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 Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee spoke at the Ham House this past Wednesday.
Huckabee appeared last Wed-nesday at the Ham House to a crowd of around 100, about three times the number of people who heard his fellow presidential candidate and Kansas Senator Sam Brownback the previous Thursday.
Huckabee was especially satisfied about his second-place finish considering that his campaign had been outspent by 100 to one. He said that the greatest danger would be to exchange the presidency for a plutocracy. He said that it ought to be about raising ideas, not cash.
The former Arkansas governor touted his outside-the-beltway status. He noted that a lot of the candidates are from inside the beltway. The former Baptist preacher, referencing the Bible, said that these candidates/members of Congress had not used their talents wisely in that they have failed to solve many of the problems that America faces.
There are a whole lot of things that aren't getting done," he said.
Huckabee, like Brownback the previous week, emphasized his common man roots. He said that he did not grow up a child of privilege. His father had to work two jobs in order to support the family.
As did Brownback, Huckabee placed emphasis on the importance of marriage and the family. "Marriage is the foundation upon which everything rests," he said. He noted that, despite what some people say, marriage is indeed the government's business. When the family breaks down, crime goes up, he said, adding that stable families help to reduce poverty.
Huckabee touched on several other issues during his appearance. A supporter of the fair tax, he wants to get rid of the IRS and scrap the 177,000-page tax code. He said that he would like to make the tax code so simple that a seven-year-old working a lemonade stand would be able to understand it.
Concerning education, Huck-abee spent several minutes on the need for greater emphasis on the teaching of such right brain disciplines as art and music, in addition to the emphasis that is already being placed on science and math.
"We need to stimulate creativity," said Huckabee.
During the question and answer session, Huckabee expressed support for the war in Iraq in response to a war critic in the audience.
"We are succeeding, "he said, noting that having soldiers over there keeps the fight concentrated there and not here. He said that many critics of the war now acknowledge that the war is going better.
Huckabee also warned that the war is theological in nature and that it is not a war in the traditional sense. "This is unlike any war we've ever fought," he said.
When asked about the proposed North American Union, Huckabee said that he was appalled that such a thing would even be proposed.
"We should never, ever yield the sovereignty of the United States to anyone," he said.
At least one member of the audience sported a lapel sticker reading, "I Like Mike," an obvious take-off on the 1950's slogan "I Like Ike," which was in reference to President Eisenhower.
After Huckabee finished, several of his listeners made their way to the literature table where they added their names to his mailing list.
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