Posts

GOP Tampa Convention: Huckabee hits it out of the park-Page 3

/0 Comments/in /by

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore

They told me to get off my backside, work hard, take risks and treat people honestly and honorably. And look at me today. I have become as the press like to label me, a failed candidate. Oh, it’s true. I have fallen from the high perch of politics and now I wallow in the mud of the media. But I still know that as a country, we can do better. And with Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, we will do better.

I want to clear the air about something that has been said. People wonder whether guys like me, an evangelical, would only support a fellow evangelical? Well my friends I want to tell you something, of the four people on the two tickets, the only self-professed evangelical is Barack Obama. And he supports changing the definition of marriage. Believes that human life is disposable and expendable at any time in the wound, even beyond the womb. And he tells people of faith that they have to bow their knees to the God of government and violate their faith and conscience in order to comply with what he calls, health care. Friends I know we can do better.

Let me say it as clearly as possible, that the attack on my Catholic brothers and sisters is an attack on me. The Democrats have brought back that old dance, the limbo. To see how low they can go in attempting to limit our ability to practice our faith. But this isn’t a battle about contraceptives and Catholics, but about conscience and the Creator. Let me say to you tonight, I care far less as to where Mitt Romney takes his family to church, than I do about where he takes this country.

Joe Biden said, “Show me your budget and I’ll tell you what you value.” Well in the Senate Joe’s party hasn’t produced a budget in three years. What does that say about their values? And by the way, speaking of budgets, Joe Biden’s budget shows that while he wants to be very generous with your money through higher taxes and government spending, for years he gave less than two-tenths of one percent of his own money to charity. He just wants you to give the government more so he and the Democrats can feel better about themselves. Mitt Romney has given over 16 percent of his income to church and charity.

And my friend, I feel a lot better about having a president who will give generously of his own money instead of mine or yours.

My concern is not Barack Obama’s past, but my concern is for the future. Not his future, but for the future of my grandchildren, little Chandler and Scarlet. And under this president we have burdened each of them with tens of thousands of dollars of debt and a system that will collapse upon itself because he thinks that we can prosper by punishing productivity and rewarding reckless irresponsibility. The Democrats say we ought to give Barack Obama credit for trying. Folks that sounds like the nonsense of giving every kid a trophy for showing up.

Read the last page of Governor Huckabee’s speech HERE.

GOP Tampa Convention: Huckabee hits it out of the park-Page 4

/0 Comments/in /by

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore

Let’s be clear, we’re talking about leading the country. Not playing on a third grade soccer team. Look, I realize this is a man who got a Nobel Peace Prize for what he would potentially do. But in the real world, you get the prize for producing something, not just promising something.

Sometimes we get so close to the picture, we really can’t see it clearly. I’ve had the privilege of working with Bono for the past few years in the One Campaign to fight AIDS and hunger and disease around the world. Bono is an Irishman and a great humanitarian. And I remember him telling me of his admiration for America. He said, “America’s more than just a country. We are an idea.” And he reminded me that we are an exceptional nation with an extraordinary history who owes it to the generations who are coming after us to leave them with an extraordinary legacy. But if we don’t change the direction of our nation now, our bequest will be nothing but an extraordinary shame. But dear friends, we can do better.

President Obama is out of gas and Americans are out of patience. And our great republic is almost out of time. It’s time that we no longer lead from behind, but that we get off our behinds and leave something lasting for those who came after us instead of a mountain of debt and a pile of excuses. Tonight, it’s not because we’re Republicans, it’s because we are Americans that we proudly stand with Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan and we say, “We will do better.” God bless you. Thank you. God bless.

See the video of Huckabee’s speech at the 2012 GOP Tampa Convention HERE.

Huckabee is right to condemn GOP for leaving wounded on battlefield

/2 Comments/in , /by

As a former Navy enlisted man, West Point graduate, and former Army officer, I appreciate what Governor Mike Huckabee wrote to his supporters this past week. Military men never leave their wounded on the battlefield. And that is what has happened with the embattled Congressman Todd Akin, running for a Senate seat against Democrat Claire McCaskill in Missouri.

The Republican establishment joined the Democrat Party and the media in relentless attacks over Congressman Akin’s misstatement about abortion and rape during the past few days.

As Governor Huckabee wrote, Congressman Akin has apologized for his inappropriate remarks and he has resoundingly rejected what he said. He is guilty only of wanting to see every living being protected. However, many of the establishment in the Republican Party, who do not agree with his pro-life views, joined the Democrat firing squad against the congressman.

Democrats never form circular firing squads when one of their own, such as Bill Clinton, make mistakes. The Republican establishment, on the other hand, gladly form such firing squads against their own elected officials when they are frightened. This needs to stop. Indeed, an apology is owed by many of them to this distinguished Member of Congress, Todd Akin.

[To see the email which former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee wrote to his supporters on August 23, 2012, click HERE.]

***********

Jim Backlin, is a former Reagan administration official and congressional chief of staff after a career in business. A West Point graduate and Vietnam veteran, Jim is chief lobbyist for the Christian Coalition of America.

Huckabee today compares GOP Senatorial Committee to “union goons” who “kneecap” their enemies

/4 Comments/in , /by

Mike Huckabee participated in a conference call Friday night with hundreds of Baptist pastors and Christian talk radio hosts in Missouri that was organized to coordinate a robust defense of Rep. Todd Akin as he faces pressure from Washington Republicans to drop his Senate bid against Democrat Claire McCaskill. Akin told reporters in St. Louis today that he would not quit the race.

Speaking harshly about establishment Republicans who have tried to force Akin from the Missouri race, Huckabee at one point compared the National Republican Senatorial Committee to “union goons” who “kneecap” their enemies.

The former Arkansas governor said party bosses were “opening up rounds and rounds” of ammunition on Akin and “then running over with tanks and trucks and leaving him to be ravaged by the other side.”

“This is unprecedented, to see to this orchestrated attempt to humiliate and devastate a fellow Republican,” Huckabee said of Akin, who has deep ties to the Christian conservative movement. Akin spent Thursday in Florida meeting with evangelical leaders and evaluating his political future.

Huckabee said he spoke directly with NRSC officials this week and was assured that they would begin to dial back their offensive against Akin. He said party officials specifically told him they would stop pressuring Akin’s consultants and campaign vendors to drop the congressman as a client.

Read more from this story HERE.

Huckabee: Who Ordered the Establishment’s Hit on Akin?

/51 Comments/in , /by

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore

The deadline came and went on Tuesday for Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin to drop out over an incorrect comment he made about rape. The Republican establishment put unprecedented and intense pressure on Todd to quit, including five current and past Missouri Senators. But in an exclusive interview on my radio show, Akin said he’s “in this race to the end.” He said he admitted he misspoke and that his statement was not accurate, but he’d sincerely apologized. You can listen to the audio from that interview on my website.

The Party’s leaders have for reasons that aren’t rational, left him behind on the political battlefield, wounded and bleeding, a casualty of his self-inflicted, but not intentional wound. In a Party that supposedly stands for life, it was tragic to see the carefully orchestrated and systematic attack on a fellow Republican. Not for a moral failure or corruption or a criminal act, but for a misstatement which he contritely and utterly repudiated. I was shocked by GOP leaders and elected officials who rushed so quickly to end the political life of a candidate over a mistaken comment in an interview. This was a serious mistake, but it was blown out of proportion not by the left, but by Akin’s own Republican Party. Is this what the party really thinks of principled pro-life advocates? Do we forgive and forget the verbal gaffes of Republicans who are “conveniently pro-life” for political advantage, but crucify one who truly believes that every life is sacred?

Who ordered this “Code Red” on Akin? There were talking point memos sent from the National Republican Senatorial Committee suggesting language to urge Akin to drop out. Political consultants were ordered to stay away from Akin or lose future business with GOP committees. Operatives were recruited to set up a network of pastors to call Akin to urge him to get out. Money has changed hands to push him off the plank. It is disgraceful. From the spotlights of political offices and media perches, it may appear that the demand for Akin’s head is universal in the party. I assure you it is not. There is a vast, but mostly quiet army of people who have an innate sense of fairness and don’t like to see a fellow political pilgrim bullied. If Todd Akin loses the Senate seat, I will not blame Todd Akin. He made his mistake, but was man enough to admit it and apologize. I’m waiting for the apology from whoever the genius was on the high pedestals of our party who thought it wise to not only shoot our wounded, but run over him with tanks and trucks and then feed his body to the liberal wolves. It wasn’t just Todd Akin that was treated with contempt by the thinly veiled attack on Todd Akin. It was all the people who have faithfully knocked doors, made calls, and made sacrificial contributions to elect Republicans because we thought we were welcome in the party. Todd Akin owned his mistake. Who will step up and admit the effort being made to discredit Akin and apologize for the sleazy way it’s been handled?

I’ve always believed and still do, that if you don’t honor your friendships, you don’t honor yourself. And I consider Todd a friend. So I will join Todd as often as I can, in his fight for our Party’s pro-life policies, traditional marriage and our efforts to rein in the massive expansion of government under President Obama. Todd is being systematically scourged for one thing he said. Is that more important than what Claire McCaskill has DONE over her 6 years in the Senate? If you’d like to join the fight, and help defeat a Democrat Senator standing in the way of a conservative majority, I encourage you to join me. The party has decided it won’t help. In fact, it has decided that it will try to cut off the supply lines to Akin to pressure him to exit and let the party bosses overturn the voters of Missouri and pick their own candidate. If this can happen to Todd Akin, who is next?

Read more from this story HERE.

Homosexuals, others protest Chick-fil-A yesterday, create “chaos”

/6 Comments/in , /by

Photo credit: Generic Brand Productions

A day of protest at Chick-fil-A franchises around the country ended in chaos yesterday as thousands of gay couples gathered to oppose the company’s stance on same-sex marriage.

One branch of the fast-food restaurant was vandalised with graffiti accusing them of spreading ‘hate’, while another had to call police after being flooded with protesters and media.

Reports were also received of a restaurant being evacuated after a bomb threat which was later deemed to be a hoax.

The unrest marred a day when thousands expressed their support of marriage equality with public displays of affection outside branches of the popular chicken restaurant.

One protester went to extreme lengths to show his disdain for the chain’s anti-gay marriage stance – and ended up losing his job over it. Adam Smith, the former CFO of an Arizona-based medical device manufacturer, decided to take matters into his own hands by targeting an employee at a drive-thru window, videoing it and uploading it on to YouTube.

Read more from this story HERE.

Chick-fil-A “Appreciation Day” results in unprecedented sales; CFO fired for protest (+videos)

/8 Comments/in , /by

By Jacques Couret.  So just how much did Chick-fil-A Inc.’s sales skyrocket on “Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day”?

“While we don’t release exact sales numbers, it was an unprecedented day,” Chick-fil-A Executive Vice President of Marketing Steve Robinson said in a statement. “We are very grateful and humbled by the incredible turnout of loyal Chick-fil-A customers on August 1 at Chick-fil-A restaurants around the country. Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day was not a company promotion; it was initiated by others.”

The Atlanta-based chain is private and therefore doesn’t reveal its bottom line. It discloses annual sales figures, with last year’s record haul hitting $4 billion. There are 52 weeks in a year and Chick-fil-A isn’t open on Sundays. So it operates roughly 312 days of the year. Sales of $4 billion divided by 312 is about $12.8 million a day.

One can only guess how much more than $12.8 million Chick-fil-A considers “unprecedented” for sales on Aug. 1.

In other daily Chick-fil-A controversy news, the Newnan [Ga.] Times-Herald published a guest column from Lawrence Reed, president of the Foundation for Economic Education in Irvington, N.Y., and Atlanta. Reed comes out swinging in defense of Chick-fil-A, calling public figures who have come out against the chain “smug, self-righteous, power-wielding, small-time Nazi-types.”  Read more from this story HERE.

In a related story, the CFO of a major Tucson, Arizona company was fired for the following Appreciation Day “protest” against Chick-fil-A:

 

Finally, if you’re a Tim Hawkins fan, here’s his hilarious Chick-fil-A music video:

Majority of Americans help Chick-fil-A weather the storm

/5 Comments/in /by

All Rights Reserved.

The past few days have witnessed an avalanche of attacks against Chick-fil-A’s supportive stance on traditional marriage.  This is despite the fact that a solid majority of Americans oppose gay marriage.

What follows is a summary of some of the most outrageous efforts to hurt Chick-fil-A.

1. New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, a potential NYC mayoral candidate and activist lesbian, attempted to persuade New York University to end all contracts with Chick-fil-A and sent a letter expressing these personal views on official New York City letterhead:

I write as the Speaker of the NYC Council, and on behalf of my family. NYC is a place where we celebrate diversity. We do not believe in denigrating others. We revel in the diversity of all our citizens and their families,” the letter begins.

Let me be clear ‐‐ I do not want establishments in my city that hold such discriminatory views,” Quinn, an open lesbian who recently married her longtime partner, also wrote in the letter. “We are a city that believes our diversity is our greatest strength and we will fight anything and anyone that runs counter to that.

As such I urge you to sever your relationship with the Chick‐fil‐A establishment that exists on your campus.  [read remainder of story HERE]

2. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel shared Council Member Quinn’s criticism of Chick-fil-A in the following public statement:

Chick-fil-A values are not Chicago values. They disrespect our fellow neighbors and residents.

3. Even though the Berenstain Bears had a signed contract with Chick-fil-A to provide merchandise to the restaurant chain, it also weighed in against traditional marriage.  NBC News reported the Berenstain Bear’s statement:

The Berenstain family does not at this time have control over whether this program proceeds or not,” the statement said. “We hope those concerned about this issue will direct their comments toward HarperCollins and Chick-fil-A.”

For a short time Monday evening, the Berenstain family message was accompanied by a statement from HarperCollins that read: “We have a long history of diversity and inclusiveness and are very disappointed to hear recent statements made by Chick-fil-A. After much consideration, we have decided to honor our previous arrangement, with the chain. We have no plans to work with them in the future.”

4. Then you have Shephard Smith vigorously advocating for gay marriage (again), stating on his nationally broadcast Fox News show that yesterday was the “Day of Intolerance”. Of course, this isn’t the first time that Fox News has shown its bias on the gay marriage topic.  Yesterday, the network falsely described a liberal democrat as a “conservative” who had changed his mind on gay marriage.

But there are some bright points.  Black pastors are becoming increasingly vocal, fighting back against attempts to ban Chick-fil-A from cities, calling such an effort the “same thing” as banning blacks from restaurants.

And it appears that Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day yesterday was a smashing success.

 

 

City officials’ threats against Chick-fil-A may backfire

/3 Comments/in /by

As we reported several days ago, Chick-fil-A is receiving heavy criticism from liberals and the gay community for its stance on traditional marriage.  Now, local city officials are trying to create economic hardship for the restaurant chain.  Not so fast say legal experts:

On July 20, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino indicated that Chick-fil-A will find it “very difficult” to obtain licenses for a restaurant in his city, but he backed away from that assertion. He later told the Boston Herald, “I can’t do that. That would be interference to his rights to go there.”

Chicago is the latest city to tell Chick-fil-A that it is not welcome. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said July 25 he would support Alderman Proco Moreno’s announcement that he would block construction of the restaurant in his district. Moreno said, “If you are discriminating against a segment of the community, I don’t want you in the First Ward.” Emanuel has articulated similar sentiments. He said, “Chick-fil-A values are not Chicago values. They disrespect our fellow neighbors and residents.”

But according to legal experts, barring construction of Chick-fil-A because the owners oppose gay marriage is a clear case of discrimination. “The government can regulate discrimination in employment or against customers, but what the government cannot do is to punish someone for their words,” said Adam Schwartz, senior attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois. “When an alderman refuses to allow a business to open because its owner has expressed a viewpoint the government disagrees with, the government is practicing viewpoint discrimination.”

Schwartz noted that even the American Civil Liberties Union, which is known for its pro-gay “marriage” position, recognizes that the government cannot exclude a business simply because it has taken a stance against gay “marriage.” Such a policy could be a slippery slope and could then be used against businesses that support gay “marriage.” Though the ACLU supports gay “marriage,” “we also support the First Amendment,” Shwartz said. “We don’t think the government should exclude Chick-fil-A because of the anti-LGBT message. We believe this is clear cut.”

Jonathan Turley, a professor at the George Washington University Law School, said Moreno’s intentions raises “serious” constitutional concerns. “It’s also a very slippery slope,” Turley told FoxNews.com. “If a City Council started to punish companies because of the viewpoints of their chief operating officers, that would become a very long list of banned companies.” Turley said that Moreno’s actions could be “execessive and likely unconstitutional.”

Read more from Raven Clabough’s story HERE.

 

Pro-Family, Anti-Gay Marriage? Chick-fil-A President: “Guilty as Charged,” Huckabee incensed

/5 Comments/in , /by

By Tiffany Hsu.  Chick-fil-A is “very much supportive of the family,” according to Dan Cathy, president of the popular fast food chain. That is, “the biblical definition of the family unit,” he said.

And that doesn’t include Adam and Steve, suggests Cathy, whose father S. Truett Cathy founded the Atlanta-based company.

In a new interview with Baptist Press, Cathy puts on the record what critics say his company’s actions have indicated for years. “Well, guilty as charged,” he said in the interview when asked about Chick-fil-A’s backing of families led by a man and a woman.

“We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives,” Cathy said.

The chain, according to the report, has 1,608 restaurants, sales of more than $4 billion and employees who are trained “to focus on values rooted in the Bible.” Chick-fil-A’s across the country shut down on Sundays.

Read more from this story HERE.

Chick-fil-A’s stance has spawned an onslaught of media and celebrity attacks.  As a result of this, Mike Huckabee posted the following on his Facebook:

I have been incensed at the vitriolic assaults on the Chick Fil-A company because the CEO, Dan Cathy, made comments recently in which he affirmed his view that the Biblical view of marriage should be upheld. The Cathy family, let by Chick Fil-A founder Truett Cathy, are a wonderful Christian family who are committed to operating the company with Biblical principles and whose story is the true American success story. Starting at age 46 Truett Cathy built Chick Fil-A into a $4 billion a year enterprise with over 1600 stores. At 91, he is still active in the company, but his son Dan runs it day to day as CEO. It’s a great American story that is being smeared by vicious hate speech and intolerant bigotry from the left.

The Chick Fil-A company refuses to open on Sundays so that their employees can go to church if they wish. Despite the pressure from malls, airports, and the business world to open on Sundays, they still don’t. They treat customers and employees with respect and dignity.

I ask you to join me in speaking out on Wednesday, August 1 “Chick Fil-A Appreciation Day.” No one is being asked to make signs, speeches, or openly demonstrate. The goal is simple: Let’s affirm a business that operates on Christian principles and whose executives are willing to take a stand for the Godly values we espouse by simply showing up and eating at Chick Fil-A on Wednesday, August 1. Too often, those on the left make corporate statements to show support for same sex marriage, abortion, or profanity, but if Christians affirm traditional values, we’re considered homophobic, fundamentalists, hate-mongers, and intolerant. This effort is not being launched by the Chick Fil-A company and no one from the company or family is involved in proposing or promoting it.

There’s no need for anyone to be angry or engage in a verbal battle. Simply affirm appreciation for a company run by Christian principles by showing up on Wednesday, August 1 or by participating online – tweeting your support or sending a message on Facebook.

Publisher’s note:  Boston’s Mayor just announced that he was blocking a new Chick-Fil-A franchise in his city because of Chick-Fil-A’s “homophobic” attitude.