Posted on 01/22/2008 8:45:14 PM PST by nckerr
Huckabee presents the best choice for Reagan supporters
I was first elected to the Georgia House of Representatives 34 years ago. I have watched this party change for a long time. Some changes have been better than others.
Two years after that first election, I went to work on the Reagan campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. I was one of the leaders of that campaign in Georgia, and my friend, Paul Coverdell, led the establishment's efforts to nominate President Ford.
It was the typical establishment-versus-interloper campaign. Most of the friends I had made in the party were in the establishment. Most of them thought the nomination of Ronald Reagan was not only impractical, but would destroy our party.
Reagan had just served two terms as the governor of California. His record was not all that conservative. He signed the biggest tax increase in the history of the state. He got the best he could get with a Democrat-dominated general assembly. He signed a bill legalizing abortion. But governors have different challenges than presidents.
Frankly, most of the establishment couldn't have cared less about abortion. They thought the discussion of it was, well, tacky. But we were, at the time, the party that Barry built, and the new foot soldiers cared about abortion.
Their concern with Reagan was that he just wasn't up to it. What did he know about foreign policy? How could he stand up to the Soviets? Did he understand detente?
During that campaign, as in all campaigns, the establishment sat at the head table, and the rest of us milled around the small round tables below.
Coverdell approached me, after Ford had won the first several primaries, and urged me to switch sides. Paul was convinced that Ford had the best chance of winning. Paul recited all of the reservations mentioned above and then said, "John, Reagan cannot win. No one will take him seriously." That was also the consensus of the Republican writers and commentators.
I said, "Paul, I think politics is all about what you believe. I know what Reagan believes. I have no idea what Ford believes. But you need to watch Reagan connect with the people. He is the best communicator I have ever seen. He is bringing new people into the party. And these are folks you won't be meeting at the club for lunch. They carry a lunch bucket to work. Or a brown paper bag."
Four years later, I worked again for Reagan and Paul worked for George H. W. Bush. Again, the Wall Street crowd sat at the head table, and the Main Street crowd sat at the small round tables on the floor.
The same arguments came from the establishment. His tax cut idea was a "riverboat gamble." In fact, his tax cuts doubled the size of the economy and doubled revenues to the treasury. Unfortunately, they spent that and more.
Reagan didn't understand that the world is a dangerous place and dealing with the Soviets required a more "understanding" policy. It also required a willingness to sign more treaties. They didn't know that Reagan had no interest in understanding the Soviets. He wanted communism consigned to "the ash heap of history."
It was a neverending series of put-downs until New Hampshire. Then it was over.
Reagan won that election with the support of Larry Lunch-bucket and Betty Brownbag. They were called the Reagan Democrats. When we celebrated that victory, I asked some of them why they chose to join us. They said, "When he talked, we felt that he was talking to us." The Reagan Democrats believe they have been ignored since 1988.
The establishment doesn't like change. They have always felt that their seats at the head table were threatened by those new to the club. The establishment that so ardently opposed Reagan's nomination in 1980 crawled all over each other to chair his 1984 race.
Today they now see themselves as those who put Reagan in power. His presidency was their presidency. They believe they are the keepers of the flame.
Today's establishment includes elected officials, consultants, lobbyists and even conservative writers and commentators. Unless you allow them to write the rules and approve of your positions you are unwelcome. Anyone who does not genuflect before their altar is "not conservative."
When you look at the many fine candidates seeking the Republican nomination for president, who do you believe can best speak to those Reagan Democrats?
I believe that candidate is Mike Huckabee.
When Reagan became president, one of his first moves was to reduce income taxes from 70 percent to 50 percent and ultimately down to 28 percent. As pointed out above, both the size of the economy and the federal revenues doubled in eight years.
Huckabee doesn't want to lower income taxes. He wants to abolish them - along with the IRS, the most intrusive, coercive and corrosive federal agency ever. Mike would replace those taxes on income with a sales tax - the FairTax. Every American will become a voluntary taxpayer paying taxes when you choose, as much as you choose, by how you choose to spend. How conservative can one get?
Rep. John Linder, R-Duluth, has served in the House of Representatives since 1992.
With all that burfing going on you would think they could at least burp out one winning/lasting candidate!
Enjoy the “left” overs!
To even mention that phony Huckabee in the same article with Ronald Reagan is an insult to all honorable Reagan conservatives.
I know Huckabee has a mixed record, but he did have a large income tax cut...I believe the first Arkansas governor to do so in a long time. That’s not liberal.
Riiiiggghhtt!
The only valid comparisons that can be made between the Huckster and the leader of the Conservative movement, Reagan are as follows:
1. He is a Man.
2. He has a R next to his name.
3. He is anti-abortion
4. He is anti Same Sex Marriage.
5. He is pro 2nd Amendment
That’s it folks, the similiarities end right there.
On the following, he just does not measure up:
1. Taxes
2. Spending
3. Small Government (The Huckster wants to solve all our problems by a Government Program).
4. Law and Order (See his multitude of pardons.
5. Homeschooling
6. Educational Vouchers
7. Foriegn Policy (See Gitmo and Bunker Mentality).
8. Strict Constrictionist Judges (See the Constitution is a Living Document)
9. Communication Skills - His responses when under attack or under pressure are infantile.
10. Environment - The Huckster is a proponent of the Global Warming Hysteria.
Ditto here.... and I’ll vote for whoever the GOP puts up, anything to keep the Clintons from trashing the White House for another 8 years.
well, he did have to deal with a very liberal legistlature. I wonder how Reagan’s history was before he became president? I heard from his son Micheal that he raised taxes too as governor. And pushing the fairtax pretty strongly is totally anti-status quo and extremely conservative. I’m not saying that I am voting for him, but he is not really a liberal.
Can I say make me puke???
Big whoopie.......
Huckabee is an idiot.
Great analogy.
Don’t forget illegals on your list. Oops - ok, it looks like both Huckabee and Reagan were for amnesty. That’s the one thing Reagan did wrong, so Huck matching him isn’t exactly a positive.
No one has posted the one big problem to this fair tax proposal. Lets say that in theory, the Huckster gets his fair tax proposal through and then even abolishes the income tax. It’s still a bad idea. Why? Because the income tax can always come back, thats why!!
In order for this tax plan to work, not only must you do the above but you must get the 16th amendment repealed with another amendment. Does anyone think the Huckster would have enough votes to do that??? They would need 2/3 of the congress to pass and 3/4 of the states to ratify.
Also, we may abolish the IRS by doing this, but there would still have to be some agency in place to collect and enforce the national sales tax. An agency that would audit businesses to ensure they were properly collecting the tax.
If there was not an amendment to repeal the 16th, then an income tax could always come back later on. Then we could possibly have a large national sales tax and an income tax enacted by a congress later on.
That’s why his support of this is a fraud. It is just to cover up his tax and spending ways as governor. Fred Thompson had the best proposal with the optional flatter tax rate. It was so good that Rudy adopted it into his tax plan. The best ideas are the ones to get the tax system to be flatter and have as little loopholes as possible. A tax return should need to be about 10 lines long.
You’ve got to be kidding me...
Please!!!! Don’t make me puke!
I can answer this.
They both have an E in their name.
What did I win?
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