Someone is doing 2012 research in Iowa

A friend of mine in Des Moines, Iowa, got a phone call last night, testing out the names of potential 2012 GOP presidential candidates.  It was an automated survey and did not indicate who the sponsor of the call might be, "but it was quite apparent it was a GOP call," my friend reports. "…The survey started off by asking what I thought the most important issue facing America today might be, then rolled right into, 'Who would you vote for in the 2012 Presidential primary?' – offering choices of Huckabee, Palin, Gingrich, Jindal, and JEB BUSH." (Her boldface type, not mine).

Next, the survey asked a question about Obama. She described it this way:"That particular question was (somewhat) as follows, 'Which one of the following phrases best describes President Obama? For good leader, press 1; for good President, press 2; for too party-centric, press 3; for too liberal, press 4; for Socialist, press 5; for bad President, press 6; for undecided, press 7'"

She was asked which candidate she had voted for in 2008 — and asked whether she intended to vote for a Republican presidential candidate in the 2012 election.

Huckabee: “It’s a good time for us.”

"A lot of people are wringing their hands and acting like it's the end of the world. I see things quite differently. I think there's a lot of excitement. People are reminded that when we stand for something, we win. It's when we get mushy and squishy — that's when we lose and people are beginning to realize that." — Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee in June 10, 2009 interview with Radio Iowa.

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee just called into the Radio Iowa newsroom and talked with me for a few moments.  Huckabee, as you likely know, was the Republican victor in the 2008 Iowa Caucuses and he's making two appearances in northwest Iowa this afternoon.  The first, a keynote address to the Iowa Association of Business and Industry convention in Okoboji; the second, an appearance at a fundraiser for likely 2010 gubernatorial candidate Bob Vander Plaats.

About framing the debate among Republicans: "One of the things that I want to do is make sure that there is a clarity of conservative principles. I was just stunned when I saw many people who pretended to be conservative who went out there and supported everything from the TARP bill to the bailouts. There's nothing conservative about that.  It's absurd to think that the government should get involved in picking the winners and losers in the marketplace and micromanage major companies.  I think it's a time for there to be some real clarity developed in what it means to be a conservative and what it means to be a Republican…I think it's a good time for us. A lot of people are wringing their hands and acting like it's the end of the world. I see things quite differently. I think there's a lot of excitement. People are reminded that when we stand for something, we win. It's when we get mushy and squishy — that's when we lose and people are beginning to realize that."

Obama's caucus organization remains largely intact.  What is the status of Huckabee's caucus organization in Iowa? "We really don't have any formal organization at this point, but anything I can do to help Bob Vander Plaats in his race for governor I'm going to do and I think we'll certainly see many of the people who helped us get back into the fray for him, and I'm certainly hoping for that." 

Huckabee cites his website, which is a "community for us" and allows him to remain in contact with '08 supporters.  "Our HuckPAC organization is primarily designed to create a grassroots organization from the precinct level up. We've got coordinators in all 50 states and the primary goal there is to help people in this next election cycle who are running for governor, for congress, for the U.S. senate (and), of course, we're involved in New Jersey and Virginia this year with those elections going on."

Huckabee’s (almost) here

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee is due in Iowa today.  Huckabee, the Republican winner of the 2008 Iowa Caucuses, is due in Okoboji (pronounced oh-koh-BOH-jee) early tihs afternoon.  He's to speak first at the Iowa Association of Business and Industry convention.  We're told his keynote speech for the ABI convention is titled: "Climate change — Iowa's business climate and how to make it hot."  Huckabee's speech is to start at 2:30 p.m.  He follows the afternoon presentations from Iowa State University College of Agriculture dean Wendy Wintersteen and American Institute of Management president Andrea Fredrickson. 

After Huckabee accepted the ABI invitation, the Bob Vander Plaats campaign organized a fundraiser in Arnold's Park, which is next door to Okoboji.  The fundraiser is to start at 4:30 p.m.  Vander Plaats endorsed Huckabee's bid for the White House and campaigned extensively with Huckabee in advance of the Iowa Caucuses.

Huckabee has a gig at Okoboji

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, the winner of the 2008 Iowa Republican Party's Caucuses, was in Iowa last July and again in November.  Now, there's word Huckabee will return for a turn at the Iowa Association of Business and Industry's annual convention.  Huckabee is scheduled to speak in the afternoon on Wednesday, June 10, 2009.

For those of you who watch television, '80s heart-throb Rick Springfield was a guest on Huckabee's show on FOX this past weekend and the two played Springfield's biggest hit:  "Jesse's Girl."  (That link takes you to an 8 minute video of Huckabee and Springfield chatting, then playing the song.)  On May 11, 2007, Huckabee talked about music with musicians from Iowa.  Huckabee argued musical instruments should be "weapons of mass instruction" in American schools.  As you may know, Huckabee has a band called "Capitol Offense" and he plays the bass guitar.  The band played the historic Surf Ballroom in the fall of 2007.

Vander Plaats again running for governor

Someone emailed me this link this morning.  It took me to the website for Bob Vander Plaats for Governor 2010.  If you want to contact Team Vander Plaats, you'll have to write them a letter and sent it through the U.S. Postal Service.  There's just a mailing address on the website.  If you want to volunteer, they'll take your email address.

UPDATE:  Vander Plaats stopped by the Radio Iowa studio this morning for an interview.  Read the Radio Iowa story here. Eric Woolson, campaign manager/press secretary/political director/human resources director/office manager for Huckabee's 2008 Iowa campaign, is handing press for Vander Plaats. Wes Enos is traveling with Vander Plaats today.  Enos was hired by Huckabee to serve as political director.  Enos ran for the Polk County Board of Supervisors in 2006.  He's currently a member of the Republican Party of Iowa State Central Committee.

Huckabee in Iowa to sell books

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee has a new book out — Do the Right Thing:  Inside the Movement That’s Bringing Common Sense Back to America. He held a book signing in Cedar Rapids earlier today; another is scheduled this evening in a Des Moines suburb.  On the bus drive from Cedar Rapids to Des Moines, Huckabee called into the Radio Iowa newsroom.  Here’s a partial transcript of our conversation:

Henderson: “Last night, I saw Dolly Parton in concert.”

Huckabee: “Get out of here.  Where did you see her?”

Henderson: “In Des Moines.”

Huckabee: “Oh man, I would have loved to see her.”

Henderson: “It was the last stop on her two-and-a-half-year tour. She’s a fabulous songwriter.  I wonder what sort of lyrics you might write to get Republicans back on a winning track and I’m assuming your tune would no doubt be more like Copeland than Wagner.”

Huckabee: “Hmm. You know, it probably would be, but I would have loved to see Dolly Parton.  I think she’s an amazing talent and a phenomenal entertainer, so I’m just disappointed I wasn’t here a night earlier.”

Henderson: “The opening ode in your new book declares your love of Iowa, but later you suggest campaigning here in Iowa is “grueling” — how do you mentally prepare for Huckabee for President, the sequel?  In the last part of the book you mentioned that “Smiley Face” ring.  Just where is that today?”

Huckabee: (Laughter) “Well, first of all, I’m not anticipating planning or even trying to think about any future campaign. I’m wanting to make sure I get the message of this book out and work on my show with FOX and then starting in January I’ll be doing two, five-minute-a day commentaries for the ABC Radio Network so I have plenty to keep me busy.  The part about it being grueling, it would be grueling no matter where you were. It was grueling in South Carolina.  It was grueling in New Hampshire. It’s just that the pace of the campaign is long, long days, very short nights and just unimaginable, you know — trying to get from one place to the next and meet as many people as you can. Iowa is, obviously, throughout the book and it starts there.  There are so many references to Iowa events and Iowa people because so much of our campaign,  I mean, we spent more time here than we spent here in our own homes in the almost two years up to the caucus.”

Henderson: “How do you hope this book to shape the debate among Republicans and what specifically do you point to in the book as maybe a rallying point, a Road to Damascus experience from which your party can learn some lessons?”

Huckabee: “There’s some key chapters one of which is ‘The Best Government of All’ which that says if Republicans really want to lower taxes and limit government, the best way to do it is to emphasize self-government. That’s the best government.  It’s not about seeing what Washington’s going to do.  It’s seeing what I’m going to do so that I don’t have to be governed, regulated, ruled and restricted — and that happens when people live according to personal character, when they live according to a standard of right and wrong, and when they don’t then government inevitably has to get involved whether it’s at the regulatory level or the actual police and judiciary level, so that’s one thing.

“Another would be that I spend a great deal of time in the book talking about that we’ve got to as a party realize that we win when we stand for some things: when we are clearly pro-life/pro-family, for lower taxes, we empower parents…(Huckabee’s cell phone signal fades out)…and when we stick by those things and actually govern that way we win elections, but it’s when we don’t govern that way that our message loses any authenticity and we lose.”

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