IOWA LIKES MIKE

The news media outlets and Sunday political pundit television shows are all reporting the "surprising" leap Mike Huckabee has taken in the Iowa polls (up 17 points in one month). Only one source saw the upsurge coming in the Huckabee camp, and has called it right for the last few months...."The World According to Kimba.". Here are the Des Moines Iowa Register findings....

"Mike Huckabee has leaped ahead of Republican presidential rival Mitt Romney in Iowa, seizing first place in a new Des Moines Register poll of likely Republican caucus participants. Huckabee wins the support of 29 percent of Iowans who say they definitely or probably will attend the Republican Party's caucuses on Jan. 3. That's a gain of 17 percentage points since the last Iowa Poll was taken in early October, when Huckabee trailed both Romney and Fred Thompson.

Other poll findings indicate that the former Arkansas governor is making the most of a low-budget campaign ($300,000 spent in Iowa this month) by tapping into the support of Iowa's social conservatives. Romney, who has invested more time and money ($3 million this month alone) campaigning in the state than any other GOP candidate, remains in the thick of the Iowa race with the backing of 24 percent of likely caucus goers. But that's a drop of 5 points since October for the former Massachusetts governor."

Des Moines Register December 3, 2008

You might ask yourselves why.....why Mike Huckabee, a virtual unknown months ago (7% in previous Iowa polls as late a July) has taken the Republican party by storm, and is threatening to take the Iowa primary by storm?

The answer....he is real. He is not a pre-packaged product. He is not a religious person out of convenience (a still devout former Southern baptist minister). He is conservative, but still maintains a sense of the individual person, and seems to capture the conservative values with true compassion for all of Gods creatures put here on this earth.

Take for example, his attempt to make children of illegal aliens eligible for financial college aid. All of the GOP nominees jumped at the chance to slam him for these views. But Huckabee turned the tables on them saying, "I do not want to punish the children of illegal aliens for the crimes and sins committed by their parents....it only makes sense that these children, who attended Arkansas schools, and remained drug free, be given the opportunity to be tax payers, as opposed to tax takers." "It only makes sense for the state to educate these children and help them to succeed and put them on the road to becoming productive members of this nation."

This is the kind of viewpoint that may pull from the liberal bases. Yes, he is pro life, he is pro death penalty, and stands with the conservatives on all of the most important concerns. But he appears to be the strong, every mans leader figure the country may be looking for. Obviously, this is what Iowans are looking for, and the polls prove it.

If Huckabee does, in fact win Iowa, will he gain the momentum to rise from his second place stature in New Hampshire and South Carolina to take those as well? Time will tell of course, but America is desperately looking for something, or more correctly, someone to lead them. Obviously many political insiders thought (incorrectly) that this void would be filled by Fred Thompson, whose campaign is sputtering to say the least.

Why Huckabee? It is simple. Guiliani is too slick, too wishy washy, and too liberal. Romney? Too slick, too pre-packaged, and yes, lets get over it...too Mormon. Anyone else for the conservatives is unelectable, and would be a waste of a vote.

Could this change? Of course. But Iowa is desperate for someone fresh on the scene. Just look at who leads Iowa for the Democrats...Barack Obama, who is wet behind the ears inexperienced. But he has a freshness to him, a humanity to him. And, now he has Oprah on his side.

And that is the "World According to Kimba" Thanks for reading.