Free Republic's (1/9) poll on Republican candidates' liberal positions that would be deal killers

Free Republic Poll ^ | 1/9/2008 | Jim Robinson

[Jim Robinson]

(1/9) If the eventual Republican presidential nominee has a record including one or more of the following non-conservative positions, would you vote for him anyway or which item specifically would most likely be a deal killer?

• Abortion/gay rights

• Open borders/amnesty

• Gun grabber

• Tax & Spender

• Nanny stater

• Untrustworthy/flip flopper

• Anti-free speech

• Two or more could kill deal

• Three or more definitely kill deal

• I'll vote "R" regardless

Click on source link above to respond to the poll.

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Three or more liberal positions on critical issues would definitely kill the deal in my book.

The way I see it:

X = Candidate holds or has record of non-conservative position. W = Weak or mixed positions.

Candidate	Abortion/ Gay Rights	Open Borders/ Amnesty	Gun Control	Tax and Spend	Nanny Stater	Untrustworthy Spinner Flip flopper	Campaign Finance Reform
Giuliani	X	X	X	-	-	X	X
Huckabee	-	X	-	X	X	X	W
Hunter	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
McCain	W	X	W	W	W	X	X
Romney	X	X	W	W	X	X	X
Thompson	-	-	-	-	-	-	X

Thompson and Hunter are most conservative, but I prefer Thompson because Hunter's going to have a tough time making himself known and jumping from the House to the Presidency.

Please correct me where I'm wrong.

[unspun]

I think you have addressed 1 out of 6 times that this article alleges that Fred Thompson took a pro-illegal-alien and/or pro-amnesty position.

http://www.redstate.com/stories/culture/life_issues/fred_thompsons_record_speaks_for_itself#comment-489629

My point is not to slam Fred Thompson (unlike so much slamming of someone(s) else, going on in FR). My point is to say they have all had to go to school on this critical matter. (And Huckabee’s plan is tougher than Thompson’s.)

[nicmarlo]

Immigration link, corrected below (inadvertently you provided a link to post to me):

http://www.mikehuckabee.com/?FuseAction=Issues.View&Issue_id=4

[LordBridey]

If I might add, ANY Democrat must be stopped.

That, in my mind, is the imperative.

To a man,( ok, a woman too ) they would withdraw our troops within a year regardless of the circumstances. Every potential republican president will excercise much more prudence than that.

And we mustn't forget, given the Harriet Myers model, that conservatives can influence a president when he gets wobbly. We just need to concert our efforts, unify, and pick the best horse in this particular race.

Definitely scratch Rudy.

[ovrtaxt]

(Oh, and the Ron Paul wingnut contingent here will probably start complaining that you left the only “true” constitutionalist off the list.)

I'm a Hunter guy myself, but I've got to say, Ron Paul is perfect on all these issues, is he not? (Please correct me if I'm wrong- I'm not a Ron Paul platform expert.)

The deal killer with Paul is his naive undertanding of Islam- but as far as domestic policy goes, I like him, and I have for years in fact.

[BillyBoy]

>> There is a McCain/Huckabee amnesty express that the moderates and MSM have gotten ready. If you cant see the train coming ... it will flatten you soon. Tancredo wisely saw it coming and did what he could to stop. .... are you doing all YOU can to stop the McCain/Huckabee amnesty express???? <<

Interesting. Last week it was called the "Giuliani/Huckabee ticket" and the talking point here was the evil Mike Huckabee has a backroom deal to be "Rudy's running mate" on a "Baby killer/Nanny stater" platform. This week you guys have reversed yourselves and declared Huckabee is actually in kahoots with McCain for a "McCain/Huckabee" amnesty express. Which is it? If Romney is surging next will, will Huck have signed a backroom deal to be his "running mate" too?

At least this latest anti-Huckabee attack is not as funny as freepers ranting and raving that Huckabee was a "compassionate conservative Bush clone who will govern exactly the way Bush does" one week and then screaming that Huckabee was a "Democrat taking pot shots at our President and trying to undermine his agenda" the next week.

Are the anti-Hucksters taking lessons from Romney on how to completely flip-flop your positions, or what?

I suppose next week we'll be hearing Huckabee isn't religious enough.

[ovrtaxt]

Oh man! 23% would vote R regardless?!? What a sad collection of lemmings!

[unspun]

But if you will be so kind, what very strong commitments to the Arkansan voter did he renege upon? I don't mean to argue, just to get to what you may know.

A politician being spiteful is one significant problem.
A politician being fuzzy-headed on tax and welfare issues is another significant problem.

A politician breaking a sacred commitment to his constituency about such things as the appointment of justices is of the most critical importance.

Has Huckabee ever violated any such commitment as Governor?

[FreedomProtector]

Philosophically, I have much less issue with sales taxes especially at the state level then income taxes which should still be unconstitutional.

[devere]

I don’t think Rudy is a flip-flopper, At most he’s tried to put the best spin on his unpopular stances.

I think Romney’s record as governor on open-borders/immigration was good. If Tancredo says he he’s OK on that, I wouldn’t argue with Tom. I think Romney gets an XX on flip-flopper and a W on everything else.

I believe that Duncan Hunter has earned a reputation as a big pork-barrel spender, who has also supported Bush nanny state bills, such as no-child-left-behind and medicare-prescription-drugs.

Fred Thompson is the President we need. But it seems that Mike Huckabee as taken 2/3 of his natural constituency. I wish I knew what to do about that.

[Jim Robinson]

"We just need to concert our efforts, unify, and pick the best horse in this particular race."

Yup. There you go. Commonsense.

[fideist]

I think “spinning” is a part of the game, and ALL are guilty to some extent.

[ellery]

I was addressing your bullet point that incorrectly stated that Thompson had voted for amnesty. To address the other points at your link: it was agreed in committee that legal and illegal immigration would be handled separately, so Thompson voted against chain migration questions being bundled into the 1996 illegal immigration enforcement bill. The bullet point related to high tech workers is also an issue of *legal* immigration.

As for the other two:

Thompson specifically voted against applying civil forfeiture measures to employers. Civil forfeiture “permits” the government to seize people’s property without having to even charge them with anything, and then the property owner has to prove in court that he/she is innocent. This practice is a blight on presumption of innocence, the fourth and fifth amendments, and our Constitution as a whole. However, in the same bill Thompson did vote in favor of the hundreds of additional invesigators being added to the Labor Dept. in order to crack down on employers of illegal immigrants.

In committee, he also voted against a system that would have forced every American (not just immigrants) to get the federal government’s permission before we could work. The voluntary pilot program was just a component/precursor to the overall system.

In short, in that 1996 bill Thompson voted to make it much easier to deport illegals, increase Labor Department resources for cracking down on employers, and *for* the fence. The question was not *whether* we should enforce the laws against illegal immigration, but *how* to do so effectively without unintentionally increasing federal government intrusion into the lives of American citizens.

[nicmarlo]

As to helping to convice Americans what way is up, culturally, I am referring to what he is saying and what he is committing to. It seems you haven’t been hearing what he is saying.

I have little ability to actually "listen" to what he's saying. I can only read, as I am able, what he states, or what others say about him. I have no television to watch the news and have not for about 1 1/2 years.

I am not from Arkansas, so I don't have any personal history or dealings or concerns with the affairs of Arkansas. I get my information from others who do, or from media sources online (obviously not the MSM, unless it's posted in FR, for reasons previously stated).

So, I sort through what I'm reading about his past v. what he's saying today. His past actions and present claims about future positions don't always seem to comport...so, it comes down more to listening to those who have better (or more accurate/up to date/personal) information than I concerning Huckabee.

[ellery]

On the other hand, as I understand it, Huckabee actively lobbied to bring a Mexican consulate to Arkansas — a consulate that is instrumental in providing documentation that helps illegals evade/bypass our laws.

[Politicalmom]

How is he going to win SC if everyone says “I’ll wait until he wins before sending him money.”?

[Jim Robinson]

Yeah, and some just need a little more spinning than your average conservative candidate. You might say some are ALL spun.

[Ol' Sparky]

I agree with you. Huckabee has a record of cutting taxes and is promoting the fair tax, so I would have to move him to the W category on taxes and spending. And, other than Hunter and Thompson, he has flip-flopped on far fewer issues than others. To give him an X is way off base.

Huckabee's positives on taxes:

* Pushed through a Democrat legislature the first, major broad based tax cuts in the state's history.

* Pushed through a Democrat legislature an $80 million tax cut package.

* Cut the state's capital gains tax by 25%.

* Established a Property Taxpayers' Bill of Rights

* Limited the increase in property taxes to 10% a year for individuals and 5% per taxing unit

* Eliminated the income tax for families below the poverty line.

* Increased the standard deductions.

* Eliminated the marriage penalty.

* Eliminated bracket creep by indexing the income taxes to inflation, thereby preventing taxpayers from moving into a higher bracket when their paychecks increase due to inflations.

* Doubled the child care tax credit.

* Eliminated capital gains tax on the sale of a home.

[CindyDawg]

Someone above used the term “wary” I’m wary of Huckabee. That’s not saying anything bad about him though. I’ve wondered why his base chose him instead of Duncan Hunter. I was reading a Baptist magazine a few nights ago and maybe I know one of the reasons why now. There was much concern about illegal immigrants. People were not for breaking laws but they were compassionate to their needs. Maybe if DH could reassure this group that while he will control the borders it will be done with compassion and that he will encourage continuing to love and ministering to our neighbors thru charities and churches, he might get their ear. JAT..

[Smokin' Joe]

Hunter first, then Thompson here. I could vote for either of them, but prefer Hunter. If the media would give them equal time with the liberals in the race, they’d be way out ahead, imho.

[unspun]

On the other hand, as I understand it, Huckabee actively lobbied to bring a Mexican consulate to Arkansas — a consulate that is instrumental in providing documentation that helps illegals evade/bypass our laws.

And he has let stand, his commitments to the Minute Man founder, on all matters but the allegation of actually pushing for a no-anchor-baby amendment (citing focus on Human Life and Marriage amendments).

And that includes his pledge to immediately free Compean and Ramos.