Posted on 01/11/2008 5:52:49 PM PST by RangerM
I was asked in another thread to explain my preference for Mike Huckabee
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1951938/posts?page=191#191
While I expect to receive several negative responses to the following answer, I am posting here in an attempt to raise the bar. Here goes.
In 2007, I was looking into the future presidential season with a sense of trepidation because of the contentious nature that it always seems to have. I was anxiously hopeful, but not enthusiastic about the process, or any of the candidates, but I made a point of watching the initial debates and watching a lot of C-Span coverage.
Fully expecting to see a kennel full of barking dogs, nipping at one another, making the contest look more like a night at Michael Vick’s house, I was pleasantly surprised by a man (Mike Huckabee) who I found easy going, seemingly honest, and willing to share his thoughts; unafraid to engage in dialogue with anyone willing.
When I first heard his name I thought “who the hell is that?” I didn’t even consider him seriously, because I thought that it impossible for a “nice man” to win due to the cynicism that permeates our culture, the MSM, and (as I am beginning to realize) FreeRepublic.
But as the weeks have passed, Mike Huckabee has remained. With a ramen noodles budget, he was dismissed by every competitor and written off every pundit’s “approved” list for being a “Baptist Minister”, which while I don’t consider a presidential qualification, I don’t consider a DIS-qualification, either. (He was, after all a Governor last and for a longer period of time) I am a Christian (although I don’t attend a church), and I have found it very distasteful that using the word “Pastor” or “Christian” when referring to someone has seemingly become a weapon.
Through a positive, but pragmatic, way of conveying his message, he has captured a significant portion of America’s favor. By avoiding, most of the time, disparaging remarks about his competitors, he has elevated our Republican primary above the level of a dogfight, and given hope that it is possible for a “nice guy” to finish first.
My personal opinion is that Governors make the best presidents. The reason for this is that a State is, in effect, a microcosm of the country as a whole. I don’t deny every State in the Union has its own identity, its own set of laws, its own way of doing things, but I still think that a person who has lead a State has a better sense of what it takes to lead all (political) sides into a cohesive whole. If he cannot accomplish this, he will accomplish nothing unless he and his party are so dominant (in the majority) that there is no way for the minority to have a voice (which is rare). And even when such dominance is exercised, a backlash is inevitable.
However, this does NOT mean that in order to be an effective leader, the person must be willing to compromise his core principals to satisfy all parties. Whenever a person tries to satisfy everyone, he often satisfies noone. An effective leader will stand on principal, convincing opposing sides why his is the correct path, and will receive (albeit grudgingly) the support of most (if not all) sides.
I support Mike Huckabee because I have come to the conclusion that he is such a person.
I admit that I do not agree with every position he takes, but I am also realistic in my expectation that no one candidate, or political party, will share my views 100% of the time.
Everyone says, “He’s a tax raiser”. This is a true statement. He did raise taxes. According to what I read, the tax burden in Arkansas went up 47% during Mike Huckabee’s tenure. What you don’t often hear is that during the same period, the per-capita income went up by 50%. In other words, the people of Arkansas saw a net gain in their take home, during Huckabee’s tenure, this and he still left Arkansas with an $845,000,000 surplus. Also, he advocates for a drastic overhaul of our tax system (FairTax). Without getting into a debate on its merits; suffice to say I enthusiastically support this.
Everyone complains that he is soft on immigration. I have not seen him advocate a position that meaningfully differs from any of the other candidates. I don’t agree with his advocacy of a bill that expanded a college scholarship and/or tuition program that allowed illegals to participate, but at least it failed in the legislature. One thing I don’t hear often is that his State denied welfare and food stamps to illegals; something I’ve not heard from anyone else. He has advocated for a guest worker program, which I find acceptable.
I can find nothing in his stance on National Defense that could be considered weak, or that is out of step with the Republican party, so I have no problem with him here. He may not be a heavyweight when it comes to foreign policy, but no less than Romney or Giuliani.
As he said in last night’s debate, "Everybody says religion is off limits, except that they always ask me the religious question" and "I'm not the least bit ashamed of my faith or the doctrines of it. I don't try to impose that as a governor and I wouldn't impose it as a president" My personal opinion is that his detractors attempt to use religion as a weapon against him. That includes Thompson who said in last night’s debate that he thought Huckabee would be a “Christian Leader”. I think that was an intentionally-used adjective, and don’t believe that was meant as a positive.
His social policy regarding a smoking ban in public places is untenable to me, but like I said, we don’t agree 100%. His pro-life advocacy is one I think we all in FR share. He advocates for consumer (ie individual) driven solutions to health care, and does not support a “single-payer system”. He hasn’t fallen into the “man-is-to-blame for global warming” crowd, and while he advocates for increased nuclear power, he also supports exploiting our own domestic oil resources. All these points I agree with.
While I don’t expect to sway you or anyone else with what I have written, I hope that you can respect my viewpoint, and give me credit for being considerate in my support of Mike Huckabee.
Oh God. Give me a few minutes.
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2007/11/30/huckabee_draws_fire_on_immigration/7892/
last sentence.
LOL!
This tells me all I need to know about the two of them
Mainly I just can’t trust the guy...sorry.
Is this an opus?
Well said. Nice job.
Narcissistic personality disorder
bttt
Beautiful baby.
When I see Huckabee, I am reminded of Jimmy Carter. Jimmy could Bible-thump with the best of them, but he was a disaster as President
I do not see what you see at all. He will have my support if by the time I vote Hunter has no chance at all.
LOL....bttt
So, during Huckabee’s almost decade in office, he turned what should have been a 50% increase in pay to a 3% increase, after inflation, real wages fell under Huckabee.
Nice try on immigration. Focus on his brand new stump speech, and ignore the fact that he fought the Arkansas legislature when it attempted to require an ID to vote. (The only reason to take this position is that you think you benefit from illegals voting.). Huckabee offered to give the Mexican government office space for $1.00 a year to better serve illegals. Huckabee claimed Amnesty was God’s way of giving us “a second chance” and even his new found “Get Tough” policy has a “touch back amnesty” provision.
So, when you say Huckabee is no different than any other candidate on immigration, you either can’t see past the Kool Aid, or are deliberatly lying about Huckabee’s record.
Perhaps that’s Harsh, but I have had it up to hear with such intellectually dishonest posts.
sw
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