Michael Braun's Blog

Wow, Former Arkansas Governor and current Republican Presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee is surging in the polls! What does this mean?

1. There is a real chance that Huckabee can steal the momentum that Romney was depending on – winning in Iowa and continuing to build thru the rest of the primaries. Even with a loss in New Hampshire, he can do as Bush did and dominate in South Carolina. Because he is quite conservative, religiously, he appeals to those values voters. His only risk is that his more moderate positions (some truly “compassionate conservative” views, especially on raising taxes on business and helping the poor) will make him unpopular with bread-and-butter Republicans who are not evangelicals.

2. If he wins the nomination, we may see a real fracture in the Republican alliance – where religious evangelicals united with economic conservatives to sweep the Republicans into power back in ’94. Huckabee may get the vote of the evangelicals, but he’s not exactly business friendly. But with no Ross Perot out there to steal votes, we may instead see lower voter turnout.

3. Evangelicals are still a strong voting bloc. Despite early hesitations, threats of a third-party candidate, and talk of the Bush days being completely over, Huckabee is propped up on their shoulders in Iowa, whereas just weeks ago, he was nobody. What a rise!

4. There’s still danger a-lurking. We can’t stay complacent that someone like Giuliani has a chance. He will not win the nomination. We will have a social conservative running on the Republican ticket. While Huckabee has some nice talk about immigration and war, he will still appoint judges seeking to overturn Roe v. Wade and try to amend the Constitution to ban same-sex marriage. Not too good at all. But hey, I don’t think that Huckabee can beat the Democratic nominee, so maybe there is less to fear than I’ve imagined.

It’s a slow week, this week, I guess. There hasn’t been much inspiring news that has prompted me to write anything. Nor has much been going on in my life. I must apologize to all you faithful readers. Hopefully, you all have RSS feeds of my blog setup such that you do not spend time refreshing constantly my page in hopes of a new post.

Some general reporting: Lauren started lifting weights as part of her workout routine. Last Saturday, I killed myself working 30 minutes on an exercise bike. Feeling like I couldn’t continue to do anymore cardio, I decided to join her on the weights. I had not lifted weights since ninth grade (as evidenced by my skinny arms) and did not have pleasant memories of those gym classes. So I didn’t know what to expect. But, to my surprise, I really enjoyed using the weight machines! And aside from being sore the next few days, I’ve noticed only upsides. Why, just yesterday, I lifted a car! What progress! So, if you need anything crushed, let me know.

In other news, I’m done with my Christmas shopping! Okay, I do have to print out some pictures to be used as gifts, but that’s really quite minor. I am very pleased with my purchases, despite having gone above my budget. Ah well, I must do my part to keep the American economy going, especially with sales predicted to be down (or not up as much) this year. It’s nice to have a girlfriend to shop for. Lauren and my sister were the two easiest people to shop for, though we’ll see how successful my gifts are. For those of you with shopping still to do, I must suggest Barnes and Noble. Perhaps you’ve already been there, but go back! Then, spend some time in sections you might not normally. The cooking, exercise, art, and current events sections are excellent places to find books for those tough people on your list. Magazines are also an excellent place to look. Then, it’s a gift you can give every year!

Finally, Lauren and I are about to make a very exciting purchase – SNOW SHOES! Tired of being cooped up all winter, but annoyed with the cold weather making walks downright unpleasant, we thought that snow shoes were ideal. They get you outside, but moving well enough that your generated warmth should be enough to keep you comfortable. Plus, snow shoeing is darn good exercise. REI seems to be the place to go, though perhaps we might check out other sporting goods stores. Sunday also looks like a beautiful day to go. I am also hoping to get out skiing this weekend. First, I need to get my skis from Lauren’s mother’s garage. But then, it’s off to the trails. Cross-country skiing is perhaps the best winter sport, but maybe snow shoeing will soon take a special place in my heart.

Have wonderful weekends, all!