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| From USA Today |
After some singing and speeches, Mike finally took the stage to give the big announcement. This was not done though before Janet Huckabee took the stage and gave an inspiring history of the man who would soon be announcing. Mrs. Huckabee spoke not only like a mother and wife, but also like a lady who had already been in the role of first lady. It was easy to forget for a moment that this lady was the first lady of Arkansas because she sounded so much like the kind of first lady most Americans would love to have in the White House. Her grace seemed to steal the show as she told everyone how Mike sold two favorite guitars to buy a washer and dryer for the small struggling family when they were about to welcome their first baby into the world. It started more than a few tears rolling in the room when she quoted Mike in regards to the Hurricane Katrina refuges arriving in Arkansas as saying "People first. Paperwork later." As she left the stage, she must have known she had stolen the hearts of the audience when she asked, "You all know I'm not the main attraction, right?" to the standing ovation.
When Mike finally took the stage he did what Mike Huckabee always does....he told it straight. He did not dance around and lay out huge Presidential promises. He told what he saw as wrong with America, what he saw as right, and what he wanted to fix about what was wrong. Some in the Twitter universe (https://twitter.com/GOPArkansas) were quick to jump on some of Mike's wording. More than a few times Mike said, "I will try." People wanted to say that telling everyone he will try is an easy way to give an excuse later for not being able to do something. I disagree. For the first time in years, I was happy to hear a potential candidate say, "I will try." Not a fancy promise like "I'm going to be the President and I'll have a pen and do it anyway!" No, this was a simply promise that "I will try". Mike knows something about government that our current president and others sometimes forgets. You have to work with others in government to get things done and sometimes all you can do is try. The immediate connection was that we have a candidate who is willing to work with Congress, not go around them. We have a candidate who believes in term limits, believes in working with others, and has proven time-and-time again that he can do it. Mike Huckabee is the only Governor of Arkansas to ever take office and find his office door nailed shut on the first day in office! Can you imagine if someone had nailed the door to the White House shut when a President took office? But Mike did not bow down to anger or use his power like some people might. Instead, they removed the nails, opened the door, and reached out to those who had nailed it shut, across the line to a Democrat controlled state at the time, and he worked and got things done. Mike Huckabee knows that when you "try" others see that and suddenly they feel compelled to "try" too. Ultimately, when two sides of an issue decide to "try" a lot more gets done that will last than when someone depends on Executive Orders to last beyond their time in office.
Over the next few months Republicans will have to select a nominee for President. That nominee should be honest, forthcoming in where he stands, and willing to help the people of this nation move toward greatness again. Mike Huckabee could have stayed at his nice job with Fox News. He was loved, respected, and there was no end in sight for the political commentaries he could do over the next several years, but instead he left that. He left a better paying job because he believes we can move from the rays of hope we have today to higher ground tomorrow. Whoever you want the nominee for the party to be, you would do well to stop and listen to Huckabee first.
