Before you read on, please take a minute to watch the following video. It will go a long way toward explaining the hows and whys of the Mike Huckabee’s ability to continue to flourish in the face of insurmountable odds. It will give you some insight not only into what makes the candidate tick, but will also give you a window into the hearts and souls of his supporters.
Ever since the South Carolina primary, pundits and talk radio megastars have either been writing Mike Huckabee’s obituary or digging his grave. One candidate, Mitt Romney did quite a bit of the digging himself. It all became a theme song of sorts – “Give up, Mike, give up, give up! But the Man from Hope refused to give in. He just kept on, true to his message.
Well, the obituaries were premature and all the digging was in vain. The Mike Huckabee campaign is very much alive.
Ever since the South Carolina primary, pundits and talk radio megastars have either been writing Mike Huckabee’s obituary or digging his grave. One candidate, Mitt Romney did quite a bit of the digging himself. It all became a theme song of sorts – “Give up, Mike, give up, give up! But the Man from Hope refused to give in. He just kept on, true to his message.
Well, the obituaries were premature and all the digging was in vain. The Mike Huckabee campaign is very much alive.
When I was young I recall reading about the tenacity of the British people in the dark days of 1940 and 1941. Western Europe had been swallowed up by the Nazi juggernaut. Only England was left. There seemed to be no reason to hope; defeat seemed inevitable. Under the leadership of Winston Churchill, the British fought on. Some said that if England persisted in its insanity the Nazis would wring their necks like chickens in two weeks. The crisis eventually passed, there was no surrender, nor were the necks of the British people wrung like chickens. In a December, 1941 speech to the Canadian Parliament, Churchill made the following wry observation about the tenacity and resolve of his people. “Some chicken….Some neck!” he said.
As I watched the returns last night I saw the shock registering on the faces of the illuminati. How could this be? How could a man with no money, fresh from two defeats, facing power and money on all sides, do what he did? It defied conventional wisdom. Why, the last few shovelfuls of cold clay were about to be deposited on his grave.
Some chicken….Some neck!
While the pundits were frantically scratching their heads trying to figure it all out, Mike Huckabee thanked his supporters:
“You know, over the past few days a lot of people have been trying to say that this is a two-man race. Well, you know what? It is. And we're in it! Tonight, we are making sure America understands that sometimes one small smooth stone is even more effective than a whole lot of armor. And we've also seen that the widow's mite has more effectiveness than all the gold in the world.”
I’ve been saying for over a month now that there’s something very powerful about widows’ mites and smooth stones. You see, it’s those widows mites and the passion of Mike’s band of brothers and sisters who’ve made this possible. While others were writing his eulogy, he and his supporters kept plugging away. Surrender wasn’t an option.
E.M.Forster once observed that “one person with passion is better than forty people merely interested.”
As I watched the returns last night I saw the shock registering on the faces of the illuminati. How could this be? How could a man with no money, fresh from two defeats, facing power and money on all sides, do what he did? It defied conventional wisdom. Why, the last few shovelfuls of cold clay were about to be deposited on his grave.
Some chicken….Some neck!
While the pundits were frantically scratching their heads trying to figure it all out, Mike Huckabee thanked his supporters:
“You know, over the past few days a lot of people have been trying to say that this is a two-man race. Well, you know what? It is. And we're in it! Tonight, we are making sure America understands that sometimes one small smooth stone is even more effective than a whole lot of armor. And we've also seen that the widow's mite has more effectiveness than all the gold in the world.”
I’ve been saying for over a month now that there’s something very powerful about widows’ mites and smooth stones. You see, it’s those widows mites and the passion of Mike’s band of brothers and sisters who’ve made this possible. While others were writing his eulogy, he and his supporters kept plugging away. Surrender wasn’t an option.
E.M.Forster once observed that “one person with passion is better than forty people merely interested.”
The real keys to the success of the Huckabee campaign can’t be found in how full the campaign coffers are, nor can they be found in the size of the campaign staff, or the length of the limousines, or whether the candidate is flying first class from junket to junket. The keys are matters of the heart. It’s about passion and belief. It’s vertical politics. It’s in holding to one’s principles. It’s about dreaming and not giving in when the hard times come.
Can we win? I don’t really know. But I do know this. We’re not ready to give in, nor are we going to let the naysayers plant discordant rhythms in our hearts. And why should we. Our dreams and ideals aren’t subject to the gravediggers shovels. As Jesse Jackson once said, “No one should negotiate your dreams. Dreams must be free to fly high. No government, no legislature, has a right to limit your dreams. You should never agree to surrender your dreams.”
And, so, we press on. Washington, Kansas and Louisiana are just a few days away. This is how it will be until June when the last primaries are contested in New Mexico and South Dakota. We’ve been bruised; we’ve been left for dead. We’ve been told to surrender, yet we stubbornly persist.
Some chicken….Some neck!
Can we win? I don’t really know. But I do know this. We’re not ready to give in, nor are we going to let the naysayers plant discordant rhythms in our hearts. And why should we. Our dreams and ideals aren’t subject to the gravediggers shovels. As Jesse Jackson once said, “No one should negotiate your dreams. Dreams must be free to fly high. No government, no legislature, has a right to limit your dreams. You should never agree to surrender your dreams.”
And, so, we press on. Washington, Kansas and Louisiana are just a few days away. This is how it will be until June when the last primaries are contested in New Mexico and South Dakota. We’ve been bruised; we’ve been left for dead. We’ve been told to surrender, yet we stubbornly persist.
Some chicken….Some neck!
2 comments:
Great post Prairie Apologist!
As Winston Churchill advised: "Never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never give up!"
I admire Mike Huckabee for continuing in the face of all odds when he was getting virtually no media coverage,or if any it was that 'spoiler' thing. To me, this says something about the man, something very good. He is inspiring and he lives what he says. I trust him, always, to do the right thing. I agree with the article and with the poster above. As Mike quoted this morning, "Winners never quit and quitters never win". Go Mike!!!! Many are with you!
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