Do the Right Thing: Inside the Movement That's Bringing Common Sense Back to America

Do the Right Thing: Inside the Movement That's Bringing Common Sense Back to America

by: Mike Huckabee List Price: $15.00 Amazon.com's Price: $10.20 You Save: $4.80 (32%) as of 11/22/2009 12:43 EST Used Price: $7.25 Third Party New Price: $6.85 Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Binding: Paperback Dewey Decimal Number: 320.520973 EAN: 9781595230577 Edition: Reprint ISBN: 1595230572 Label: Sentinel Trade Manufacturer: Sentinel Trade Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 256 Publication Date: November 03, 2009 Publisher: Sentinel Trade Studio: Sentinel Trade Features: ISBN13: 9781595230577 Condition: NEW Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark. 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Writing New York Times Bestsellers, hosting a weekend television show, recording radio commentaries 3 times a day, and creating a PAC. In his book, Do The Right Thing, Governor Huckabee shares his stories from the campaign trail along with his vision of American leadership. This book spelled out his plan and vision with a clarity I have not read in most political books. Opening the pages, you'll read about Huckabee's plan for health care, volunteerism, being a true conservative, and relying on self-government among other points. You'll also read a not so subtle slam of Mitt Romney and his campaign. You get the sense that Governor Romney didn't make many friends among the other Republican candidates. I think the strongest point for Mike Huckabee was the fact that, even though people may not agree with his plans, they still admired him for playing straight and clean. This book was provided for review by Penguin. Rating: - Forthright book from an honest politician. Mike Huckabee is an honest man who brings a fresh approach to politics. This is the dominant theme that runs throughout the book "Do the Right Thing: Inside the Movement That's Bringing Common Sense Back to America". The book covers parts of Huckabee's entire life, which gives the reader insights from his background that filter into his life and political perspective. However, the greatest portion of the book focuses on the 2008 presidential campaign and his positions on the various issues. Huckabee manages to capture some of the excitement that his campaign was able to build among grass roots supporters. It also shows a humility that is rare among those seeking high governmental positions, let alone those who run for presidency. This comes through clearly in his explanation of how he came to embrace the Fair Tax. His clear explanation of this proposed tax is worth the cost of the book by itself. I was impressed by Huckabee's view of what he calls "vertical politics" instead of what he calls "horizontal politics". He describes the usual politics of adopting whatever position that your political party endorses as horizontal politics and vertical politics as focussing on the desired end result and then crafting a policy to meet that. He explains this beautifully in describing why the right number of policemen depends on what kind of society exists. This also shines through in his explanation of his other political positions. This is truly a worthwhile book, regardless of your political persuasion. Rating: - Where Did Integrity Go? It's too bad that so many people have to find an angle to abuse the system. Where did honesty go that used to be how our grandparents lived. The book had a lot of good points we could all live by. A good read. Rating: - Unexpected Yet Average I purchased this book as it was on the New York Times Best Sellers List and out of curiosity of the politician who had emerged on the scene during the 2008 Presidential Election nearly out of nowhere. Although interesting at times, I was hoping for more treatment of Mike Huckabee's background and experience, more of a biography. There is some of this, however most of the book is an accounting of his campaign and challenges he and his team encountered, which is valuable - if this is what you are looking for. A good read if you are curious and it is a pretty quick read, however it could have used more depth in my opinion. Rating: - Huckabee Preaches Common Sense Conservatism Last year's presidential primaries offered two exciting and exhausting political races. On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama dueled for months in a two-way race that was not officially decided until only a few states had yet to vote. The Republican primaries featured a wide open field that, for a while, featured five viable candidates. From this field, Mike Huckabee emerged as a frontrunner for the Republican candidacy by gaining traction among social conservatives and Fair Tax proponents. Though Huckabee ultimately lost, he managed to perform remarkably well on a shoestring budget, winning several states outright and ultimately finishing second behind eventual Republican presidential nominee John McCain. Shortly after the general election Huckabee inked a deal with Fox News to host a weekend television show and wrote Do the Right Thing, a book centered on Huckabee's own conservative political beliefs interspersed with folksy stories from the campaign trail. Huckabee begins the book by explaining why he became a Republican at a young age, even though both his parents were Democrats. He states as a teenager he went to work for a local radio station owner who took him under his wing and showed him the ropes of the business world. As this relationship grew, Huckabee began to realize the differences between the two political parties. He writes: "Even as a young man, I realized that the Democrats and Republicans view the world through different lenses. Democrats focus on government, and we focus on the individual. Democrats put their faith in government, and we put our faith in people. Democrats give government more control over our lives, and we give individuals more control over their own destinies." In the book Huckabee visits familiar territory for his supporters, including dedicating chapters to the Fair Tax, the sanctity of life and health care reform, as well as opining on more random topics like Cher concerts. These quirky observations, along with Huckabee's natural storytelling style, keep the tone of his writing light, even as he discusses serious topics. Early in the book, Huckabee visits the topic of abortion, an issue particularly close to his heart. He writes, "All other issues pale in comparison to whether we respect and honor others in the same way we want to be treated." Many conservatives find this approach refreshing among Republican politicians who often get more worked up about errant earmarks than sanctity of life issues. While arguing that life begins at conception, Huckabee smartly points out that abortion rights activists have had to "completely sacrifice science for their own selfish stand." He reasons that "as medical science continued to advance, the point of viability continued to move earlier and earlier" making obsolete the old argument abortion advocates frequently use concerning the baby's viability outside of the mother's womb. After giving his reasons for being pro-life, Huckabee uses the rest of the chapter to share inspiring stories he encountered on the campaign trail, including meeting a small girl who was a frozen embryo for four years before being implanted in her eventual mother. Huckabee writes that most of these embryos are usually destroyed during research and are never given the chance to live. Another topic important to Huckabee is the Fair Tax. He states he has always believed our tax system was "badly broken." In fact, he writes that it's so broken it can't even be fixed "with duct tape and WD-40." Huckabee explains that when the campaign began he was a proponent of the flat tax - a fixed rate that is consistent or "flat" regardless of the income level. After rallies he was approached a number of times where many would ask him what he thought of the Fair Tax. He replied that he thought our tax system should be fair only to be greeted by puzzled looks and expressions. It was only after a number of these encounters that he realized what the Fair Tax actually was. As he began studying the Fair tax, the more he realized how much he liked it. Huckabee writes: "Under the Fair Tax, no one would be taxed - that is, penalized - for their work, investments, savings or earnings. After all, we want people to work, save, invest, and create capital, so we should cease to penalize it at all. Income tax rates would be zero. Corporate tax would be zero. Payroll taxes would disappear. Savings and investments would no longer be subject to complicated to the complicated tax codes. The tax rate on capital gains would be zero. There would be no paycheck deductions." He continues: "So how would the government generate revenue? The Fair Tax would shift taxes from what we earn to what we buy - to a consumption tax. We would pay taxes not when we earned something but when we bought something at the retail level that ... Read More see more