Mike Huckabee

axelrod __PUNCT__ yesterdai in am __PUNCT__ iowa __PUNCT__ republican_voter there took part in the first critic test in the race for the white_hous __PUNCT__ the iowa straw_poll __PUNCT__

rudi_giuliani and john_mccain chose not to particip __PUNCT__ though their name were on the ballot __PUNCT__

more than __NUM__ iowan paid or let a campaign pai___NUM__ buck a pop for them to vote for a republican_presidenti presidenti_candid __PUNCT__

while the result of thi straw_poll ar nonbind __PUNCT__ it is the first indic of whether candid can translat monei and messag into vote __PUNCT__

and here how thei ran __PUNCT__

as expect __PUNCT__ mitt_romnei won with __NUM__ percent of the vote __PUNCT__

mike_huckabe came in second with __NUM__ percent __PUNCT__ and kansa senat sam_brownback third with __NUM__ percent __PUNCT__

join us now from littl rock __PUNCT__ arkansa __PUNCT__ former governor mike_huckabe __PUNCT__

good morn __PUNCT__ governor __PUNCT__

thank for be with us __PUNCT__

huckabe __PUNCT__ well __PUNCT__ thank you __PUNCT__ jim __PUNCT__

it wa a great dai for us in iowa yesterdai __PUNCT__

axelrod __PUNCT__ you know __PUNCT__ in the run __PUNCT__ up to the straw_poll __PUNCT__ i saw you quot a coupl differ time sai if you were still a second __PUNCT__ tier candid after the straw poll __PUNCT__ then you had a problem __PUNCT__

so from where you sit thi morn __PUNCT__ you got a problem __PUNCT__ huckabe __PUNCT__ no __PUNCT__ we __PUNCT__ we in fact in the first tier __PUNCT__ i think __PUNCT__ by anybodi estim __PUNCT__

and here why __PUNCT__

it wasn't just that we surpris peopl with a second show __PUNCT__ it that we did it with so few resourc __PUNCT__

i mean __PUNCT__ thi realli wa feed the __NUM__ with two fish and five loav __PUNCT__ an amaz kind of dai for us __PUNCT__

becaus if you look at how much monei some of the candid spent to get the kind of vote thei got __PUNCT__ it stagger __PUNCT__

and we spent less than __MONEY__ on the straw poll __PUNCT__

if we add everyth we did over the cours of the last seven week in iowa __PUNCT__ that includ paper clip and gasolin for the vehicl to get us from place to place __PUNCT__ our total expens were __NUM__ __PUNCT__

so when you look at what we were abl to achiev __PUNCT__ it wa becaus peopl came to am to vote for us __PUNCT__

and we had remark stori of peopl who came liter from all over america to work for us __PUNCT__ and then peopl from am __PUNCT__ on girl drove from am to de_moin to get her driver_licens __PUNCT__ becaus she forgot it __PUNCT__ just so she could vote for me __PUNCT__

i mean __PUNCT__ it wa that kind of __PUNCT__ it wa a movement __PUNCT__ it wasn't just a __PUNCT__ hei __PUNCT__ we give out t __PUNCT__ shirt __PUNCT__

i mean __PUNCT__ we gave out watermelon from my hometown of hope __PUNCT__ arkansa __PUNCT__ which __PUNCT__ of cours __PUNCT__ is worth drive to am for __PUNCT__

axelrod __PUNCT__ all right __PUNCT__

on on __PUNCT__ on on hand __PUNCT__ you do thi on a shoestr __PUNCT__

huckabe __PUNCT__ yeah __PUNCT__

axelrod __PUNCT__ i get that __PUNCT__

on the other hand __PUNCT__ no rudi_giuliani __PUNCT__ no john_mccain __PUNCT__ no fred_thompson __PUNCT__

so let put thi in some kind of perspect in term of move yourself from the second tier to the first tier __PUNCT__

huckabe __PUNCT__ well __PUNCT__ it still matter that even though thei sai thei didn't plai __PUNCT__ thei were on the ballot __PUNCT__

more importantli __PUNCT__ what thei did wa forfeit the game __PUNCT__ and if you forfeit __PUNCT__ it a loss __PUNCT__

thei knew thei weren't go to do well with iowa voter becaus iowa voter tend to be far more conserv __PUNCT__

i think thei look at the clear situat and the landscap in iowa and decid __PUNCT__ you know __PUNCT__ if we go and plai and do what we probabl will do __PUNCT__ it be embarrass __PUNCT__ so we just forfeit the game __PUNCT__

i don't think it diminish what the rest of us did __PUNCT__

i think it onli enhanc it and show that we plai in middl_america and thei know thei didn't __PUNCT__

axelrod __PUNCT__ i look at someth from yesterdai that strike me as the big takeawai that eight year_ago thi time there were __NUM___voter who particip in the straw_poll __PUNCT__

yesterdai __PUNCT__ __NUM__ __PUNCT__

that __NUM__ fewer republican_voter plai at thi __PUNCT__

what doe that tell us about the state of the republican_parti __PUNCT__ huckabe __PUNCT__ it tell us more about how hot it wa in am __PUNCT__ iowa __PUNCT__

it wa about __NUM___degre __PUNCT__ and i think that had a lot to do with it __PUNCT__ the state fair go on __PUNCT__

axelrod __PUNCT__ ten_thousand fewer voter hot __PUNCT__ huckabe __PUNCT__ well __PUNCT__ i think so __PUNCT__

i mean __PUNCT__ it wa __PUNCT__ there were two thing that were work __PUNCT__

first of all __PUNCT__ there wa the state fair of iowa __PUNCT__ which is like most state fair on steroid __PUNCT__

i call it the barri bond of state fair __PUNCT__

it just unbeliev becaus we went to it on fridai __PUNCT__

and then you do have a situat where the weather and __PUNCT__ you know __PUNCT__ right now thi campaign ha been drag on much longer __PUNCT__

so most peopl have sort of had a chanc to take a look at some of the candid __PUNCT__

what we still deal with __PUNCT__ though __PUNCT__ is the univers of peopl who ar will to drive anywher from an hour to four and a half_hour awai to come to am and spend all dai in a hot sunshin __PUNCT__ unless thei in on of the air __PUNCT__ condit tent of the other candid __PUNCT__ you know __PUNCT__ to vote in a __PUNCT__ in a straw_poll __PUNCT__

axelrod __PUNCT__ all right.l huckabe __PUNCT__ i think it goe mean someth __PUNCT__

axelrod __PUNCT__ governor __PUNCT__ let me ask you about the man who won yesterdai straw poll __PUNCT__ governor romnei __PUNCT__

you said befor he might be a riski standard bearer for the republican_parti becaus of hi flip __PUNCT__ flip __PUNCT__

is mitt_romnei a reliabl conserv __PUNCT__ huckabe __PUNCT__ well __PUNCT__ you know __PUNCT__ that go to be for the voter to decid __PUNCT__

and i want to be veri clear __PUNCT__

i didn't sai that he wa a flip __PUNCT__ flopper __PUNCT__

i never said that __PUNCT__

what i said when ask did i believ hi posit on abort now which have chang __PUNCT__ and i said __PUNCT__ i go to give him benefit of the doubt and accept him at hi word __PUNCT__

mitt is a good_gui __PUNCT__

he got a wonder famili __PUNCT__ and i said i not go to critic him for where he stand now __PUNCT__

but if we think that the democrat won't come and us that against him __PUNCT__ should he be the nomine __PUNCT__ we kid ourselv __PUNCT__

and so it wa report that i took a shot at him __PUNCT__ and actual i thought i wa be rather gener charit to him __PUNCT__

axelrod __PUNCT__ you know __PUNCT__ a lot of peopl __PUNCT__ i sure __PUNCT__ wake up thi morn and look at you and look at the result and sai __PUNCT__ who is thi gui __PUNCT__ so an ordain baptist_minist __PUNCT__ solid conserv credenti __PUNCT__ a great person stori __PUNCT__

you shed a ton of weight in thi battl with diabet __PUNCT__

huckabe __PUNCT__ mm __PUNCT__ hmm __PUNCT__

axelrod __PUNCT__ did you ever look at the nation republican front __PUNCT__ runner __PUNCT__ rudi_giuliani __PUNCT__ the pro __PUNCT__ choic __PUNCT__ pro __PUNCT__ gun_control __PUNCT__ pro __PUNCT__ gai right rudi_giuliani and sai to yourself __PUNCT__ how come i haven't been abl to get ani traction __PUNCT__ huckabe __PUNCT__ well __PUNCT__ i think yesterdai show that we ar get traction __PUNCT__

and i said a long_time if we had just even a littl bit of the resourc some of these other gui have been abl to accumul __PUNCT__ we be at the top of the field becaus of the messag __PUNCT__

you know __PUNCT__ i on of the few republican_candid that have the courag to talk about how we need to realli separ ourselv from be the wall_street republican crowd __PUNCT__

we need to be the main_street republican crowd __PUNCT__

we need to quit be a wholli __PUNCT__ own subsidiari of the major fund_manag on wall_street and start be more concern about peopl out there in place like iowa __PUNCT__

axelrod __PUNCT__ but let me give you a chanc while we sort of in thi process of mayb introduc you to the american_public in a wai thei haven't seen prior to the __PUNCT__ to the debat __PUNCT__ to the straw_poll __PUNCT__

let me ask you thi question __PUNCT__ draw some contrast between you __PUNCT__ mayor giuliani __PUNCT__ senat_mccain __PUNCT__ governor romnei __PUNCT__

what make mike_huckabe differ __PUNCT__ huckabe __PUNCT__ there ar sever thing __PUNCT__

first of all __PUNCT__ experi __PUNCT__

and i don't mean just government experi __PUNCT__

that import __PUNCT__ __NUM__ 1/2 year as a governor in a state that overwhelmingli democrat __PUNCT__

i becam governor with a __NUM__ percent democrat legislatur __PUNCT__ the most lopsid in the countri __PUNCT__ and wa abl to get thing done in the wai of tax_cut and transport to rebuild road __PUNCT__ some of the most signific educ improv and some innov thing __PUNCT__ frankli __PUNCT__ that mani peopl wouldn't expect out of a republican __PUNCT__ a focu on music and art in educ __PUNCT__ health_care renov that have realli __PUNCT__ i think __PUNCT__ driven nation_attent to arkansa for be the onli state in the countri to revers trend of childhood_obes __PUNCT__

but in addit to that __PUNCT__ i think a lot of it __PUNCT__ jim __PUNCT__ is person_experi __PUNCT__

you know __PUNCT__ i didn't grow up a child of privileg __PUNCT__

i grew up in a work_class class_famili and first male in my entir famili lineag to even graduat high_school __PUNCT__

i think i know someth of the american_dream and not onli understand it but can commun it and articul it becaus i live it __PUNCT__

and i can relat to a lot of peopl out there who just want to know that peopl who ar elect __PUNCT__ whether it to the presid or to the offic of citi_council __PUNCT__ understand what struggl is like __PUNCT__ becaus a lot of american everi dai get up and thei don't face the decis between ar thei go to vacat in the caribbean or the riviera __PUNCT__

thei face whether thei can squeez the handl on the ga pump and put enough fuel in the tank to get to work __PUNCT__

axelrod __PUNCT__ but i try to figur out what your road from here might look like so that a year from now you ar not onli still in the race but accept a nomin in minneapoli __PUNCT__

i have troubl thi morn __PUNCT__ despit your finish yesterdai __PUNCT__ see what it is that make you differ so that you vault ahead of some of the front __PUNCT__ runner as the parti ha them right now __PUNCT__

huckabe __PUNCT__ well __PUNCT__ first of all __PUNCT__ i think that republican look for a conserv who ha had consist in hi principl __PUNCT__ and there not go to be ani youtub moment of me sai someth substanti differ on the sanctiti of life or on the second amend or on the role of tradit_marriag __PUNCT__

axelrod __PUNCT__ and ar giuliani and romnei both open to that possibl __PUNCT__ huckabe __PUNCT__ well __PUNCT__ you know __PUNCT__ do a googl search __PUNCT__ and i let you find the youtub moment __PUNCT__

but i think peopl ar look for consist __PUNCT__

thei also look for somebodi who can commun those view that won't come across as confront __PUNCT__

thi countri is veri polar right now __PUNCT__ no on can deni that __PUNCT__ and i think american ar look for what i like to call vertic leadership rather than horizont __PUNCT__

the averag_person doesn't care whether we left __PUNCT__ right __PUNCT__ liber __PUNCT__ conserv __PUNCT__ republican __PUNCT__ democrat as much as thei care as to whether we would lead thi countri up rather than down __PUNCT__

and that vertic leadership __PUNCT__ and i think that what republican ar go to have to have or we go to get our head hand to us next year in the elect __PUNCT__

axelrod __PUNCT__ we got about just __NUM__ second left __PUNCT__

you a strong_support of the troop surg as well __PUNCT__

can you win as a strong support of the troop surg __PUNCT__ huckabe __PUNCT__ you know __PUNCT__ i know that i can becaus the american_peopl ar go to see that the surg is begin to have an impact __PUNCT__

i mean __PUNCT__ even the new york_time had to admit that thing ar begin to improv __PUNCT__

gener_petraeu wa given until __DATE__ __PUNCT__

we ought to give him that time_frame __PUNCT__

and certainli it not pretti __PUNCT__ it not someth we want to be there forev in __PUNCT__ but we also know we got a respons to do it right __PUNCT__ so we don't have to do it over __PUNCT__

axelrod __PUNCT__ and we go to leav it right there __PUNCT__

former arkansa governor mike_huckabe __PUNCT__ congratul on your finish in the straw_poll yesterdai __PUNCT__

thank you for be with us __PUNCT__

huckabe __PUNCT__ thank you __PUNCT__ jim __PUNCT__