Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(71)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I have come to find Mike Huckabee to be an honest and hopeful voice in the GOP and this book confirms that once again.

Mike makes a strong case for the connection between morality and economics which is very important as there is a clear divide between social conservatives and fiscal conservatives. The truth is that both are necessary and a clear and consistent morality needs to be the foundation.

I particularly appreciated the chapter entitled Politically Homeless. There is plenty in that chapter that will ruffle some feathers but in my opinion it needed to be said. People can dismiss Mike as a populist but they dismiss more than one man, they dismiss a large portion of the population. There is an ARMY of people who got behind Mike because he understood them and is one of them. Trucker Randy and others capture the essence of this grassroots movement that took Mike from an overlooked candidate to a serious contendor.

The chapter on Faux-Cons will stir some up as well, but once again it is a matter of calling a spade a spade.

Beyond this, there is a lot of optimism for the future of our country. The distinction between horizontal vs vertical politics is spot on and Mike has a long track record of getting positive things done for the people of Arkansas.

Especially helpful are the sections on the Fair Tax (real change we can believe in and the mother of all reforms), healthcare, and energy independence, among other things.

There are also a number of touching stories of individuals who made significant sacrifices for Mike, as well as the country. I appreciated learning the story of the couple that took a train across the country to New Hampshire and then drove a cheap, old car to Florida before returning home through Little Rock. Also inspiring was the story of the soldier who wanted to return to his troops in Iraq after suffering signicant injuries.

Do yourself a favor, get this book and read it cover to cover. Don't let others make up your mind for you and take it all in before deciding what you think. I believe you will enjoy the book, learn a lot, and be inspired.

First I would like to tackle the negatives because there are a few. I noticed about 6-8 grammatical errors, if not more, in the book. I found a couple of spelling errors as well such as "he" instead of "the". There is a reference to "Naaman" that should actually be "Nathan". I guess ultimately, the editor is responsible for those but either way, they are mildly disappointing.

Before I was finished reading the book, I kept hearing a lot about the Huckabee vs Romney feud being the major focus of this book. IT IS NOT! There are several references to Romney and they are not pleasant but they are not hateful either. I viewed most as fair criticism based on what happened during the Primaries because their feud was indeed the major story. Some of the criticisms or "jabs", as some have called them, were meant as humor and they are easy to differentiate from the others. There were also a couple of references that I did view as whiny but they were limited.

The focus of the book is about half reflection and half future. Mike talks about and gives praise to the many people who helped him defy all odds and media bias to eventually finish 2nd in the 2008 GOP Primaries. He talks of the struggle of having no money and no name recognition and how they overcame it. He praises the many volunteers and even names a lot of them. He tells of some very touching stories that are absolutely amazing, and they were not even mentioned in the media. The book is worth the price just for those stories alone.

Mike goes into detailed policy on several ideas for our future. He talks about Preventative Healthcare, FairTax, Veterans Bill of Rights, and a few others. He emphasizes how Self-Government is the best Government and how a moral society plays a very important role in reducing the size of Government. He brings up the concept of Civil Service and how it not only benefits our Nation but ultimately, benefits our young Americans. He definitely puts forth some bold and fresh ideas that we should at least think about, all under the concept of Vertical Politics.

In the APPENDIX section of the book, he specifically addresses his own record as Governor in regards to Tax Cuts, Tax Increases and Why, and Spending. These are noted as being rebuttals to attacks levied by the Club for Growth and the Cato Institute.

Overall, I found the book to be insightful and bold which makes it fantastic. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys politics or just enjoys hearing about inspirational stories. This was indeed a journey and not just a group of events.

This book expresses the frustration than most middle class Christians had during the campaign. We are not rich but we are intelligent enough to see that McCain and Obama were NOT the two best choices to lead our nation BUT most of us supported McCain/Palin. Huckaee spoke for many of us but only now is his message if being heard by the public. This book is not about party loyalty but loyalty to biblical principles and America!! It is time the elite GOP reach out for diversity. Even Michael Steele, a black Republican leader, said the GOP has a country club, cocktail party leadership style that is hurting and shrinking the party. The book gives excellent ideas on how to make the GOP competitive again. Please read all of it before you past judgement on this relative, insightful, enjoyable read.

Even if you only paid cursory attention to this years election, this is a good read.

For political junkies and policy wonks, this is great read.

For the 87% of Americans who think the country is on the wrong track, this is a MUST READ.

If you want to learn about how to dance around an issue so that it will actually never be solved, this is NOT the book for you. Do The Right Thing is a roadmap to where we should take, not only the GOP but the country, and how to get there. If you are not used to a politician to be straightforward and honest, then you may be left in disbelief while reading this book. Nothing is said in here about other candidates that others, probably yourself included, had not already thought about. All in all, Governor Huckabee offers common sense approaches to fixing the nation, and one that will revolutionize our taxes and our economy called the Fairtax (Fairtax.org). A great read even if you are not particularly a fan of Gov. Huckabee. Just remember to keep an open mind!

I was concerned when I read reviews in the MSM that talked about how bitter Huckabee was, that the book was all about 2008 and not about ideas how we can grow as a nation.

I should trust Gov. Huckabee. As usual, he eloquently speaks his mind and paints wonderful word pictures to describe his thoughts.

Yes, there was discussion about the campaign trail. Yes, he does mention Gov. Romney. But the meat of the book (for me) is how the GOP leadership has left the party behind and how Gov. Huckabee feels that the major issues facing the nation should be addressed while speaking for people like me who are tired of the people who I vote for not sticking to their principles.

"Do The Right Thing" by Mike Huckabee is a masterpiece. It has vignettes from Mike's run for the Presidency that will bring a tear to the eye of everyone who lived it with him from afar. It has penetrating insights about his campaign rivals and the playing field on which the contest was held. But most importantly, it contains timeless wisdom about the relationship between our morality and national economic welfare that is needed by society now more than ever. Inspiring and persuasive, once you pick it up, you will not want to put it down!

I'm a 26-year-old female republican. We are a scarce breed to be sure. The 2008 election is the first primary I voted in; Mike Huckabee is the reason. I grew up under Ronald Reagan and fell in love with his leadership. I became very disheartened with Bush 41 and how our party has become the corporate party. That's why we are losing elections now. People don't trust the GOP to look out for them and the good of the country. These Wall Street Bailouts are another example of the GOP selling out. (Mike is against the bailouts.)

Huckabee's the guy to lead the GOP back to the White House. He was the only republican to stand up in 2007 and say we were headed into a recession. Well, the evidence is out and according to the numbers, turns out he was right. He has been right about a lot of things. Maybe we should start listening. Maybe he's right about the fair tax, too. I'm not convinced yet, but he's slowly persuading me.

In a year when the GOP has been so out-of-touch, this is the only man that brought in new voters like me. I just finished reading the book, and I have to say, Please read this. If by the end, you still disagree with him, that's fine. But give him a chance and I guarantee you'll be surprised how much you agree with him. It took some time for him to win me over: it may take time for Mike to win you over, too, but I assure you he will.

Mike Huckabee is no idiot. He is not a Gomer, though he has been characterized as such by the mainstream media. He ran an inspirational campaign of which I was a supporter, both financially and spiritually.
He is a great conservative leader, and a wonderfully nice man who I have met in person. I am so happy he is staying in the limelight of politics.

This book is not his best work. It seems hurried, somewhat disjointed and has a lot of editorial mistakes, which puts any reader off. I skipped around to the interesting campaign stories (the first chapter of the play-by-play during the Iowa caucus is riveting!). I was hoping for more stories from the campaign, and maybe more of the profound reflections that I've enjoyed in snippets on TV.

He has a great way of illustrating analogies in his writing, and can turn the most mundane occurrences into symbols of life lessons, which makes for the great story telling of his previous books. (His poor son - the story of the cake with too much salt - used again, this time with a slightly different theoretical summary so it wasn't a complete repeat.)

Still, if you're a fan of Huckabee and a true blue conservative, or you know and love one, you should get the book. It's a valuable read. Just set your expectations a little lower than the previous book for the flow and entertainment value.

I'm still a supporter and hope and yes, pray, for the us all to "do the right thing."

Do the Right Thing is the freshest set of ideas and common sense folksy intellectualism that this country needs. From the behind the scenes stories from the campaign trail to the future direction that that is bringing common sense back to america this book hits the nail on the head. I found myself nodding my head in agreement the while I was reading the book. My wife even laughed at me when she pointed out what I was doing. I had to laugh too! 5 Stars!