Mike Huckabee winner of debate...Mike who??? yeah my first thoughts too.

Up until this debate I really have not been to excited to vote for any of these candidates and have been pretty upset with the Republican Party. Which is sad because politics is my passion.

I am a life long republican, but in recent years have felt the party has left its principles.

I thought last nights debate was refreshing. Especially compared to the Democrats who seem to think they are running against President Bush..... The Republicans although they did spurred over some issues with each other seemed to want to talk about issues.

There was one moment last night that really drew me in and that was when Mike Huckabee embraced the FairTax....I literally about fell out of my chair with excitement and laughter about John Edward that was classic.

"We've had Congress that's spent money like Edwards at a beauty shop. And it's high time that we have a different kind of tax structure, and the FairTax would get us there."

I have found my candidate and have been energized to get out and campaign for him. Mike Huckabee for President... he is my winner from the debate....

Romney looked good. Romney got quite an applause when he criticized McCain-Feingold. Even though I'm opposed to no child left behind I thought Romney answered the last question very well. He was also able to explain some issues of why it may appear that he is not solid on.

"Look, I've been governor in a pretty tough state. You've heard of blue states. If you ever bought a suit and you look at it and you can't tell if it's blue or black, that's how blue Massachusetts is."

Overall Mitt Romney I think he will be the front runner Mike Huckabee is going to gain a lot of ground I think. Huckabee will find himself making the top 3 in polls real soon

I believe.McCain looked horrible...and proved a old dog can’t learn new tricks by telling the same jokes from years ago... He also struggled with questions and kept saying he is the candidate that works across the aisle with Democrats.

News flash John. Republicans have been working across the aisle for too long. That is why we are all upset. We want a candidate that is going to stand up to Democrats on conservative principles not meet them half way, but I digress.

Here is the old joke that he has used over and over again. Kind of like an old man I know that tells you the same story everytime you see him...

"In 2001, I proposed massive tax cuts, but I also proposed to rein in spending...We let spending go out of control. We spent money like a drunken sailor, although I never knew a sailor drunk or sober with the imagination of my colleagues. By the way, I received an e-mail not long ago from a fellow who said -- I repeat this story -- "As a former drunken sailor, I resent the way that Congress continues being compared to members of Congress."

Giuliani wasn't doing so hot in my opinion either, but was saved when he helped Ron Paul sink his ship... Ron Paul is finished.

Ron Paul set off a time bomb when he pretty much implied 9-11 was our fault!!! Bomb explodes in 3-2-1..“Have you ever read the reasons they attacked us? They attack us because we've been over there; we've been bombing Iraq for 10 years. We've been in the Middle East.”

Rudy Giuliani ignoring the rules and asking to go out of turn: “Wendell, may I comment on that? That's really an extraordinary statement. That's an extraordinary statement, as someone who lived through the attack of September 11, that we invited the attack because we were attacking Iraq. I don't think I've heard that before, and I've heard some pretty absurd explanations for September 11th.” (Applause, cheers.)

And I would ask the congressman to withdraw that comment and tell us that he didn't really mean that. (Applause.)

Ron Paul did not withdraw the comment and went on to blame our foreign policy for the late 1970s Iran hostage crisis!!! Wow…blame America first, would you Ron. Highly entertaining moment.

Tommy Thompson blew my mind when he struggled to answer a question about what programs he would eliminate....how about No Child Left Behind for starters hell I would go as far as starting to eliminate departments. I also do not agree with him on Iraq.

Duncan Hunter had a good night as well and gets much praise on the terrorist scenario about interrogation and torture.

"Yeah, let me just say this would take a one-minute conversation with the secretary of Defense. (Laughter.) I would call him up or call him in. I would say to him, in terms of getting information that would save American lives, even if it involves very high-pressure techniques, one sentence: Get the information."

Tom Tancredo in response to the same hypothetical terrorist situation:
"Well, let me just say that it's almost unbelievable to listen to this in a way. We're talking about -- we're talking about it in such a theoretical fashion. You say that -- that nuclear devices have gone off in the United States, more are planned, and we're wondering about whether waterboarding would be a -- a bad thing to do? I'm looking for "Jack Bauer" at that time, let me tell you."

I kept a score card during the debate. and graded each candidate on their answers and then divided that number by the amount of questions they answered. Here is how I scored the grades.
A+=6
A=5.5
A-=5.0
B+=4.5
B=4.0
B-=3.5
C+=3.0
C=2.5
C-=2.0
D+=1.5
D-=.5
F=0Here are my overall scores from the debate.

Huckabee 4.7
Romney 4.5
Hunter 4.5
Tancredo 4.1
Giuliani 4.0
Brownback 3.3
McCain 3.1
Gilmore 3.0
Thompson 2.5
Paul 1.5

Not much of a surprise here. I tend to be a lot more conservative than the majority of the party so Giuliani and McCain have never scored well with me.Although I like McCain's they will follow us home and Giuliani is not scared to call them islamic terrorists.

Ron Paul usually scores a lot higher with me, but his comment on 9-11 sank him last night...his comment is not all that surprising.

The real surprise here is how well Romney scored on my sheet...and Huckabee, I didn't even know who he was until the debates started. I started to like him and he got my support last night after embracing the FairTax.

Where you at the FairTax rally and missed the debate? Here is a full transcript

One candidate embraces FairTax in debate! Thanks for making the FairTax rally absolute success!

Wow!!! You guys did it!!! The FairTax rally was a huge success in Columbia S.C. last night. News reports estimate the numbers between 7,000 to 9,000 people were there.

Not the 10,000 I wanted, but it got the job done! It drew lots of media attention and the attention of the Republican candidates.

Tom Tancredo and Duncan Hunter and Governor Mike Huckabee all 2008 presidential candidates who not only made an appearance at the rally, but unequivocally endorsed the FairTax.

Mike Huckabee actually embraced the FairTax during the debate. The others did not, so as of now Mike Huckabee has my vote.

McCain staffers questioned some FairTax supporters about how they got there, thinking that they had been bussed in. They seemed impressed that most of the people there had driven to Columbia on their own, some from more than a 1,000 miles away.

There is no doubt that this rally last night had an effect. The crowd was so large that it cannot be ignored. You have put the FairTax on the National stage.

When I first started promoting this FairTax I never thought it would make it as far as it has as quickly as it has and it is all because of people like you.

Just goes to show that grass roots efforts can still accomplish things in politics. The two big presences in Columbia last night were the presidential candidates and the FairTax.

Thanks so much for the sacrifice you made to get there.

One last comment on this. I mentioned it got lots of media attention. However some media outlets stated opinions from critics that are just flat out lies.

The link above ends the story with this lie, "Critics of the national sales tax say it puts a larger burden on the poor, who often need to spend all of their income on necessities."

Not true, the FairTax is the only tax reform plan that completely lifts the tax burden off the poor because nobody pays taxes on spending up to the poverty level.

That's right you actually get a check every month up to the poverty level with the FairTax so that the neccessities of life are not taxed.

FairTax rally tonight!!! Columbia S.C.

Last chance to get on board folks. I am not going to beat this drum that much again today. Those of you who have decided to make the effort to go are probably already on your way. If you live near Columbia SC and support the FairTax please...I urge you to get off the couch this evening and go. I view this as the most important moment in trying to make the FairTax a reality. A good crowd at the rally and the issue makes national media attention. A bad crowd and you can pretty much kiss the idea goodbye.

Excited??? you bet... I truly believe this is so important to our country, but don't take my word for it. Here are some e-mails and comments I have gotten over the last couple of days about the FairTax.

Mark writes.

Hell yeah I will be there...I did not even know what the FairTax was until I started reading your blog about a year ago.

Although we do not agree on a lot, and I am definately a moderate democrat. I do agree, whole heartedly about the FairTax.You know if one of these republicans ran on the issue of the FairTax I would vote republican for the first time in my life.

It should be reconized as the number one issue on the campaign because it is the underlying solution to so many of the countries problems.The FairTax is about a lot more than Taxation. It is about economical freedom.

Danny writes...
Great blog...I have been reading for a while...first time comment..Anyways, just wanted to let you know we and 3 of our friends are packing up the SUV and headed to Columbia SC for the FairTax rally all the way from Watseka Illinois!!! It is about a 16-17 hour drive.We are going to make a summer vacation out of it and head on to Charleston SC after the rally.Thought you might like to know people are traveling from that far away.

Carla, Nashville TN said...
OK....you got me to go... I can't turn down your plea...I am taking the day off of work for this...

Dale writes...

We rented a van, got a group of six and are traveling all the way from LaCrosse, Wisconsin for this rally. We are going to put this issue on the national agenda whether the Republicans want it or not..

If these people can travel this far for a FairTax rally. All of you supporters that live within 4 or 5 hours of Columbia S.C. really have no excuse. There is no excuse for not having a crowd well over 10,000 people tonight. The power is in your hands.

Be a part of an American Revolution. Go to the FairTax rally.

It could be a reality, but you will have to make it happen.

Imagine on every payday you get your complete paycheck. There are no deductions. If you earn $2,000 per week, you get a check for $4,000 every two weeks.

You never have to save receipts or create any records pertaining to federal taxes.

You can invest money without paying any taxes on it.
You don't have to pay taxes on the money you earn through your investment portfolio.

You pay no taxes on any money you put in your savings account.

When you die you get to leave your entire estate, everything you own, to whomever you wish. The federal government will take no taxes from your estate. Your death is not a taxable event.

When you go to the store to buy an item, and the price tag says $19.99, you will had a $20 bill to the cashier and get one penny back. The price tag is the price.

There are four people in your household. You, your spouse and two children. At the beginning of every month you get a check in the amount of $506.00 to compensate you for the federal sales taxes that are included in the price of everything you buy; right up to the poverty level.

All in all .. not a bad deal. You keep all of the money you earn and you get five hundred bucks a month from the feds. Plus .. you only pay taxes when you spend money.

Their has never been a better chance for this to become a reality, but it is going to take effort from the people to make it happen. why??? because if the FairTax ever becomes a reality it will be the biggest transfer of power from politicians to the people since the revolutionary war. In case you have not figured it out yet, most politicians hate to give up power.

Why is this the best time??? Let's face it the Republican Party has absolutely nothing going for them right now other than the fact they are not Democrats and they know it. They have nothing to excite the base and get people to the polls.

The midterm elections proved that. Look I have been a Republican my whole life and sat out the midterm election. First time since I turned 18 that I did not vote in an election and there is nothing getting me to the polls from the Presidential candidates other than I do not want Hillary Clinton to be president.

Let one of these candidates embrace the FairTax and I will be sprinting to the polls to vote.

If we get at least 10,000 people to show up in Columbia S.C. for the FairTax rally it will send a clear message to the candidates that this is a winning issue. Anything less than that and I fear they will write the issue off as something they can ignore.

I'm truly hoping that I can say on Wed. morning that the Carolina Coliseum was jam packed last night with more than 10,000 FairTax supporters.

If the turnout is large it will bring a solid message to each of those candidates that the FairTax has support -- lots of support -- and is something they really need to think about. If the crowd is small each of those candidates will be free to dismiss the FairTax as nothing more than the pet project of a few. The difference between a capacity crowd and a small showing can make a huge difference in the future of the FairTax.

I can't go to this rally because I am deployed in Afghanistan, but trust me, If I was not deployed right now there is very little that would keep me from attending this rally. I believe in this proposal that much.

So here is my plea to all of you. I am making a sacrafice for you as a soldier and now ask all of you to make a sacrifice as a civilian. I'm asking you to go out of your way to come to Columbia, South Carolina for the rally Tuesday. Columbia is just a few hours away from great population centers like Atlanta, Charlotte, Charleston, Greenville-Spartanburg, Jacksonville, Savannah and others places.

A lot of people in those cities would have no problem driving that far for a NASCAR race. I know a race would definately be more exciting, but spending a Sunday at the races throwing beer cans at Jeff Gordon after he wins again isn't going to do much to change the country. Believe me, taking a half-day, nine hours .. or however much time it takes .. to come to Columbia to be a part of this event can truly have an impact on the future of this country.

How often do you get to be a part of something like that.

As I told you .. the FairTax has a record number of co-sponsors in the House right now. The movement is growing. The detractors are taking hits. Opponents are being turned into supporters. We can do this! "But it takes effort and sacrifice.

Please ... don't assume that someone else is going to fill your seat at the Carolina Coliseum next Tuesday night. It's up to you.

Several areas of the country are arranging busses to come to the rally, and they're looking for people to fill the seats. The Tampa Bay FairTax Advocates are arranging a bus. You can click on the link to reserve your seat. There's another bus coming from Virginia Beach. You can make your reservations on that bus by emailing the FairTax district director for that area. Here's your email link: and if you are driving yourself bring a friend. Here is a link for directions and parking.