For me, I just don't see's how we can take a chance on another huckster from Hope, Arkansas
Posted on 01/13/2008 1:01:49 PM PST by TornadoAlley3
Six days before South Carolina Republicans go to the polls, the spat between the Southerners who need to win that crucial primary -- former Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee -- continues to get uglier and uglier, even as both men tread more lightly on the candidate who leads the most recent poll in that state, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.
"Fred Thompson talks about putting America first, and yet he's the one who is a registered foreign agent, lobbied for foreign countries, was in a law firm that did lobbying work for Libya," Huckabee charged Sunday morning on CNN.
Thompson, who had launched an aggressive attack against Huckabee's record during Thursday night's GOP debate in Myrtle Beach, S.C., responded by insinuating that Huckabee is in truth nastier than his sunny demeanor, is unprepared for the presidency, and is making personal attacks while Thompson is "talking about issues concerning this country."
Huckabee has "raised enough money now to get some hit pieces and dredge up personal stuff and personal accusations against me," Thompson told CNN. "And now you're seeing the real Mike Huckabee come out. So, I think we've done a favor to the American people. Because these are serious times, and they require somebody that knows what they're doing and doesn't walk into a situation with foreign representatives and heads of foreign nations with training wheels on."
Since 1980, no Republican has won the presidency without first winning the South Carolina primary. But in this year's unpredictable GOP contest, with any number of possible nominees and no clear frontrunner, the South Carolina primary has taken on extra importance -- for Huckabee and Thompson in particular.
Huckabee needs to demonstrate that his Iowa caucus victory Jan. 3 wasn't a fluke, and that his scotch-tape-and-rubber-bands campaign is capable of going national. For his part, Thompson needs to win somewhere. Anywhere.
Addressing the substance of Huckabee's charges, Thompson Sunday acknowledged he was "in a law firm that did some lobbying work for Libya," but his involvement was minimal. He said he'd registered with the government because of "five minutes' worth of contribution" to discussions about another client, Haiti.
"It was totally consistent with the policies of this country, where a dictatorship had taken over that country and we were opposing that," Thompson said.
During the Republican debate Thursday night, Thompson -- about whom even his supporters complain of less-than-energetic campaigning -- showed remarkable pep and vigor, attacking Huckabee for having overseen a net tax increase as Arkansas governor, for having pushed merit scholarships for the children of illegal immigrants, and for having suggested he would sign a nation-wide ban on smoking in public places. He took issue with comments Huckabee made that the Bush administration had demonstrated an "arrogant bunker mentality" in its foreign policy.
"On the one hand, you have the Reagan revolution," Thompson said during the debate. "You have the Reagan coalition of limited government and strong national security. On the other hand, you have the direction that Gov. Huckabee would take us in. He would be a Christian leader, but he would also bring about liberal economic policies, liberal foreign policies. .. That's not the model of the Reagan coalition. That's the model of the Democratic Party."
Huckabee didn't respond much during the debate, but appearing on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" Friday morning, he took his well-known wit literally below the belt, joking, "I think Fred needs some Metamucil. I think it would help a lot. He was in a bad mood last night."
Campaigning Friday in Michigan, Huckabee went on the attack more substantively.
"It was real interesting hearing Fred Thompson talk about Ronald Reagan last night," Huckabee said. "Because Fred Thompson supported [then-President] Gerald Ford in 1976 and not Ronald Reagan. He supported [then-Sen.] Howard Baker in 1980 and not Ronald Reagan. I appreciate his recent conversion, but some of us were for Ronald Reagan back in the early days; our legacy goes back a little further."
Huckabee also tried to paint Thompson as having been an undistinguished senator.
"Eight years is a pretty long time to get a check from the federal government and not be able to say" he was responsible for any major legislation, Huckabee said.
On Saturday, Thompson called the criticism of his previous support of Ford and Baker as "kind of silly. Howard Baker was my mentor and personal friend in Tennessee for years and years. If you check the record, Gov. Huckabee supported Democrats on a fairly consistent basis in his days in Arkansas politics. I don't think he wants to get into that discussion. We'll see."
Of Huckabee's Metamucil's joke, on Sunday morning Thompson said "his response was to return fire with some potty humor. That's the best he could come up with for the last three days."
He added that he was happy to compare his record to Huckabee's, whom he described as "having raised taxes $500 million more than he cut." He described Huckabee's criticisms of the Bush administration as "blame-America-first comments," and pointed out, correctly, the Huckabee campaign chairman Ed Rollins had called the Reagan coalition dead.
Huckabee, Thompson charged, "talked around the subject and smiled and giggled and told a couple of jokes. When I came back, I said, 'You know, this is about the heart and mind of the Republican Party, because I don't believe it [the Reagan coalition] is [dead].'"
Said Huckabee, "The Writers Guild strike needs to end soon. Fred's got to get some better lines. Calling me a liberal would be laughable in Arkansas, where people recognized -- if anything, they called me this ultra-conservative guy. ... It's always interesting to me, when people get desperate, they start grabbing for anything."
Thompson responded that he had been asking questions about Huckabee's support for closing down the prison at Guantanamo Bay, his support for public programs for the children of illegal immigrants, and the fact that he was endorsed by a teachers' union.
"These are substantive issues," Thompson said. "These are not personal attacks. If the governor wants to get into personal attacks and things that happened some years ago and things that they've done and allegations, there's enough on the record in Arkansas that will keep us busy for the rest of this campaign."
Or at least until Saturday.
I was actually referring to the Huckster.
Fred was Nixon’s defense counsel. Good job on that Fred.
Oh do tell!
Howard Baker’s people were brutal against Reagan.
There is one candidate who has campaigned on behalf of Democrats against Republicans and that is Mike Huckabee.There's another turncoat. In 1994, Rudy Giuliani endorsed Maria Cuomo over George Pataki. In doing so, he alienated the New York Republican Party, especially Alfonse D'Amato. It is not an accident that D'Amato is now championing Fred Thompson in this year's New York Republican primary, not Giuliani.
Sshhhh. Keep it down.
“I’m going to have to conclude the only thing that matters to you in picking a candidate is who can scream Jesus the loudest.”
Hard to hear over the Bible-thumping.
Was Thompson a Ford delegate at the national convention? Or was he a Republican backing the then-sitting President.
Who did then 20 year old Huck vote for in the 1976? Ford or Carter?
BTW, The country really wasn’t ready for Reagan in 1976. Watergate was too fresh in the minds of everyone. Carter’s election and disastrous Presidency made the Reagan Revolution possible.
For me, I just don't see's how we can take a chance on another huckster from Hope, Arkansas
“Ford had his position by virtue of being a RINO since Nixon was so weak.”
No Ford was the sitting President in 1976.
In basketball sure... but Now that the Hogs have Bobby Petrino as the head football coach, they will stomp the Vols in the Gridiron as long as he doesn’t get bored after 14 games... That said, Go Fred Go!!!
Huckabee worked to defeat a Republican, in a legislative race in Mountain Home, Arkansas. Huckabee helped Democrat Benny Magness in his race against Republican Shawn Womack. Womack won.
In 2002, he supported Rep. Bobby Glover, D, over Rep. Randy Minton, R, in a state senate race.
In 2000, He campaigned for Barbara Horn, D, in a Dem. primary against Dennis Young, D, and Spencer Plumlee, R, dropped out because Huck didn’t support him.
You do realize that your posts don't make sense from one to the next, right? You're bloviating on an indefensible subject. Just admit that you want a theocracy and cast your vote. At least you'll be honest.
This is all true. Huckabee is guilty on all counts.
That would make the Huckster something of a hypocrite.
Are you claiming Nixon resigned because of poor representation by Fred?
“I think they’re all important and weapon need to recapture it.”
I couldn’t agree more with your post!
The problem with Huck is that, while he’s a staunch social conservative, he’s not and economic conservative, nor a national security conservative.
WRT, national security, I don’t think he’s serious given some of the statements he’s made.
“Huckabee is the anti-Reagan. He is a pure values voter candidate, with a big FU to fiscal conservatives. A vote for Huckabee is a vote to destroy the Reagan coalition, and to relegate the Republican Party to minority status for years to come.”
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1952869/posts
I am a conservative first, and the only party where I am welcome is the Republican Party.
I would hate to see it destroyed.
Ford was appointed VP after the resignation of Spiro Agnew. Nixon was dealing with Watergate and had little political capital. At that time, the only people that had elected Ford were the people in his congressional district and a democrat controlled congress.
And he was still the sitting President in 1976.
Video of Huckabee’s address, Friday, to the Detroit Economic Club
http://www.mikehuckabee.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Blogs.View&Blog_id=1154
Unlike the “liberal” that a curmudgeon conservative might call him, Huckabee promotes a very Lincoln-Republican “all men are created equal” plan for economic advancement for all Americans — without federal aid!
Time for some conservative creativity! Time for Mike Huckabee.
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