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Same Party, Different Style - Romney, Huckabee Present a Stark Choice For Iowa Republicans
Wall Street Journal ^ | December 26, 2007 | LAURA MECKLER and ELIZABETH HOLMES

Posted on 12/25/2007 7:33:47 PM PST by Tlaloc

Mike Huckabee loves homespun tales and self-deprecating jokes. Mitt Romney basks in PowerPoint slides and statistics. Mr. Huckabee, a firefighter's son, is a Southerner born and bred. Mr. Romney, son of a CEO-turned-governor, roamed from Michigan to Massachusetts to Utah.

They embody two wings of the Republican Party -- social conservatives and economic conservatives -- that sometimes sit uneasily.

While John McCain, Rudy Giuliani and Fred Thompson are competitive in national polls, all three are focusing on states after Iowa. The kickoff Jan. 3 caucus here is largely between Messrs. Romney and Huckabee.

Mr. Huckabee displays his Southern Baptist religion proudly, dropping Biblical references and telling reporters he wouldn't hesitate to put the Ten Commandments up in the Oval Office. Mr. Romney is uncomfortable discussing his Mormon faith. He gave a speech devoted to "Faith in America" only after his campaign was put on defense in Iowa by Mr. Huckabee's rise. In the speech, Mr. Romney mentioned Mormonism by name just once.

The differences are a matter of style, too.

Last week in Waterloo, Iowa, Mr. Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor, talked about the challenge of overhauling the tax system this way: "In the South, we say if you can't fix it with duct tape and WD-40 it can't be fixed."

A week earlier, Mr. Romney showed a PowerPoint presentation charting the budget deficit. "See how big it gets?" he said, pointing to a line tracking entitlement spending. "This line is the historical average of how much money the federal government takes away from taxpayers."

(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Politics/Elections; US: Iowa
KEYWORDS: 2008; abortion; duncanhunter; elections; fredthompson; gop; huckabee; ia2008; iowa; iowacaucus; mikehuckabee; mittromney; romney
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To: Kurt Evans
There is no question that Huckabee’s governorship was very liberal. Mitt Romney was a self described leftist enemy of conservatism until months ago. Both of them propelled the Democrat party into super-majority status in their states.

Perhaps you are referring to their very recent campaigns, in which they advocate conservative principles more or less opposite to those they have governed by.

41 posted on 12/26/2007 5:42:33 AM PST by iowamark
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To: no dems

“Plus he made the people (taxpayers) of Massachusettes pay for 5,000 abortions a year.”

Before he came into office they had to pay for a lot more than that:

http://www.masscitizensforlife.org/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=172

The candidates throwing rocks should instead focus on what they’ve done for the pro life movement. Have they ever done anything to save lives? Just voting things up or down doesn’t take much work.


42 posted on 12/26/2007 6:05:26 AM PST by BarnacleCenturion
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To: Tlaloc


What is the ROI Romney is expecting if he were to win?
43 posted on 12/26/2007 6:52:37 AM PST by Fred (The Demoroid Party is the Nadir of Nilhilism)
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To: Fred

Ego. It’s all about him.


44 posted on 12/26/2007 8:07:01 AM PST by TheThirdRuffian
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To: Tlaloc

Romney is the only candidate running who has met a payroll,
only one who has run a private business very successfully.
the only one who could understand the complexity of the spending
monster that the federal government is, which has bigger spending
than any country, any corporation or the entire continent
of Western Europe or Eastern Europe or Japan+China or rest
of Asia combined or Africa or Australia.

A hick from Arkansas is no match for the spending monster in Washington.


45 posted on 12/26/2007 9:21:09 AM PST by ajay_kumar (United we win, divided democrats win. How difficult is that to understand?)
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To: Sun

Another good point. The thing to notice is how many Road-to-Des-Moines conversions there are in this race.

For example, on immigration. We need someone in the white house who isn’t a johnny-come-lately on this issue.
Road to Des Moines Conversions on Immigration (Hunter Press release)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1916889/posts

.

.

.

According to Intrade, the winner of the December 12th GOP debate was... Duncan Hunter.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1938773/posts

Why the smart money is on Duncan Hunter
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1926032/posts


46 posted on 12/26/2007 10:45:50 AM PST by Kevmo (We should withdraw from Iraq — via Tehran. And Duncan Hunter is just the man to get that job done.)
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To: Kurt Evans

The thing to notice is how many Road-to-Des-Moines conversions there are in this race.

For example, on immigration. We need someone in the white house who isn’t a johnny-come-lately on this issue.
Road to Des Moines Conversions on Immigration (Hunter Press release)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1916889/posts

Huckabee still remains liberal when it comes to immigration. His quote that he doesn’t know why it’s such a big deal to the american public is a sign that he’s simply out of touch.

.

.

.

According to Intrade, the winner of the December 12th GOP debate was... Duncan Hunter.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1938773/posts

Why the smart money is on Duncan Hunter
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1926032/posts


47 posted on 12/26/2007 10:53:18 AM PST by Kevmo (We should withdraw from Iraq — via Tehran. And Duncan Hunter is just the man to get that job done.)
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To: Conservativegreatgrandma

“This country has benefited from trading with China.”

Communist China is becoming the Superpower from American dollars, and they are spying on us.

There are more important things in life than inexpensive stuff.

Plus, we can get inexpensive stuff from countries who are not our potential enemies.

Did you know the Communist China MILITARY hacked into our Pentagon computer network last June?

The China threat goes unchecked by every candidate EXCEPT Duncan Hunter!!

Take another look at Duncan Hunter, and he IS campaigning, and please do more research about Red China - for the sake of your children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.


48 posted on 12/26/2007 11:29:52 AM PST by Sun (Duncan Hunter: pro-God/life/borders, understands Red China threat, NRA A+rating! www.gohunter08.com)
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To: Kevmo; All

“Another good point. The thing to notice is how many Road-to-Des-Moines conversions there are in this race.

For example, on immigration. We need someone in the white house who isn’t a johnny-come-lately on this issue.
Road to Des Moines Conversions on Immigration (Hunter Press release)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1916889/posts

Excellent post.

btw, for those willing to call talk shows, this is a good time to get through, because some people will only call when the regular talk show host is there.


49 posted on 12/26/2007 11:32:49 AM PST by Sun (Duncan Hunter: pro-God/life/borders, understands Red China threat, NRA A+rating! www.gohunter08.com)
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To: Sun

Duncan Hunter would make an excellent president. Now only
if he can borrow some charisma and charm and gain lot of
votes in the primaries, we will all benefit.


50 posted on 12/26/2007 11:50:46 AM PST by ajay_kumar (United we win, divided democrats win. How difficult is that to understand?)
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To: ajay_kumar

I love Hunter’s down-to-earth, honest personality, and his dry sense of humor.

Mark Levin told Hunter on his radio show that he has charisma. Hunter’s problem is that he doesn’t get enough air time. Even at the VERY FIRST DEBATE, Hunter received the least amount of time. Maybe it’s that libs and moderates are afraid of him.

But for those who don’t agree with Mark Levin and me about Hunter’s charisma, may I would remind them that they are not voting for high school president. They are voting for PRESIDENT of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!


51 posted on 12/26/2007 5:31:22 PM PST by Sun (Duncan Hunter: pro-God/life/borders, understands Red China threat, NRA A+rating! www.gohunter08.com)
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To: Sun
Sure.

They engineer them ALL THE TIME. (In favor of libs and socialists, such as Jim Webb over George Allen).

52 posted on 12/26/2007 5:48:32 PM PST by AmericanInTokyo ("Dear Conservative, thanks for buying our "But, he CAN'T WIN!!" propaganda. Love, The Lib MSM")
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To: Sun

Personally, charisma is low on my list of priorities.
But the general public out there won’t go for someone who
is rarely seen on TV, someone who gets small face time in
debates and who is a bit too serious. A person
like Huckabee who is smooth, quick witted, and folksy and
smiles a lot gets more attention from the public. Sad but
true.

If it was only upto the Freepers, Fred & Duncan would win hands down.
But then there are those other folks, who are not political junkies. Unfortunately they are the huge majority.


53 posted on 12/26/2007 5:58:10 PM PST by ajay_kumar (United we win, divided democrats win. How difficult is that to understand?)
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To: AmericanInTokyo

I don’t have cable, but I heard that even FoxNews is favoring a lib - Rudy Giuliani.

But we have a voice, too. We can write editor’s letters, call talks shows, etc.


54 posted on 12/26/2007 6:16:46 PM PST by Sun (Duncan Hunter: pro-God/life/borders, understands Red China threat, NRA A+rating! www.gohunter08.com)
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To: ajay_kumar

Well, talk to everyone you know, and as I keep saying, call a talk show and/or write an editor’s letter.

Huckabee went up in a short period of time, and Kerry was only 4% in Dec. ‘03 in those “scientific” polls, so anything can happen.


55 posted on 12/26/2007 6:20:05 PM PST by Sun (Duncan Hunter: pro-God/life/borders, understands Red China threat, NRA A+rating! www.gohunter08.com)
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To: Sun
That is right.

And (as it is appears--a 4 out of 7 chance at the moment)--if a RINO/Rockefeller-type gets the GOP nomination, it is almost a sure bet that a well-known, household name, qualified CONSERVATIVE leader with credentials is going to emerge and seek the nomination of either an existing Conservative party, or will engineer a patriotic independent bid for the White House. He or she will have nearly six months or more to organize grassroots nationwide. And that is what it will take. But out there with the People, 2008 America will be so RIPE for it, I am not kidding.

That, in my estimation, will be exciting, to actually have three choices in November. Two: Pro-Invasion/Open Border. But One: Pro-Enforcement/Sovereignty

Our options are not exhausted yet. Stay tuned. After the primaries and into the summer nominating convention season.

56 posted on 12/26/2007 6:32:24 PM PST by AmericanInTokyo ("Dear Conservative, thanks for buying our "But, he CAN'T WIN!!" propaganda. Love, The Lib MSM")
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To: Kurt Evans

I would be very disappointed to have to vote for Rudy, Huckabee, Romney or especially McCain against a Democrat. I’d feel like I was definitely “settling.”

How did McCain even get back into this, what with the amnesty debacle and his obviously unstable personality?

They are all a bunch of wuss losers.

Go Fred. Go Fred. Go Fred.


57 posted on 12/26/2007 6:38:49 PM PST by hemogoblin (Islam -- it's all the rage)
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To: Sun; Conservativegreatgrandma

>>Communist China is becoming the Superpower from American dollars, and they are spying on us.<<

You got that right.

I hope it doesn’t take the loss of a US carrier near Taiwan to dispel the belief that the current trade situation with China is “good for us.” Last month a Chinese stealth sub surprised a US Navy carrier group by surfacing suddenly near the USS Kitty Hawk. Worse, the Chinese have developed anti-satellite weapons, are developing and probably spying on us with cyber-science (including hacking as you mentioned), and want to beat us in many other fields of research, including nanotechnology and military exploitation of outer space. Their current capabilities may not always work today, but they are getting much, much stronger, and their trade profits with us are funding all these efforts, while our manufacturing base and incentives for our students to become engineers decline.

I would feel a whole lot better about Thompson and others if they would at least express some concern about these trends. All I hear Thompson say is that he believes in “free trade.” Now I believe that some trade with China is a good thing. However, the premise that just because somebody in America is making money from that trade proves that the current US-China trade policies are good for us, just does not follow.


58 posted on 12/26/2007 7:12:46 PM PST by ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas (I want to "Buy American" but the only things for sale made in the USA are politicians)
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To: Neu Pragmatist

Latest video: Crunch Time In Iowa
http://fredfile.fred08.com/blog/2007/video-crunch-time-in-iowa/

And from NumbersUSA as of December 21:
“Now that Rep. Tom Tancredo has dropped out of the race, only two candidates (THOMPSON & HUNTER) are left who have vigorous and thorough enough opposition to amnesty to warrant an EXCELLENT rating.”

GO FRED! :)


59 posted on 12/26/2007 7:13:27 PM PST by seekthetruth
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To: seekthetruth

Hopefully the Hunterites will caucus with the Fredheads to elevate our common causes .

Go Fred !


60 posted on 12/26/2007 7:20:09 PM PST by Neu Pragmatist (Just Say No to Romney and the rest of the RINO's - VOTE FRED !)
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