My Independent Republican Friend Hates Huckabee

A good friend of mine who describes them self as an Independent Republican wanted me to post this entire email they sent me. Obviously, I haven’t been writing about the presidential races, but it is significant to me when Republicans are this concerned about one of their candidates. I mean really, really concerned. So concerned in fact, that I’m willing to listen to their point of view when they don’t want a president in office who believes “Divine providence was responsible for his (Huckabee’s) recent surge in the polls in Iowa” either, aren’t you?  

FYI: This was passed on to me by a dear friend, also a fellow republican. While some of you many not agree with this persons take, I feel this information is too important for me not to pass it along.  You decide.  

All –

Read comments in the Tulsa World about Huckabee this week and the straw poll recently held.  Did the people that voted for Huckabee in that straw poll bother to read up on the ‘real’ Huckabee?  Did they read how Huckabee governed Arkansas — raised taxes and fees for one thing.  Below you will find articles about raising taxes, etc. that he did as Governor and that doesn’t even include his ordering the hard drives destroyed from when he was Governor.  He is pro-life, anti gays, and a former Baptist Minister — is that all that matters to some in this State?   We all complain when the Dems use churches to speak but where are the same complaints when Huckabee goes around the Country speaking in churches.

Have received emails from military I know including some deployed, and to a person they detest Huckabee and keep asking what is wrong with some Republican voters that would support this man who is soft on illegals, soft on criminals, a nanny stater, raised taxes, doesn’t know foreign policy but can joke about it, thinks having Chuck Norris as his sidekick means something, and his claim to fame is that he is a former Baptist Minister and the Governor of AR from Hope.  They don’t consider all his jokes funny at all.  

Didn’t this State learn anything from the drubbing in the last election.  Social conservative issues have been overplayed.  Voters statewide (not maybe individual House/Senate seats) want infrastructure fixed along with other issues that affect our everyday lives.  Heard that over and over again in 2006 that those two issues are not even close to be the most important issues facing this state or country.  They do want a strong military, less taxes, less government, and candidates that are tough on illegal immigration.  People in this state pushing Huckabee who is soft on illegals are not going to win the GOP votes in the general election IMHO.  

We are not picking up Indy votes and why is that?  Until this Party starts reaching out to voters that don’t walk in lockstep, we are in trouble.

In 1998, the GOP controlled almost every statewide seat — now we have two seats and could lose another one.  When we elect unethical people to office and give them positions of power, how can we go after the Democrats for the same thing.  We have county GOP officials that don’t believe in following the rules but that’s OK because they are social conservatives.   When you use that for an excuse to do something unethical or wrong, then those people deserve no respect.

I am in agreement with the Republicans in this State who believe the number one issue is winning the war in Iraq and #2 beating Ms. Clinton.  Shame some others don’t see the same thing.  We are electing a Commander in Chief not a Minister in Chief.  

Once again, I ask did the people voting for Huckabee in the straw poll know who he really is and that he is no fiscal conservative, is soft on illegals, and is not very ethical as he actually had some ethics complaints upheld?  Somehow having a shower to furnish his house after leaving as Governor, rubs a lot of us the wrong way not to mention ordering all hard drives destroyed from when he was Governor.  Now that the Dumond case has taken center stage, I can see why.

His comment on foreign policy about staying at a Holiday Inn Express since he didn’t have a clue about foreign policy and the Iran report, shows how little he cares about being President.  He seems to prefer to run around and make jokes with Chuck Norris.

http://www.powerlineblog.com/a…

December 4, 2007

Ronald Reagan or Jimmy Carter

Mike Huckabee attempted to defend his foreign policy credentials today on the Don Imus show. The exchange went like this:

Imus: Part of the strengths of Senator John McCain, who we talked to yesterday, was his perceived, and perhaps real foreign policy experiences and so on, and you have had little or none, or perhaps you have. Is that a concern?

Huckabee: First of all let me say Senator McCain is an honorable and good man and I enjoy getting to be on the trail with him. And I know we are supposed to be sort of hostile toward one another; I don’t think it has to be like that, and I have long respected him. People will say that people will say, “well, you are a governor, you don’t have much foreign policy experience.” Neither did Ronald Reagan. Ronald Reagan came as a governor, he had been an actor. But ten years after he was sworn into office, there wasn’t a cold war, the Berlin wall was down, and there wasn’t a Soviet Union. People considered that one of the most important times in American history in terms of our relationship with the world. Certainly governors have more experience than people realize because we do trade missions and we are involved in cultural exchanges, we deal with multinational corporations in bringing jobs, travel extensively. But more importantly, the role of foreign policy is one of character and understanding what your principles are and then surrounding yourself with good advice. And the ultimate thing is, I may not be the expert that some people are on foreign policy, but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night.

It’s difficult to say which part of this answer is less serious — the reference to the Holiday Inn Express or the comparison to Reagan. The Gipper may not have conducted foreign policy prior to becoming president, but he had been thinking, speaking, and debating about vital foreign policy issues for at least a quarter of a century (roughly the period after his acting career ended and he became a political commentator). Reagan didn’t bring about our victory in the Cold War because he substituted “character” for expertise, as Huckabee proposes to do. He accomplished this because he came into power having already formulated the right line on the Soviet Union and Communism generally.

When it comes to foreign policy, Huckabee more closely resembles another former governor, Jimmy Carter. It was Carter, not Reagan, who viewed foreign policy as an extension of his own character and personal principles. Carter stood for a foreign policy “as decent as the American people.” Reagan stood for defeating our enemies. When Huckabee frets about how Gitmo is making us appear to foreigners, when he asserts that “we broke Iraq,” and when he says he’s qualified to be commander-in-chief because of his character rather than because of his understanding of our enemies, it’s pretty clear that his foreign policy roots extend nowhere near the fertile soil of Reaganism.

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http://www.arkansasleader.com/…

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

EDITORIALS>>Huck’s taxes – addendum

The long list of tax increases that became law during Mike Huckabee’s 10-year reign as governor, which The Leader published here Saturday, left out one important tax of that era: the infamous “bed tax.” Officially, it was not called a tax but a Quality Assurance Fee.

It was in 2001 amid complaints about the quality of care in Arkansas nursing homes and the low government reimbursement for long-term Medicaid patients in nursing homes that Gov. Huckabee embraced the so-called “bed tax.” The state would collect a tax of 6 percent of the gross receipts of nursing homes. For the families whose loved ones were on Medicaid, it was no burden but the tax was passed on to private-pay patients, for whom it was a shock.

Last year, Huckabee’s last, the tax brought in $54 million – a fairly substantial tax by Arkansas standards. Anyway, if there were any doubt, the tax made Huckabee a bigger taxer in 10 years than Bill Clinton was in 12. We had speculated as much in an editorial several months ago but skeptics wanted documentation.


We apologize for the omission.

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http://amerpundit.com/2007/12/…

Huckabee: Let’s Close Gitmo Because the World Doesn’t Like It

American Pundit ^

12/4/07

Pretty much. Here’s what he said:

MIKE HUCKABEE: I’ve been to Guantanamo, I was there, I guess it’s been about a year and a half ago. I think the problem with Guantanamo is not in that its facilities are inadequate. It’s the symbol that it represents. It’s clearly become a symbol to the rest of the world as a place that has become problematic for us as a nation. I was quite frankly impressed with the quality of the facilities and even the attention to care that was given to the detainees, but that aside, it doesn’t alter that Guantanamo to the rest of the world is a symbol that is not in our best interests to continue pursuing.

Never mind the fact it’s been a valuable source of information. No, he thinks it’s a bad symbol, so it should now be closed.

After the Iowa poll showed that Republican voters like him but found him much less “presidential” and “electable” than Romney, Huckabee sought to build his foreign policy credentials, meeting with a group of retired generals who are in Des Moines to urge the 2008 candidates to commit to opposing torture. After the meeting, Huckabee joined Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in declaring his opposition to the interrogation procedure known as “waterboarding,” and said he would support closing the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a contrast with the other leading Republicans.

Bryan:

That paragraph suggests that you’re easily swayed by a single meeting on important issues that have been before the American people for years…

My take: He’s putting symbolism over substance and putting worldwide condemnation ahead of the security realities. Those are not good qualities in a commander in chief who’ll lead a country that was globally envied and reviled long before the war even started.

Paul Mirengoff:

I suspect that Huckabee required little lobbying. Waterboarding and long-term detention aren’t very “Christian”; they merely keep terrorists out of action and, in special circumstances enable us to find out where we’re going to be attacked next and/or where we can find those who are planning the next attacks. But if Huckabee actually did reach his position based on the views of a handful of generals, and without consulting the people actually charged with protecting this country from terrorists, then he’s even less qualified to be president than I suspect.

With any luck, this will be the end of Huck’s presidential chances

*****

In a speech at Liberty University, Huckabee makes the case that Divine Intervention favors the Baptists:

Quote:

Mr. Huckabee also said that Divine providence was responsible for his recent surge in the polls in Iowa, as he noted that he is the candidate with much less capital firepower than his rivals. Despite his fundraising shortfall, his message seems to be resonating with voters.

Wow. Remember I reported earlier how Huckabee claims to be endorsed by God:

Quote:

New Beginnings church hasn’t endorsed anybody in the 2008 presidential race, but God probably has, pastor Larry Huch said Sunday.

…””I believe that Sen. Huckabee is the David that you’ve brought in to be a head over this nation’s house,” Huch said, misstating Huckabee’s political rank. “And Father, I ask for the blessing on him, on his family, on their campaign, that you will keep them safe, you will give them wisdom, that you will give him favor, for he is giving you all the praise and all the glory.”

Apparently this was welcomed by Huckabee:

Quote:

The crowd, some of them wearing yarmulkes, cheered noisily after Huch’s declaration, and they later stretched their hands toward Huckabee as they prayed for campaign season favor from heaven.

I am all for religion and being devout in your cause, but is it really a good game to claim God wants Huckabee over Romney in Iowa?

http://race42008.com/2007/12/0…

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http://www.conservativesbetray…

MIKE HUCKABEE: WISHY-WASHY REPUBLICAN

By Richard A. Viguerie

Some voters pining for a principled conservative Republican presidential candidate are pinning their hopes on former governor of Arkansas Mike Huckabee. But while Gov. Huckabee stands strong on some issues like abortion that are important to social conservatives, a careful examination of his record as governor reveals that he is just another wishy-washy Republican who enthusiastically promotes big government.

The Baptist preacher entered politics in an unlikely way for a Republican-as the result of a meeting with Joycelyn Elders, reports The New Republic. As director of the Arkansas department of health under Gov. Bill Clinton, Dr. Elders opined that preachers should “stop moralizing from the pulpit”. Spinning into damage-control mode, Gov. Clinton asked Mike Huckabee, head of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention, to meet with Dr. Elders. Rev. Huckabee came away from that meeting uncomfortably impressed with the “lady who genuinely believes what she’s saying and is deep in her convictions”. He reasoned, “[I]f people like her are creating the public policies that will determine how our kids are going to be educated, and the atmosphere, then maybe we need to get out of the stands and get out on the field and get our jerseys dirty.”

But while Mike Huckabee praises Dr. Elders for her dedication to her own beliefs, he has disparaged principled conservatives as “blind purists”. And his record as governor certainly suggests that Mike Huckabee is not as firm in his devotion to conservative ideals as the former U.S. Surgeon General remains to liberal notions.

“A fiscal conservative is a person who truly understands that it’s not a problem in the federal government that our taxes are too low,” the former governor told the crowd at CPAC in 2007. “It’s a problem that our spending is too high and out of control.”

But by Gov. Huckabee’s own definition, there’s serious reason to doubt that he’s a truly fiscal conservative himself.

Much of conservatives’ concern about Gov. Huckabee centers on his record of raising taxes. He signed Americans for Tax Reform’s no-tax pledge, but only after dismissing such covenants as dangerous. He blasts the fiscally conservative Club for Growth as the “Club for Greed”. He publicly opposed repealing a tax on groceries and medicine, though he claims that he’s “always philosophically supported” axing the tax. According to ATR, after his 10 years in office, Gov. Huckabee had raised the state’s sales tax by 37 percent, motor fuel taxes by 16 percent, and cigarette taxes by 103 percent.

Not surprisingly, all these tax increases allowed for greater spending. According to Americans for Tax Reform, state spending under Gov. Huckabee rose by 65.3 percent during 1996 to 2004. The number of workers on the state’s payroll increased by 20 percent during his tenure, and its general debt obligation rose by nearly $1 billion. The spending increase is due largely to the creation of new government programs and the expansion of existing ones.

Though he told The Washington Times that he supports “empowering people to make their own decisions”, Gov. Huckabee has consistently initiated and supported government meddling in the market economy. Not only did he increase Arkansas’s minimum wage from $5.15 to $6.25 per hour, but he even encouraged the U.S. Congress to do the same thing nationally. He ordered Arkansas regulatory agencies to investigate “price-gouging” in the nursing-home industry and threatened to launch a government investigation of “gouging” on gas prices after September 11, 2001. He signed a bill forbidding private companies from increasing prices on services like roof repair and tree removal by 10 percent in advance of a natural disaster.

He is on record in support of big government programs that elbow out private-sector solutions. For instance, Gov. Huckabee drove ARKids first, a multimillion-dollar government program to provide health insurance for 70,000 children. He supported President George W. Bush’s 2003 massive expansion of Medicare by adding a prescription-drug benefit. He called the No Child Left Behind Act, which increased federal education spending by 48 percent and expanded big-government control of local schools, “the greatest education reform effort of the federal government in my lifetime”. Although Huckabee advocates a fence along the entire U.S.-Mexico border, as governor he proposed granting in-state tuition rates to illegal aliens.

Mike Huckabee’s wishy-washiness is perhaps best exemplified in the story of Wayne Dumond, the most bizarre and tragic episode of the governor’s entire tenure. A few weeks after taking office, Gov. Huckabee announced his intention to free Mr. Dumond, who had served seven years of a life+20 sentence for the kidnapping and rape of a 17-year-old girl. The following month, the governor met with the parole board; soon afterwards, the board voted to free Mr. Dumond on the condition that he move to another state.

Although he told National Review that he “executed more people than any governor in the history of” Arkansas, Gov. Huckabee insists that the “concept of Christian forgiveness requires that we keep open the process of parole” even for violent felons.

The parole board’s action made Mr. Dumond’s pardon application unnecessary, so Gov. Huckabee denied the pardon but sent him a letter affirming, “My desire is that you be released from prison. I feel that parole is the best way for your reintroduction to society to take place.”

Mr. Dumond’s release was delayed because no other state would take the convicted rapist. After two and one-half more years, the parole board set him free in Arkansas. The following year, he moved to Missouri, where he sexually assaulted and murdered a 39-year-old woman.

As the predictable political fireworks burst all around him, Gov. Huckabee tried to hide behind the claim that he had denied Mr. Dumond’s pardon application. “My only official action was to deny his clemency,” Gov. Huckabee insists, defensively glossing over his oft-stated earlier preference for Mr. Dumond to go free.

Gov. Huckabee’s poor judgment in the Dumond case is serious, but his failure to acknowledge responsibility publicly is truly disgraceful in a man who would be president.

But it fits the pattern of his inability to hold a principled stance with courage and conviction. Gov. Huckabee called no-tax pledges “irresponsible” but then signed one. He wants to fence illegal immigrants out, but to give them cheap tuition while they’re here. He calls conservatives “blind purists” but poses as one of us.

One who has cut through the fog of Gov. Huckabee’s wishy-washiness and found something she likes is the woman who’s indirectly responsible for his political career. Joycelyn Elders says she’s “truly impressed. I feel he really did things that I appreciated.”

****

Comments from a website I belong to on the Dumond case which Huckabee was very involved unlike what he is spinning:

“Huck is soft on crime, wrong on taxes, wrong on immigration, a big-govt nanny-stater . . .

But he’s a pro-life ex-minister, so he’s become the selection of the social Cs?

This completely outs the social Cs. Those supporting Huck don’t care about “conservatism” in their choice at all. They just want a minister-in-chief.”

*****

“Huckabee also wrote in his campaign book that his intervention on Dumond’s behalf reflected his broad philosophy that the criminal justice system is too harsh, and that his religious faith requires him to take chances to act with compassion towards the accused.”

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“Huckabee refused to meet with the women’s daughter who Dumond killed after Huckabee helped get him out of prison.  Does he think the terrorists deserve another chance as well?”

*****

“This is DEVASTATING, especially since Huckabee has been maintaining that he had an inconsequential role in the Dumond release.”

*****

Gary — Huckabee was very involved in getting this man out of prison who then killed.  This from the daughter of the daughter of the woman who was lying next to her Mom when this man killed her for no reason:

When you ran for office, one of the reasons I voted for you was the fact you are/were a Baptist preacher. I come from a very strong Baptist background… [O]ne of my grandfathers is also a preacher. I have always been a faithful church member where I am the choir director, yet this is one event that is not so easily forgiven.

I have prayed about these feelings, but once someone hurts your mother, or daughter the way this man hurt my mother I believe that you would feel the same…

Please understand that this letter is coming from my heart…. I would love to have the chance to talk to you about this matter as a daughter of a surviving rape victim.

The woman provided Huckabee with her personal phone number in hopes that he or at least someone on his staff would call. She says that she never heard back.

What was left unsaid in her letter to Huckabee was that she was three years old when, in the 1970s, Dumond raped her mother. The girl was in her mother’s bed asleep when the rape occurred. Dumond held a butcher’s knife to her mother’s throat during the assault.

In 2001, the woman ran into Huckabee in her hometown. She wanted to know if he had any regrets in light of the Missouri murders.

“He was down here on a fishing trip,” she recalled, “He was in one of the convenience stores and I went in to get me a Coke. And I went up and spoke to him.

“And all he said was, `How are you doing?’ That was it.”

Goodbye Huckabee, and let the door hit you in the ass on the way out
of the presidential races. Now that’s “Divine providence.”