Posted on 01/09/2008 5:17:20 PM PST by 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?
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 |
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| Giuliani | X | X | X | - | - | X | X |
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| Huckabee | - | X | - | X | X | X | W |
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| Hunter | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
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| McCain | W | X | W | W | W | X | X |
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| Romney | X | X | W | W | X | X | X |
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| Thompson | - | - | - | - | - | - | X |
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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.
You have obviously drank the anti-Huckabee kool aid that the talking heads and pundits are telling us we must drink, so I should probably save my fingers the eventual carpel tunnel that will come from typing comments like this. But, here goes anyway :) In an era when the dems think they should impeach President Bush for lying and treason, do you find it all unusual for a democratic ethics commission to find fault with Gov. Huckabee? Is it so implausible that politics as usual goes on everywhere?
You want a more fiscally conservative Governor than Huckabee? ... There are about ... 44 of them!
Arkansas went from 30th to 13th in the country in terms of its state tax burden under Huckabee’s tenure. The bottom line is that he jacked up both taxes and spending substantially.
Cato ranked Huckabee 45th out of 50. And gave him an F.
They ranked Romney 15th out of 50.
They ranked Matt Blunt of Missouri 1st out of 50.
If you want an example of a fiscal conservative, go look at Matt Blunt. Missouri is not too different from neighboring Arkansas... and btw, Gov Matt Blunt endorses ... Romney.
Oh yes. Title X.
Anyone voting for that and not throoughly repenting should get a "W" if not an "X."
I agree McCain and Thompson both great pro-life voting record but their complete hands off approach to abortion put them to the left of President Bush. It hard to judge the likelihood of a Sandra Day O’ Conner or David Souter from either of them, but I don’t see either using their presidential influence actively for the cause of innocent life.
Romney has been very pro-abortion.
Romney on Abortion 2002
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_w9pquznG4
Mitt forced citizens to purchase insurance that prominently included Planned Parenthood on its advisory board, and forced taxpayers to subsidize/pay for for $50 abortions. Mitt Romney supported homosexual civil unions, boosted funding for pro-homosexuality propaganda in schools and waffled on homosexually debate questions even after the way to recent ‘I am suddenly a conservative rebranding’. The X not W is appropriate here.
I agree with you that Huckabee deserves some credit as a limited government conservative, and the nanny-state charge is overblown.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1951136/posts?page=329#329
Your conclusion is the same as mine:
I find Hunter to be far and away the best candidate, followed by Huckabee. But realistically, the only one of those two has a shot at being nominated for POTUS is Huckabee
Not today, thats one of the positions MitWitts are giving him a mulligan on..
Well , we have a “fiscally conservative” governor in Texas that is hinting he wants to be a VP.
I dont care what the Dems say, I care what the facts are ...
These are some points about Huckabee’s fingers in the till as governor:
http://realmikehuckabee.blogspot.com/2007/12/meet-huckster-san-diego-union-tribune.html
Over the years, Huckabee has:
-Used campaign funds to pay himself $14,000 for being his own media consultant.
-Used campaign funds to pay himself $43,000 for use of his private plane while attempting to hide what the payment was actually in return for.
-Used an account set up to cover operational costs of the governor’s mansion to pay such obviously personal expenses as fast-food and dry-cleaning bills.
-Set up a nonprofit organization that paid him $23,500 without disclosing the source of the money.
-Attempted to take $70,000 of furniture with him when moving out of the governor’s mansion.
-Took more than 130 gifts worth more than $300,000 – while suing to overturn a law that made him disclose the gifts. “
this doesnt even bring up his various outside income activities which raise the stench of corruption even if there wasnt a real quid pro quo. eg his taking tobacco money all while preaching against smoking, then Mr Prolife taking money from that company doing stem-cell research...
As I’ve said before, this WILL be used to devastating effect in the election, even if in your koolaiddrinking the lover for Huckster mind you dont think such shaky behavior is a problem. IT IS. File this under: “Will be used by Hillary two weeks before the election”.
I’m wary of FT because of who his VP might be.
“I agree with you that Huckabee deserves some credit as a limited government conservative”
I guess going from 30th to 13th on tax burden and being the 45th worst Governor on tax-and-spend is hunky dory?
On these issues, Huck make Arnold S. look like Reagan.
Thompson was endorsing McCain for President at the time and continuing to loyally stand by him when McCain made those comments.
The kind of guy who would take the Stephen Douglas under-the-rug-sweep federal bypass, on an issue of holocaust scale?
It's not just what is presently achievable that is the issue, about Human Life. It is also whether one evades the crisis and washes his hands, or leads American culture regarding it.
So, what did he do? What was the budget and fiscal position of the government when he entered office? How has it ended? What have been the years of his term(s)?
Romney is not an open borders/amnesty type. Just the opposite. He obtained 287 [g] authority for the state police. He is against amnesty in any form.
Well, he will have such a large lead by then, it won’t matter :)
We disagree on our candidates, but I am glad we can keep it civil. The reason I like this candidate is that I believe he can actually get things done in a way that the punditry and establishment will ridicule, but works well amongst us common folks. Look at my post on his antics while governor, interesting reading whether you like him or not.
Going to bed for the night.
Well, it’s not just that Romney was for abortion before he was against it, or that under his watch and nanny state socialist legislation that he pushed under Ted Kennedy’s approving tutelage, Massachusetts now has Planned Parenhood $50 abortions on demand and also, as I understand, is the only state in the union that has actually enacted gay marriage, he has RINO history. But the buck doesn’t stop with Slick Willard.
Selected quotes:
Romney ran against Senator Edward M. Kennedy in 1994. During a debate, Romney declared: “I believe that abortion should be safe and legal in this country. I have since the time that my mom took that position when she ran in 1970 as a US Senate candidate. I believe that since Roe v. Wade has been the law for 20 years we should sustain and support it.”
- Boston Globe, March 2, 2006
“I respect and will protect a woman’s right to choose.”
-2002 Questionnaire for the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL)
Boston Globe, July 3, 2005
“Romney has decided to support experimentation on surplus frozen embryos from in-vitro fertilization procedures.”
- National Review Online, February 11, 2005
“At a campaign appearance at Brandeis University in June 2002, Romney strongly endorsed stem cell research.”
- Boston Globe, December 17, 2006
“When he ran for governor in 2002, Romney said he supported expanding access to the emergency contraception pill, a high dose of hormones that women can take to prevent pregnancy up to five days after sex . . . On a questionnaire Planned Parenthood gave to the gubernatorial candidates in 2002, Romney answered ‘yes’ to the question, ‘Do you support efforts to increase access to emergency contraception?’ “
- Boston Globe, July 7, 2005
“All citizens deserve equal rights, regardless of their sexual orientation. While he does not support gay marriage, Mitt Romney believes domestic partnership status should be recognized in a way that includes the potential for health benefits and rights of survivorship.”
- Romney’s 2002 campaign website
“Mitt and Kerry Wish You a Great Pride Weekend! All citizens deserve equal rights, regardless of their sexual preference”
- A flier handed out at “Gay Pride” by the Romney/Healey Campaign
“We have discussed a number of important issues such as the Federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which I have agreed to co-sponsor, and if possible broaden to include housing and credit, and a bill to create a federal panel to find ways to reduce gay and lesbian youth suicide, which I also support. One issue I want to clarify concerns [grammar in context] President Clinton’s “don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t pursue” military policy. I believe that the Clinton compromise was a step in the right direction. I am also convinced that it is the first of a number of steps that will ultimately lead to gays and lesbians being able to serve openly and honestly in our nation’s military. That goal will only be reached when preventing discrimination against gays and lesbians is a mainstream concern, which is a goal we share…”
- Governor Romney letter to Log Cabin Republicans, October 6, 1994
In 2002, before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court declared same-sex marriage protected by the Constitution, Romney denounced as “too extreme” the effort by pro-family groups to enact a preemptive state Marriage Protection Amendment prohibiting homosexual marriage, civil unions and same-sex public employee benefits.
- Boston Phoenix, May 14-20, 2004
“He [Romney] is a supporter of the federal assault weapons ban.”
- Romney 2002 campaign website
In his 1994 US Senate run, Romney backed two gun-control measures strongly opposed by the National Rifle Association and other gun-rights groups: the Brady Bill, which imposed a five-day waiting period on gun sales, and a ban on certain assault weapons.
“That’s not going to make me the hero of the NRA,” Romney told the Boston Herald in 1994.
At another campaign stop that year, he told reporters: “I don’t line up with the NRA.”
- Boston Globe, January 14, 2007
Regarding the Brady Bill which required waiting periods to buy a handgun, Romney stated, “I don’t think [the waiting period] will have a massive effect on crime but I think it will have a positive effect.”
- Boston Herald, August 1, 1994
In a November 2005 interview with the Boston Globe, Romney described immigration proposals by McCain and others as “quite different” from amnesty, because they required illegal immigrants to register with the government, work for years, pay taxes, not take public benefits, and pay a fine before applying for citizenship.
“That’s very different than amnesty, where you literally say, ‘OK, everybody here gets to stay,’ “ Romney said in the interview. “It’s saying you could work your way into becoming a legal resident of the country by working here without taking benefits and then applying and then paying a fine.”
Romney did not specifically endorse McCain’s bill, saying he had not yet formulated a full position on immigration. But he did speak approvingly of efforts by McCain and Bush to solve the nation’s immigration crisis, calling them “reasonable proposals.”
Romney also said in the interview that it was not “practical or economic for the country” to deport the estimated 12 million immigrants living in the US illegally. “These people contribute in many cases to our economy and to our society,” he said. “In some cases, they do not. But that’s a whole group we’re going to have to determine how to deal with.”
- Boston Globe, March 16, 2007
“Governor Romney…imposed a slew of fee hikes and tax ‘loophole’ closures….The largest of these was $259 million worth of fee hikes in FY 2004, the bulk of which came from higher Registry of Deeds fees. Smaller fee hikes, including higher charges for boaters and golfers, we imposed in FY 2003 and FY 2005. Romney also sought $128 million worth of so-called tax loophole closures for FY 2004; $70 million for FY 2005; and $170 million for FY 2006, which were later reduced to $85 million due to backlash from business leaders.”
- Club for Growth’s White Paper on Mitt Romney
Romney didn’t support President Bush’s tax cuts in 2003. That earned him praise from liberal Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA)
- Boston Globe, April 11, 2003.
Governor Romney has changed his position on key campaign finance reform issues several times during public life. During his 1994 Senate campaign, he held far left positions that advocated for abolishing PACs and creating strict campaign spending limits.
- Club for Growth’s White Paper on Mitt Romney
Mitt Romney’s position on political free speech has undergone a radical evolution. During his 1994 Senate race against Ted Kennedy, Romney took an outrageous position on campaign finance reform that put him to the left of the current McCain-Feingold legislation, arguing for campaign spending limits-unconstitutional even under Buckley v. Valeo-and the abolition of PACs:
“I personally believe that when campaigns spend the kind of money they’re now spending...and to get that kind of money you’ve gotta cozy up as an incumbent to all of the special-interest groups who can go out and raise money for you from their members, and that kind of relationship has an influence over the way you’re going to vote...And for that reason I would like to have campaign spending limits and to say we’re not going to spend more than this in certain campaigns...I also would abolish PACS. You probably have one. I don’t like them. I don’t like the influence of money-whether it’s business, labor, or any other group. I do not like that kind of influence...”
In his 2002 gubernatorial campaign, Romney proposed a radical new campaign finance system, in which privately-funded campaigns would be taxed 10% in order to fund publicly-funded campaigns as part of Massachusetts’ Clean Election Law in order to “spare taxpayers the burden of shouldering the entire expense of this program.” In 2003, he allowed a repeal of the Clean Elections Law to stand.
- Club for Growth’s White Paper on Mitt Romney
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1951136/posts?page=357#357
Giuliani is weak on immigration. If amnesty is passed, the country is finished as we know it.
In a November 2005 interview with the Boston Globe, Romney described immigration proposals by McCain and others as “quite different” from amnesty, because they required illegal immigrants to register with the government, work for years, pay taxes, not take public benefits, and pay a fine before applying for citizenship.
“That’s very different than amnesty, where you literally say, ‘OK, everybody here gets to stay,’ “ Romney said in the interview. “It’s saying you could work your way into becoming a legal resident of the country by working here without taking benefits and then applying and then paying a fine.”
Romney did not specifically endorse McCain’s bill, saying he had not yet formulated a full position on immigration. But he did speak approvingly of efforts by McCain and Bush to solve the nation’s immigration crisis, calling them “reasonable proposals.”
Romney also said in the interview that it was not “practical or economic for the country” to deport the estimated 12 million immigrants living in the US illegally. “These people contribute in many cases to our economy and to our society,” he said. “In some cases, they do not. But that’s a whole group we’re going to have to determine how to deal with.”
- Boston Globe, March 16, 2007
Some of those allegations seem to be significant, others not so much.
Where are the stories from the Arkansas news, at the times he would have been caught/arrested, etc.?
What were Huckabee’s responses/reactions?
Does Arkansas exist in a news vacuum?
In Illinois, we put governors into jail, if they are corrupt. I would guess Arkansas has laws, too.
By the way, Government forcing citizens to purchase healthcare insurance against their wishes and whether they need or want it and under threat of penalty is NOT a conservative or free market position. It’s tyranny. We went to war against Brtain for this sort of thing.
Thompson was one of 100 senators. His executive experience is limited compared to Romney.
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