We are on the eve of the New Hampshire primaries which is the first in a series that will be occurring soon. Unlike the Iowa Caucuses, we might not really have a good handle on who will win, who will come in second or who will be third. The media darlings and polls say this and that but the voters are the key in deciding the mood of the country. I have said all along that in the primaries we are really selecting our president during this time and that is why the primaries are so important where many simply discount that the event even matters.
Iowans got it. Writer, Bill Kristol, has written a piece about the Iowa Caucus and the two candidates that jumped out ahead in their perpective parties and why. Read his complete article in the
New York Times. Though it's a well written and easy read, I will attempt to summarize it in my Southern American terms.
The spot light coming out of the Iowa Caucus has been on Governor Mike Huckabee and Senator Barack Obama. These two men were selected because Americans on both sides of the aisle are tired of the same old, same old. Those who are in power and have been in power have brought us nearly to our knees. We have experienced, high taxes, not being able to save like a generation ago and getting ahead, high healthcare costs, open borders, an influx of illegals, ineffective representatives, PORK spending, pushing bills through the congress and senate only after saying, no, No, NO!
If these two candidates continue on and become their parties nomination, then we will hear the "Why". Right now, we are seeing them as being juxaposed. It would be like looking into a mirror and seeing the same but representing two totally different philosophies. Kristol begins by saying that Mike Huckabee "began by calmly mentioning his and Obama’s contrasting views on issues from guns to life to same-sex marriage."
"Huckabee went on to pay tribute to Obama for his ability 'to touch at the core of something Americans want' in seeming to move beyond partisanship. And, he added, Senator Obama is 'a likable person who has excited people about wanting to vote who have not voted in the past.”'Huckabee was of course aware that in praising Obama he was recommending himself."
Kristol indicates that while visiting with a friend recently, his friend indicated about Huckabee that he "liked him" and "could be our strongest nominee?" This has to be one of the reasons that Huckabee has been the dark horse running in a race that has brought him to the front in Iowa. People see and hear him and relate. He's a "likable regular guy." He has passion.
Kristol went on to say Huckabee "came up from modest origins. He served as Governor of Arkansas for more than a decade. He fought a successful battle against being overweight. " This says to the voter with out saying it, I grew up with meager means, I rose above it and was successful twice and when I messed up and I realized my mistake and then was successful in doing something about it. It's a testimonial which says, I never had it but I got it, I blew it but I had a second chance. Everyone loves a winner, even when he's willing to admit a mistake and go on.
Kristol recognizes that candidate Huckabee was succesful in Iowa in three things:
1) by attracting "new voters to the caucuses. "
2) by defeating "Mitt Romney by almost two to one,"
3) by defeating "John McCain by better than four to one, among voters under 45."
Kristol goes on to say, that "the conservative establishment is strikingly hostile to Huckabee." I believe he's talking about the National GOP as well each state's GOP where they are sitting on the fence watching and hoping that they will wake up from their world being rock with no clear plan as to how they will overcome this world shifting event. With a Huckabee win, the old guard Republicrats are sitting in front of they're T.V.'s ringing their hands. Did someone say, revolutionary? Lobbyist and politicians love their money and power and will not let go of it without a fight. The first blood has been drawn but like Gov. Huckabee has said before "if you don't like the sight of your own blood, you'd better not get in the fight" and for this reason I believe he knew it would be ugly.
Finally, Kristol says about Huckabee that he is "weaving together a pitch for limited government with a message that government needs to do more to address the concerns of the struggling middle class." Which is what Huckabee means when he talks about small businesses are keeping this country alive and the existing government system has stifled many in oblivion with tons of regulations, mountains of tax code(60,000 pages plus) and grueling corporate taxes.
Iowa got it. Let's hope New Hampshire gets it too!
With Super-Duper-Pooper-Scooper Tuesday nearing, who will blink first? Will we be looking back at Gov. Romney next week like we are looking at Mayor Giuliani and Fred Thompson?
Is he trying to associate himself to the 
