Posted on 01/01/2016 10:17:18 AM PST by conservativejoy
Back in 2008 on the day of the Iowa caucus, when I was reporting on my first election for Townhall.com, I happened to be grabbing lunch in the same hole-in-the-wall restaurant as then-Huckabee National Campaign Advisor Ed Rollins.
He sat in the cafe loudly trash talking the Romney campaign to any reporter he could call on his cell phone. Expletives and insults flew. Anyone sitting in the eatery could hear him. I, stunned any known operative would be so foolish to speak in such a way in a public place, wrote it up as an item.
These are the same people who physically blocked Ted Cruz from speaking to reporters at a rally in support of Kentucky clerk Kim Davis.
Today, Huckabee still seems to be employing operatives to shovel nasty, vindictive stories to reporters. This year, their ire is directed at Ted Cruz as they seek to undermine Cruz with evangelicals by lying about his positions, even accusing the Texas senator of supporting "amnesty."
Huckabee's SuperPAC is aggressively exploiting a report in Politico that falsely claimed Cruz spoke differently about gay marriage at behind-closed-doors New York fundraisers than in public. In reality, Cruz has made the same federalist argument about gay marriage many times in very public venues.
Huckabee himself has also dished out the same anti-Cruz linel, although in a blog post he wouldn't identify Cruz by name.
Surprised? You shouldn't be. These are the same people who physically blocked Ted Cruz from speaking to reporters at a rally in support of Kentucky clerk Kim Davis.
Mike Huckabee may be a Christian, but has a very un-Christian like habit of wanting people to believe he is the only Christian on the national stage. And now, he's smearing Cruz's record to do it.
The question, of course, is, whether Huckabee's campaign is about advancing conservative Christian goals, or advancing himself?
Consider these recent items that detail Huckabee's anti-Cruz efforts.
"Allies of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee are plotting a multi-pronged offensive against Ted Cruz as the Republican presidential race enters the final month before the Iowa caucuses.
A pro-Huckabee super PAC is among the central players in the anti-Cruz push, which is already taking hold in mailboxes and on the radio across the Hawkeye State. The group, known as Pursuing America's Greatness, is not ruling out TV advertising as it seeks to undercut Cruz's claim of being the purest conservative in the GOP field.
"All options are on the table from our perspective," said Blain Rethmeier, a spokesman for the group. "We believe Sen. Cruz is a fraud, and we hope to make that apparent to the conservatives taking part in the process in Iowa."
National Review reported:
"Many supporters of Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum, the last two winners of Iowa's Republican presidential contests, are grappling with a pair of grim realities as the 2016 caucuses approach. Not only have their candidates been stuck in the low single digits for months in Iowa, but they also view Cruz, the new front-runner, as a phony opportunist who has pandered to Evangelicals for political gain, particularly in Iowa. And they fear that if Cruz notches a win in the Hawkeye State , especially if he does so by a wide margin, which many Republicans now view as a distinct possibility , he will emerge as the overwhelming favorite to capture the nomination."
So there you have it. If Huckabee can't win; Cruz shouldn't win either.
From an evangelical perspective, this doesn't make sense. Who would Huckabee prefer to win the nomination? Is it Trump, the man who has said he's never once sought forgiveness from God? Is it one of the other candidates who are allergic to Iowa evangelicals and are choosing to focus on New Hampshire instead?
Why is Huckabee dead-set on stopping the only presidential candidate who WANTED to appear at a religious liberty rally with him?
The question, of course, is, whether Huckabee's campaign is about advancing conservative Christian goals, or advancing himself?
So far, all actions point to the latter.
Huckabee has said he will drop out of the presidential race if he doesn't make at least a third place finish in Iowa.
That day can't come soon enough.
This is a prime example as to why we have to get politicians and their operators OUT of politics.
Competitors complete. Get used to it.
At what point upon entering politics does one become a politician?
How much longer will Huck try to dine out on his brief stint as a preacher? We evangelicals hear what he says, then we see how he behaves, and there’s a disconnect.
He and his single-digit cohorts need to drop out of the race so Trump and Cruz can TCB.
By whatever definition you choose, Cruz has been a career one whether it’s elective or appointive.
In this case, jealousy has compelled Huckabee to lie. I guess he’s got to feed the beast to earn his next slot at Fox.
Yeah, he should have skipped being a partner in the largest law firm in the world and arguing before the Supreme Court to be a wrestling promoter.
Ping!
Selfish competitors compete. Get used to people pointing that out.
Well Huck successfully teamed up with McCain in 2008 to ditch Mitt. Looks like he’s up to his old tricks in 2016.
Huckabee expected to receive much of the evangelical support that went to Cruz. No doubt that stung. It’s likely that expected support was part of the pitch to superPAC officials/donors — who’re probably now the ones making the decisions on whether/how much to try to trash Cruz.
All around it’s a problem. Huckabee may not be allowed to officially communicate with his superPACs, but whatever is left of his integrity depends greatly on how he proceeds from here. One evangelical trashing another never ends well.
Huckabee sounds like a GOPE operative whose mission is to take down Cruz.
So you are saying that you avoided watching when Snake oil boy was busted for heisting part of the Governor’s mansion furniture?
He was pretty deer in the headlights then, and that is an issue that will never be in the past (except for his most sycophantic defenders) because character collapse like that doesn’t just go away.
Thanks!
If Huckabee does not fire anyone he employs who engages in this behavior, he is guilty as well. And if he does not denounce any PAC engaging in it, he is guilty.
Like many here on Free Republic, I once had high hopes for men like Huckabee, Carson, and Rubio. They just keep disappointing.
I have a feeling that Trump will eventually greatly disappoint us if he is president, yet at this point I am willing to support him because his positions are right. I have more confidence in Cruz overall though.
Yup.
This is the big dance. Cruz wants to be part of it, that means their will be rockets coming his way.
Hillary will be worse.
Yeah, he should have skipped being a partner in the largest law firm in the world and arguing before the Supreme Court to be a wrestling promoter.
LMAO. Exactly.
They prefer a progressive conman with no morals, no core principles, and a persona we would lock our children in their rooms for or smack them - braggart, bully, whiny baby.
They seem to believe every word he says which if you roll the tapes are basically “I am the greatest and all who say otherwise are trash”.
Sorry Teddy, they don’t pay attention to facts but I am smiling at the obvious dysfunction of 30% of the gop.
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