Posted on 01/30/2008 12:39:09 PM PST by NormsRevenge
Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee said Wednesday he has no intention of following Rudy Giuliani's planned exit from the GOP race and he dismissed suggestions that his candidacy could split the conservative vote and help rival Sen. John McCain.
With a narrowing Republican field, Huckabee could draw votes from Mitt Romney because of his strong support among the religious right - a possible boost for McCain.
"If the true conservatives are looking for a true conservative, they'll pick me. Romney's record is not a conservative record, his rhetoric is not conservative, even with what he's said and done," Huckabee said.
Huckabee surprised by winning the Iowa caucus, but has little money and finished a distant fourth in Florida.
The former Arkansas governor and Baptist preacher was in Newport Beach for a fundraiser at a supporter's home before traveling to Los Angeles for an Americans of Faith event and to Simi Valley for the GOP presidential debate.
Huckabee also pledged not to drop out of the race, despite his poor showing in recent primaries. He said he would focus his campaign on Southern states that are slated for the Tuesday round of primaries.
"Those are all states where we believe we are not only in play, but we are poised to win," he said.
"This boy isn't on the ropes. There's a saying in the South: 'It ain't the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog,'" Huckabee said.
His morning fundraiser in Newport Beach netted more than $100,000, according to organizers.
"Our campaign is so frugal we could go a month on that," Huckabee quipped to about 200 boisterous supporters and volunteers.
Huckabee also was schedule to attend a dinner fundraiser in Thousand Oaks.
LOL. Yah. Everybody that votes for a Republican in Arkansas is an idiot! You guys are outdoing yourselves today with nonsense.
I’ll make this simple. We have 3 nominees. All have problems for conservatives. The group think in here trying to pretend Romney is conservative is ridiculous.
Huckabee is not a socialist. See post 98
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1962173/posts?page=98#98
Hillary or Obama will wipe the floor with him should he get nominated.
I think he’s dead right about infrastructure spending as a sensible way to give an economic stimulus. It makes a lot of sense to do those sorts of projects when you are headed into an economic downturn. Right now we are sending checks to people to spend on Chinese goods. I’ll probably use mine . . . to pay off part of my 2008 taxes!
My ass. He's a bigger nanny-stater than Bloomberg.
sw
He singularly FAILED to increase the Republican party’s numbers in the state, contrasting with virtually every single solitary other Southern state.
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This is Arkansas the last bastion of Southern Democrats. And . . . find me these huge gains in 2006 for Republicans. I think Huck is getting blamed for a national fiasco that came out of Bush and the Republican Congress.
Delusional.
Correction: Everyone... in Arkansas is an idiot.
And no, I’m not a Romney shill or a Dem troll. Not a single one in the lot deserves the Presidency but one of them is unfortunately going to earn it.
Fiscal conservatives and independents aren’t going to vote for Huckabee in the general.
Hillary or Obama will wipe the floor with him should he get nominated.
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Sure. And evangelicals won’t vote for the Mormon. And nobody will vote for McAmnesty. We’re doooooomed! Doooomed I say!
It’s official. Huck IS a moron.
Yes and he loves taxes as much as he loves Jesus.
Well we agree with your tagline “None of the Above in 2008” . . . I’m hoping for the long shot of a brokered convention and exactly that choice. Reality is likely McCain win. Your bigoted “Everyone in Arkansas is an idiot” shows something about YOU though. Not a true thing to say.
According to the Democrat-Gazette, “the average Arkansan’s tax burden grew from $1,969 in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 1997, to $2,902 in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2005, including local taxes,” a whopping tax increase of 47% under Huckabee’s tenure. Tax legislation passed while Huckabee was governor totaled “a net tax increase of $505 million, a figure adjusted for inflation and economic growth,” according to the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration
Gee whiz...he's positively Reaganesque, isn't he?
Mitt really does. Now that Fred's out of the race I intend to caucus for Mitt next week.
It’s not just a river in Egypt!
what conservative alternative to mccain?
I am trying to think of something that happened between 1996 and 2006 that would have reduced Arkansas' total tax burden. Oh me, oh my, what could that be?
Golly, I'm stumped! It must be that Huckabee is a conservative tax cutter!
Yep. That must be it...I have seen a lot of dishonest and manipulative arguments in my time, but this one really takes the cake. The author would have to believe we are all idiots to think we would not figure out that Huckabee raised taxes as President Bush lowered them. Of course, since Mitt Romney did not take office until after the Bush Tax Cuts, he does not benefit from this total tax burden ... ahem... "analysis".
Dishonest and manipulative and insulting to the intelligence... A perfect fit for Mike Huckabee.
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