in that round. For the remainder of the debate, Mitt seemed to be back on track sounding like his normal self. For that, and perhaps a little bias on my part, I give him a tie for second place in this debate.


FRED THOMPSON (tie, second): First things first; I truly dislike this man. He seems lazy and almost uninterested in running. But I think he did more to advance his campaign in this debate than the other candidates, except perhaps Giuliani. He sounded competent tonight, unlike in his first debate performance, and he gave a great response to the accusations that he's lazy (although being funny about it doesn't mean you're not, Fred).


MIKE HUCKABEE (third): What can I say? If anyone has the conservative credentials to win this party's nomination and satisfy nearly everyone its Governor Huckabee. So why third place? Well, his failure to turn that into money means his message isn't getting out. This means he needs to be a rockstar on the debate stage, and frankly, he wasn't. He was funny, charming, articulate and capable, but so was Fred Thompson. I don't think that is going to translate into more money for Mike. He simply cannot win the nomination at this point, and his performance did little to enhance his chances.

JOHN MCCAIN (fourth): I was truly disappointed and even disgusted with John McCain in the first half of the debate. And that is why he gets fourth.
In response to a question about his criticism of religious leaders, the first thing he said was "I haven't changed", but then went on to talk about "reconciliation" and a "united party". This, after he had done everything but call Mitt Romney a liar and a scoundrel. As many of you probably know, I'm not a fan of John McCain, anyway. His performance tonight did little to win me over.

EVERONE ELSE: ...hasn't got a chance anyway. Why bother?


ONE LINER OF THE NIGHT: In his response about the cost of medicare, Governor Huckabee said of the aging baby boomers "Just wait until a bunch of old hippies find out they can get free drugs". HILLARIOUS!

Republican Resurgence...in Louisiana?

It turns out the people of Louisiana aren't quite as stupid as once thought. Four years after electing the disastrous Democrat Kathleen Blanco to the states highest post, the Bayou State has now elected the very Republican she defeated in the last election, Republican Bobby Jindal. Jindal, a first generation American whose parents moved here from India, is the state's first nonwhite governor, yet another racial first further proving the diversity of the "racist" Republican party (don't expect that subtle irony that to catch on in the liberal media).

After losing his election bid to Blanco, Jindal was elected to the House of Representatives, where he has served two terms. Jindal easily defeated 11 other opponents with 53% of the vote, in a state where you must gain a majority to win, not only a plurality.

I wonder if this might reflect a back-peddling on the part of some Americans for their decisions in 2006. Of course, it could just be local unrest, due to Blanco's shameful handling of the Katrina debacle. But after this election, the public's reaction to Bush's veto of SCHIP (favorable), and the MA-5 election, and the preliminary success of the surge in Iraq, I think Republicans at least have a reason to be cautiously optimistic about our prospects next year.

In any case, Jindal's is yet another story of a Republican politician, having come from harsh circumstances or adversity, reaching the pennacle of success. Our party is full of stories like this and overflowing with men and women who want that same success for every American. 2008 is America's chance to get back on track. We got the message in 2006, America. Its time to vote Republican!

Results are in

My prediction was close, but I underestimated that Ron Paul online support base. As I predicted, Romney came in first, followed very closely by Huckabee. Looking at the overall as compared to on site voting it is clear that Huckabee was the favorite among summit attendees, but Romney was able to snag first place with an online effort. Fair? Maybe not, but it was certainly a good move on Romney's part. A weak fourth place finish is bad news for the already struggling Thompson campaign. He is resting his campaigns future on these values voters, but they are not uniting behind him.

Which of the following candidates for President
would you most likely to vote for?

Mitt Romney 1595 27.62%
Mike Huckabee 1565 27.15%
Ron Paul 865 14.98%
Fred Thompson 564 9.77%
Undecided 329 5.70%
Sam Brownback 297 5.14%
Duncan Hunter 140 2.42%
Tom Tancredo 133 2.30%
Rudy Giuliani 107 1.85%
John McCain 81 1.40%
Not Voting 67 1.16%
Barack Obama 9 0.16%
Joe Biden 5 0.09%
Hillary Clinton 5 0.09%
John Edwards 4 0.07%
Dennis Kucinich 4 0.07%
Christopher Dodd 2 0.03%
Bill Richardson 2 0.03%
Mike Gravel 1 0.02%
Total 5,775 100%


Onsite Straw Poll Results

Mike Huckabee 488 51.26%
Mitt Romney 99 10.40%
Fred Thompson 77 8.09%
Tom Tancredo 65 6.83%%
Rudy Giuliani 60 6.30%
Duncan Hunter 54 5.67%
John McCain 30 3.15%
Sam Brownback 26 2.73%
Ron Paul 25 2.63%
Undecided 11 1.16%
Not Voting 7 0.74%
Barack Obama 5 0.53%
Christopher Dodd 2 0.21%
Dennis Kucinich 2 0.11%
Joe Biden 1 0.11%
Hillary Clinton 0 0.00%
John Edwards 0 0.00%
Mike Gravel 0 0.00%
Bill Richardson 0 0.00%
Total 952 100%

FRC Straw Poll Stacked?

Minutes from now, the results of the family research council's straw poll will be announced. Already allegations are flying that the poll was stacked in Romney's favor. The Family Research Council has allowed voting to take place online as well as at the summit. The Romney campaign has taken advantage of the online voting and is expecting big results.

Mayor Giuliani has chosen once again not to actively participate in the event, but did speak at the summit. Fred Thompson had a mixed reception, failing to ignite the crowd. The clear crowd favorite was Mike Huckabee, who drew the biggest applause. With the online voting considered, I would predict a strong showing for Governor Romney, and I suspect Ron Paul will do better than he rightly should with his strong base of online supporters. Governor Huckabee lacks the funding and organization to make a strong online effort, but he will probably do well amongst the summit attendees.

I'm going to predict Romney to win, followed by Huckabee, followed by Thompson. I could be way off because this is just a guess. I'm hoping Huckabee can pull an upset, snagging first place.

Do or Die for Huckabee

Today at 11am, Mike Huckabee will make the case for his candidacy at the Values Voter Summit in Washington D.C. This speech will be crucial to the Governors camapaign and has the potential to make or break his candidacy. With Senator Brownback now officially out of the race and most values voters suspicious of the top three candidates, the timing could not be better for Governor Huckabee.

Huckabee and Brownback have been in a tug of war for evangelical voters, who now appear to be Huckabee's for the taking. If Huckabee can make his case tomorrow he will turn the momentum in his favor. He is in a statistical tie wit Thompson for second place in Iowa. A good performance at the values voter summit can give him that extra boost he needs to pass Thompson, and perhaps even catch up with Romney in that state. My money says that the majority of Brownback's support will go to Huckabee, perhaps even an endorsement.

Governor Huckabee is a natural choice for values voters. He has been a champion of social conservatism throughout his career and his views have remained constant. He is passionate, articulate, and downright likeable. The Governor's chances, however, rest solely on the ablitity to convince social conservatives to unite around his candidacy. Now is his chance. All of the major candidates will be speaking at this event, and none are better positioned than Mike Huckabee. Support from socially conservative groups would give Huckabee the fundraising edge to become competitive over night.

The Governor needs to get fired up tomorrow and give the speech of his political career. If he does that, he may have a shot at this thing. My instict tells me that he will do exactly that. He certainly has it in him. Former Presidential candidate, and former President of the Family Research Council, Gary Bauer has hinted that he expects Huckabee to do "very, very well" in the Values Voter Straw poll. It's noteworthy that Governor Huckabee won first place in a straw poll conducted after the values voter debate with a resounding 63% in a crowded field.

The Dishonorable Congressman from California

Is any one else not at all surprised by the comments made by Pete Stark of California? For those who may have missed it, the Congressman said that we were "sending kids to Iraq to get their heads blown off for President Bush's amusement". The statement was so over the top that even some of the liberal pundits were (a little) outraged.

I know why this comment made headlines, but I don't know why people are surprised. Liberals say this kind of stuff every day. The difference is that this particular liberal put on a suit and tie and ran for congress. He's no different than the "Bush lied people died" liberals that you see on college campuses all over America.

In rearguards to the upcoming election, most pundits agree that this election is the Democrat's to lose. These kinds of outrageous and dishonorable statements from sitting congressmen are exactly the type that will have Americans reevaluating their choices for congress in 2008. If the Democrats want to maintain power, they have to learn to control their own party. This is something the Republicans never learned until they were ousted in 2006. That being said, Congressman, what else is on your mind?

*UPDATE*
Harry Reid Thanks Rush Limbaugh on the Senate Floor

Video of Senator Reid's Comments

God Bless Rush Limbaugh

As I mentioned yesterday, Rush Limbaugh was harpooned by Senate Democrats, led by Harry Reid, for calling phony soldiers...well, phony soldiers. His remarks, made against several proven frauds who have claimed to be veterans and are in fact not, were construed by Reid and other liberal propogandists as an attack on any and all military personel who oppose the Iraq war. Obviously, this could not be further from the truth.

As many of you may know, Reid along with 40 other Democrats, sent a letter to the Presdident of Clear Channel Communications demanding a repudiation of Rush's comments, to which the President of Clear Channel gave a resounding 'F-you'. Now Limbaugh is auctioning off that letter for charity. Below is the speech he gave in Philadelphia announcing the auction.



As this post is published, the highest bid is currently a whopping 2,000,000 dollars!!!!! Even better, Rush has pledged to match whatever the highest bid is. That letter is probably the single biggest thing Harry Reid and his fellow harpies ever did to support the troops in their collective political careers. As Rush said, their attempt to blacken his good name will go down as yet another Democratic failure in Congress. God Bless Rush Limbaugh.

Congressman Stark, Stark Raving Mad

Once again a Democratic law maker has gone off the deep end in their criticism of the Iraq war and President Bush. In today's SCHIP debate, Congressman Pete Stark of California accused Republicans of sending kids to Iraq "to get their heads blown off for the President's amusement."

My friends, tell me what you think would happen if President Bush accused Democrats of not effectively fighting the war on terror because they are amused at seeing innocent Americans killed by terrorists? Tell me what would happen if any Republican Congressman or Senator said Democrats actually enjoy seeing people killed fighting for a cause in which he or she believes.

Senator Harry Reid calls Rush Limbaugh's comments about phony soldiers (who happen to actually be phony) "beyond the pale". Yet I put to you that Congressman Stark's brazen assertion, that the Commander-in-Chief enjoys watching America's finest fall in battle, will go with no apology, no calls for resignation by his liberal colleagues, no demotion or loss of committee assignment.


SCHIP deserved to be vetoed, and the override attempt should have, and did, fail. Congressman Stark, the only thing I would find amusing would be your stark raving mad diatribe, if it weren't so terribly misguided, misplaced, un-American, and unbecoming of a US Congressman. To what lengths will these people go to show their
utter hatred and contempt of the President? At what point do we, as conservatives say, "Enough!" How much longer will the American people tolerate such callous rhetoric from the party they hoisted into power not even a year ago? Now is the time to take the Congress back, for good. Such comments only reveal the extent to which such Godless swine control the Democratic party. And I, for one, am fed up. They demean our President. They travel to foreign lands known to sponsor terror and inspire anti-American unrest. .
They liken our military to that of the Nazis, Pol Pot, and Genghis Khan. They insist we are the leading cause of all the world's ills. They claim we, not Al Quaida, are the greatest threat to freedom They undermine efforts for peace in the Middle East by berating Israel, and encouraging terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah. They seek to dissolve and undo American culture, incentive and ambition.

As I have said before, these people do not love America. And who, now, could conclude differently?

John McCain Endorses Mitt Romney!

He said it, not me. I'm just a messenger.



Will John McCain endorse Romney after he withdraws from the presidential race? Probably not. But its still a great video.

Brownback Backs Out, Romney Blasts UN

Kansas Senator Sam Brownback is expected to exit the race for the GOP nomination soon, ending weeks of speculation and, frankly, anticipation on the parts of many who are eager to see the Republican field narrowed down to viable candidates. You're a good man Sam, but we need you in the Senate. Thanks for playing.

In other news Mitt Romney has called the UN "a failure as of late", calling on the US to withdraw from the UN Human Rights Council, a body that this blog as already lambasted in the past (scroll down to see more). The problem with this comment is
that the US already boycotts the Human Rights Council, due to the election of Sudan as the chair of that committee. This is a mistake I am surprised to see Romney make. For a man who calculates his every step and comment, this is no small misstep in my opinion, although it will surely go unnoticed by most. Good for Mitt, though, for at least calling out the HRC as the bogus entity it is.

Romney even went so far as to argue for a new alliance, not unlike John McCain's Leage of Democracies. At least some of the candidates seem to be on the right track in regards to the UN.

Disappointing Endorsement for Mayor Giuliani

Rudy Giuliani was endorsed today by unpopular Texas Governor Rick Perry. My immediate reaction: "Gross." I have been very clear about my opinion of Governor Perry in the past. I'm not a fan of my states corrupt, land grabing Governor. Here's hoping for a Kay Bailey run next time around.

Excerpts of Governor Perry's Endorsement

"Huckabee Finn" Challenges Conventional Political Wisdom

A new Rasmussen poll today shows Mike Huckabee within one point of Fred Thompson for second place in Iowa. This puts him 12 points ahead of Giuliani, and 17 points ahead of Mccain. With Fred Thompson's numbers on a steady decline, it's only a matter of time before Huckabee jumps in to second place and starts nipping at the heels of front runner Mitt Romney. According to Dick Morris, some trial heats in Iowa have shown Huckabee in FIRST place, ahead of Mitt Romney. According to the latest Rasmussen poll, Huckabee is now only one point away from John Mccain nationally.

So, what is so odd about all of this? Huckabee doesn't have any money. He's running on sheer charisma and ideas, as well as some good old fashioned grassroots campaigning. Huckabee is defying the odds, especially these days when money is everything in a presidential contest. In his article, Dick Morris attributes Huckabee's success to charisma and the top candidates collapsing under their own weight.

America has a history of electing unknown, charasmatic, underdog candidates, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Abraham Lincoln to name a few. Even Ronald Reagan was not the obvious choice in 1980, conventional wisdom said that John Conally of Texas would be the nominee. (My mom worked for Conally and Bush before she ever even thought of Reagan in 1980). If Huckabee can come up with some funding, he may pull off one of the greatest political upsets of our genertation. Huckabee is starting to turn to the rigt place for money, appealing to social conservative leaders like James Dobson who are unhappy with the current front runners. Governor Huckabee was even approached about a potential third party run if Giuliani or Thompson gets he nomination, which he answered with a resounding "not a chance".

Dick Morris Article

Liberal Media Never Satisfied With Iraq

From the beginning it has been a quagmire, another Vietnam, and a lost cause, yet after weeks, even months of positive reports coming from Iraq, liberals are finally having to admit that things just might be looking up. But don't take that the wrong way. Liberals can never admit when they're wrong, so they just change the subject. Just ask Jay Price and Quasim Zein writing for McClatchy newspapers.

Faced with falling fatalities in Iraq due to the surge that liberal Democrat Harry Reid called a failure, the media are now complaining about....wait for it....cemetery workers. You see, boys and girls, since no one is dying in Iraq anymore, cemetery workers across the country are being laid off with no bodies to bury. This is a problem that Price and Zein can't let go unnoticed.

First too many civilians are being killed, now liberals in the media insist that we kill more people to keep the grave diggers busy. You can't win with these guys. Says the article, "A drop in violence around Iraq has cut burials in the huge Wadi al Salam cemetery here by at least one-third in the past six months, and that's cut the pay of thousands of workers who make their living digging graves, washing corpses or selling burial shrouds." Seriously, guys. Can America do nothing right?

I'm only the messenger. You just can't make this stuff up, folks.

FLASH: Bob Jones III Endorses Romney

In a huge boost to the Romney campaign, Bob Jones III, chancelor of one of the nation's leading evangelical universities, has announced his endorsement of Mitt Romney for president. The announcement came after James R. Taylor, a top official at BJU, also announced he would support Romney.

Talking to the Greenville News, Jones said, "This is about beating Hillary". Asked about Romney's religion, he replied, "Whats the alternative? Hillary's lack of religion or an erroneous one?" While still appearing hostile to Romney's faith in general, the endorsement signals that the evangelical wing of the GOP does get it, after all (see my September column, "Will Christian Conservatives Spoil the
Party"). This is a crucial factor in the 2008 presidential election, in which several religious leaders have threatened to run a third party candidate should Christ himself not enter the race.

Romney's poll numbers have also been on the rise lately. After a brief fall from grace on the RCP charts, falling from about 14% to a five month low of 8%, Romney is rebounding back, with an average of 12.4 percent in the latest RCP renderings. While he is not the party's front runner by any stretch of the imagination, these numbers and endorsements certainly show that Romney has a core group of supporters that is growing, and becoming more appealing to Christian conservatives. Mitt Romney has said frequently when asked about his religion, that Americans are not so much concerned with what faith the President is, as much as they are concerned that he is a person OF faith. Mr. Jones's comments prove that sentiment. As Mitt garners more and more evangelical support, his upcoming "Mormon speech" may be less and less important.


This is not to say that there are not religious "holier-than-thous" who simply refuse to see the forest for the trees. Certainly there are, but it is also undeniable that Mitt Romney's appeal is growing and flourishing among the very people he needs to support him. It also shows that, at least in the eyes of many evangelicals, he is the only conservative in the race, a distinction Romney has been trying to make for months.

It just might be working.

Kay Baby Makes It Official

Republican Senator Kay Bailey-Hutchison of Texas officially announced today that she will not seek a fourth term in the US Senate, a move that spurs further speculation about a future run for Texas governor. Her decision comes after a long line of retirements facing the Republican Party in the Senate, although Hutchison'sd term is not up until 2010.

Of the 34 Senators up for re-election this year, 22 are Republicans, and five of those are not seeking another term. The Democrats do not have any open seats next year, which places them at an even greater advantage in this year's midterm. Luckily, Texas will surely elect another Republican to replace Kay, a scenario not so likely to play out this year in other races, such as John Warner's seat in Virginia or Wayne Allard's seat in Colorado. Even Chuck Hagel's seat in reliably conservative Nebraska could be up for grabs should former Senator Bob Kerry decide to jump into the race and challenge former Agriculture Secretary Mike Johannes.

2008 is turning out to be a pretty terrible looking year for us Republicans. But there are a few reasons to be hopeful. Since the 2006 midterm elections, Congress's approval numbers have plumetted to all time lows. This might indicate that the tide is not necessarily against Republicans, but rather against Congress in general. This doesn't creat an anti-Republican electorate, it creates an anti-incumbent electorate. Hopefully that will turn into gains for us in the House. The Senate, though, is all but gone for at least the next six years.

Also, Hillary Clinton has all but clinched the nomination of her party. Yet poll after poll consistently shows that most Americans will absolutely not vote for her in a general election. If we can manage to nominate an attractive and conservative candidate (ahem, Romney, ahem) to challenge Hillary, then perhaps we can make some gains in Congress as well on said candidates coat tails, just as an added F-you to the honorable Senator from New York.

If you're of the praying persuasion, now is the time.

Follow up: UN Human Rights Council

UN Watch published another video which goes more in depth than that which I posted earlier this morning, revealing the kind of speech that occurs frequently within the council and is permitted by the President of the council. It again, draws contradistinction between how despots on the council are treated as legitimate, while the defenders of liberty and true human dignity are not.

Banned Speech at the United Nations

I want to thank my good friend Aaron Schwitter's for bringing this video to my attention.

This video shall serve as yet another example of what a travesty the United Nations has become, and more specifically, what a joke the UN Human Rights Council is. A true eye opener, we should also recognize the good work of the nameless gentleman in this video who sits so bravely in the face of such arrogance and power.

Also telling is the apparent "President" of the UNHRC and his response to the genleman's comments, threatening not to enter future statements into the record.

ABC News Exposes Fred Thompson

ABC ran a good piece on Fred Thompson's involvement with the Watergate investigation. The secret White House tapes reveals several things, including what President Nixon though of Fred Thompson.

Coulter Slams Huckabee, Thompson

In her latest column, Ann Coulter all but skins GOP candidates Mike Huckabee and Fred Thompson, two men who are considered solid conservative alternatives to RudyMittJohn. I strongly encourage you all to take a look. It was a bit of an eye opener.

www.anncoulter.com

Also, check out this hillarious SNL piece about Fred Thompson. I'm lovin' it.

Huckabee Didn't Get a Fair Shake

I've heard a lot of people say that Mike Huckabee did not have the brilliant performance in this debate that he has had in past debates. How could he? They hardly gave him a chance to talk. Huckabee was pushed aside in order to allow more time for the "top tier" candidates. I think it is becoming more and more clear that Huckabee is a top tier candidate. He runs closely behind Mitt Romney in several national polls, has passed Mccain and Giuliani in Iowa, and is nipping at the heels of Fred Thompson for second place behind Romney. He has done all of this without any significant kind of funding.

The key to Huckabee's success has been these debate performances. Had he been given his fair share of the time in the debate, Governor Huckabee would have shined again. The few questions he was asked, he answered brilliantly. Huckabee set himself apart from the other candidates on the economy with a response that is sure to hit home in the economically struggling state of Michigan. Huckabee said "I'm sure for a lot of the guys on this stage the economy is great, but for a lot of Americans things are not so great." He then made an appeal to the working class and people working two jobs just to make rent and discussed how a fair tax could enable them to reach the next rung.

Governor Huckabee had another great and inspiring moment when pressed by Chris Mathews on whether Congressional consent is always needed for military action. Here's a clip of the Governor's answer, which drew thunderous applause:



I recently listened to the Governor's speech before the Ames Straw Poll and was quite impressed. What I heard from Governor Huckabee was an ability to connect and to inspire that I have not heard from a politician in a long time. If Governor Huckabee can manage to find some funding, he will be extremely competitive in this election.

I have been supporting Giuliani since I first heard he might be running over a year ago. The thought of voting for Mike Huckabee never even crossed my mind, but the more I listen to the man, the more he pulls me in, and the more I'm torn. In an election year where the nation seems completely unwilling to elect a republican, why not support a candidate who defied the odds and served 10 years as governor of one of the most democratically controlled states in the country. A man who has a record of pulling support from across all lines. A man who ran as a Republican and yet captured 48% of the African American vote. A man who had the conviction to go to the PBS debate at an all Black college and tell them, and the world, that he was "ashamed" of his party, and said that "the nation is suffering from a great divide, and things can't get better if we don't show up." A man who has said many times that the republican party lost in 2006 because we deserved to lose.

That all being said, Governor Huckabee's fundraising is catastrophically bad. If he doesn't find a way to step up his efforts he doesn't stand a chance in the primary, much less the general election. I would love nothing more than for Mike Huckabee to start building a solid organization and give me that final push to jump ship. Otherwise, I would love to see him as a VP pick.

I will leave you with a great excerpt from Governor Huckabee's speech at Ames:

"I know where I've come from. It's been an uphill battle. Not just politically, my whole life has been an uphill battle. I understand what struggle means. Born in to a family where I was the first male in my entire family lineage to graduate high school. A father who worked two jobs just to be able to pay the rent on the little rent house where we lived in hope Arkansas. I have to tell you, I like the mountain top, but I've spent a lot more of my life in the valley; and that's alright, because the soil is awfully fertile in the valley, and that's where we grow. Many of you in this arena today, you know life in the valley. You know life as struggle. I'm asking you to join me today in helping us to take America back so we can take it forward. I want you to realize that when people ask me "why am I optimistic?" How could I not be? I live in the greatest country on earth, and it's greatness is not because of it's government, it's greatness is because of wonderful people who believe in God, and family, and in the future of our children, and who believe that the greatest gift we can give to the next generation is to sacrifice for them rather than sacrifice them for ourselves."-Gov. Mike Huckabee

Take It From Me. Everyone Else Is Stupid

After the most recent GOP debate in Dearborne, Michigan, several of my fellow conservatives in the blogosphere and elsewhere have praised Fred Thompson for his "great" debate performance. Here are a few examples:

Byron York titled his column, in part "Thompson does well on his first night out"

Michael Goodwin writes, "He didn't stumble, he didn't mumble, he didn't yawn and he didn't forget his lines", in his column titled "Thompson shows he's no joke".

In a column titled "Thompson doesn't fall", Slate magazine's John Dickerson writes "Thompson didn't win the night—Rudy Giuliani did—but he got through gaffe-free and at times seemed informed and in command."


Quinn Hilyer writes in Human Events that, "On economic matters, Rudy Giuliani and Fred Thompson stand above the rest of the Republican field both on substance and on refusal to pander to populist myths."

What? Are you kidding?

Thompson's entire appeal has been his mystique. Since he wasn't campaigning, voters could make him to be whatever they want, and they want another Ronald Reagan. Fred Thompson did not need just an ok performance, where he " didn't stumble, he didn't mumble,... and he didn't forget his lines". He didn't need to get through gaffe-free. He needed to dominate, and he did not. As a matter of fact, stumble and mumble is precisely what he did right out of the gate. Give me a break, will ya, Mike?

Thompson's initial boost in the polls topped out on the RCP charts at 23.5% around mid-September, and its been downhill since then. RCP currently has his average at 19.5%. Even more troublesome for Thompson is that Romney, the candidate who was hurt the most by Thompson's announcement, is rebounding quite nicely from his dip in polling. All of these numbers generated BEFORE the debate, meaning Thompson was already losing ground just weeks into his campaign and before his dismal first debate appearance.

This debate was Thompson's first chance to show that he was that great savior of the party; that Reagan clone. He obviously is not. Sure, after his first answer he got better. But thats not saying much after watching his first answer. This was a huge disappointment for Thompson, and the fact that his campaign was so genuinely excited after such a lousy performance really just goes to show you what little expectations even his campaign has of him. Even in his column praising Thompson, John Dickerson admits right from the start, "Thompson didn't win the night-". Well, John, thats exactly the problem.

Take it from me, folks. That is a sinking ship you'll be wanting to jump very soon. Anyone who says otherwise is off their rocker.

An Example of Romney's Command of Issues

I wanted to share the following clip of Mitt Romney. In this clip we get to see what is typical of his debate performances. On message, and with a clear command of the issues, Mitt Romney is also able to be funny while sounding like the competent business man he is.