NPR/HERE & NOW: Huckabee's Appeal (Attn. Home Schoolers)

davem · **Posted:** Fri Nov 16, 2007 2:13 pm

3There was a story on the NPR show "Here & Now" just a few minutes ago about support for Mike among homeschoolers in Iowa. It was the main story in their teaser at the beginning of the show so I kept listening but I finally had to drop off and I missed it. It should be up on their site later today(?) or on their podcast tomorrow. It probably starts about 35 minutes into the show.

Quote:

Huckabee's Appeal
Story aired: Friday, November 16, 2007

Two new presidential campaign polls this week show former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee has now pulled neck-and-neck in Iowa with the better-financed and better-organized Mitt Romney. We speak with an Iowa voter, who is a Christian and he's home-schooling his children. And he says many people in his circle are backing Huckabee, and they're a political force to be reckoned with.

Guests: To be determined.
http://www.here-now.org/shows/2007/11/20071116_9.asp

10:45AM Update:
The story is up on their site now (real audio format). This story should be told to the home schooling community (note - that is a call to action, folks!).

http://www.here-now.org/shows/2007/11/20071116_9.asp Click on "Listen".

hutch · **Posted:** Sat Nov 17, 2007 6:14 am

HSLDA (home school legal defence association), which I'm confident has a greater percentage of home-schoolers than any other organization, sent out an email several months ago (IN JUNE!) to all its members endorsing Mike Huckabee. They wanted to put their voice out early - but one unfortunate side effect of that is that I think many homescoolers either missed or don't remember this message.

the following email was sent on June 19 of this year:

HSLDA PAC--Mike Huckabee for President

Dear HSLDA members:

HSLDA's PAC Committee has taken the historic step of making an early
endorsement in the 2008 race for president.

We believe that Mike Huckabee, Governor of Arkansas, should be elected
the next President of the United States. Mike is a principled
conservative, a friend of homeschooling, a man of character, and a man
with a mature faith in Jesus Christ.

Mike Huckabee, as governor, was the first to appoint a homeschooler to
the Arkansas State Board of Education, and to our knowledge the first
to do so in any state. He is adamantly opposed to the United Nations
Convention on the Rights of the Child and is committed to stopping the
erosion of parental rights. He is pro-life. He supports traditional
marriage. He believes that the Internal Revenue Service should be
abolished and replaced with the Fair Tax--a move that we strongly
support because it would greatly benefit homeschooling families. He
believes and is willing to say that Islamic extremism needs to be
understood as a theologically driven threat. He believes that America
must be strong, but should never be perceived as a bully. He believes
that our borders must be secured not only from illegal immigration but
from the growing trend among American judges of "illegally importing"
international law into our American judicial systems.

There are a few other candidates in the race who are properly
described as principled conservatives. None of the media's
"frontrunners" would qualify for this designation. But we believe that
Mike Huckabee is by far the best communicator in the race--he is able
to articulate his conservative principles in an incredibly winsome and
articulate manner. Moreover, among the principled conservatives,
Huckabee is the only one who has been a governor. And we have not
elected members of either the Senate or the House--and certainly not a
mayor--as President of the United States in nearly a half century.

We believe that Mike Huckabee may be the only candidate in the race
who could defeat Hillary Clinton in 2008.

Because of her past support for the UN Convention on the Rights of the
Child, we believe that it is absolutely essential to find a candidate
who can beat her. If she is elected president, both homeschooling and
parental rights would be in serious jeopardy.

To date, based on early polls, we are told that Rudy Giuliani is the
front-runner for the GOP nomination. It is our judgment that Giuliani
cannot possibly beat Hillary Clinton. Since 1976, no person running
for president as a moderate Republican has ever won the election. (Not
everyone running as a conservative proved to be a true conservative,
but we are analyzing elections.) Ford and Dole--both moderates-- lost
in 1976 and 1996. Reagan, a clear conservative, won landslides in 1980
and 1984. George H.W. Bush portrayed himself as a Reagan man in 1988
and won. But as president he violated his famous "read my lips-- no
new taxes" pledge, and was defeated in 1992 when it had become clear
to America that he was a moderate. George W. Bush ran as a
conservative and was elected in 2000 and 2004.

Moderate Republicans simply cannot win the presidency. If the nation
wants a Democrat, they choose the real thing. This is particularly
true on the abortion issue. Giuliani supports Roe vs. Wade and will
never win the support of the crucial block of social conservatives.
Hillary Clinton will be elected president if Giuliani is the
candidate. We think this is true of any of the other
front-runners--none of whom comes close to being labeled a truly
principled conservative. Do not believe the early polls. History is a
far better means of analysis. No moderate Republican can be elected
president.

We have taken this historic step of an early endorsement because the
process of electing our president is based on a radically different
timetable in this election. The vast majority of the primaries will be
earlier than ever before. If we do not act now, all conservatives will
be driven from the race by lack of funding and we will be left with
only unacceptable choices.

Thus, we urge our members to do four things:

1. Support Mike Huckabee in your state's presidential primary (or
other nomination process).

2. Please pray for him on a regular basis.

3. Please consider volunteering for his campaign. You can view his
website at http://www.explorehuckabee.com/.

4. Please make a donation TODAY to his campaign at
https://www.explorehuckabee.com/index.c ... ibute.Home.

Do not think that your gift is insignificant because you cannot give
thousands of dollars. A campaign like Huckabee's will only work when
thousands of friends network together giving, $25, $50, $100, or even
just $10 each. Frankly, a campaign that receives $25 from 10,000
people is far stronger than a campaign that receives $10,000 from 25
people.

Grassroots conservatives often complain about the big-dollar types who
try to control the process. The only solution is for a whole bunch of
small-dollar people to stand together and give together. And the left
has learned to drive millions of people to websites and to fund large
campaigns based on grassroots supporters who contact their friends and
urge them to get involved.

It is far safer for an organization like ours to sit silently on the
sidelines for a long time. But, it is our judgment that we must get
behind a conservative candidate who will provide a viable option to
Hillary. Moreover, many of us have waited a long time for a
presidential candidate who is a truly qualified and articulate man who
shares our values down to his core. Mike Huckabee entered politics for
the same reason that most of us began homeschooling. He wants a future
that is grounded upon timeless values.

We think that the time is now. Please support Mike Huckabee.

Sincerely,

J. Michael Smith
HSLDA President

Michael P. Farris
HSLDA Chairman & General Counsel

WhatsNotToLike? · **Posted:** Sat Nov 17, 2007 10:16 am

NPR is one of only a handful of stations that we can get on our radio (I'm telling you, we reeeeally live in the country.) I stopped listening, though. A friend said it best: "I could always tell when my husband had been listening to NPR in the car on his way home. His very tone of voice changed, became more snide and cynical. I used to say he needed an NPRectomy."

That said, I think the man being interviewed held his own, and presented Mike very well.

The Christian homeschool community is very fertile and active ground for Mike. We care about the same things he cares about. It's amazing how much misinformation is out there, though. One politically active family I know had heard that Ark. has one of the worst homeschooling laws on the books, and that was somehow Mike's fault. Well, I looked that up on HSLDA's website, and it's simply not true. In some ways their laws are better than VA's. Answers are easy to find, but most people don't take the time, so we have to help them.

I also heard Bay Buchanan (Pat's sister, and head of the Tancredo campaign) state that Mike is not for school choice. That simply isn't true, but I don't think she was trying to be misleading. I think she heard that he doesn't support vouchers, and took that to mean he doesn't support school choice. If I understand correctly, he supports tax credits (like the man in the interview said) but not vouchers. That's because, like any government-sponsored program, there are often strings attached, usually in the way of "Thou shalt meet state SOL standards," or "Thou shalt teach from this curriculum," or "Thou shalt not intermingle church and state." (No Christian curricula.) What we have seen most often is that these programs are free of strings initially, but gradually they are introduced, after people feel beholden to the money they've received.

So, talk to all your homeschooling friends. I live in a late state, and most of our friends don't have a clue even who is running for the nomination. Remember that most Christian homeschoolers don't have television. Up here many don't have high speed internet, so we're burning disks to give to them, from the video section here on Hucks Army. It's not that they aren't interested, they're just out of the loop. We saw a lot of interest when we took petitions (to get Mike on the primary ballot in VA) to our local group (only about 5 families that day!).

Cydney · **Posted:** Sat Nov 17, 2007 4:45 pm

I was homeschooled from 1st grade all the way through high school, and my parents have been members of HSLDA since...forever.

I'm definitely going to help spread the word about Huckabee at the local homeschool co-op.

christiansmobilize · **Joined:** Sat Oct 20, 2007 5:26 pm **Posts:** 245

What if we contact the HSLDA and ask if they might possibly consider re-sending that letter to it's consituents? An "update" of sorts? Especially, since timing is so critical, and with the caucuses right around the corner??

Any thoughts?

PrinciplesMatter · **Joined:** Fri Oct 19, 2007 11:31 pm **Posts:** 3229

Yes, having HSLDA get the word out again would be huge. People are starting to pay attention to the election while many were not last June.

christiansmobilize · **Joined:** Sat Oct 20, 2007 5:26 pm **Posts:** 245

Maybe we ought to consider putting this in the grassroots section, in an effort to mobilize the troops? Or are just a few letters to HSDLA sufficient?

Harringtons4huck · **Posted:** Sat Nov 17, 2007 7:00 pm

We're members of HSLDA, have been for 3 years. I don't recall getting that endorsement from them. That doesn't mean we didn't, just that I don't recall it. If that is true for me, it must be true for others! I think having HSLDA PAC get the word out again is a GREAT idea. People are paying more attention now, and Mike's name recognition is significantly higher. I'll make sure I contact them.

Linda

davem · **Posted:** Sat Nov 17, 2007 11:03 pm

FYI in this thread it says people received this letter on Oct. 29. Sounds like the original in June came from HSLDA, the Oct. 29 mailing was from the HSLDA PAC.

http://forum.hucksarmy.com/viewtopic.php?t=741

bpassmore · **Posted:** Sat Nov 17, 2007 11:09 pm

I sent this letter to over 100 Texas Home School groups on 10/24

Quote:

From Brett Passmore, Member THSC and HSLDA

Attention Texas Home School Leaders:

I come to you, the leaders of the major Texas based Home School groups, with an urgent message and opportunity.
Before you hit delete, please read the first paragraph and consider this proposition. This is not an advertisement.

We have worked long and hard for several years to obtain and secure the freedoms we have in Texas for choosing to Home School our children. We are at yet another crossroads. The presidential elections are coming up, and we have some strong choices to make with regard to whom we support on both our primary and the general election ballots. This presents both an opportunity and a challenge to us because there are several candidates that are vying for support from both of the major parties.

Now, with that being said, I want to encourage you to get your children involved in this election. There are tremendous opportunities for children of all ages to learn, participate, and engage in the most fundamental aspect of our democracy. Whether it is at the precinct, county, or state convention process, make sure to get plugged-in and teach your children to do the same.

The Home School Legal Defense Fund (HSLDA) has some tremendous resources on this and has made some suggestions to help get the word out on issues and recommendations. The President of HSLDA PAC, Michael Farris, endorsed a candidate back in June that he sees as the best option to protect and expand the reach of Home Schooling in the USA. That candidate is Mike Huckabee.

I ask that you forward this letter to all your members in your respective groups to educate them on this candidate and his credentials.

From Michael Farris, President of the HSLDA PAC:

Dear HSLDA members:

HSLDA’s PAC Committee has taken the historic step of making an early
endorsement in the 2008 race for president.

We believe that Mike Huckabee, Governor of Arkansas, should be elected
the next President of the United States. Mike is a principled conservative, a friend of homeschooling, a man of character, and a man with a mature faith in Jesus Christ.

Mike Huckabee, as governor, was the first to appoint a homeschooler to the Arkansas State Board of Education, and to our knowledge the first to do so in any state. He is adamantly opposed to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and is committed to stopping the erosion of parental rights. He is pro-life. He supports traditional marriage. He believes that the Internal Revenue Service should be abolished and replaced with the Fair Tax–a move that we strongly
support because it would greatly benefit homeschooling families. He believes and is willing to say that Islamic extremism needs to be understood as a theologically driven threat. He believes that America must be strong, but should never be perceived as a bully. He believes that our borders must be secured not only from illegal immigration but from the growing trend among American judges of “illegally importing” international law into our American judicial systems.

There are a few other candidates in the race who are properly described as principled conservatives. None of the media’s “frontrunners” would qualify for this designation. But we believe that Mike Huckabee is by far the best communicator in the race–he is able to articulate his conservative principles in an incredibly winsome and articulate manner. Moreover, among the principled conservatives,
Huckabee is the only one who has been a governor. And we have not elected members of either the Senate or the House–and certainly not a mayor–as President of the United States in nearly a half century.

We believe that Mike Huckabee may be the only candidate in the race who could defeat Hillary Clinton in 2008.

Because of her past support for the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, we believe that it is absolutely essential to find a candidate who can beat her. If she is elected president, both homeschooling and parental rights would be in serious jeopardy.

To date, based on early polls, we are told that Rudy Giuliani is the front-runner for the GOP nomination. It is our judgment that Giuliani cannot possibly beat Hillary Clinton. Since 1976, no person running for president as a moderate Republican has ever won the election. (Not everyone running as a conservative proved to be a true conservative, but we are analyzing elections.) Ford and Dole–both moderates– lost in 1976 and 1996. Reagan, a clear conservative, won landslides in 1980 and 1984. George H.W. Bush portrayed himself as a Reagan man in 1988 and won. But as president he violated his famous “read my lips– no new taxes” pledge, and was defeated in 1992 when it had become clear to America that he was a moderate. George W. Bush ran as a conservative and was elected in 2000 and 2004.

Moderate Republicans simply cannot win the presidency. If the nation wants a Democrat, they choose the real thing. This is particularly true on the abortion issue. Giuliani supports Roe vs. Wade and will never win the support of the crucial block of social conservatives. Hillary Clinton will be elected president if Giuliani is the candidate. We think this is true of any of the other front-runners–none of whom comes close to being labeled a truly principled conservative. Do not believe the early polls. History is a far better means of analysis. No moderate Republican can be elected president.

We have taken this historic step of an early endorsement because the process of electing our president is based on a radically different timetable in this election. The vast majority of the primaries will be earlier than ever before. If we do not act now, all conservatives will be driven from the race by lack of funding and we will be left with only unacceptable choices.

Thus, we urge our members to do four things:

1. Support Mike Huckabee in your state’s presidential primary (or other nomination process).

2. Please pray for him on a regular basis.

3. Please consider volunteering for his campaign. You can view his website at http://www.mikehuckabee.com .

4. Please make a donation TODAY to his campaign at https://www.mikehuckabee.com/index.cfm? ... ibute.Home .

Do not think that your gift is insignificant because you cannot give thousands of dollars. A campaign like Huckabee’s will only work when thousands of friends network together giving, $25, $50, $100, or even just $10 each. Frankly, a campaign that receives $25 from 10,000 people is far stronger than a campaign that receives $10,000 from 25 people.

Grassroots conservatives often complain about the big-dollar types who try to control the process. The only solution is for a whole bunch of small-dollar people to stand together and give together. And the left has learned to drive millions of people to websites and to fund large campaigns based on grassroots supporters who contact their friends and urge them to get involved.

It is far safer for an organization like ours to sit silently on the sidelines for a long time. But, it is our judgment that we must get behind a conservative candidate who will provide a viable option to Hillary. Moreover, many of us have waited a long time for a presidential candidate who is a truly qualified and articulate man who
shares our values down to his core. Mike Huckabee entered politics for the same reason that most of us began homeschooling. He wants a future that is grounded upon timeless values.

We think that the time is now. Please support Mike Huckabee.

Sincerely,

J. Michael Smith
HSLDA President

Michael P. Farris
HSLDA Chairman & General Counsel

To Watch a video of the recent Family Research Council event in which Huckabee raised the roof, click here:
http://www.afa.net/twb2007/archive.html and then scroll down and click his name. He has strong convictions and is rising in the polls while others are falling.

Thank you for your time in considering this – we need to work together to protect the rights we have been afforded and we need to be aggressive in supporting those who fight for us. After you do this, please go to http://forum.hucksarmy.com/ and register to be a member. It is free and you can catch up on what the Huckabee grassroots campaign is doing.

Brett Passmore
bpassmore(@)pinchtransport.com
281-319-5057 o
281-932-7057 c
281-319-5098 f
Colossians 2:6-7

PrinciplesMatter · **Joined:** Fri Oct 19, 2007 11:31 pm **Posts:** 3229

Excellent! I should do the same here in CA as I am a former home schooler and I think my family is still HSLDA members. I think I will use your email as a template and modify it for this area.

hutch · **Posted:** Sun Nov 18, 2007 1:31 am

interesting - I received the original email (June 19), but I did not receive the October HSLDA PAC email.

I have talked to a couple of homeschoolers who did not realize that HSLDA endorsed Mike. I don't know the best way to get this information in front of the homeschooling community again, but if anyone has suggestions I'd like to hear them. I think I will also email HSLDA and ask them to re-send it.

We need to get homeschoolers mobilized - we can be a significant political force - and do a unit study on politics at the same time

hutch · **Posted:** Mon Nov 19, 2007 4:20 pm

I just got an email back from HSLDA with some info to pass on, they wont resend their endorsement letter, but they did post it on their PAC website:

Quote:

John,

Thank you for your kind words and taking the time to email HSLDA. We are
not likely to send out another endorsement email at this point, but the
endorsement has been posted on the HSLDA PAC website.
http://www.hsldapac.org/dnn/Home/Huckab ... fault.aspx

Please feel free to refer people to the website for information.

Thank you for both your support of HSLDA and Governor Huckabee. The risk of
an early endorsement includes some of the things you mentioned. The result
was that we were among the very first to publicly support the Governor and
we have been pleased to see him stand strong on parental rights and the
values that preserve families.

If you have further questions, please feel free to let me know.

Regards,
Jeremiah Lorrig
Deputy Director
HSLDA - Federal Relations

NPR/HERE & NOW: Huckabee's Appeal (Attn. Home Schoolers)

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