Looking ahead to a great year
Blessings on you and your family from all the Huckabee staff! Thank you for subscribing and I hope you enjoy today’s newsletter.
Mike
DAILY BIBLE VERSE
Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation.
2 He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved.
Psalm 62:1-2
Looking ahead to a great year
Happy New Year! I can’t speak for you, but I’m glad we’re moving out of 2022. Highest inflation in over 40 years, fuel prices double from when Donald Trump was President, interest rates climbing, a border that is easier to get through than a wet paper towel, and a lazy and irresponsible media that lies to you every day and pretends they are telling you the truth.
But one thing that has been a wonderful part of 2022 is that my wife and I started the year with 2 wonderful new puppies. We actually got them the week between Christmas and New Year’s.
Gumbo is a Cavalier King Charles/Bichon mix and Bandit is a Shi-Tzu/Bichon mix. They aren’t blood brothers, but don’t tell them that. They are virtually inseparable. The love to wrestle, chase each other, and sometimes make big messes. But these boys have brought a lot of joy to our lives in a year that otherwise would have been at times rather depressing.
I often say, “I wouldn’t live in a world without dogs,” and I really mean it. During the past year, these 2 guys have taken more of my time than I had, caused me to do a lot of cleaning up behind them, replacing things they chewed up, and trying to figure out what they’re barking at. But through it all, they have given a level of loyalty I sure never experienced in politics, and a steadfast love that is a true taste of God’s unfailing love for us.
You may wonder why I’d start my 2023 newsletter talking about my dogs. And the honest answer is, “Because I could!”
But there’s method to the madness. I’m convinced that dogs bring people together. It’s hard to frown when looking into the eyes of a puppy. It’s hard to think about harsh divisions in our nation and world when holding a puppy in your lap. So, I just think a lot of our problems would be solved if people got a dog. Maybe Democrats and Republicans would still disagree, but not be hateful about it. And dogs can teach us a lot about being patient as well as grateful for even the smallest thing, like a tiny treat.
I don’t mean to imply that all of 2022 has been unpleasant. Our daughter got elected Governor of Arkansas and will sit in the old seat I sat in. She will be sworn in in less than 2 weeks and start her own journey of leading our state. We’re proud of all three of our children, but they have their own lives and careers. We do as much baby-sitting of our 7 grandchildren as we are allowed, but when they aren’t there, having the dogs fills the house with activity, love, and of course noise. Lots of noise.
Some of our friends thought we were crazy to get two dogs at the same time, but it just doubled our delight to watch them grow, play, and show us their unconditional love. So, we’re starting 2023 with hope and anticipation and year-old puppies that got us through this past year. From Janet and me and Gumbo and Bandit, Happy New Year, and may God give you a great year, and maybe a puppy of your own!
Under the radar: another election story that almost slipped by
Who --- besides me and my staff and other obsessive news-hounds --- paid really close attention to breaking stories from just before Christmas through New Year's Day? Normally, that's a low point in the news cycle, but as it happened this year, it was the time we ended up with perhaps the biggest story of 2022, the release of the "Twitter Files," which showed us how pre-selected information has been spoon-fed to us, literally for years, a deception that almost certainly changed history. And now, here's a related story that almost got lost over the weekend, but NOT QUITE. You'll be hearing more about it in the coming days.
Jason Chaffetz, subbing for Steve Hilton on Sunday's THE NEXT REVOLUTION, offered an update on a story concerning an executive order issued by President Biden just days into his administration, EO#14019, This order quietly directed executive departments and agencies to "partner with state, local, Tribal, and territorial election officials" --- even "selected and approved" non-governmental organizations --- to protect and promote the exercise of the right to vote, eliminate discrimination and other barriers to voting, and expand access to voter registration and accurate election information."
Well, that all sounds wonderful, doesn't it? On the surface, the buzzwords make it sound like something to which no one could take a legitimate exception. After all, who could possibly have a problem with "discrimination" and "accurate voter information"? Never mind what the wording of this order might mean in practice. Here's an excellent analysis from October, just before this past election. Read it and be shocked.
https://www.thesavvystreet.com/is-bidens-executive-order-14019-designed-for-electoral-wrongdoing/
As Joel B. Pollack wrote in BREITBART NEWS, it "reads like a Democratic Party wish list of 'reforms.'" And that's just what it is --- probably ghostwritten by Marc Elias. One provision of the order states: "It is the responsibility of the federal government to expand access to, and education about, voter registration and election information, and to combat misinformation, in order to enable all eligible Americans to participate in our democracy."
No, it is not. By now, we know the government is not to be trusted to determine what is election "information" and "misinformation." (See Hunter's laptop.) The federal government needs to KEEP ITS GRUBBY PAWS off "our" elections, and that includes the work-around of using social media and/or any other entity as an unconstitutional intermediary. We've seen that in the name of protecting us against misinformation, they themselves are the biggest spreaders of it. The disconnect between what they say and what we observe for ourselves is so huge, it simply can't be maintained, except for the relative few who are glued to the state propagandists at MSNBC and CNN. (The border is not open? Really??)
Anyway, the administration has, according to Chaffetz, ignored public records requests surrounding the implementation of this "partnership." He points out that the federal government has no constitutional authority over elections; only state legislatures are supposed to have that. There might be multiple laws that the federal government has violated by inserting itself into elections.
An organization called the Foundation for Government Accountability has sued Biden's DOJ for stonewalling requests for details on how the feds are interjecting themselves into elections at the state level because of this executive order. Tarren Bragdon of the FGA spoke with Chaffetz, saying that Biden's order commanded the bureaucrats in "literally hundreds of federal agencies," using our tax dollars, to get involved in an intensive --- and, you can bet, highly targeted --- get-out-the-vote effort. They're not supposed to be doing this sort of thing at all.
So the FGA wants to see the plans the administration has submitted to these agencies. But even though this group won in court, all they've received are heavily redacted, essentially worthless pages. If this involvement in elections is appropriate activity, why is the administration hiding so much?
And get this: the administration has cited EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE as the reason for not releasing the requested documents. Huh?
"You know, it would be a lot easier if Elon Musk took over the Department of Justice," Bragdon quipped. "Then we'd see the files, and get the information. But instead, we're taking the Department of Justice to court, and ultimately we'll win, and see what their plans are."
He continued: "This is essentially having federal tax dollars contract with partisan groups to increase voter participation. It's what political parties do, but the President is trying to do it through executive order and our tax dollars. And this is just part of an unaccountable and out-of-control federal government. We need to put a stop to it and hold their feet to the fire, and that's exactly why we sued them." Good for them; we wish them the best of luck. Let's go, Bragdon!
Here are more details about Biden's order, in a statement the FGA put out in September 2021. Maybe now it will finally get the attention it deserves.
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The FBI was already busily inserting itself into our elections, ostensibly to counter "misinformation," but as we all know (after the fact), it ended up promoting that very thing. Over the holidays, law professor Jonathan Turley posted a great commentary about how the FBI has worked to protect the Biden family while targeting conservatives and is now even attacking its critics. That's right --- if you criticize them, YOU'RE to blame as a purveyor of disinformation! Turley has had enough and calls for a complete, top-down reform of the FBI. This is a must-read if you missed it last week.
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Speaking of the FBI and its efforts to protect the Biden administration, Margot Cleveland posted a couple of columns over the past few days detailing its relationship with Twitter and making it clear why the federal bureaucracy can NEVER be trusted to tell the truth.
You might have seen this one, as it came out right before Christmas after the release of Twitter File #7, but in case you didn't...
Her most recent column, from a few days ago, details how the FBI was working overtime to control the Biden story --- so much so that even Twitter executive and former FBI general counsel Jim Baker (of all people) was calling it "odd."
"'Odd' doesn't begin to capture the situation," writes Cleveland, "which, given the connection between those two FBI offices [Baltimore field office and FBI headquarters] and the Hunter Biden investigation, suggests a new wing to the Big Tech scandal: one in which FBI agents proactively sought out people and speech to censor for the benefit of their politician of choice."
If you're still not convinced that the FBI needs to be taken apart and put back together in a totally different way, this must-read piece at AMERICAN GREATNESS by John D. O'Connor (who doesn't sound too optimistic) should persuade you. If anything is a threat to "our democracy," it's the FBI's usurping of authority. And, yes, the institution rots from the head down, meaning FBI Director Christopher Wray.
https://amgreatness.com/2022/12/26/wrays-fbi-is-rotting-from-the-head-down/
Oh, and here's another reason why non-governmental entities should not be "partnering" with federal agencies to mitigate the spread of election "misinformation." Have you ever heard of Arabella Advisors?
"Many of the Arabella-funded research projects cite conservatives predominantly as purveyors of misinformation, with several projects recommending solutions to mitigate the spread of misinformation, including censorship," the DAILY CALLER reports. This is a must-read. Remember it the next time anyone even mentions the word "misinformation."
https://dailycaller.com/2022/12/26/arabella-network-dark-money-misinformation-research/
Ainsworth: Thank you, readers!
By Laura Ainsworth, ‘Huckabee’ writer
I'm gratified to know that so many readers enjoyed my article from last year about Peanut M&M's. Mars Inc. is way too woke for me and obviously too woke for you, and though I never intended to start any kind of boycott, I'm sure my body is thanking me for substituting natural chocolate-covered raisins, which are similarly delicious and require no "evolved" footwear choices whatsoever!
Of course, it's not just Mars --- marketing departments everywhere have gone overboard with their pandering to this "inclusiveness" blah-blah-blah, to the point where it's become a pathetic joke. Here are just a few examples of the many reader comments I appreciated:
From Marlene:
I only like the dark chocolate M&Ms, sure going to miss them. I'm just sick and tired of wokeness in my food.
THANKS, MARLENE! Me, too! I'm still laughing from your comment.
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From Anne:
Thank you for showcasing this bit of hilarity. This is the silliest corporation pandering yet. Must we make even fun treats into political statements? When will people have enough? People who don’t read Huckabee won’t even know these things are happening. This is just another damaging bit of propaganda. Unfortunately, the stock market is catching on. It would be interesting to see how customers react. Thanks, again, for writing interesting and informative articles.
THANK YOU, ANNE. It is hilarious, isn't it? We learn from this that people on the left don't have a sense of humor, though the marketing people at Mars Inc. do try their best to imitate one.
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From Joy:
Yes!! So right on. Oh my gosh - even candy isn't exempted from the crushing and exhausting virtue signaling with which companies feel they MUST comply. My hips can do without the M&Ms too, so I'm not that unhappy to give them up, but seriously, soon we'll be left with rice cakes and celery. Are those racist or sexist too?
THANKS, JOY! The answer to your question is yes, yes they are. Rice, as you surely know, is Asian, and in the name of equity, we have to take Asians down a peg and make it harder for them to get scholarships no matter how hard they work. Also, never forget that rice is white, which means it exhibits whiteness, and whiteness is very, very bad.
Celery...well, I don't know, but it must be racist, because everything is racist in one way or another when you choose to look at it in certain ways. Don't you know that? (In fact, I read just the other day that even exercise is racist. But don't tell the regulars at my gym, almost all of whom are non-white.)
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Thanks to all who wrote!
--- Laura
Trump’s ‘dumb’ move
Former President Trump stirred up backlash on Sunday with a post on Truth Social that seemed to put some of the blame for the GOP’s underwhelming midterm election results on pro-life Republicans. He implied that those who pushed for years to overturn Roe v. Wade “disappeared” once it happened, and that radical “no exceptions” abortion bans turned off swing voters.
Bonchie at Redstate.com does a good job of explaining why most of this makes no sense.
For instance, most people I know who opposed Roe certainly did vote. The most pro-life incumbents were all reelected, and there actually are no abortion bans, passed or proposed, that allow “no exceptions” for the health of the mother, etc. Granted, I’m sure that some of the Democratic vote was from single-issue liberals who were fired up by misinformation from the left, claiming that there were such bans.
Read the full article by Bonchie, who views this as a “dumb” move by Trump that defies reality, his pro-life supporters and his own pro-life record. As for the idea that pro-lifers aren’t continuing to work to change hearts and minds on the state level post-Roe, I’ve been talking about that for decades. And the fact that Roe is blessedly gone hasn’t changed how I vote one iota. In fact, here’s a monologue I did on my TV show recently that makes it clear that I can vote for candidates who fall short in certain areas, but I draw the line at voting for anyone who supports abortion.