Mike Huckabee & the Army's Future

You will remember that the establishment was slow to warm to Reagan. A former skeptic, the conservative blogger Adam Graham shares why Huckabee was and is the Reagan of this generation. Here is the introduction to the post entitled "Huck's Army Will March Again":

If you would have told me in January that I would make more than 300 calls to complete strangers in 3 states on behalf of Mike Huckabee, donate money to his campaign, and write some of my best work to defend his campaign's continuing existence, I would have told you you were crazy. In fact, I put out some zingers on the Governor when I, like many bloggers was feeling quite charitable towards Fred Thompson. I told my readers that the nomination of Mike Huckabee would mean the GOP had left key principles of fiscal conservatism and would have “lost their brain.” I wrote parodies involving the Governor's gifts received while Governor. I calculated that his playing nice with Senator McCain was an attempt to claim the VP spot. I thought I had Huckabee all figured out. I was wrong.

Read the entire post here.

The founders of Huck's Army wrote an inspiring column on Sunday. After bringing back to remembrance some of the reasons why we liked Mike so, they conclude:

In recent days we've been asked repeatedly what all this means. With Huckabee leaving the race after McCain clinched the nomination on Tuesday, was it worth it? Will Huck's Army be anything more than a curious footnote in the virtual pages of Wikipedia?

We believe the answer is yes, and we're determined that it will be. The Internet may have made it possible, but Huck's Army was more than just the Internet. Huckabee inspired a movement. His message and ideas captured hearts and minds alike. And we're still here.

Members of Huck's Army can articulate issues, principles and a positive conservatism. We're a new generation of conservatives who recognize that a consistent conservative philosophy can speak to demographics and issues where Republicans traditionally have failed.

Huckabee was opposed by the Republican establishment and ultimately fell short, but his ability to connect with the people cannot be denied. It reminds us of another candidate who failed in his first presidential bid -- 12 years before we were even born -- but who spent the next four years building a coalition that led to victory in 1980 and 1984: Ronald Reagan.Huck's Army may well be the start of a similar coalition for the next Great Communicator.

Huckabee's supporters are not disillusioned; we're resolved. We will work to make the Republican Party strong because we work to make it right. Some of our members will one day hold office, but all of us will stay engaged.

Call us young idealists, but it was worth it -- and it's not over.

Read the entire article here.

Mike Huckabee, Huckabee, Governor Mike Huckabee