Last stand in Texas ends in final defeat

In a final attempt to remain a part of the big four candidates, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee rallied across Texas.

He stopped at the Hilton Hotel in Waco Feb. 28. Inside a crowded room, loud country music was drowned only by the chatter as children, military personnel, college students and other adults waited for Huckabee and actor Chuck Norris to take the stage.

Two canines, one dressed as Uncle Sam, quietly accepted the attention of those around them.

After Norris, the famous “Texas Ranger,” endorsed the former Southern Baptist pastor through an article and a commercial, the candidate’s Web site viewings increased. The two worked well with each other, making Chuck Norris jokes and boosting the votes and excitement through rallies and YouTube commercial viewings.

Huckabee said at the Values Voter Presidential Debate in Fort Lauderdale in September, “There are a lot of people running for president. Many of them will come to you. I come from you.”

Norris stood strong behind Huckabee.

“I vote with my heart,” he said. “I vote with my conviction. That’s what we have to do.”

After Super Tuesday’s voting came to a close, the Republican party found out Huckabee’s attempts had not been enough, and he decided to bow out of the race, sending his voters to John McCain.

Believing in people was one of Huckabee’s themes.

He said, “We as a nation cannot turn our backs on this inevitable truth—we are equal.”

He encouraged people to vote, jokingly calling it “No Voter Left Behind.”

“It matters who you vote for,” Huckabee said.

Believing he was the best choice, he said, “I’m prepared, I’m ready and I’m willing to lead this country.”

Looking back, there are many things Huckabee will be remembered for.

His IRS plan, or rather the demise of it, turned many heads, and his fair tax raised many eyebrows.

“Let’s kill the IRS before it kills every business in America,” he said. “Better to kill the IRS than a forest of trees.”

He dealt with the critisism of his background as a pastor, several comments about razor blades kept him in hot water with his opponents and his ultra-conservative views turned off liberals.

Some random trivia about Huckabee include the five books he has written, the 110 pounds he lost after being diagnosed with Type II diabetes in 2003 and that he plays in a rock-n-roll band. His band has opened for the Willie Nelson and Charlie Daniels bands. He also played the House of Blues (New Orleans) and Red Rocks Amphitheater (Denver) and played for two presidential inauguration balls.

From the beginning of his race until the end, Huckabee tried to persuade people to live better, to think about the future and to focus on what really matters in life.

“If what you live for isn’t worth dying for, it probably isn’t worth living for.”