Mike dropped out of the race officially last night, now that John McCain gained the necessary number of delegates to ensure the nomination. Over the last year, I have followed Mike and supported him ardently. When it became obvious that he could not win, I simply quit blogging for him, not wanting to admit the inevitable, yet knowing that there was little point in putting more effort into it. Mike Huckabee was the very first person I had the privilege to vote for in any sort of election, and I must say it was a privilege. While I’ve only just now become old enough to vote, I’ve followed politics for the last eight years, and Mike is the only politician who has ever excited me and his campaign infused me with a renewed trust in the American way of doing government. While he has ultimately fallen short, the movement that he, together with his dedicated supporters, seems to have started among social conservatism is hardly dead. When you read his letter, you will realize that this incredible man has no intentions of quitting the American political arena after just one defeat, but intends to carry on, and hopefully, run again in 2012. While it won’t happen now, my guess is that someday Mike Huckabee will become President of our nation.
All this said, I would like to address some of the ridiculous reactions I have seen from some supporters of the now former Presidential candidate. This is no time to be writing in a man who has publicly stated he will not run as a third-party candidate. The truth is, John McCain, while often frustrating as a legislator to conservatives, has a largely conservative voting record, including issues such as life and taxes. It is absurd to suggest that we would be better off with Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama in power, working with a Democrat-controlled Congress to advance their agenda of “progessivism” that is progressive ONLY in that it enables time travel back to the dark economic policies of Franklin Roosevelt and the cultural agenda of the Supreme Court that passed such infamous rulings as Roe v. Wade. It is imperative that either of these two do not reach office. I am convinced that if one of them does, it will be the end of America and her freedom as we know it, and it would be one of the the greatest errors in our nation’s history if conservatives, fueled by comparatively minor disagreements with Senator McCain, refrain from voting for the man. If you buy into the argument that to vote for McCain is the lesser of two evils, realize that all you merely do by not voting for him is, at best, vote for the lesser of three evils. A more realistic view is that voting for a third-party candidate, or to write in a candidate who is not even running, is to enable the total destruction of the American Republic. I will spend the next several months in the political posts on this blog doing everything in my power (meager as it is) to ensure that this does not happen.
Finally, let me state a reminder to all of you. God is still on the throne. While electing a candidate who promises “change” from the freedom we now have may be the end of our country as we know it, God will not end. We are blessed to live in the greatest nation in the history of the world, the ONLY superpower in the history of the world where people are free to exercise almost ALL of their basic rights as humans. If God chooses to withhold that blessing in his wisdom and judgement for our waywardness, then so be it. But He is still omnipotent, and He still raises up rulers and still takes them down.
Now, the parting words from Governor Huckabee (or at least the parting words from his campaigning):
Dear Faithful Friends,
Last night was a tough one for all of us. While Janet and I stood on the stage, we felt as if we were surrounded by a much larger family than our immediate family. We have been surrounded throughout the process by a large and growing family of faithful friends whose efforts in the campaign have humbled and amazed us day after day. I regularly wept or choked back tears just reading comments on the blog when I realized the sacrifices that so many have made for the campaign.
We had held out hope that we would win enough delegates to keep the contest going, but had vowed that if Senator McCain actually got the 1191 delegates, we would accept the will of the voters. In the end, the relentless hammering of the media that we “couldn’t win” influenced enough voters and while we campaigned long and hard in the final states, it simply wasn’t enough. I congratulate Senator McCain and will do what I can to assist him and influence him to take strong stands for issues that we conservatives cherish.
I don’t see the long journey having reached its destination, but merely taking a detour. As my Marine friend Clebe McLary says, “I didn’t lose–it’s just that the game ended before I got finished playing.”
In the immediate days ahead, we will be transitioning from campaign mode. For 14 months, there have been a lot of things put on hold in our lives. We have to join the many incredible people on our staff to figure out “what’s next?” But this much I can tell you—we want to stay in touch and start now building a platform to continue addressing issues that brought us together in the first place.
Throughout my life, I’ve found that there are sometimes three possible answers to our prayers–”Yes,” “No,” or “Not Now.” I would like to think our prayers were answered with a “Not Now.”
We will keep our website up and as we transition, will want to create a way to keep in touch and continue the battle for our families, our freedom, and our future. We will also focus on assisting conservative Senate and House candidates, in places where we know our investment of time and energy can make a real difference. You can expect us to be active online as we do this and to regularly solicit your opinions and support. Too many big issues are at stake for us to sit on the sidelines.
In the immediate time, we have to make sure that we pay all the bills of the campaign and end in the black, help our staff find ways to earn a living, and make sure that we don’t lose the momentum of the past 14 months, but instead follow the plan:
REFLECT, REST, RENEW, and RE-BOOT!
I really welcome your input and thoughts during these coming days. Pray for us as we seek wisdom as to what steps we take now. Despite what some have thought, we really didn’t have a “Plan B’ in the wings–we always thought we’d be in this until the inauguration in January of 2009!
God has been so good to us! We can never fully express our gratitude for all you have done and how you have touched and blessed our lives. I truly hope I didn’t let you down. I promise to you that I gave it all I had to the last minute and left it “all on the field.” What is more amazing is how you were willing to be “poured out” to the point of empty in order to be with us all the way. I stand amazed by it all and overwhelmed with gratitude.
We will dust off, pick ourselves up off the canvas, and answer the bell for the next round, whatever that may be. We love you all, and trust that the journey has just begun!
With tired bodies and grateful hearts,
Mike and Janet Huckabee
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