Note to Readers:  See how many song titles you can find in this article. Extra credit goes to those who can name the artists as well. Send your responses to me before the end of October and the winner will be named in the November T.E.A.M. Report (You don’t get the T.E.A.M. Report? Sign up here!).  Democrats and independents can play along, too (grin)!

(more…)

I just finished “From Hope to Higher Ground: 12 STOPs to Restoring America’s Greatness,” by former Arkansas governor and current Republican candidate for President Mike Huckabee. I indicated previously that I am supporting him for President, and I’ve since become one of the “Bloggers for Huckabee,” proudly displaying my “I Like Mike” banner on my blog page. Now that I’ve completed his book, I am more convinced than ever that he should become our next President. He is a different kind of Republican and he stands out from the others in the race. He’s a prolific author and I’ve already got three more of his books on order because I think he’s a man of great character and integrity, and someone I’d like to emulate in my future political pursuits.

My wife teases me and says that if I were Catholic, my patron saint would be the one for lost causes (that would be St. Jude Thaddeus, by the way). She reminded me that I was for George H.W. Bush in 1980 when other Republicans were swooning over Ronald Reagan, I was a die-hard GeoWorks user when the world was going gaga over Microsoft Windows 3.0 (you’re thinking, “What’s GeoWorks?” Precisely!), and I was a Neil Diamond fan long after his prime. Oh, yes, I decided to run against Maryland political icons Steny Hoyer AND Mike Miller in the same election year. I tell her, “It’s not my choices that were bad; it was the system!”

That gave me the idea of sharing with you my process for picking a candidate – not that you’re going to rush out and apply it after I just divulged my track record for picking winners (grin)! Nonetheless, I think it will be instructive and, frankly, I wish more people gave their choices for elected office this level of thought. We’d have a better government for it, and I’m not saying that because I’m particularly smart. Every citizen, in my opinion, has an obligation to do their own research and make informed choices.

It frustrates me to no end how many people care so little about a process that will have a profound impact on their lives. They either make their selections based on emotion or image alone, or they allow themselves to be led around by the media, which handicaps the pursuit of the Presidency like a horse race and is more interested in promoting the biggest fundraisers or the annointed front-runners rather than the candidates with the best qualifications or performance. The media is supposed to be a check on “the system” but instead they perpetuate it.  Perhaps that’s why most people aren’t interested anymore – the influence of the press on who gets the nominations of the respective parties is too great to overcome.

In any case, I’ve always tried to do my own homework when it comes to picking candidates to support. I’ve made a few of these points in the past, but this is a methodical explanation of my thinking. Read on!

(more…)

I’ve read or I’m reading books written by the contenders for the office of  President of the United States in 2008 who most intrigue me. I completed “The Audacity of Hope,” the best-seller by Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, and I’m currently immersed in “From Hope to Higher Ground” by former Governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas. Despite the fact these men are on opposite ends of the political spectrum, I found that they share the same spirit of hope and optimism our nation so desperately needs in these angry, divisive times. I’m going to first offer my opinion of Governor Huckabee, and my next post will offer my thoughts on Senator Obama.

(more…)

I had the pleasure of campaigning alongside former Maryland Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele for much of 2006, and I love the man. He is one of the most affable, gracious, engaging and authentic people I’ve ever met. He instantly makes you feel welcomed and comfortable, and there is no pretense about him. My mother was visiting from Louisiana during the last two weeks of the campaign and I took her to an event where Michael was to endorse me. I introduced them and he made her feel like a queen!

I have a story about him that illustrates who he is. I was at a Redskins game with my son and a friend, the father of my son’s best friend who happened to be celebrating a birthday that day. During the tailgate party, my friend, a devout Catholic, asked me what Michael was like, and I described him in pretty much the same terms as above. At the end of the game, he caught up with me and excitedly told me that he and his son were riding one of the elevators at FedEx Field when they ran into none other than Michael Steele! My friend said he was just as I described him; he engaged them in conversation, congratulated his son on his birthday and generally made them feel comfortable and important. He won himself two more fans that day, and reinforced my view of him as a thoroughly decent man.

He also stands out in my mind as a living example of what happens to you when you’re outside of the mainstream of black opinion.

(more…)

Dear Mr. President:

Will you accept some unsolicited advice from a friend? No, you don’t remember me; I’m one of thousands of people who have crossed paths with you over the years. You invited me to become a volunteer for your first political campaign “back in the day,” as the kids say today. I was on your payroll for three years; I even got to visit you in the Oval Office along with a few of my colleagues. You were very generous with your time, respectful of the office and humbled by the charge you’ve been given. I like you, so please hear me out when I tell you your threat to veto a bill giving the residents of the District of Columbia their own representative in the U.S. Congress is not helping you or the Republican Party.

(more…)