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A Plea from Arkansas: Christian Conservatives Need to Take a Closer Look at Huckabee's Record
http://hughhewitt.townhall.com ^ | January 2, 2008 | David Thompson

Posted on 01/02/2008 8:33:46 PM PST by RebekahT

As a conservative, evangelical, politically-active father of four in Arkansas I believe it is imperative for like-minded voters to become more familiar with the Mike Huckabee that just completed 10 years as our governor.

..

That said, here are 7 key reasons I cannot in good conscience support Mike Huckabee as the Republican nominee for President. This is based on his record here and is not a personal attack - I cannot speak for his or anybody's motives.

..

This is the Mike Huckabee we know.

1) Governor Huckabee did lasting damage to the Republican Party and conservative movement in Arkansas.

It's hard to go after Democrats with a conservative message when your Republican Governor is out front releasing violent criminals, providing state benefits to illegals, pushing tax increases, expanding government spending and programs, and constantly walking an ethical tight-rope (more on each of these items to follow). This tied our party's hands - many conservatives got frustrated, apathy set in, and some quit the fight. In addition:

* Huckabee insisted on having "his people" controlling the Republican Party campaign organizations that are set up in Arkansas each election cycle. He also insisted that his guy remain as state party chairman when party leaders planned to make a change. The mismanagement and ineptness that followed was so great that the Republican Party plunged into debt and the Federal Election Commission levied the the largest fine ever against a state political party following an investigation of the 2000 and 2002 election cycles. Obviously, this set back the Republican Party of Arkansas for years.

(Excerpt) Read more at hughhewitt.townhall.com ...


TOPICS: Politics/Elections; US: Arkansas
KEYWORDS: elections; huckabee; mikehuckabee
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To: Always A Marine
The Arkansas GOP is much smaller today than it was before Huckabee became governor — a fact which speaks for itself.

When Rockefeller contracted a fatal illness and was forced to drop out in the middle of his campaign, you can't blame Huckabee for that. When Hutchinson got caught with his pants down, you can't blame Huckabee for that either.

Huckabee cannot resurrect dead candidates or put chastity belts on live ones. He cannot force voters to elect the second-rate candidates who lost their elections. The losers should step up and take responsible for their own shortcomings, instead of trying to shift the blame to Huckabee.

21 posted on 01/02/2008 11:58:26 PM PST by HAL9000 (Fred Thompson/Mike Huckabee 2008)
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To: RebekahT
At first glance, a good article. (I was really getting tired of the anti-Huckabee threads & posts where most of the posts were seemingly chocked full of whining & sarcasm & ad hominen attacks against Huckabee.)

Most of these other posts/threads gave absolutely no traction to consider other candidates since the slams rarely sought to document anything.

The question seems to come down to who has the fewest weaknesses...

And Hunter seems to fit the bill...if only his campaign would kick into gear!

If it doesn't, we're down to slim pickings...Almost all of them seem to have a slew of key weaknesses...even Thompson does.

I've decided not to support Giuliani, Romney, Paul & McCain. With talk of Thompson quitting, looks like Huck then becomes a "role" candidate...somebody there to play as a trump card against the others.

22 posted on 01/03/2008 6:19:40 AM PST by Colofornian
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To: HAL9000

Hal -
I don’t think anyone is blaming Tim Hutchinson losing his Senate seat or WinRock dying on Huckabee. However, the state GOP suffered tremendously under Huckabee. We lost many seats in the House partially due to poor candidate and recruiting by Huckabee and his people.

I have also heard that Minton and Holt were paid a fee to travel to Iowa and talk about their experiences with Huckabee. But please don’t sink to the low level of calling these attacks on Huck’s record “trash-talking”. And Huckabee has been doing the same - Jim Bob Duggar is in Iowa now being paid to say good things about Huckabee.

About the author’s other 6 points. Can you disprove any of them?


23 posted on 01/03/2008 7:17:36 AM PST by RebekahT ("Government is not the solution to the problem, government is the problem." -- Ronald Reagan)
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To: RebekahT
I am a conservative Evangelical Christian and I will NEVER vote for the Huckster, he is Carter redux. I was fooled once, voted for Carter because he was a "christian", BIGGEST mistake I ever made politically. I will not be fooled again. Huckabee's RECORD speaks louder than his words or his profession of faith. The man is soft on crime, soft on national security AND out of his mind regarding illegal AMNESTY. No matter what promises he is making now, his political record while in office speaks for itself.

I strongly admonish every evangelical to not listen to his campaign promises but honestly look at this mans record when he HAD power and ask yourself one simple question: Were his policies conservative? The answer is a resounding "NO" on so many fronts it is frightening.

Please, don't vote for Huckabee because he claims to be a "christian". Instead, use your God-given discernment and vote for another candidate who's overall record while in office was conservative and more in line with your political standpoint.

24 posted on 01/03/2008 7:32:21 AM PST by Jmouse007
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To: HAL9000

Good info. Thanks for posting.


25 posted on 01/03/2008 7:41:38 AM PST by FreedomProtector
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To: unspun
This missive is a pretty classic set of mudslinging talking points.

Where's the mud? Looks to me like straightforward comparison betweeen Huckabee's words and actual deeds. It seems like everytime Huckabee is challenged on his record, he accuses the questioner of "mudslinging" and personal attacks. That is very unseemly for someone seeking the accountability of high elective office. And very Clintonian.

It cannot be denied that Huckabee, as a two-term governor, was the leader of the Arkansas GOP. Neither can it be denied that during his term, Arkansas fell from a solid red state to a solid blue state -- the only blue state in the entire South. And now the leader of the Arkansas GOP blames it all on Hutchinson's philandering and Rockefeller's death? No wonder a majority of Arkansas GOP lawmakers refuse to support Huckabee! "The buck stops there" is classic Clintonian politics!

I have a different take on the Arkansas Republican Party's demise during Huckabee's governorship. When Republicans govern like Democrats -- as Huckabee clearly did -- they will eventually lose power. Conservatives will walk away from the RINO stink, and Liberals will go home and vote for the genuine article from their own party.

26 posted on 01/03/2008 8:37:01 AM PST by Always A Marine
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To: RebekahT
Some of the criticisms of Huckabee are valid, or at least arguable, but a lot of them aren't - especially the stuff that blames Huckabee for other candidates' failures, and that phony "eight percent" poll.

As for Jim Holt and Randy Minton - I disagree with several of their complaints, but I'm especially disappointed to see them taking tainted money from Ron Paul. Holt used to work for the DIA - now he's on the payroll of a guy who wants to undermine our war on terror. He ought to know better.

27 posted on 01/03/2008 12:19:19 PM PST by HAL9000 (Fred Thompson/Mike Huckabee 2008)
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To: Jmouse007

I just can’t believe how the evangelicals in Iowa are being fooled by the Huckster. Are they stupid or just incredibly politically naive, or are they so single issue that all they can see is the Huckster’s religious background, and no other quality counts in order to be President? I just saw a snippet of the Huck on TV a few minutes ago, where once again he’s cracking out the one-liners. Do the “Christian” Pubs think they are hiring a jokester for Prez? He makes them laugh so he must be Prez material? How incredibly shallow in thinking.

The reporter just asked the Huckster if he was really going on Steven Colbert’s show next week, and Huck said yes. So, now he goes on Jay Leno’s show last night, and on to Steven Colbert’s show next week. Wow, what great Presidential material. Remind you of someone? Billy Clinton from Hope, Arkansas going on TV playing his saxaphone? Mike Huckabee is Bill Clinton turned inside out. THis all just disgusts me. I don’t even want to be associated with the Pub party anymore if the Huckster is our nominee. What a total embarrassment.


28 posted on 01/03/2008 12:26:57 PM PST by flaglady47
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To: HAL9000

I will agree with you about Holt, although I am assuming his rationale is that there is no way that Paul will get the nomination but there’s a danger that Huck will - and Iowans need to know the truth about Huck’s record sinCe he’s painting him as a true conservative on the issues.

I am very saddened that I cannot support Huckabee. He’s a fellow Christian from my homestate and I’ve known his family for a long time. But this election is for president of the United States, not Sunday School teacher. Therefore, I have to vote my values and I cannot overlook an abmissal record on everything from taxes/spending, immigration, private property rights, and reckless pardons/commutations for violent criminals JUST because the man happens to be pro-life and a former Baptist preacher.

What has upset me the most about Huckabee during this election cycle is that he is not truthful about his record and calls any of his opponents’ attacks on his record “negative”. Huckabee needs to be truthful - he’s a Christian who supports big-government programs, illegal immigration, and is recklessly soft on crime.


29 posted on 01/03/2008 12:27:40 PM PST by RebekahT ("Government is not the solution to the problem, government is the problem." -- Ronald Reagan)
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To: kingu

I think more than 40% of New Hamshire residents are out of touch with reality.


30 posted on 01/03/2008 12:31:28 PM PST by lonestar
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To: RebekahT

The same Arkansas voters who gave Bill Clinton the nickname “Slick Willy” long before the rest of us knew who he was, also gave Huckabee the nickname “Tax Hike Mike”. There is a lesson there for us.


31 posted on 01/03/2008 12:33:25 PM PST by NavyCanDo
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To: RebekahT
Huckabee certainly made some mistakes over the years - but he learned his lesson from his mistakes in most cases.

The main factor in my decision to support Fred Thompson over Huckabee is foreign policy. Like most governors who seek the presidency, Huckabee's foreign policies are uninformed and incoherent. But I think he'd make a fine vice-president, and that would give him time to get up to speed on things, and hopefully adopt Fred's policies. After a couple of terms as vice-president, I think he would be the leading presidential candidate on this forum.

32 posted on 01/03/2008 12:48:22 PM PST by HAL9000 (Fred Thompson/Mike Huckabee 2008)
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To: Jmouse007

“I am a conservative Evangelical Christian and I will NEVER vote for the Huckster, he is Carter redux. I was fooled once, voted for Carter because he was a “christian”, BIGGEST mistake I ever made politically. I will not be fooled again. Huckabee’s RECORD speaks louder than his words or his profession of faith. The man is soft on crime, soft on national security AND out of his mind regarding illegal AMNESTY. No matter what promises he is making now, his political record while in office speaks for itself.

I strongly admonish every evangelical to not listen to his campaign promises but honestly look at this mans record when he HAD power and ask yourself one simple question: Were his policies conservative? The answer is a resounding “NO” on so many fronts it is frightening.

Please, don’t vote for Huckabee because he claims to be a “christian”. Instead, use your God-given discernment and vote for another candidate who’s overall record while in office was conservative and more in line with your political standpoint.”

Great post. I’m also a Christian conservative and I will not vote for Mr. Huckabee either. Rush was right in saying that Huckabee is no conservative. His pandering to illegal aliens, revolving prison door pardons, and massive tax increases as Arkansas’ governor demonstrates his weak record and fails to gain my support.

Thompson/Hunter in 2008!


33 posted on 01/03/2008 1:11:41 PM PST by Lions Gate
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To: Colofornian

Fred Thompson is NOT quitting.

http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=YTcxZmFmMWM1MmUzODc5MGMzNjUzNGZhNDQ2NWU3YWI=


34 posted on 01/03/2008 1:13:51 PM PST by LucyJo
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To: HAL9000

“Huckabee certainly made some mistakes over the years - but he learned his lesson from his mistakes in most cases.”

If by learning from his mistakes you mean running from his record now that he wants to be president, you’re probably right.

But many of his worst mistakes were recent - such as the state-wide smoking ban in Arkansas. I think Huckabee got more and more liberal as time went on. We all thought that he would be such a good, conservative governor when he first took office. The longer he was governor, the more left-leaning he became.


35 posted on 01/03/2008 1:20:49 PM PST by RebekahT ("Government is not the solution to the problem, government is the problem." -- Ronald Reagan)
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To: T Lady
It's rather interesting that you posted this thread, since earlier today while listening to Rush, a caller from Arkansas claimed the Governor is a 'Conservative', and has a 'conservative' track record. Even when Rush begged to differ with the caller, he continued on, as in Rush's own words, 'making the case for his guy'."

All that proves is Mike has friends who will whore themselves for him.

Arkansas Freepers are for the most part, responsible for his rise in power. We campaigned for him before his liberal metamorphosis.

I, for one, can't do enough penance for ever supporting him.

sw

36 posted on 01/03/2008 1:22:14 PM PST by spectre (spectre's wife)
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To: RebekahT
But many of his worst mistakes were recent - such as the state-wide smoking ban in Arkansas.

I oppose the ban on free-market principles, but most of the smokers I know are liberals - except for the cigar smokers.

37 posted on 01/03/2008 1:42:51 PM PST by HAL9000 (Fred Thompson/Mike Huckabee 2008)
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To: flashbunny; NeoCaveman; SoConPubbie; Esther Ruth; pissant; pandoraou812; gidget7; 383rr; WOSG; ...
Huckster late ping - ditto what this writer says.


38 posted on 01/03/2008 1:49:21 PM PST by OB1kNOb (Support Duncan Hunter for the 2008 GOP presidential nominee. He is THE true conservative candidate.)
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To: HAL9000

I don’t like smoking either. But I dislike the government banning a legal activity on private property even more. If Huckabee were as conservative as he purports to be, he would understand that.


39 posted on 01/03/2008 2:09:42 PM PST by RebekahT ("Government is not the solution to the problem, government is the problem." -- Ronald Reagan)
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To: spectre

I was wondering when you were going to come and visit this thread, Spectre.


40 posted on 01/03/2008 2:11:06 PM PST by RebekahT ("Government is not the solution to the problem, government is the problem." -- Ronald Reagan)
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