Recap of Mike Huckabee Blogger Conference Call

This afternoon, we had the privilege of joining a conference call with Gov. Huckabee. He began by talking about recent events and the excitement he is seeing; Chuck Todd of MSNBC says he’s been through the crowds and could not find any one person who was definitely going to caucus. I find that kind of absurd, but it is possible this late rush could be very soft. On the other hand, Romney is not exactly the type to have rock solid support either. Huckabee to that extent said that he has 1,000 people a day pledging to caucus for him.

Huckabee also noted his fundraising appearance in Florida, and other appearances in Florida. Craig Crawford has also noted that Huckabee drew a crowd in Orlando twice the size of Giuliani’s campaign. Huckabee also noted the national polling which shows him coming up. Concludes by saying how notable his rise in Iowa has been, particularly that winning in Iowa would be a “seismic event talked about for years to come.” He’s clearly getting ready to get a bigger bounce from Iowa.

Moving on to the question portion. Just about every question was from a Huckabee-friendly source; we did not have the time to ask a question.

Huckabee was first asked about the attacks on his son; we covered those here. Huckabee called them a “low blow” and said they happened when his son was 17, and he became an Eagle Scout shortly thereafter.

Regarding accepting fees for a speech from a company that promotes stem cell research, he first spoke to his need to still be paid form time to time for speeches, and also that the speech in question for diabetes; moreover, that the Premier Speakers Bureau set up and paid him for the speech. All are true, but adding a middle man, and the speech being on diabetes does not change raw facts; the question is more broad: is it OK for him to accept a speakers fee from this sort of group? I expect that it is; Huckabee is trying for political goals; working with this company on diabetes is akin to working with Democrats on some common ground, whatever that might be. No big deal.

What about the likes of Novak and Coulter calling him out? Huckabee says they’re typical Washingont insiders, etc. and he offers real change, comparing himself in that regard to Reagan. It certainly sounds like a Democratic messagethis cycle , and you have to wonder how long it can carry him outside of Iowa.

What about accusations of Huckabee supporting touch back amnesty? Huckabee says that is a lie, and that illegals have to go back and to the back of the line; anyone deported has to wait ten years before even getting in line. Cites the support of Jim Gilchrist as proof of his chops on this issue.

After talking about his supporting Michigan, he was asked about what Ed Rollins has done. Said he looked at the organization and was impressed, and talked at length about the job the campaign has done under Chip Saltsman. Wants to send the message that Ed is adding a different perspective, but that the campaign is continuing without a hitch or substantial changes. Effective in doing so.

What would he do to mend bridges with fiscal conservatives once he wins the nomination (I told you this was a pro-Huckabee call)? Says people will realize that he does not want to make rich people poor, but rather he wants to make everyone rich. He said small businesses are the engine of the economy. Moves on to the fair tax, citing how it will show people how big a burden the federal government is and spur more change. (Trojan horse alert!)

Lastly, he talks about Pakistan, and cites a September speech on his website as proof of him talking about it long before now. SDays Benazir Bhutto was a symbol of courage, a symbol of democracy. Says it is important to show that women can be in power in 97% Muslim country.

Here is an excerpt from his September 29 speech:

“On September 12, 2001, President Musharaff agreed to sever his relationship with the Taliban and let us fight Al Qaeda inside Pakistan. Distracted by Iraq, we have allowed Musharaff to go back on his word. While warning us not to violate Pakistan’s sovereignty with our forces, he promises to go after Al Qaeda for us, then claims he can’t because he doesn’t control the territory where Al Qaeda has its safe haven.

“What exactly is our policy toward Pakistan? Just like Musharraf since 9/11, the Bush Administration has played both ends in the middle – assuring the American people that it is doing everything it can to protect them, while tiptoeing around our supposed ally, afraid of upsetting the apple cart, even though that cart contains poisoned apples destined for export to the United States.