Rally Around Huckabee? Why Not?
By Mike Griffith Posted in 2008 — Comments (44) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
Conservatives who find McCain unacceptable may want to consider supporting Mike Huckabee. Consider Huckabee's record as governor of Arkansas:
* Cut the state capital gains tax rate by 25%.
* Abolished capital gains taxes on home sales.
* Abolished the state marriage penalty tax.
* Pushed through the first broad-based tax cuts in decades, saving taxpayers nearly $400 million.
* Indexed income tax brackets to inflation, thus protecting taxpayers from being pushed into higher tax brackets by inflation.
* Doubled the child-care tax credit.
* Increased the tax deduction for single individuals to $2,000.
* Increased the tax deduction for married couples to $4,000.
* Banned illegal aliens from getting drivers licenses.
* Helped pass an unborn child amendment to state constitution.
* Helped pass a traditional marriage amendment to state constitution.
* Pushed through a property owners’ bill of rights that limited property tax hikes and protected homeowners from unfair tax assessments.
* Pushed through homeschooling-friendly legislation.
* Limited the increase in the overall rate of state spending to 4.9% (AFI)--not bad, considering that he was dealing with a Democratic legislature.
* Protected gun manufacturers from frivolous lawsuits.
* Removed restrictions on concealed handgun permit holders.
* Pushed through legislation that allowed the state to fire school boards and school superintendents in school districts that were chronically performing badly.
* When faced with a $227 million deficit for fiscal year 2002, refused to call for a tax increase and instead called for a massive cut in state spending.
Plus:
* Huckabee has signed the Americans for Tax Reform's Presidential Taxpayer Protection Pledge, which states he will "oppose any and all efforts to increase the marginal income tax rates for individuals and/or businesses . . . and oppose any net reduction or elimination of deductions and credits, unless matched dollar for dollar by further reducing tax rates."
* He supports the Fair Tax plan.
* And he has signed the very tough Numbers USA pledge to secure the border and to oppose granting amnesty to illegal immigrants. Numbers USA gives Huckabee very solid ratings overall on his positions on illegal immigration and border security: http://www.betterimmigration.com/candidates/2006/prez2008.html.
Yes, Huckabee did raise taxes overall, but he raised them for valid reasons, i.e., to pay for badly needed improvements to state highways and the state park system, and to hire more teachers (the state's population increased substantially during his tenure). Much is made of the fact that Huckabee opposed a voucher plan, but he did so at the urging of Christian private school associations that were worried that vouchers would open the door to state control of their schools.
Michael Medved has noted the following about Huckabee's fiscal record:
Meanwhile, it’s also worth a few lines here to defend the Arkansan from the claim that he’s a secret “big government liberal” or, in the phrase of the Club for Growth, “Tax Hike Mike.”
According to figures from the non-partisan Tax Foundation (based on data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Department of Commerce), Huckabee’s term as governor (1996-2007) led to a modest increase in the overall State-Local tax burden for Arkansas: from 10.1% in the year he became governor to 11.1% the last year he served. In terms of overall tax burden (state-local-federal) Arkansas remained virtually unchanged--- from 30.3% (39th among the 50 states) to 30.5% (32nd place).
Mitt Romney, on the other hand, saw sharper increases in taxes during his single gubernatorial term (2003 to 2007) in Massachusetts. The state-local burden rose from 9.8% the year of his election to 10.5% his last year as governor. Meanwhile, the total tax burden went up from 31.2% to 33.9% -- vaulting Massachusetts from 9th place to 7th place in the nation.
These numbers don’t prove that Huckabee was a great governor, or that Romney was a poor governor: actually, both men count as exemplary public servants and authentic conservatives (and both of them have taken Grover Norquist’s “No New Taxes” Pledge—in contrast to their rivals Giuliani, Thompson and McCain, who have refused to do so). Both candidates deserve respect for doing a solid job in handling state legislatures with overwhelming Democratic majorities and scoring some notable achievements as governor (though both states flipped to Democratic control in 2006). ("What's Behind the Huckabee Surge?", http://www.townhall.com/blog/g/c6692253-551a-45e4-ba9f-37e740fe9411)
Another way to answer the attack that Huckabee raised taxes overall is to say the following: Suppose there was a man that was called to be the president of a company. The company was $200 million in debt and his companies’ assets in equipment were one billion dollars less than his fifty other competitors. He decided to borrow $505.1 million to turn his company around. After ten years he was able to pay back $378 million on his investment loan. In addition, during the ten years he added one billion dollars in new equipment and improvements to his company. The most amazing accomplishment was that he left $844 million in cash in the operating account at the company. Now, would anyone say this man didn't do an outstanding job managing the company? Of course not. Well, this is essentially what Mike Huckabee did with the state of Arkansas.
Huckabee is more conservative than McCain on several issues, including McCain-Feingold, immigration, gun control, cutting taxes, abortion, and the federal marriage amendment.
Some good links on Huckabee's conservative credentials:
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2007/11/huckabee_is_a_fiscal_c...
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/31/clarification-on-huckabee-...
http://www.rightwingnews.com/interviews/huckabee.php
http://www.mikehuckabee.com/?FuseAction=Issues.View&Issue_id=18
http://rightsmart.blogspot.com/2007/11/truthing-about-taxes-and-huckabee...
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/12/02/MNOBTMNEV.DT...
http://makinghome.blogspot.com/2007/12/huckabee-hit-pieces-check-facts.h...
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=59521
Mike Griffith
Let Freedom Ring website
http://ourworld.cs.com/mikegriffith1/id47.htm
Because he's more liberal then McCain on every issue except abortion, and McCain has a 100% pro-life rating.
What do you base this on? Did you read the list of his conservative achievements as governor?
Mike Griffith
Let Freedom Ring website
http://ourworld.cs.com/mikegriffith1/id47.htm
is cherry picked.
You neglected to note that overall tax burden per Arkansan nearly doubled when Huckabee was governor.
His "no tax" pledge is smoke and mirrors and his support for the Fair Tax is simply a reach to get a built in base for the primarys. The guy is economically ignorant.
And then there's foreign policy. Sheesh.
And then there's the fact that he wouldn't know the truth if it bit him on the butt.
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The "Reply to This" button is your friend. :)
...a long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right...
---Thomas Paine---
I consider myself more fiscally conservative than socially conservative. In either case, McCain is the better choice. Did you notice the "no earmarks" in his latest speech and his 100% pro-life rating.
Caucusing on Saturday...can't caucus for Romney...it'll be McCain.
Erik
That's crazy.
And he says "no earmarks" and you roll over?
I support Governor Mike Huckabee for President.
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I'd be happy with either one. I hope there are some more debates. They'll act as sounding boards to positively project a conservative agenda.
It's easy to cut taxes after you already jacked them up sky high. Even Bill Clinton managed that in his second term.
It is irrelevant anyway because there's no way he can win. If he isn't mathematically eliminated yet, he is pretty darn close.
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Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. - Milton Friedman
1) Not a fiscal conservative
2) Pushed to release over 1000 felons including murderers
3) Would bring an even smaller part of the party to the table in November.
4) Huckabee is not a math conservative:
http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P08/tally.phtml
In analyzing the soft delegate totals, there are 1,106 delegates left. The only way for Huckabee to win the nomination is to get 1,012 delegates to reach 1,191. Which happens to be 92% of the delegates still up for grabs. Even if all the conservatives went from Romney to Huck and all the conservatives in McCain's camp went to Huck, he still would not win.
Face it, every day he stays in the race, Huckabee looks more and more pitiful, just mho.
...a long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right...
---Thomas Paine---
Huckabee does not need to win all those delegates. Numerically he only needs to win enough to keep McCain from winning on first ballot, but realistically he needs to win enough to take the delegate lead. McCain has to show he can more than 50% of vote (other than in Northeast) I suspect McCain could win more than 50% in these:
District of Columbia
Maryland
Rhode Island
Vermont
All U.S. territories
I wonder if McCain can win more than 50% in these states. If he can't, the nomination is up for grabs (brokered convention)
Kansas
Washington
Louisiana
Virginia
Wisconsin
Washington
Ohio
Texas
Mississippi
Pennsylvania
Indiana
North Carolina
Nebraska
Kentucky
Oregon
Idaho
South Dakota
New Mexico
Math conservative?
IS that some one who does everything in binary, because he doesn't want to waste the other digits? Or someone that rips off the multiplication symbol off a calculator, because you can multiply with successive additions?
It is you that can't do math, or are being deceptive. You say that the "only way to win the nomination" for Huck is to get 1,012 delegates. BUT HUCK ONLY NEEDS WELL UNDER 3/4 OF THE REMAINING STATES' DELEGATES TO HAVE MORE DELEGATES THAN MCCAIN GOING INTO THE CONVENTION.
McCain has 707 delegates, Huckabee 195. If Huck wins 3/4 of the remaining delegates (830) that would give him 1024. McCain would only have 983 in that case, if McCain snatched up all the others (for ease of comparison, I just split remaining delegates among the two, assuming other voters for Ron Paul etc. will take about equally from both). There are many winner-take-all states left where, if Huck merely beats McCain by a sliver in the states, he'd get all the delegates.
So Huck could get WELL UNDER 3/4 of the remaining delegates and still go to the convention with the lead.
Furthermore, even if Huck were just under McCain's lead going to the convention, it is very likely that alot of those conservative voters behind Romney's delegates would go to Huck and give him the nomination at a brokered convention, or at least a very good shot of having a deal made or winning on a 2nd ballot.
In fact, I think the smart money is that McCain will not have the magic 1191 going into the convention.
The theory that could preserve hope over reason goes something like this based on the old school brokered convention model:
1.) Huckabee wins enough votes (delegates) between now and the end to force a brokered convention (a very tall task).
2.) This would require multiple one-on-one victories over McCain which would deflate the "electability" advantage of McCain (equally tall task though Huck can fairly claim three scalps -Brownback, Thompson, Romney - to this point).
3.) He does especially well in Red States of the electoral base and among the exit poll cross tabs of Republican/conserv/very conserve (this would not be surprising).
4.) He goes to the convention as second in delegates, first among the RS core and first among the cross tabs and pitches the idea that he is the true winner of the RS republican primary process (some will note that primaries were also held in blue states).
5.) Convention drama showcases his greatest strength (oratory)and he delivers the modern equiv of "Cross of Gold" (or maybe just actually delivers the "Cross of Gold" speach).
6.) Multiple rounds of balloting.
7.) Corrupt bargain (pick your ticket -McCain/Huckabee; McCain/Romney; Huckabee/Romney; Huckabee/McCain; or Paul/Lieberman)
8.) Drop the Balloons.
9.) Watch the Dems' inaug on CSPAN.
Gladly, the above will not happen, but one can hardly blame the Huckabee supporters for thinking anything is possible at this point as NO ONE at RS would have thought this summer we'd be down to McCain, Huck, and Paul.
On a more realistic note I do think it is in Hucks' interest, as well as "value voters," to press on (with a VERY civil campaign) at least till John closes the deal (March 4,)to collect as many delegates as possible in order to influence the platform and strenghen their claims for appointments, 2012 or the V.P.
Huck can probably do this tight rope dance (He's surprising androit for a Southern Baptist [smile]) of failing to fall in line with the Party leaders (the real ones not the ones who have shown their impotence this primary election process) while still arguing he's advancing the "authentic conservative" cause till Texas and Ohio (IF he win VA). He may just fold his tent in a heartbeat - especially if he's relatively confident that he'll end up "one heartbeat away" when the balloons really do drop.
Not sure what that means exactly; it just seems to be the thing people say about candidates when they don't have much else to say.
Huckabee is not a fiscal or small-government conservative. Couple that with his utter lack of foreign policy understanding and his proposal that the Constitution be repeatedly amended, and he's someone we can do without in the highest office in the land.
I was here a few months ago and was told "we went over him months ago" and found only flimsy half-truths and cherry picked negatives.
I support Governor Mike Huckabee for President.
And now it is irrelevant anyway, since Huckabee has as much chance being elected as king of Jupiter as he does of winning the nomination.
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Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. - Milton Friedman
identity politics to fuel his personal political ambitions.
These overshadow whatever "conservative" policy positions he is willing to adopt.
He has done more to divide the various camps of conservatives in this nation at a time when they most need to unite.
I wouldn't vote for him as dogcatcher, let alone rally around him as a conservative.
Sorry.
1) Not a fiscal conservative
2) Pushed to release over 1000 felons including murderers
3) Would bring an even smaller part of the party to the table in November.
It's this kind of criticism that has convinced so many Republicans to prematurely and unwisely reject this or that candidate.
Not a fiscal conservative? Did you read the list?
I think he's explained the pardons pretty well.
As for point number 3, I suspect this is based on the fact that Huckabee is an evangelical Christian. Huckabee is more in line with the base overall than McCain is.
I don't have a dog in this hunt. I could support either McCain or Huckabee. Neither is my first pick. I think a fair analysis of Huckabee's record shows he's somewhat more conservative than McCain. Plus, he's a much better speaker and can think on his feet more quickly. I think he'd do better than McCain would do in a debate with Obama or Hillary. I also think he has a better temperment than McCain has.
Mike Griffith
Let Freedom Ring website
http://ourworld.cs.com/mikegriffith1/id47.htm
I very much appreciate Gov. Huckabee's vocal and adamant support for the Life and Marriage causes. But I don't want the federal government to get involved in those issues. I like the fair-tax proposal, but it's plainly uthopic. From McCain's speech today: "(...)I am not in the habit of making promises to my country that I do not intend to keep". I can accept that Gov. Huckabee intends to keep his promise; the problem is he won't be able to do that. Neverthless, he's a great politician, I believe he's beginning to understand how economy works and I'd be proud to support him in a run to most ellected offices. Just not the POTUS one.
1) Not a fiscal conservative.
2) Pushed to release over 1000 felons including murderers.
3) Would bring an even smaller part of the party to the table in November.
It's this kind of criticism that has convinced so many Republicans to prematurely and unwisely reject this or that candidate.
Not a fiscal conservative? Did you read the list?
I think he's explained the pardons pretty well.
As for point number 3, I don't think that's necessarily true, and I suspect the comment is based on the fact that Huckabee is an evangelical Christian. Huckabee is more in line with the base overall than McCain is.
I don't have a dog in this hunt. I could support either McCain or Huckabee. Neither is my first pick. I think a fair analysis of Huckabee's record shows he's somewhat more conservative than McCain. Plus, he's a much better speaker and can think on his feet more quickly. I think he'd do better than McCain would do in a debate with Obama or Hillary. I also think he has a better temperment than McCain has.
Mike Griffith
Let Freedom Ring website
http://ourworld.cs.com/mikegriffith1/id47.htm
I like the fair-tax proposal, but it's plainly utopian.
Why? There's an old saying: "If you think you can't, it's a cinch you won't." We didn't have an income tax until 1913. There's no reason we couldn't abolish it. Nor is there any reason we couldn't go from an income tax to a consumption tax.
Mike Griffith
Let Freedom Ring website
http://ourworld.cs.com/mikegriffith1/id47.htm
His response to any crisis in this country whether it be a terrorist attack, recession, natural catastrophe, etc. will be some really witty one liners.
That is really all he is.
"If Osama wants to kill us all it must mean we are eatin' chicken on the porch."
Or something else as equally stupid and pointless.
Actually Huckabee did an excellent job in response to Katrina - as did Barber in MS and the Mayor of Houston.
I too think he's something of a lightweight (especially after he lost a 7th grader)- but he has handled crisis well. He came into office in the midst of a high stakes drama with Gov. Tucker refusing to step down upon his conviction and handled it masterfully.
I know there are lots of reasons to reject him as POTUS - BUT there were also reasons that he was elected to statewide office more times (4)than any Republican in state history and recieved 61% of the Republican vote Tues in Arkansas.
Much was made here on RS about how little the GOP in Arkansas supported him - I hope that little gem is at least dead now.
"Rally Around Huckabee? Why Not?"
No, because he is so corrupt that he makes me want to vomit.
...a long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right...
---Thomas Paine---
The Dem's are impassioned now and they will turn out numbers so large that McCain will be overrun.
Huckabee has proven that his base is large and that it actually works for him, not just monetarillly, but it goes to work for him on a daily basis, and does not leave him either. Please understand that Huckabee's campaign makes no effort to grow a base on it's own, other than TV spots and public appearances, it is his grassroots base that is responsible for getting him this far.
If he is the lead on a ticket, or takes McCain's VP seat, Huck's base will see to it that he wins. And if he is not on a ticket then they will only pull the lever with the rest of us and we will lose. Those that will have to hold there nose to vote for McCain will do so regardless of Huckabee, but only Huckabee's ever growing base can overwhelm the Dem's.
Money cannot buy you votes, as Romney can attest to, and I'm not saying Romney's money was his only problem, I'm saying that this years election will be decided by a passionate electorate, not a high dollar turn out the vote campaign.
I support Governor Mike Huckabee for President.
Gosh Mike, I didn't know Huckabee was running for President. I thought he was running for Pastor in Chief, National Rabbi, head of the Moral police or something else, not President. He's certainly not qualified, educated or capable of much else.
That would be a not only a NO...a HECK NO.
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Proud member of the Barry Goldwater wing of the party !
Some of you are now willing to switch to the guy you have been slamming for months to thwart McCain. He is the nom-i-nee. It. Is. Over.
JC Watts for Vice President
Please sign the petition here.
"Character is simply doing right when no one is looking."
They've never slammed Huckabee for anything. They just hope that Romney dropping out is miraculously going to turn things around for their pathetic candidate. Good luck with that.
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Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. - Milton Friedman
Some of you are now willing to switch to the guy you have been slamming for months to thwart McCain. He is the nom-i-nee. It. Is. Over.
JC Watts for Vice President
Please sign the petition here.
"Character is simply doing right when no one is looking."
Some of you are now willing to switch to the guy you have been slamming for months to thwart McCain. He is the nom-i-nee. It. Is. Over.
JC Watts for Vice President
Please sign the petition here.
"Character is simply doing right when no one is looking."
I am so sorry... Very obnoxious.
JC Watts for Vice President
Please sign the petition here.
"Character is simply doing right when no one is looking."
That could be evidence of a virus, or possibly misbehaving anti virus software. Better safe than sorry.
I've been having some problems with RS loading pages tonight. If you hit post and it doesn't load, it still might have posted.
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Two thirds of the world is covered by water,
the other third is covered by Champ Bailey.
Sorry I'm late to the thread, but there evidently were technical problems earlier today with stalled pages, etc.
Because he's more liberal then McCain on every issue except abortion, and McCain has a 100% pro-life rating.
"I ain't never votin' fo no Democrat so long as I draw breath! I'll vote for a dog first!" - Leola Thomas