Posted on 12/02/2007 12:10:08 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
New Iowa Leader Criticized by for Indecision on Federal Student Aid.
Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor who backed in-state tuition for the children of illegal immigrants, hedged Sunday on whether illegal immigrants who have gone to school in the United States should become eligible for federal student aid such as Pell grants and subsidized federal student loans.
"I'm not sure that I would support that," Huckabee told ABC News, "it was a different program in Arkansas."
Huckabee's failure to take a clear position on federal student aid while appearing on ABC News' "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" drew swift rebukes from two Republican rivals.
"Gov. Romney does not support providing federal taxpayer-funded student aid intended for legal residents going to illegal immigrants," Romney spokesman Kevin Madden told ABC News. "Mike Huckabee's position [in Arkansas] that taxpayer dollars meant for students who are legal residents should also be made available to illegal immigrants puts him squarely at odds with the American taxpayer."
Echoing a line that Romney used against Huckabee in last week's CNN/YouTube debate, Madden added, "Mike Huckabee needs to understand that it's not his money. It's the taxpayers' money."
Huckabee's indecision on federal student aid was also criticized by the campaign of former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson.
"Children who are born in this country are U.S. citizens and entitled to the privileges of citizenship," said Thompson spokeswoman Karen Hanretty. "Those in our country illegally are not. It's that simple."
Huckabee appeared on "This Week" on the same day that a highly respected poll showed him as the new Republican leader in Iowa.
Huckabee leads the GOP field with 29 percent support, according to a Des Moines Register poll released Sunday. Romney has 24 percent, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has 13 percent, and Thompson has 9 percent. The Iowa Republican Caucuses take place on Jan. 3.
In-state tuition for illegal immigrants was never enacted in Arkansas. But Huckabee's rivals believe that his momentum in Iowa can be stopped once his views on public benefits for the children of illegal immigrants become more widely known.
Asked on "This Week" about his Arkansas record, the former Baptist minister said, "You don't punish a child because a parent committed a crime, or committed a sin, you just don't do it."
Huckabee did not rule out that his principle might extend to the federal level.
He suggested, however, that he might view state and federal benefit questions differently.
"It's the difference between being punished and being rewarded," said Huckabee. ". . . the point in Arkansas was, we had kids who had been in our schools, by law. And to simply shut them out of any additional educational advancement, to me, seemed not only in their worst interests, but ours, as well as the state's."
oh brother. The guy who supported his mentor Howie Baker over RWR and John McLame over GWB is the Reagan heir? Spare me.
Do you have a link? That would be most useful.
If only it were that easy.
Huckabee is a slickabee.
“Huckster must win Iowa to stop Romney. After that , Huckster will fade away because he has no money .”
Guiliani’s proxy.
Tax-hiker and nanny-stater:
http://taxhikemike.org
Ah, but Huckabee’s a prolife SoCon. Well, jeez, if Romney and Thompson arent prolife enough, you’ve got Tancredo and Hunter who have 100% prolife ratings.
It’s unfortunate that quality candidates are getting overtaken by Hucksters like Huckster.
If we think Bush is terrible on illegal immigration, Huckabee will make us want the Bush days again.
“I heard a stat by a reporter that 29% (IIRC, close) of Iowa caucus goers vote strictly for the life candidate. Iowa means little.”
Well, it’s a pity that prolife candidate Duncan Hunter isn’t leading then, isn’t it.
:-) You have to admit Mr. Huckabee has good speaking skills. I very much admire Duncan Hunter.
Thanks for posting. Thanks to all contributors. Getting up to speed on Mike Huckabee. BTTT!
I only think in terms of what will benefit Thompson . I hope the Huckster wins Iowa to put a damper on Mr. Perfect’s chances .
The sooner Mr. Perfect is defeated , the sooner we will have a Rudy vs. Thompson race . The way it should be .
Mr. Perfect is not a true SoCon , he is in fact , our very own John Kerry ....
22cal, a Southerner, born and bred
You've never seen Speaker Nancy Pelosi or Congressman Henry Waxman?
To all you other FReepers who are still deciding which GOP candidate to back - take it from the vast majority of conservative Arkansas FReepers, the Huckster will tell you what you want to hear, but his actions in office speak loud and clear to the contrary - he is not conservative. Heed the warning.
I am reasonably sure that FDT is a former Ford Republican, rather than a Reagan Republican. I know Howard Baker was a Ford man and then came to the Reagan administration for a year in 1987 to “clean things up”. Ford surely didn’t have much use for Reagan.
Huckabee’s rise is over.
ping
I believe it is more than that. He is actually running for VP on a Giulani ticket. Have you ever heard them criticize each other? They are both lock-step with Hillary on shamnesty and open borders, though they may differ somewhat on the details.
The Huckster's role is to be a sop for the social conservatives to get on the Julie Ann bandwagon.
Thompson and Romney need to form an alliance like Guilani and Huckabee apparently have done. They work together and he who comes in second takes the second spot on the ticket. I could enthusiastically support such a ticket (despite the imperfections of both candidates) in either order.
Giuliani is a RINO who used to be a Democrat but now wants to be a President. Huckabee apparently is a conservative who has no problem with illegal invaders.
BOTH have Presidential fever so badly that they are willing to seek the needed support of conservatives in the Republican Party by ameliorating their liberal views.
Only time will tell if these changes are sincere or opportunistic.
Meanwhile, the real inconstructed villain of the piece, Hillary, sits on the sideline, pondering what she needs to do to convince the Democrat voters that her non-record qualifies her to run as a viable candidate. Considering the quality of her opponents, one would think that should be no difficult task. But the hollowness of her qualifications are apparently starting to dog her.
All Mitt did was deputize insurance companies to collect the tax.
It’s still a tax.
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