Posted on 11/10/2007 7:23:33 AM PST by dano1
John Kennedy in 1960 and John Kerry in 2004 both pledged not to let their Catholic standing affect their policy decisions. Reporters this year are pushing Mitt Romney regarding his Mormon beliefs. But Mike Huckabee, the former Baptist pastor and Arkansas governor who now seeks the GOP presidential nomination, says he is “appalled” when candidates separate their religion from their policy positions.
“At the heart of my governing is my faith,” Huckabee told WORLD on Jan. 26, the morning before he announced on Meet the Press that he was setting up a committee for a run to the White House. And what of those who say beliefs do not affect governing? “That says to me a person’s faith is so inconsequential that [he] can marginalize and compartmentalize it.”
Huckabee has not compartmentalized. Now 51 years old, he graduated from Ouachita Baptist University, pastored two churches in Arkansas, became president of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention, and governed his state for 10 years beginning in 1996. He said during our interview three blocks from the White House that moving from pastor to politician was the “easiest transition possible.” He even rolled through the similarities in four-point alliteration usable in a sermon outline: “It all starts with message . . . you have to motivate people . . . use all kinds of media . . . and it takes money.”
National reporters have largely refrained from zeroing in on Huckabee’s theology so far, but he has received hefty publicity for becoming born-again physically. Diagnosed with Type II diabetes in 2003 and told his abundant heft threatened his heart, Huckabee lost 110 pounds and became so fit that he ran and completed the Little Rock, Marine Corps, and New York Marathons in 2005 and 2006. His own story is now part of his political pitch: Individuals can eat less, exercise more, and in the process reduce health-care costs that are threatening personal and national budgets.
But the tools of his governing style, Huckabee says, never were a knife and a fork. They were and are the words of Jesus: “I govern with two pillars: ‘do unto others as you would have them do unto you,’ and ‘as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’” Politicians often quote such gospel words but rarely apply them. Huckabee, asked to apply these principles to three of the most divisive issues of the day, offered pointed parables:
On immigration, he told how he had just flown to Washington from the Little Rock airport where the security guards know who he is—but he still had to take the coins from his pocket and the shoes from his feet “as if I was wearing a turban on my head and went by the name of Abdul.” Huckabee said he and other Americans don’t object to that process, and they want immigrants to be required also to enter through an orderly process rather than a porous border: That’s why a border barrier is essential. When that’s in place a reasoned debate about entry can begin, because it’s clear that we “only have so many seats on the airplane.”
Huckabee wants those already in the United States illegally to go through a process that provides opportunity but also contains some sort of penalty for illegal activity: His religious analogy is that “one needs to confess his sin, repent, and make restitution.” He said he supports something like the guest worker system President Bush has proposed, but he’s wary of the guest worker term because people are equating it with an amnesty for illegals, and “I’m not for amnesty.”
On foreign affairs, he told a folksy story about how every neighborhood has a kid who’s the strongest, the fastest, the best—but if he acts like he knows it, he reminds others of what they aren’t, and they long for the day when he fails. If that kid, though, pats others on the back and doesn’t lord it over them, “everyone in the neighborhood loves that kid.” Huckabee’s point again is “do unto others . . . humility goes a long way. The stronger a person or a country is, the more care needs to be taken.” It’s “critically important never to humiliate someone else,” but other countries now see the United States as the arrogant big kid.
That can readily sound like Peanuts foreign policy, but Huckabee went on to speak about the need to involve in an Iraq settlement predominantly Sunni countries like Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt with a vested interest in the region’s stability. He emphasized the need for realism that sometimes forces the United States to work with the unsavory: “Russia was not our natural ally during World War II, but better to have them on our side than on the enemy’s.” He was also emphatic in his support for Israel on public policy rather than eschatological grounds: “Israel is our most significant ally in the Middle East . . . [with a] shared sense of democracy.”
On abortion, Huckabee is on the record as wanting Roe v. Wade to be overturned, but he also talked about a three-part process by which public views on smoking, littering, drunk driving, and wearing seat belts have changed. First is attitudinal change, when a previously accepted activity gradually is seen as undesirable. Second is a change in atmosphere—for example, people cast angry stares at someone who litters. Third is the “action phase” when government codifies what already has occurred socially.
Huckabee spoke of abortion proceeding down that path to infrequency, with pro-lifers fighting the evil but also showing the belief that “life begins at conception and it does not end at birth.” He stated that “we can’t call ourselves pro-lifers if we’re unconcerned with education,” so he has “total support for giving parents the empowerment to make decisions for their kids.” He’s skittish about the word vouchers, preferring school choice, and speaks of “kid-focused” rather than “school-focused” education. He asks about any proposed option, “Does it truly empower the parent to make a choice?”
Huckabee will need to show that he has substance on immigration, foreign policy, abortion, and other tough issues, because he’ll do fine in the Charm Derby, as did one of his predecessors, Bill Clinton. Many observers already have noticed the similarities: Both are from Hope, Ark.; both are past Boy’s State members who went on to chair the National Governors Association; both are musically inclined, with Clinton offering glissandos and growls on the saxophone and Huckabee playing bass guitar in the band Capitol Offense; both are Southern Baptists (with strikingly different theologies).
Their biggest commonality is their humble origin, which leads Huckabee to say of his background, “Some of us know what it’s like to start at the bottom of the ladder.” He readily describes the sins of economic and political elites: “the greed of Wall Street, the corruption of K Street.” He talks about what America means for those like himself who grew up where there “wasn’t a lot of money, wasn’t a lot of pedigree”—but instead of descending into class warfare, Huckabee finishes his populist pitch by saying “where you finish is up to you.”
Huckabee is also the anti-Clinton in that reporters feel no need to do a bimbo watch with him: Huckabee and his wife Janet apparently have a strong marriage. State-level criticism of the Huckabees peaked in 2002 when Mrs. Huckabee unsuccessfully ran for the position of Arkansas secretary of state: one couple, two state offices? Huckabee also garnered criticism for supporting the parole eligibility of convicted rapist Wayne Dumond, who after his release sexually assaulted and murdered a Missouri woman. A teapot tempest arose last November concerning gifts the Huckabees received in connection with a housewarming for a $525,000 home they purchased in Little Rock.
The national opposition cuts deeper. The anti-tax CATO Institute gave Huckabee an “F” for spending and tax policy in 2006. He responded, “I give them an F for their research: [Cato] hit me on spending” such as court-ordered educational funding. But another free enterprise think tank, the Club for Growth, also dinged him as a “tax hiker” for, among other things, raising gas taxes. Huckabee says he did it to make desperately needed highway improvements that 80 percent of Arkansans demanded.
That populist impulse could make or break the Huckabee candidacy. He has stepped outside of standard conservatism enough for Time magazine to name him one of America’s “top five governors” and for Washington Post liberal columnist E.J. Dionne to praise him. Yet Huckabee also emphasizes his compassionate conservatism by noting that after Hurricane Katrina hit neighboring Louisiana “we didn’t wait for FEMA” but welcomed evacuees and “provided what government can’t give, dignity and respect. We called them by name, looked in their eyes.”
He has won praise for starting Smart Start and Smart Step, intensive math and reading programs for K-8 students, and ARKids First, a health insurance program for low-income and minority families that helped to cut in half the state’s welfare rolls. But he has garnered liberal criticism for saying that students “should be given exposure to the theories not only of evolution but to . . . creationism.”
Christian conservatives generally say that Huckabee would be excellent on crucial issues such as marriage, abortion, and support for effective compassion both at home and in Africa. But his most important selling point may be his ability to turn treacherous questions into cheerful riffs on popular programs like The Daily Show. Last month host Jon Stewart told him, “You are a self-described conservative, evangelical Republican. Those strike fear into the heart of the blue state foundation.” Huckabee responded with classic stereotype-affirming-while-countering “buts”: “I’m a conservative, but I’m not mad at everybody. . . . I’m pro-life, but we have to be concerned . . . about a child’s entire life.”
Stewart has humiliated humorless conservatives yet Huckabee matched him yuk for yuk, even saying that if he had worked in partisan ways with an overwhelming Democratic legislature, “we couldn’t have passed gas in the House chamber.” Stewart, who lunches on double-entendres, said in his overly solemn, self-mocking way, “I don’t care for that type of humor,” and Huckabee responded with a grin, “I noticed.” By the end of the interview Stewart was (and perhaps some moderate and younger voters were) practically eating out of the pastor-governor’s hand.
Huckabee is far behind better-known Republican contenders—John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney—in the money race, but he insists that “the message has to come before money”—and his message is that “America needs to revive its national optimism.” Huckabee is patriotic in his populism: “Thank God we’re in a country that people are trying to break into rather than break out of.” He is strong in explaining the need to fight terrorists: “We in this country celebrate life. They celebrate the deaths of their own children. . . . This war cannot be lost. . . . They’re not interested in the decline of America . . . they want our deaths.” He sounds Reaganesque themes: “Our best days are not behind us. They’re still ahead.”
He’s a long shot, but don’t count him out. He’ll be fighting for the conservative Republican vote against another attractive candidate, Sen. Sam Brownback (”Cellblock campaign,” Dec. 23, 2006), and others. And if Huckabee falls short in his presidential quest, he could serve as a ticket balancer on a slate headed by, say, a Giuliani.
The Huckster’s tax lies:
http://hotair.com/archives/2007/11/09/video-club-for-growth-smacks-huckabee/
His Pro Alien Invader policy should put him over the top eh.
Y A W N ..... nothing conservative or Christian to take from me and give to lawbreakers....
It has been reported that Mike Huckabee supported benefits for illegals immigrants while he was Governor of Arkansas.
Governor Huckabee never supported benefits for illegal immigrants. In Arkansas, illegal immigrants do not receive welfare benefits or food stamps. Governor Huckabee has always, and will always be supportive of the laws and regulations of the country.
It has also been said that Mike Huckabee was in favor of providing college scholarships for illegal immigrants while he was Governor.
The governor only supported the measure that applied to those who met the academic qualifications and applied for legal citizenship. The measure didn't pass. Governor Huckabee stressed that any student would simply be treated as any other graduate of an Arkansas High School, and not given any special consideration.
Critics say that Governor Huckabee's motives behind opening a Mexican consulate office in Little Rock was to court illegals to come work in Arkansas.
The Mexican consulate provided Arkansas businesses with access to Mexico and opportunities to expand their markets, and would help further ensure that immigrants from Mexico are legal and better able to secure legal documentation. At the same time, the office would open up opportunities for Mexican investors to invest money with Arkansas partners, which would help create more jobs in the state.
Source: Huckabee website, Truth Squad: Immigration Facts, November 02, 2007
When during his time as governor of Arkansas did he ever require the status of any child in the public school system? He was after all the executive leader and would have been the top guy overseeing public education. I read what he said and while that was demonstrative of what he was doing I like even less him now trying to cover it up.
ping to link at post 7
Thanks for that link Jack. I knew I remembered his position a bit differently from the one he is now espousing.
MIKE HUCKABEE: Well, I think the failure of the government has been they haven't sealed the border. It's harder for me to get on an airplane in my hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas, than it is for an illegal to cross the border. That's what makes Americans mad.
They're not mad at immigrants. They understand immigrants want to come here for the same reason their ancestors did. But here's where the failure is: You can't allow people to break the law and then have no consequence.
My reasons for supporting the idea that, if a student had been in our schools, had performed academically and behaved, and had done everything that we asked of one of the students in our school to qualify for a scholarship, then it's in our best interest to let the student apply for the scholarship because they would -- part of the provision was they'd have to apply for citizenship.
But here's the other part. You don't punish the child for the parents having broken the law. We don't do that. We don't say, "OK, your parents broke a law, so we're going to punish you for it." I just don't understand why anybody would think that that's a good thing to do.
MARGARET WARNER: That's not a popular position among a lot of Republicans.
MIKE HUCKABEE: No, it isn't. It's not very popular at all, and I took a lot of heat for it, and still do. I still get criticized.
But I'm a person who believes in strong border security. I don't believe in amnesty. But neither do I believe in, again, doing something that is ultimately harmful to a person who didn't break the law. You know, a kid who comes here who's 3 years old, I don't think he had a whole lot of choice about saying, "Hey, Dad, let's break the law. Let's cross the border." He didn't even know where he was going. So let's not punish him.
Source: PBS Newshour interview, October 5, 2007
Conservative? Hahahahaha!
Mike Huckabee. The Socialist From Arkansas. http://www.cofcc.org/?p=811
Mike Huckabee disses Americans, Mexicans, promotes illegal immigration
http://lonewacko.com/blog/archives/005609.html
Christians Need To Beware Of Mike Huckabee
http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/c2007/cbarchive_20071102.html
While Gov. of Arkansas, Huckabee was AGAINST proving citizenship in order to register to vote. He called those who were in favor of this “racists”...
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050218/news_lz1e18perkins.html
Huckabee fought hard to kill an Arkansas bill which would have cut off social services for illegal aliens. Huckabee called the bill, “anti-Christian” and “un-American”...
http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/2005/01/28/News/316347.html
Huckabee supported in-state tuition for illegal aliens...
http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/2005/03/11/News/318458.html
Huck’s opposition to the illegal aliens bill:
http://www.diggersrealm.com/mt/archives/000718.html
Whose responsibility is this child???? So what Mr. Huckabeeee is saying I will TAKE your tax dollars and make YOU responsible for this child. So he is willing to PUNISH law abiding citizen because of a lawbreaking parent. Just the kind of individual responsibility needed to be planted in the mind of more children. No wonder it is always some one else who is at fault, we got government leaders/preachers teaching this from infancy.
He was on the wrong side when he was Governor and now he is singing the opposite tune? And I am suppose to admire this man now as he waffles? It’s the same BS as with Mitt and Rudy.
You can post all that stuff you want but I know what he has said and I know what his policies were. A big spending, taxing, alien invader loving RINO. Thanks, but no thanks.
So not only are they encouraged to come here illegally and give birth but now if they happen to miss out on the birth thing we just give an "Oh Well, what's a country to do". Bullcrap!! How stupid. Sounds pretty liberal to me, sure he's in the right party?
Has any governor ever? Honestly curious.
The FBI files have been pulled upon the mayor and Romney, what’s goin’ pop up upon Huckabee.
Missouri governor has made himself plenty of enemies trying to take his responsibilities. But then there is that government agency run by government unionized teachers passing out from that thing now called compassionate collection basket. Taxation for government compassionate schools takes place every level where government exacts a tax. IT is about the money from bottom up to top down. I reject the attempt to put a Christian face on this racket.
May not be viable to you but it is sure viable to a lot of us.Maybe if you lose a son or daughter to a drunk illegal or to an MS-13 thug it will become viable to you.
Or, The bamboozling Baptist, take your pick.
With Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush we've already had two very bad presidents who believed that Jesus spoke to them from their breakfast burritos. If we want another who thinks he's got a direct line to what God is thinking, then we really are nuts.
Huckabee promotes 'open door' policy at LULAC convention Thursday, Jun 30, 2005
By Wesley Brown
Arkansas News Bureau
LITTLE ROCK - In a impassioned speech before hundreds of influential Hispanic civil rights leaders from across the nation, Gov. Mike Huckabee told a captive audience Wednesday that America is great because it has always opened it doors up to people seeking a better way of life.
"Do unto others as you would have others do unto you," Huckabee said, citing the Golden Rule. "I have tried to govern that way and it stands to reason that I really do believe that what made this great country so great and so unique is that it has always been a place for people to run to - and not run from.
"I would hope that no matter who we are, or where we are from, that America should always be a place that opens its arms, opens it heart, opens its spirit to people who come because they want the best for their families ...," Huckabee said as the largely Hispanic audience gave him a standing ovation.
Huckabee was the keynote speaker, along with Tyson Foods Inc. Chairman and CEO John Tyson, at a noon luncheon of the League of United Latin American Citizens, which is holding its 76th annual convention in Little Rock.
About 10,000 political, community and business leaders, along with exhibitors and speakers are in Little Rock attending the convention at the Statehouse Convention Center. The convention started Monday and runs through Saturday.
Although he never actually talked about the U.S. or Arkansas immigration policy, Huckabee made it very clear where he stood on the issue. In his opening remarks, he said the nation will need to address the concerns of the Hispanic community because of its growing influence and population base.
"Pretty soon, Southern white guys like me may be in the minority," Huckabee said jokingly as the crowd roared in laughter.
He told the LULAC delegates that their presence in the state's capital city was very important because Arkansas has one of the fastest growing Hispanic populations in the nation.
"Your gathering is so very significant for our state," Huckabee said. "We are delighted to have you."
Despite several light moments, Huckabee did not stray away from several controversial issues that made him a target of criticism during the recently ended 85th General Assembly. He said Arkansas needs to make the transition from a traditional Southern state to one that recognizes and cherishes diversity "in culture, in language and in population."
"This is an issue that is going to require extraordinary efforts on both sides of the border, particularly those coming from Mexico," Huckabee said of verifying the status of illegal aliens. "But I am confident that our government will recognize that we should accommodate people who wish to provide the best opportunities for their families (and) employers so that we can make sure our economy has the necessary work force."
During the legislation session, Huckabee criticized an immigration bill by Republican senators Jim Holt of Springdale and Denny Altes of Fort Smith as un-Christian, un-American, irresponsible and anti-life.
Senate Bill 206, which died in the Senate, would have required proof of citizenship to register to vote and also force state agencies to report suspected cases of people living in the country illegally. Holt, R-Springdale, replied later to Huckabee's comments that Christian charity does not include turning a blind eye to lawbreaking.
The Republican governor, who many believe will run for president in 2008, also backed legislation that would have opened the door for illegal immigrants in Arkansas to receive college scholarships.
House Bill 1525 by Rep. Joyce Elliott, D-Little Rock, was approved by the House but eventually failed in the Senate. Huckabee reiterated Wednesday that he believes every child, regardless of their parent's immigration status, should have an opportunity to receive an education in the U.S.
"I ... believe that an education for every child is the most important single factor to give everyone to be their very best," he said.
In one humorous moment, Huckabee sounded very much like a presidential candidate when he recalled his educational upbringing in Hope and reminded the crowd that another famous Arkansas governor and former president grew up in the small southwest Arkansas town.
"I too still believe in a place call Hope," Huckabee said, mimicking former President Clinton's famous acceptance speech at the 1992 Democratic National Convention.
Before Huckabee spoke, John Tyson thanked the Hispanic community for standing by the Springdale-based food giant during the federal government's investigation of the company a few years ago. The U.S. Justice Department investigation alleged that Tyson helped to smuggle illegal aliens into the U.S. and employed them at various chicken-processing plants across the Southeast.
After a seven-week trial, Tyson and several managers of poultry processing plants were acquitted in March 2003 of those charges.
"At the time, it was a very difficult and very tough time for our company," Tyson said. "Thank you LULAC for standing by us."
Tyson also credited LULAC leaders for pushing the company to add Hispanics to the Tyson board and promote more Latinos to upper management and executive positions.
He also said in that last 15 years, the number of Hispanics that work for the Arkansas company has increased significantly.
"I am proud to tell you that more than 40,000 of our workers are Latinos," Tyson said of the company's 114,000 employees. "We are learning, growing and benefiting from that diversity."
Want more? Here ya go:
He has compared illegal aliens to slaves brought here in chains from Africa, saying, "I think frankly the Lord is giving us a second chance to do better than we did before."
Toward that end, when an Arkansas legislator introduced a bill that would prevent illegal aliens from voting and receiving state benefits, Huckabee denounced the bill, saying it would rile up "those who are racist and bigots."
He also made the insane point that companies like Toyota would not invest in Arkansas if the state didn't allow non-citizens to vote because it would "send the message that, essentially, 'If you don't look like us, talk like us and speak like us, we don't want you.'
Anybody who compares Africans brought here against their will as slaves to illegal aliens sneaking over the border is a despicable piece of sh!t. Huckabee is the worst RINO of the bunch. I would NEVER vote for this lying fraud.
No thanks. Compassionate conservatism is only compassionate to those who vote for Democrats anyway. They’d rather steal money from the base than favor the base.
It’s awfully shocking that people can say Americans should follow the law, but at the same time don’t expect non-Americans to follow the law.
If one of us breaks a law, we’d have to face the music. But non citizens get a break. It just aint fair.
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