Posted on 01/01/2009 4:14:12 PM PST by wastedpotential
"Do the Right Thing," Mike Huckabee. Sentinel: Penguin Group, $25.95
In the few weeks Mike Huckabee's book, "Do the Right Thing: Inside the Movement That's Bringing Common Sense Back to America," has been out, he has seen great success, already topping The New York Times' Best-Seller List. The start of a new year and a new president is a peak time for Huckabee's book. The reader sees the country's leadership from the inside lens of a man who reveals both interesting and surprising details of the people and the politics.
When Gov. Mike Huckabee entered the 2008 Republican presidential race, he was the dark horse in every sense of the word. How could a man relatively unknown out of the state of Arkansas, with little money, possibly think he had a chance against those with both name recognition and deep pockets? So-called experts were highly amused by this small-state governor from blue-collar roots, who played in a rock band and openly declared his Christianity. He had no staff but family and college students - and some middle-class folks who declared their loyalty to a man they saw with plain common sense and a whole lot of wisdom. On the other hand, there were the rich candidates with full staffs and writers. They included Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Fred Thompson.
If you thought Romney would make the ticket with GOP nominee John McCain, you will think again when you read "Do the Right Thing." For example, during the 2008 campaign, Romney tried to do a leveraged buyout of the Republican presidential nomination.
"That fellow raised more than $107 million that was reported on the Federal Election Commission forms, much of it from himself and his equally blessed friends, thus dwarfing my $16 million. And other candidates pulled in even more: Senator Hillary Clinton raised more than $229 million, and yet she didn't get the nomination, either because, incredibly, she was outspent by Barack Obama," Huckabee writes.
He continues, "Interestingly, Democrats and liberals used to get worked up over 'money in politics,' but of late, they don't complain so much ... In the most civil tone possible, I will assert that it's not good for America if well-funded candidates - and self-funded candidates - dominate our politics ..."
This is a well-written book, and it seems that Huckabee, who was the loser for the Republican nomination, comes out head and shoulders as a winner. His Saturday and Sunday television show at 8 p.m. on Fox News showcases celebrities and real people who are seeking common-sense leadership, he is in demand on the national speakers' forum and this book is extraordinarily presented in truth and with facts to back it up. It rates 5 stars
Huckabee takes on the greed of Wall Street and the lobbyists' K Street corruption. About Sen. Clinton's health-care program, he writes: "Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton didn't lay out a detailed plan as John Edwards did, but what we do know the Democrats stand for a type of socialized medicine that is managed by the federal government ..."
Huckabee shows his humorous side, just as he did in the Republican primaries and as he continues to show on his television program. One of the seminal moments he talks about was on the Fox News-sponsored debate at the Koger Center for the Arts on the campus of the University of South Carolina, when he was addressing the excessive monies of the federal government. "We've had a Congress that's spent money like John Edwards at a beauty shop" he said. Not long after that remark, it was revealed that while in Iowa, John Edwards went for a haircut and paid $400 for it. It certainly provided fodder for the late-night TV talk-show circuit and was prior to Edwards' trampy hotel escapade.
The author addressed the war on Christmas and suggested that if the gays and lesbians are on the rampage to stop the Christian celebration, perhaps they should have a day of celebration for themselves. "I suggest April First," Huckabee quipped.
Every part of this book is important to the American people and, in fact, to the rest of the world, but Chapter 10, on "The Fairness and Force of the Fair Tax," is worth the price of the book and more. "The tax system in our nation is broken. Badly broken. Worse than that, it's beyond repair. ... The IRS doesn't understand its own tax code. ... If the Internal Revenue Service doesn't understand it, then how are you and I supposed to? Truth is, we can't and we don't, so we pay accountants and lawyers to help us prepare the tax returns. ..."
Huckabee gives detailed solutions to this enormous problem and, having read his answer, I feel certain the people who prepare the tax returns will want Huckabee's plan to go away. It will not as he is a man after the common sense things that made America great in the first place.
Back to the question in today's headline: Would Huckabee have made a good president? His future is anxiously awaiting your answer, and, in the meantime, he will continue his message, both in and out of the pulpit.
One sparkling truth is, "Do the Right Thing" gives hope to a hurting country, and reading it is a good way to begin your own new year.
Velma Daniels of Winter Haven is a book reviewer and News Chief columnist.
My mother gave it to me for Christmas. I’ll read and report back.
No, he was not an ideological conservative. He is a nationalist, politically pragmatic on all views except for issues of national security (and even then, the torture and Gitmo stances he took were not with the conservatives).
No and no. He embodies all of the worst of Bush (the immigration stances and “compassionate” conservatism which we now all know what that means).
“I would say that either men would not have been so meek to go after Obama, his past associations, and his record (or lack of it).”
I agree, but style would have been different. Romney would have been classic attack dog, Huckabee would have used humor to point it out to some degree and would have expressed deep sadness in other ways.
The one issue that would have been brought out by both would have been culture war issues - abortion, gay rights and so forth. Obama convinced a large % of people that he and McCain differed very little in those areas.
better than obama...i’ll give him that.
He has a good media rapport, I like watching him talk, to me he has that honest look and basically I get good vibes, now there may be more qualified people but he does have qualities that others do not have.
“Is McCain a conservative?”
MSM says so, so it must be true....
Anyone would have been better than what we got.
McCain got the nomination due to independents and Dem crossovers. If we close the primaries we will get a very different candidate next time around.
I would agree. But, still, was not McCain a weak candidate? And were not Huckabee and Romney unable to defeat him?
The fact is: no one Republican candidate was able to unite the conservative vote and prevail over a weak non-conservative whose nominal appeal was to independents.
Conclusion: we need better Republican candidates.
I have great respect for McCain, and although I believe he thoroughly trounced Obama at that Townhall Meeting session at the California church (can’t remember the name), he allowed Obama to beat him (on style) in the debates. The new “Great Communicator” he wasn’t.
If it were possible to defeat Obama in this election (in these circumstances), it wasn’t going to be with McCain. The GOP, and a fair number of independents, was looking for SOMETHING to get excited about. McCain should not have needed Palin to get peoples’ attention.
Nothing against Sarah Palin, but neither Huckabee or Romney would have needed any ‘help’, just to get attention. I give Huckabee the edge on his ability to communicate. It’s unfortunate that they weren’t the nominees (H/R or R/H). Together they would have been a formidable team.
I'm not so sure. But we'll never know, will we?
Because neither was strong enough among the base to out-poll the moderate weenie, McCain.
Sure, the primaries were polluted by independents and Democrats. And McCain benefitted from the support of the MSM.
But a good, strong conservative candidate should be able to overcome this kind of artificiality. Conclusion: neither was a strong conservative candidate.
I admire both Romney and Huckabee -- personally and as party leaders. But they ain't the guys to lead us out of the wilderness...
I think McCain played more hardball during the primaries than during the general. He acted like his hands were tied and he didn’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings.
The GOP is pretty fractured. I doubt the perfect candidate to unite us exists if that was possible.
Ultimately, no one could have overcome the mass hypnotic delusion of Obama. Society is full of too many suckers.
At least that is what the MSM wanted us to believe.
I was hoping that Newt would make a go of it, because I see him as a man of action, but at this point we may be “wandering in a darkened room” for awhile.
Hopefully, we’ll find the light switch soon.
Sure would of course been far better than an Obama.
Probably Castro would be better than an Obama.
We will never find out.
Dunno. I do know however, he was a lousy goveroner.
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