Huckabee Not at Pundit's Beck and Call

Ah Glenn Beck... Sometimes he sounds so right on but then there are those other times... The conspiratorial mindset is helpful to make a story interesting, to keep it exciting, to make our red meat lusts fire up and yes it sends the ratings through the roof but its not the kind of thinking we should rely on for accuracy or fairness. And it certainly isn't the way one should think if one wishes to govern. When Beck took his shots this week against Huckabee as being a "progressive", something Beck equates with cancer and Adolph Hitler, it was really no surprise.
Beck has long had it in for Huckabee. In a January 3 You Tube video in which Beck laments Huckabee's Iowa success he says "Huckabee portrays hinself as an angel and then does the devil's work" He goes on to call Huckabee "Evil".
Its hard to know why Beck seems to hate the most attractive GOP candidate for 2012 but it doesn't really matter. Beck's vandetta says much more about Beck than it does about Governor Huckabee. As we look forward to a 2012 election process it is important that we look at the kind of approach each candidate has to issues in terms of philosophy, demeanor and courage and Gov. Huckabee's approach to this latest Beck attack tells us much about how he would handle the Presidency.
First, in terms of philosophy clearly Huckabee is a conservative. He is pro-life, pro-small government,and on and on down the list. He holds these positions consistently and strongly. Because he doesn't hold these positions with a hateful spirit some have questioned his strength. Make no mistake it is the grandstanders and the phoney conservatives who have to shout their positions with hatred. Think of it this way : Who is the better parent- the one who only yells and screams and belittles or the one who confidently and with assurance leads his family? Mike Huckabee is a leader in the mold of the latter rather than the former. Glenn Beck would prefer to call names and undercut.
Second , in terms of demeanor, I think Gov. Huckabee should be applauded for being a consistent conservative not a knee-jerk conservative. He actually takes the time to examine each issue rather than give an automatic push back. Whether one agrees or disagrees with Huckabee’s point here (Beck's recent charge was made because Huckabee supports in principle Michele Obama's fight against obesity), one should see that he is a thoughtful leader- not just a political opportunist. He actually grasps the notion that our side is not always right and the other side is not always wrong. Certainly he has consistently been a strong advocate and leader against many, yes most, of the Obama policies but that doesn't mean because the President or his wife have an idea that it is automatically wrong. On his web site the Governor says "I’m no fan of her husband’s policies for sure, but I have appreciated her efforts that Beck misrepresented—either out of ignorance or out of a deliberate attempt to distort them to create yet another “boogey man” hiding in the closet that he and only he can see. The First Lady’s approach is about personal responsibility—not the government literally taking candy from a baby’s mouth. He seems to fancy himself a prophet of sorts for his linking so many people and events together to describe a massive global conspiracy for pretty much everything. Sadly, he seems equally inept at recognizing the obvious fact that children are increasingly obese and that we now see clinical evidence of diseases in children that as recent as 20 years ago were found only in adults, such as Type 2 diabetes. The costs to our nation are staggering in increased health care expenses, but it even effects national security with now 75% of young men between the ages of 17 and 24 are unfit for military service primarily due to obesity!" Certainly these are some strong arguments and I believe the Governor should be applauded for his thoughtfulness. I want a President who doesn't just know how to react. I want one who can wisely respond.
Thirdly, I think this dust up shows that Governor Huckabee is a leader with courage and who will speak out regardless of political consequences. Beck is certainly popular among many conservatives. Huckabee the politician would want to say nothing but pleasant things about a man who has so many supporters. But Huckabee the leader knows that the truth matters and he steps up and calls out Beck as he has at mikehuckabee.com. Ironically, Beck accuses the Governor of being a weak "go along to get along" kind of a guy. Huckabee's response to Beck shows he is not weak but courageous. He knows that there is a time to negotiate and "get along" but there are times when you say this is the time not to appease but to stand your ground. If I were Mahmoud Ahmadinejad I wouldn't want Mike Huckabee to be President.
Glenn Beck will be gone soon from Fox. I hope Mike Huckabee will be as well- but not for the same reasons. I believe that while Mike Huckabee has served his country well though his informative and inspirational and highly rated television show, he is of far more value as the President of the United States. The times we face are frought with unparalleled urgency from a tetering economy to world wide Islamic extremism to the very perception of who we are as a country- a nation built on Judeo-Christian principles or the next European socialist state. We need the right leader to take up that cause, not a Beck-like bomb thower but a strong principled conservative who courageously takes on the issues, I believe that leader should be Mike Huckabee.