Obama makes clear what he will do about the killing of babies -- born and pre-born,
"Thirty-five years after the Supreme Court decided Roe v. Wade, it's never been more important to protect a woman's right to choose. Last year, the Supreme Court decided by a vote of 5-4 to uphold the Federal Abortion Ban, and in doing so undermined an important principle of Roe v. Wade: that we must always protect women's health.
"With one more vacancy on the Supreme Court, we could be looking at a majority hostile to a women's fundamental right to choose for the first time since Roe v. Wade. The next president may be asked to nominate that Supreme Court justice. That is what is at stake in this election.
Charmaine will be speaking from her experience as a senior adviser to the Huckabee for President campaign.
Alert Readers will recall Charmaine also served in the Reagan Administration as a White House (unmolested) intern .
She also served in the Office of Presidential Personnel under Bob Tuttle, current Ambassador to the Court of St. James's.
The Women in Politics panel is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 27, 2008, from 9:30 to10:45 a.m., at the Darden School's Abbott Auditorium.
From UVA,
...[S]peakers on this panel: UVa. alums
Charmaine Yoest [Ph.D.] (Family Research Council, former adviser to Mike Huckabee) [confirmed]
Cheryl Mills (advisor to Hillary Clinton) [confirmed],
and Janet Napolitano (Governor of Arizona) [awaiting confirmation].
We may also ask [other] alums... The panel will be moderated by Vesla Weaver, assistant professor of politics and a UVA alum as well.
At this point, our conception of the Women in Politics panel is:
More than ever before, women - Republicans, Democrats and Independents - are making a difference in the American political arena and U.Va. alumnae are among those leading the way. Please join us for a panel discussion of the contemporary role of women in American politics.
Potential topics include the 2008 presidential election, the historic role of Senator Hillary Clinton's candidacy and the short list of women who may be considered as vice presidential nominees in both major political parties.
For more information on the conference, please visit the conference Web site.
###
Thank you (foot)notes:
Tips for visiting Mr. Jefferson's University. While at UVA, never say 'campus.' Say 'grounds.'
Address Ph.D.'s not as 'Dr.' but as 'Mr.' or 'Ms.' in keeping with our third president's sense of fraternite and Voltaire and all things French. Egalite run amuck.
Your Business Blogger(R) of Management Training of DC, LLC, is an adjunct professor of management at NOVA and a licensed agent for the William Oncken Corporation.
Back row, L to R: Belinda Culberson,
Congressman John Culberson, Mike Huckabee
Front, L to R: The Dancer, Baby Boo,
Miss Culberson, The Diva, The Dude
Back ground Bob Wickers, Charmaine
Credit: Panoramic Visions/CPAC 2008 The Purple State-New York Times has a video on Mike Huckabee's campaign. The clip claims that Huckabee changed, modified his positions once he became popular and donations came in. (Oh how these liberals love evolution...)
The narrator makes the assertion that Huckabee "compromised his position" on the conduct of the war.
The Purple Stater implies that Huckabee grew in office and had to change his positions on the war and immigration to satisfy big-money donors.
Two problems with the PS-NYT clip:
1.) Huckabee remained constant on his positions, and
2.) Big-money donors were not all that big.
Goodness, it would have been nice to be tempted by big donations. But the temptation was easily avoided because the really big money; wheel barrels full of cash weren't there.
Alert Readers will recall that funding for Huckabee staff had to be cut back after the loss of South Carolina by 3 points to McCain. Most of the campaign workers were released, resigned or worked for free.
The clip speaks of Huckabee being "cavalier on going to battle." This is a liberal interpretation, of course. In that there are no wars of which liberals approve. Huckabee as governor was most sensitive to the responsibilities of the leader sending soldiers into harm's way. And that Huckabee saw this as a weighty -- a deadly responsibility.
Just as he exercised the death penalty in Arkansas.
"Cavalier" is precisely the wrong word.
The New York Times gets Huckabee wrong. But this is not news.
Your Business Blogger(R)
was honored to be an
Official Blogger, CPAC 2008
###
Thank you (foot)notes:
Charmaine Yoest, Ph.D., served as Senior Advisor to the Huckabee for President Campaign.
I would suggest that this clip is designed to malign Huckabee for his "deep conviction for life." Abortion is the sacrament for the liberals' theology.
"This election season, we aren't interested in hearing politicians and pundits talk about what the people want. We don't want analysts to trot out a list of issues that have polled well, or polled badly. We don't want one campaign to focus-group-test a pitch here, and another campaign to focus-group-test a pitch there, and use the results to divide and conquer. We are tired of hearing about who is jockeying for first place in the presidential horse race. This election is about more than politics, politicians, or political science. It is about us.
We want to see a mother of three with medical bills of over $15,000 ask Mike Huckabee how his health insurance proposal can help her. We want to see a pistol-packing Republican ask Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama how they propose to keep the country safe. We want a man with Mexian-American [sic] grandchildren to talk with John McCain or Mitt Romney about their immigration policies, and be challenged by the wife of a construction worker whose livelihood is being threatened by cheap labor. This is Purple States. There is no filter and no script. We are a group of citizens who look like America, going nose-to-nose with the candidates and each other, asking the questions closest to our hearts, wrestling with the implications of this choice for us, our families, our communities, and our country."
I'm not sure about the compassion of Purple States for the plight of immigrants when they can't spell 'Mexican." This is liberalism defined: All heart; no brain.
Alert Readers know well that when compromise is presented, it is always the conservatives who must move. When does the liberal democrat change on abortion?
Purple States is run by Cynthia Farrar, Ph.D. from Yale University. Your Business Blogger(R) and Adjunct Professor of Management would challenge any reader to identify a pro-life conservative in the political science department at Yale. I would suggest Dr. Farrar is pro-abortion and wants a 'pro-choice' president. And uses Purple States to move the country from Red to Blue.
Special appreciation to Lisa De Pasquale, CPAC Director, The American Conservative Union. About CPAC 2008,
“… A showcase of the heart and soul of American conservatism”
Los Angeles Times
“… Unmatched in both the numbers it draws and the quality of speakers who appear” The Politico
“ The nation’s premier gathering of conservatives…a key event for conservative candidates ever since the first gathering was held in 1974.” NewsMax
Bob Wickers of Dresner, Wickers and Associates, is the genius behind the filming of the Huckabee TV spots. His firm is based in San Francisco (!).
The Superbowl is the Christmas card deadline for most folks sending out a yearly update(!). Not here. Tax Day is a dual deadline for us this year: cards and forms. Alert Readers will recall that the Huckabee campaign provided a delightful distraction for Your Business Blogger(R) and Charmaine and the Penta-Posse this past season. Merry Christmas!
Governor Huckabee and Charmaine
In the background, Princella Smith and our Diva-girl Watching the Huckabee concession speech and leaving the race Tuesday night made for an emotional evening in the Yoest household.
Charmaine sent short emails to the Huckabee team -- their responses were each measured and even-tempered, almost upbeat, having fought the good fight.
Today's Washington Update, from FRCAction notes:
Despite his exit, no one can deny how influential Mike Huckabee was in championing values issues in this crucial race. While yesterday was clearly a victory for McCain, the Arizona senator acknowledged that his work is just beginning.
To succeed in his bid for the White House, McCain must consolidate his support among conservatives, including social conservatives, which will not happen just because he is the Republican nominee.
In the wake of the Republican scandals that began to surface in 2006 and the failure to advance most of the social conservative agenda, unqualified support for the GOP has diminished.
David Huckabee and Charmaine
A poll released last month by George Barna revealed that if the election were held then, only 45 percent of Evangelicals would vote for a Republican candidate.
That number is down from 85 percent of Evangelicals who voted for George W. Bush in 2004.
John McCain will have to convince social conservatives that their issues matter and that he can talk about them as a candidate and act upon them as president.
Conservatives/evangelicals still have questions about McCain's stand on the major issues of family values, immigration, campaign finance and women in combat. But McCain is our guy.
Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee continues to play to packed houses. At last night's rally in Plano, Texas, the campaign staff were forecasting some 500. Not a bad crowd.
2,000 cheering voters showed up. I Like Mike.
The race is far from over. John Culberson, congressman from Houston, recently endorsed Huckabee. Culberson's district borders Tom DeLay's old district -- who also endorsed Huckabee.
John predicts that Houston will go for Huckabee. And as Houston goes, so goes Texas.
Representative Culberson made his decision after hearing Huckabee at CPAC and talking with him afterwards.
John McCain's race to 1,191 delegates is not a given.
It is an unwritten rule that media outlets, friendly or not, will use the most unflattering picture-portrait in the universe. Note UPDATE at end.
If an editor must choose between the subject in, say, post-marathon svelve-ness -- or a picture after an all-nighter finishing a tedious chapter on statistics after two years of desertion writing.
And after having that baby...
The editor will, of course, pick the poorest. This is editorial bias.
Yoest returned to FRC last month, when Huckabee’s cash flow got too tight, but she had this interesting insight in what keeps Huckabee going in the face of very long odds:
"It fits with a worldview that sees life as being dependent on God’s will... and a Christian following God’s will means taking the next step that’s in front of you.
That’s where I think he’s coming from to a large degree.
It’s entirely consistent to say, “I’m going to play that out—it’s not over till it’s over.”
...There’s a route to a brokered convention. It may not be pretty, but it’s possible."
Update/Correction: Dan Gilgoff, the Politics Editor at Beliefnet, Inc. substituted a newer picture as requested. He was very gracious. Alert the Media.
Beliefnet, Inc tag line: Inspiration. Spirituality. Faith. Award-Winning Content. - Winner, 2007 National Magazine, Award for General Excellence Online. Largest Spirituality & Inspiration Website with 3.2MM site visitors and 11.0 MM newsletter subscribers.
REMINDER: Virginia Primary on Tuesday, February 12
Submitted by Josh Noland on Fri, 02/08/2008 - 12:44.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, February 8, 2008
RICHMOND, VA - The Republican Party of Virginia is encouraging registered voters to head to their local polling locations on Tuesday, February 12 to participate in Virginia's Republican primary.
Voters should go to their normal polling locations, and polls will be open from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
The Republican primary is open to all registered Virginia voters.
"The Republican Party is putting forward a strong field of candidates who are vying to become our party's nominee for president in 2008," stated RPV Chairman John Hager. "The Republican field offers a stark contrast to the democratic candidates who are out of step with mainstream Virginia voters and lack the experience to lead our country forward. I encourage Virginia voters to turnout on February 12th, vote in the Republican primary, and have their voices heard."
Six candidates will appear on Virginia's Republican primary ballot. These candidates include:
Rudy Giuliani
Mike Huckabee
John McCain
Ron Paul
Mitt Romney
Fred Thompson
Virginia's Republican primary is winner-take-all and will bind its Delegates on the first round of balloting at the Republican National Convention. For more information on becoming a Delegate to the National or State Conventions, visit our website, www.rpv.org.
###
Thank you (foot)notes:
Full Disclosure: Charmaine has served as an adviser to the Huckabee campaign.
We are having DOS attacks. If you would like to leave us a comment, click here.
Gianna Jessen
Abortion Survivor
Marathon Runner Years ago, Your Business Blogger was clipping the finger nails of the infant Dude. My fine motor skills and eye sight were not quite what they once were and I clipped deep and The Dude bled red bad.
Everyone present cried.
Nothing hurts more than baby blood.
But this blood may not bother everyone.
Trick Question: To a Democrat, What is botched abortion?
Every year in Britain, 50 babies are born-alive -- after an abortion attempt.
Babies born alive. Don't you just hate medical malpractice? The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is mounting an investigation into this horrible rash of babies born alive -- according to their standards an abortionist is supposed to be sure they stop the baby's heart with a direct injection of potassium chloride.
The problem? "In practice, few doctors are willing or able to perform the delicate procedure," says Britain's Sunday Times.
"The law guarantees that every infant born alive enjoys full legal rights under federal law, regardless of his or her stage of development or whether the live birth occurred during an abortion."
Who could possible vote against saving a baby. A baby born alive?
Barack Obama. Democrat.
###
Thank you (foot)notes:
My grandparents immigrated from Poland in the 'teens. Mom, or as Babcia as she is now known to her grand-kids, would occasionally let loose a Polish cuss word, Scha-clef.
A horrible, terrible word.
It means, Dog's Blood.
The British with the King's Language, also use bloody words. As in Bloody Fool. This is actually a blasphemy referring to the Blood of The Christ. Should not be used in polite company (or in a respectable blog...).
Alert Readers remember the Roman governor Pontius Pilot publicly washing his hands of the blood of The Innocent Man.
And we will also remember Lady Macbeth's problem with blood that would not wash, "Out, out d@mn spot..."
Official
CPAC
Blogger
Here in Your Nation's Capital, at CPAC this week conversation has centered on our Presidential candidates -- and the acceptability of their positions.
Mike Huckabee and John McCain are said to be imperfect candidates because there are some disputes with one position or another.
But if they are "not conservatives" as some would say, then why are conservatives voting for them? And not a Romney or a Thompson?
Back in Iowa, Your Business Blogger asked Frank Luntz about his book on Words That Work, and what he thought was going on with the electorate.
He said that voters seem to be interested, "less in issues -- but in the attributes of the candidates -- are they believable?" Are they likable?
This seems to at least partially explain the success of Huckabee and McCain -- there may not be perfection on issues, but people like and trust and believe these candidates: the attributes of the candidates are more important; in some ways even more than the positions on issues.
This also explains the success of Obama. Who has a rather thin record of achievement . . . but has an infatuated following. No one can point to what Obama has done, but he's done it with panache.
Dobsons and Yoests
circa 2005 Your Business Blogger and Charmaine are working CPAC in Your Nation's Capital. Rumors were a-flying that Huckabee would drop out following Mitt Romney's suspension of his campaign.
Dr. Dobson's endorsement of Mike Huckabee on Thursday night changes the political landscape and will end speculation on who leaves when.
Mike Huckabee is in a real battle with McCain for the White House.
Not too many months ago the concern among the GOP-ers was that the evangelicals would split off and form a third party because the pro-life and marriage issues were being ignored by the conservative party.
With Huckabee, the pro-lifers would not have to leave -- the party is still focused on keeping the economic conservatives happy and that was a primary focus of McCain's speech today.
But Your Business Blogger was never really sure that many of the super-rich were conservatives anyway...as Tim Carney reminds us in the Big RipOff.
Charmaine and Mike Huckabee
Mike Huckabee and staffers.AP
Charmaine in the black leather.
Photo Credit: Alex Brandon
Mitt Romney at the podium
Photo Credit: The Dude The ball room was packed to capacity at above-the-fire-marshal limits.
But the thousands of supporters in the room didn't know what was coming.
There is no wireless on the lower floors so they did not know from Drudge that Mitt was leaving.
Romney's speech started out as a barn-burning stump speech to the cheering, yelling crowd.
But his tone changed subtly speaking of the war. He turned a corner, did a simple setup, then he drop the bomb, stunned the crowd. He was leaving and said McCain was the best leader for our country in this time of war.
(His words, his cadence , his delivery was world-class. McCain or Huckabee would do well to hire his wordsmiths...)
###
Thank you (foot)notes:
We arrived on time but the room was full. The room was guarded by bouncers ushers at the entrances. So Your Business Blogger and Charmaine and some of the Penta-Posse and attachments were escorted 'round back through the press entrance, just like real Main Stream Media.
CPAC was treating bloggers right.
But the room was backed and no chairs were remained. The room-monitors commanded that all had to be in seats or leave. Print media had to sit on the floor.
Charmaine was in a businesses skirt and Your Business Blogger was in a bespoke suit, so sitting on the carpet was not our first option.
But the enforcers were not demanding that the visual-camera-media sit down -- they were manning the camera equipment.
So we simply whipped out our Handy Cam and cameras and starting filming and taking pictures. Print media had to sit, but visual got to stand.
Print guys could still plow their trade by listening.
Visual media got to stand. They (we) needed visual access.
The First Amendment trumps Fire Marshal Regulation.
"The [Republican] establishment won't have it..." said a high senior adviser to Huckabee (not Charmaine).
Speculation abounds on Huckabee being VP to McCain.
Salena Zito from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports in Huckabee: It ain't over 'til it's over, that even Larry Sabato from Mr. Jefferson's University is suggesting this end game,
"Sabato says that there’s no question that Huckabee wants McCain to win if Huckabee cannot.
"Huckabee, like McCain, hates Romney. That is obvious. Let’s see what happens on Feb. 5. Huckabee may be splitting off enough evangelical votes to hurt Romney and help McCain. That may be Huckabee’s calculation. Eventually, he wants to be McCain’s running mate,” Sabato said. "
(What Sabato very graciously leaves out is that none of the candidates care for Romney. The public doesn't really like him much either...)
People Like Mike. Huckabee.
Ronald Reagan would often remark on the "Difference between box office and critics."
The critics -- the establishment, the pundits and, well, the bloggers are often at odds with the box office. The public who buys the tickets. And who votes.
But today the critics, like Sabato, might be right. And might be aligned with the people. It might be possible for the voting public at the box office and ballot box to overwhelm the establishment-GOP-institution. To go against The Man. To go against gasp! Rush Limbaugh. Or Hannity or Ingraham or -- [add establishment figure here].
The real story in this election is not the division between the critics and the box office. But the realignment. The 'Establishment' has now become 'Limbaugh-Hannity-Ingraham.'
McCain and/or Huckabee will win. The Man will lose.
***
Mike Huckabee is running for President. And polls point to a long shot.
But if he doesn't hit this cycle, he is in the game and is the dominant contender in any future scenario.
###
Thank you (foot)notes:
We have been under attack again and had to disable comments until we patch and repair. Please email me with your comments and thoughts here.
Charmaine served as a paid adviser to the Huckabee campaign. She also worked in the Reagan White House.
Your Business Blogger's first consulting gig was in Reagan's Department of Education, in the Office of Bilingual Education. Si, hablo Espanol!
Speculation also abounds that he is positioning himself for a vice presidential slot. And with no job to fall back on, and with books to sell and speaking engagements to line up, it's possible Huckabee believes his stock will rise higher the longer he stays in the race.
"I'm running for president," he contends, refusing to entertain such talk.
Alert Readers know that the best indicator of future performance is...past performance.
Is it possible to change at the age of 60? Your Business Blogger would hope that we all would embrace continuous learning and update our skills. And to embrace truth. At whatever age.
But.
How many convictions can one man change -- all at once -- all at a mature age?
Change on Reagan?
Change on abortion?
Change on guns?
Change on homosexuals in the boyscouts?
And each of the changes of heart happens to coincide with position of the Republican conservative base?
This does not seem, as we say in academia, to be authentic.
Watch the clip: Huckabee suggests that Romney found conservative puberty at 60.
Voters should be slow to completely trust any teenager...
###
Thank you (foot)notes:
Full Disclosure: The wife of Your Business Blogger, Charmaine, has been a paid senior adviser to the Huckabee presidential campaign.
Correction: It is not known if Romney has changed his position on allowing homosexual Boy Scout Masters.
The Boy Scouts of America The Family Research Council Action has presidential candidate comparisons here.
Huckabee, McCain and Romney would veto any action to allow homosexuals to serve in the military.
This seems to be a conversion for Romney. Alert Readers will recall that to appease homosexual activists Romney did not allow the Boy Scouts at the Olympics.
Your Business Blogger is a former Boy Scout. We had to pledge to be "Morally Straight."
"Straight" Boy Scouts. This was too much for Romney.
AdvanceUSA Our friends at AdvanceUSA has a nifty comparison chart listing the presidential candidates. Look and link,
Dear Jack and Charmaine,
I thought you might be interested in our 2008 Candidate Comparisons. With half the country voting in presidential primaries over the next few weeks I wanted to send you a resource our organization has carefully researched and produced.
We have prepared some succinct and attractive Candidate Comparisons for both the Democrat and Republican 2008 presidential caucuses and primaries. We selected ten issues and compared and contrasted the candidates as objectively as possible.
Every GOP candidate promises to tinker on the edges of our tax system. Small efforts will only provide marginal returns.
Mike Huckabee has an idea to rid America of our current scheme of tax collection. He would eliminate taxes on income and move tax collection to consumption in a national sales tax.
This is commonly known as the FairTax. Wage earners would receive their entire paychecks. No withholding. No tax preparation. No Internal Revenue Service.
April 15th would become just another pleasant spring day.
End the IRS Please help us get rid of the IRS.
Support Mike Huckabee.
He is the only candidate who would eliminate an entire government department and make real tax changes.
###
Thank you (foot)notes:
See the press release of the Family Research Council on the study, New Poll: Americans Oppose Abortion Coverage In 'Universal Health Care Plans' Less Likely to Support Candidates with such a Plan, at the jump.
What do the Chinese like best about America? Our current tax system. Photo Credit: Your Business Blogger
Mike Huckabee on bass guitar
Photo Credit: The DreamerNo man is a hero to his valet, Mme. A.M. Bigot de Cornuel.
It is a cliche that the closer the staff works with the principal, the easier his sub-clinical flaws are to spot. Close proximity, like sitting in a six-seat plane, makes shortcomings harder to hide.
Familiarity breeds contempt.
But not with Mike Huckabee. Everyone likes The Everyman who is utterly transparent in his likability. He is not perfect, but he does not seem to have many of the common failings that heroes often have behind closed doors.
Huckabee really is a good-guy. He was good to us.
***
Alert Readers will recall that we are educating the Penta-Posse on life lessons and algebra and Mandarin Chinese while aboard the Hucka-homeschool-truck. Your Business Blogger is reviewing with my young students the building blocks of leadership of large organizations and the qualities the leader needs.
Mike Huckabee is my case study. Here's a few of his leadership characteristics:
Temperament Huckabee is slow to anger -- Charmaine never saw him really angry or lose his temper. There is no raging wrath. Even when he was fatigued; even when some may have deserved it.
Continuous Learning. He has written four books. He asks questions to learn why, to learn more, to learn what moves and motivates people. And after getting answers and advice, he would process the experience.
Discipline. Nobody -- but no body -- loses 110 pounds. And he manages to keep the weight off, even on the campaign trail. Charmaine gained five an unknown number of pounds... Huckabee gets by on (too) little sleep.
Honesty "If the campaign doesn't make it all the way, we want to be able to walk away completely in the black," Huckabee said in the Washington Post. This is not how campaigns are typically run. They always end up in the red: in debt. (It is a rule of political campaigns to never chance losing a race...with money still in the bank.)
We will continue to watch and cheer Mike Huckabee on. He can truly build coalitions.
Baby Boo and Your Business Blogger
at the Hucka-Bash in New Hampshire
Credit: The Dreamer
Fox producers Jenna Gibson and Alex Finland
in the FoxBox at the New Hampshire debate
Charmaine at right
Credit: The Dreamer
Janet Huckabee and Dick Morris in Makeup at the FoxBox
Credit: The Dreamer
Your Business Blogger is also an adjunct professor of business management at Northern Virginia Community College and runs Management Training of DC, LLC.
The Dude on his cell phone on the phone bank calling voters -- before his big break
Credit: The Dreamer
But if one really wants to know about Mike Huckabee, see the words to the country song (of course) Small Town Southern Man, by Alan Jackson, at the jump.
Charmaine, right at her Little Rock office The Face That Launched Me A 1,000 miles.
Chip Saltsman's office is next door on right. Saturday nite Huckabee came in three points down in South Carolina. So close -- a mere field goal. But still a loss.
Charmaine's leave of absence had come to an end. This meant one thing to Your Business Blogger's household:
Road Trip.
We started packing up the Penta-Posse after Huckabee's Saturday evening concession speech and set the alarm for 0:darn-thirty, military time and left Virginia for Little Rock on Sunday morning. We arrived at Charmaine's office some 16 hours later late last night.
Nobody got hurt. (This trip anyway.) (We've got the best kids on the planet.)
We knew that the campaign would fly Charmaine home, but we thought we could drive home and visit kin along the way. A little delayed Christmas and New Year's -- Charmaine worked through both this year. We would also be implementing a lesson from World War II and Vietnam:
To Decompress.
After WWII the returning troops returned via slow ship transport with their buddies and slowly adjusted from combat to the idea of civilian life and regular sleep, regular food. And adjust to the idea that nobody was gunning for you.
Much like a presidential campaign...
Vietnam vets had no such decompression. They went from battlefield to seat 3B to USA tarmac in 24 hours. No wonder a few had such difficulty with re-entry. There was no time to cry.
We wanted to drive some 2,000 miles to learn from the wars. And learn from the war.
While I was a-driving cross country with the Hucka-Truck full of MacDonald's wrappers, Charmaine was eating steak with Ed Rollins, Chairman; Jim Pinkerton, Senior Adviser and David Polyansky the Chief Operating Officer. They were saying goodbye.
Ed picked up the check. He's a class act.
###
Thank you (foot)notes:
Ed bought the steaks instead of watching some football game. Where the NY Giants beat the Packers 23 to 20 in overtime. Ed has his office in New York. He gave up watching the playoff game to huddle-adieu. Ed knows how to coach a team...
Mike Huckabee is preparing for the next debate on Thursday in Florida. We will continue to cheer him on in any way possible.
We look forward to rejoining our Cherrydale Baptist bible study!
Mike Huckabee and staffers.
Charmaine in the black leather. GOP presidential hopeful and former
Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee talks with
advisors and campaign staff on board a plane
en route to South Carolina after the
New Hampshire primary in Manchester, N.H.,
Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2008.
AP Photo Credit: Alex Brandon
Alert Readers have alerted Your Business Blogger that Reasoned Audacity was down.
I have assured our friends who support Romney that we were not forbidding access to them. But that we were under a denial of service attack. And it was not personal.
Unless the DOS was coming from the Romney campaign...
See Charmaine in the red scarf. Republican presidential hopeful, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, poses with a supporter as his wife Janet takes a picture during a campaign rally early in the day in Grinnell, Iowa Thursday, Jan. 3, 2008.
AP Photo Credit: Paul Sancya
Charmaine and Mike Huckabee
###
Thank you (foot)notes:
My web guru Peter Shinn, found and fixed my problem. He is a pro. You should retain him. He does good work.
The Dude's broken wrist
on the campaign (ski) trail Your Business Blogger has the rambunctious Penta-Posse on the road supporting Huckabee for President. Alert Readers ask,
"How do you do it?"
The one word answer,
"Noise-canceling-headphones."
And I would follow-up: "Nobody gets hurt."
I can't say that any more.
On the way home from New Hampshire I steered the Hucka-Truck with the Penta-Posse for a day of night skiing at Pat's Peak.
Charmaine suggested that taking five children out on the slopes is a formula for trouble.
Skisbootsglovesgoggleshelmetspolescoats X 5 + Your Business Blogger = Charmaine is right again.
So. Under close parental supervision -- meaning within cell phone range -- The Dude and The Diva were doing a Double Black Diamond double time.
Their first run down the Diamond was slow, deliberate and measured in keeping with our family motto of Safety First.
Their second run was faster. The Dude took a jump, grabbed some air, ate some snow.
That was the only thing he ate that night. He took the pain like a trooper. Better than me.
I wonder about the coming physical therapy though...
The Dude before his big break at the Victory party in Iowa
Photo Credit: Brooks Kraft from Time
###
Thank you (foot)notes:
Jeffrey Lovallo, MD, installed the cast. The Dude got the cast in black. In memory of the diamonds. No complications and the cast should be off in six weeks.
Dr. Lovallo,
is currently an upper extremity consultant to the Washington Redskins and the DC United professional soccer team. He is a consultant for DePuy Medical, the leading total shoulder joint replacement company in the US. As a total shoulder arthroplasty consultant for DePuy, he has produced a state of the art video on total shoulder replacement.
I asked if he could help us get The Dude on the field as a walk-on for the Redskins. He mentions some nonsense about how the NFL has rules on eligibility: a junior in college. But he says there might be an exception for homeschoolers...
FairTax Proposal Gets Unfair Reporting on CNN's “Your $$$$$”
If it’s a new, popular GOP idea – it must be ‘spin’
Your Business Blogger is amused that differing opinions of the FairTax depend, as economics often does, on the point of view -- and what number goes into the dominator.
“The first thing that I’d get rid of is the Internal Revenue Service,” said Mike Huckabee at the recent CNN YouTube GOP presidential debate. “Wild applause for axing the IRS,” said Christine Romans, co-host of CNN’s “Your $$$$$.” The Huckabee clip was the lede on the December first edition. Most people are thrilled at the thought of ending the IRS and making April 15th an ordinary spring day.
But perhaps not Pat Regnier, Senior Editor of Money Magazine who was interviewed on the IRS-ending proposal. Money Magazine is a sister company to CNN.
Huckabee is a champion of the FairTax plan where taxpayers would receive their entire paycheck – with no deductions. The Federal government would collect taxes on a percentage of sales and not on a percentage of income.
When CNN host Romans asked guest Regnier, “Wow, the Republicans in the crowd certainly liked the idea getting rid of the IRS and making a more simple tax system. What is the Fair Tax?”
It seemed that guest Regnier didn’t care for the tax reform title, ‘FairTax.’ “Let’s un-spin it,” he said, “And let’s just say what it actually is: It’s a national retail sales tax.” Pat Regnier implied that “Fair” coming from a conservative presidential candidate was simply spin. The segment was titled with a question mark: FAIR TAX?
Regnier continued on the FairTax, “It’s a 30 percent mark-up on basically every thing you buy.”
No, it is not.
FairTax proponents at FairTax.org use 23 percent per transaction rather than the 30 percent number. The two different percentages is a common mistake produced by using a different base number in calculating the tax rate.
The current federal tax rate and the FairTax proposal use a ‘tax-inclusive’ calculation, where the tax is included in the base. A simplified chart from FairTax.org, demonstrates the fallacy of multiplying percentages on two difference numbers.
For example, a worker earns $100 and pays $23 in taxes and is left with $77 in discretionary income. The tax-inclusive rate is 23 percent. (23 divided by 100.)
CNN guest Pat Regnier used a ‘tax-exclusive’ calculation, where the tax is not included in the base. Here the $23 for taxes is figured in the equation with the discretionary income spent on consumption, $77 and not on the total income of $100. In this example, the tax-exclusion rate is 30 percent. (23 divided by 77.)
This makes the percentage higher, on the smaller denominator.
The difference is one of calculating the tax as a percent of total income, vs. calculating the tax as a percent of spending or consumption.
Mr. Spear Lancaster is the Maryland State Director for Americans for Fair Taxation and says that this (mis)calculation is deliberate by the detractors. “The feds use the inclusive [formulation] to make people think they are paying less taxes.” The FairTax proposal uses the inclusive equation for an entirely different reason. The FairTax rate is applied to the cost of goods and services, not on income.
FairTax proponents use 23 percent number because the calculation more “correctly represents the tax burden compared to the current system” -- not because the 23 percent number happens to be lower than the 30 percent number cited by cynics.
23 or 30 percent, abolishing the IRS is a truly progressive policy initiative. The only radical new ideas this election cycle may be coming from the Grand Old Party.
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Thank you (foot)notes:
Jack Yoest, has written for National Review OnLine, the Business Monthly and is a freelancer for the Business & Media Institute. He is president of Management Training of DC, LLC and teaches business at the Northern Virginia Community College.
Full Disclosure: His wife is a paid senior adviser with the Mike Huckabee presidential campaign.
Your Business Blogger and the Penta-Posse went to the Huckabee celebration joining Charmaine in Manchester, New Hampshire Tuesday night.
It was an over-flow room with an enthusiastic crowd. Supporters didn't look like, or sound like those whose candidate finished... third.
Monday night we watched Janet Huckabee announce the Hucka-husband Mike after he flew back from doing Letterman. The rally was a gig at the VFW hall in Rochester. Some 1,300 showed up and cheered.
Janet is an outstanding speaker. We learned that she jumped out of a (perfectly good) airplane -- parachuting with the Army's Golden Knights.
Huckabee spoke with Chuck Norris (zero body fat) and jammed with the band. "Sweet Home Alabama." Everyone sang along.
The younger voters rather enjoyed the bass-playing future president. The elders didn't mind either.
The Diva and The Dude working the phones back in Iowa.
Video Credit: The Dreamer
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Thank you (foot)notes:
The weather was like Florida, the landscape was like, well, New Hampshire in winter with snow piled up. But 55 degrees. The Penta-Posse wants to go skiing in shorts.
The only person not gaining weight on the campaign trail in Mike Huckabee. He still runs nearly everyday. These are not photo ops -- but a lifestyle that keeps him physically and mentally fit. This is discipline. Running works for Huckabee.
Senior adviser Charmaine Yoest said Huckabee's showings in New Hampshire and Michigan would demonstrate the national appeal of the former Arkansas governor. "We think the polling data that shows our lead widening in South Carolina speaks pretty clearly about our chances there," she added.
Grover Norquist Your Business Blogger was in the room when Mike Huckabee delivered The Taxpayer Protection Pledge to Grover Norquist.
Huckabee reviewed his tax record. That was the first time many heard Huckabee's compelling review on public funding and taxes during his terms as governor.
It was there and then that Huckabee convinced me that he was a man who was a true conservative with the the public purse; the public treasury.
The Republican Presidential debates Sunday night centered on taxes. A topic of interest for all Americans but especially for New Hampshire, the state of the first Primary.
Romney went on the offensive early in the debate on taxes.
This is a debate Romney should avoid. Massachusetts's state and local tax burden increased under Romney's control -- as compared to Arkansas under Huckabee's tenure.
Mike Huckabee in New Hampshire The non-partisan Tax Foundation publishes a state by state comparison each year. 1 is highest tax burden going down to 50; lowest tax burden.
When Mike Huckabee took office his state was number 46 of the 50 states measuring the total state and local tax burden. The tax burden was 8.8%.
When Huckabee left office eight years later after two terms as Governor his state was still 46 of the 50 states and the burden remained the same at 8.8%. See the Tax Foundation; Arkansas page 4.
When Mitt Romney took office in Massachusetts the total comparable tax burden was 9.8% with the state ranked at number 35.
When Romney left office the Commonwealth's tax burden was 10.5%. The state also slipped a full 7 steps in rank down (up) to 28. See the Tax Foundation; Massachusetts, page 21.
Huckabee kept his tax burden the same with the same state ranking.
Huckabee's Arkansas starts ranked at 46 and leaves at 46 with no change.
Romney's Massachusetts starts ranked at 35 and leaves at 28.
Romney left the Commonwealth with a heavier tax burden and the ranking worse.
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Thank you (foot)notes:
Full Disclosure Update: Charmaine has served as a paid adviser to the Huckabee campaign.
Grover Norquist is president of Americans for Tax Reform and holds a weekly meeting in Your Nation's Capital where he chairs an off-the-record meeting to review tax strategies and other conservative issues. Grover's meetings include some of the smartest people on the planet. Your Business Blogger is not one of them.
Celebrating in Des Moines After celebrating and driving from Iowa to New Hampshire we followed Mike Huckabee's performance at the events today in snow-covered Manchester.
Huckabee hosted a Chowder Fest originally booking a 75-seat restaurant. But the advance team learned that the crowd was going to be considerably larger and they scrambled make the move to a larger venue.
A high quality problem to be sure.
The final count was over 700 coming out to support Mike Huckabee.
Mike Huckabee will do better than expected in New Hampshire.
The future First Lady, Janet Huckabee
with two of the three future First Hucka-Dogs
in Cedars Rapids, Iowa
Credit: The Dreamer
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Thank you (foot)notes:
New Hampshire is a state of 1.3 million; Manchester is the largest city in the "Live Free or Die" state with some 100,000 souls. Concord, the capital has only 30,000.
Getting rid of the Internal Revenue Service might appeal to the voters of the Granite State. Huckabee is the only candidate pushing for real change.
Mike Huckabee at the Victory CelebrationThe Victory Party on Thursday was packed with partiers at above-the-Fire-Marshall-limits in the biggest ball room in the Embassy Suites in the Des Moines.
Lotsa of Happy Huckabee Ho-downers. There were even adult beverages at the event. It was a young crowd looking for change.
Everybody loves a winner. The Hucka-Boom.
The Diva, The Dude calling caucus goers
from the Des Moines Huckabee Headquarters
Mike Huckabee was quick to give credit to others who worked the phones and did the heavy lifting of lit drops.
The Penta-Posse was proud to play a small role.
After the celebration Your Business Blogger kissed Charmaine good-buy for two days as she got on the Hucka-Bus headed for the Hucka-Boeing to fly out to New Hampshire.
We packed up the Hucka-Truck and headed out for Manchester, NH. The Penta-Posse at the podium
Alert Readers will remember that the Hucka-Truck could have been named the UpChuck-aTruck on the drive out to Des Moines...
The 'Hucka-prefix' is fast loosing its appeal. Huckabee the candidate is sometimes described as short tempered. But it seems to this casual observer to be an exaggeration. He is proud of his surname and has grown up hearing every permutation that detractors can unload. Visit any group of third-graders on a play ground. (Or a presidential campaign. Hard to tell the difference.) The name-calling really doesn't bother him.
The Mike Huckabee Hucka-fix is to laugh-off and ignore personal insults. I don't know how he does it.
He is, well, presidential.
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So the Penta-Posse was packed in the monster SUV and we traveled over 1200 miles across country. Friends wrote "Honk 4 Huckabee" with shoe polish on our back window. And we got Hucka-honked for two days. And we talked with Huckabee supporters at nearly every gas stop; there was a lot of gas guzzling.
(The Chevy monster truck actually gets better mileage than my old Corvette. Except now I can haul 5 kids and kit. The only thing the 'Vette could carry was a large case for my 8-track tapes...)
Our route took us past Charmaine's old stomping grounds in Buffalo and the Adirondack Park where she saved a life. Buffalo was where she learned to ski as a wee-one. Her dad would carry her up a hill and -- gently -- push her down the slope.
Downhill ever since.
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Thank you (foot)notes:
We drove at high speed in more or less in a caravan of campaign workers across Interstate 80 and 90. Some Hucka-travelers, some Obama, some Edwards and others.
But there was a candidate not represented on the road. Not a single bumper sticker:
Mitt Romney.
I would suppose all his staff flew. And not down a highway.
"Let all the babies be born. "With one more vacancy on the Supreme Court, we could be looking at a majority hostile to a women's fundamental right to choose for the first time since Roe v. Wade. The next president may be asked to nominate that Supreme Court justice. That is what is at stake in this election.
