What Would I Buy for $13?

Mike Huckabee asked on his FoxNews television show last weekend what viewers would buy for the additional $13 workers will receive in their paychecks under the recently passed stimulus plan. That is the amount employees will receive weekly in 2009 due to reductions in the payroll taxes. Next year, the amount is reduced to $7.75 per week.

Now, even though I am disabled and unable to work, I decided to answer the question. I googled "buy" and "$13." I received 3.6 million hits! I found several favorites, but one was absolutely perfect.

For $12.95, I would buy "Money to Burn Fire Starters." These are wax rolls of fake $100 bills. The description reads: "Impress friends and family with your phony wealth by starting a fire with these benjamins coated in slow-burning wax so they stay lit until the firewood catches. You can also light your fine hand-rolled Cuban cigar! Because money is nothing to a high roller like you, right?"

What would be more appropriate considering that Congress is burning through our money like there is no tomorrow with this stimulus package?

Media Ignores Mike Huckabee

The bias against Mike Huckabee is becoming more evident. After Mitt Romney bowed out of the Republican race, the media anointed John McCain as the presumptive winner of the party's nomination. They have ignored the fact that there are still two running, Huckabee and Ron Paul. Both are vowing to continue.

It takes 1,191 delegates to win the Republican nomination. Now, I can count as well as anyone, and it would be hard for Huckabee and impossible for Paul to overcome McCain's lead. However, this whole primary season has been one of surprises and reversals. According to the Green Papers website (http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P08/R-HS.phtml), the current delegate count is as of Friday, Feb. 8:

McCain: 683 pledged and 16 unpledged = 699
Huckabee: 156 pledged and 23 unpledged = 179
Romney: 118 pledged and 57 unpledged = 175
Paul: 5 pledged and 16 unpledged = 21

In the Super Tuesday vote, the conservative vote was split. "Twenty-eight percent of Republican voters said they were 'very conservative.' Of them, 45% voted for Mr. Romney and 30% for Mr. Huckabee. Mr. McCain took just 19% of these votes" (The Wall Street Journal, 02/07/08). McCain has not won that conservative base in any of the primaries thus far.

McCain has many issues that make conservative Republicans nervous and Senate votes to explain. Democrats will be able to accuse him of Kerry-style flip-flopping on the Bush tax cuts, judicial nominations, and immigration reform. McCain opposed Bush's tax cuts but now says he wants them made permanent. He says he will appoint only strict constructionist judges, yet McCain is one of the "Gang of 14" that denied several conservative judges floor votes on their appointments. McCain claims to be pro-life, but he opposes a constitutional amendment to quarantee the right to life to the unborn. Similarly, he opposes a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman. Most recently, McCain's support of comprehensive immigration reform with its amnesty provisions has turned many conservatives against him.

In his exit, Romney did not endorse McCain. Most of those Romney delegates will be up for grabs by the three remaining candidates. It is far more likely that a majority will be inclined to vote for Huckabee over either McCain or Paul. There are many states that have not held their primaries or caucuses, yet. As Huckabee keeps saying, "It's not over until it's over." David Keene, president of the American Conservative Union, said: "If either Romney or Huckabee wins more than their share [in coming states], McCain could end up in trouble." He cautioned, "You wouldn't want to mortgage your house and bet on that happening."

The South Rose Again and the Yankee Is Out

Mitt Romney is out of the race for the Republican nominee for President. This former Yankee, now proud-to-be-Southerner is glad. The Southern states whose primaries were on Super Tuesday united and gave the boot to the Yankee carpetbagger. Together, we showed our displeasure to any politician who disses our flag.

Romney, during his campaign, made several statements regarding the Confederate battleflag. He said it should not be shown and made it clear he wanted nothing to do with it. In contrast, Huckabee colorfully described what Southern states should do to Yanks who try to dictate the flags Southerners should fly.

Political pundits in the media expected Huckabee to have his clock cleaned for his support of the right of Southerners to fly any Confederate flag. Instead, Southern voters cleaned Romney's clock. It left the leftwing media in a state of shock. No one expected Huckabee to do as well as he did on Super Tuesday. Instead, they were all agreeing with Romney that Huckabee should quit. What a difference a day makes. The South rose again on Super Tuesday and the Yankee is out of the race.

Republican Presidential Candidates on the Confederate Flag or Why Mike Huckabee Gets My Vote

Mitt Romney

"That flag frankly, is divisive and shouldn't be shown. Right now with the kinds of issues we've got in this country, I'm not going to get involved with a flag like that."
"That's not a flag that I would recognize so that I would hold it up in my room."
"The people of our country have decided not to fly that flag. I think that's the right thing."

Mike Huckabee

"You don't like people from outside the state coming in and telling you what to do with your flag," In fact, if somebody came to Arkansas and told us what to do with our flag, we'd tell 'em what to do with the pole, that's what we'd do."
"It is not an issue the president of the United States needs to weigh in on."
"I know what would happen if somebody comes to my state in Arkansas and tells us what to do, it doesn't matter what it is, tell us how to run our schools, tell us how to raise our kids, tell us what to do with our flag — you want to come tell us what to do with the flag, we'd tell them what to do with the pole."

Fred Thompson

"For a great many Americans, it’s a symbol of racism."
"As far as a public place is concerned, I am glad that people have made the decision not to display it as a prominent flag, symbolic of something, at a state capital."
"As a part of a group of flags or something of that nature, you know, honoring various service people at different times in different parts of the country, I think that's different."

John McCain

"My answer, sir, is that I could not be more proud that the overwhelming majority of the people of this state joined together taking that flag off the top of the...." (end of comment drowned out by cheers of McCain's supporters)
"a symbol of racism"
"a symbol of heritage"
"I really don't think it's a good idea to fly the confederate Flag."
"I said it was strictly a state issue and clearly knowing it wasn't. I feared that if I answered honestly, I could not win the South Carolina primary. So I chose to compromise my principles."
"My answer to that is I can’t be more proud of the overwhelming majority of the people of this state who came together in taking that flag off the top of the Capitol."

Rudy Giuliani

"One of the great beauties of the kind of government we have, which is a national/federal government, is that we can make - on a broad range of issues - we can make different decisions in different parts of the country. We have different sensitivities, and at different times we are going to come to different decisions, and I think that is best left up to the states."
"That's a good thing to be left on a state-by-state basis."

Ron Paul

I could find no direct quotes by Ron Paul on the subject of the Confederate flag, despite extensive research online. However, given his strong defense of states' rights against federal coercion, it is reasonable to presume that he would not object to a state choosing to honor the Confederate flag. If anyone can cite any direct quotes on the subject by Ron Paul, please forward the URLs.

As a Florida voter, I’ve been fluctuating between voting for Mitt Romney or Mike Huckabee. They are the candidates that most closely match my own positions on the issues. I cannot give either my unqualified endorsement. I have concerns about Huckabee's positions and past history in dealing with illegal immigrants. I like the fact that the Republican establishment opposes him since I do not like the neo-cons or economic conservatives/social liberals that currently control our party. Romney's support from them raises red flags as does his past support for abortion rights. One thing that does not cause me any hesitation is Romney's Mormonism. A Mormon approach to social welfare would be a great plus in the White House.

When I read what Mitt Romney said about the Confederate flag, I was sickened. Then, I heard Mike Huckabee say how Arkansans would tell outsiders (carpetbaggers) what to do with the flag pole if they came to take down their flag. Hallelujah! He won my vote. I get to vote for a real, authentic Southerner who understands states’ rights and Southern heritage. Yes!

If Huckabee does not win the Republican presidential nomination, who will I support in November? That is an easy answer for me. I can support any of the other Republican candidates except Rudy Giuliani. I have severe doubts on a couple (Paul on foreign policy and McCain on immigration), but I would prefer them to any the Democrats will nominate.

Rudy Giuliani, however, is nothing but a Democrat-in-drag. He will never get my vote because he is wrong on all the issues that matter most to me. He is wrong on abortion, the Second Amendment, and illegal immigration. Worse, he has the morals of a tomcat. Any candidate who cannot be faithful to his marriage vows to his wife cannot be trusted to be faithful to his inaugural vows to the people. Giuliani is a non-starter for me. If the Republican party makes the mistake of nominating him for President, then I will vote third party in protest even if it means the election of a Democrat.