Huckabee Dips Into Offering Plates From Campaign Trail. Will Anti-Catholic Cornerstone Church Pay Huck $25K Today?
This one is really troubling.
By Erick Posted in 2008 | Mike Huckabee — Comments (180) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
I'm a bit troubled by information I have received this weekend on Mike Huckabee. A friend, troubled by Huckabee speaking at Cornerstone Church, given it's pastor's virulent anti-Catholicism, started digging around.
If you notice on his personal financial disclosure, Huckabee is racking up big bucks on the campaign trail speaking at churches. Now, he does this it seems, by funneling the speaking fees through his company, 12 Stops, Inc., which was named after Huckabee's book From Hope to Higher Ground: 12 STOPS to Restoring America's Greatness.
Even throughout this year, Huckabee has earned thousands and thousands of dollars speaking at places, usually religiously affiliated, via the International Speaker's Bureau. All the money flows through 12 Stops, Inc.
So, here's the thing. An email was sent to the International Speakers Bureau seeking to get a Huckabee speaking engagement. Here's the response back:
From: "Rosalie Jefferson"
Date: Thu, 20 Dec 2007 18:50:01
Subject: Mike HuckabeeThank you for your inquiry regarding booking Mr. Huckabee for your upcoming event.
Due to the ongoing Presidential campaign, Mr. Huckabee is not accepting speaking engagements.
If you would like to consider other political figures who are not currently running for office, please let me know your budget and I will be delighted to send you bios and fees accordingly.
Happy Holidays,
Rosalie Jefferson
Content Consultant
International Speakers Bureau
A second email was sent to the ISB *specifically* inquiring about Huckabee speaking at a church. Now it gets interesting:
Hi,I would be happy to help you with Mike Huckabee. He charges a minimum of $25,000 per engagement plus expenses and he can not address anything to do with his running for President.1 Do you have a date in mind for your event?
Kind regards,
EmilyEmily Boyd
International Speakers Bureau/Worldwide
So, Huckabee, even though campaigning for President, makes $25,000.00 per engagement plus expenses to speak at churches, but not to general audiences. And he gets the income from the events (not that I blame him because he'd otherwise be unemployed and needs to pay this off).
But how many other candidates are making personal money on the campaign trail? And why milk churches, but no one else? On Face the Nation this morning, Huckabee said, well, from Mark Kilmer's review of the shows:
Mike Huckabee said that he's going to change the Republican Party because it needs to be changed, to be more inclusive of those with less.
It seems to me that Mike Huckabee is not just trying to drive church voters into the polls for him, but he's trying to get their wallets while he's at it.
And that leads me back to today's event. Is Cornerstone Church paying Mike Huckabee $25,000.00? And if so, will he donate it to Catholic Charities?
-
This is CYA boilerplate. He can't speak about his campaign to protect the church against charges that it is violating 501(c)(3) status. Likewise, if he's not there on "campaign" purposes, he can pocket the money as non-campaign related income. They clearly know all the rules involved. But it is interesting that he's doing all of these events from the campaign trail while being an allegedly full time candidate for the Presidency of the United States.
↩
« Dueling June Obama fundraising claims? — Comments (2) | Lazy LA Times Reporter Calls Fred Lazy Because Reporter Needs To Cover Up For Slothful Reporting — Comments (17) »
Huckabee Dips Into Offering Plates From Campaign Trail. Will Anti-Catholic Cornerstone Church Pay Huck $25K Today? 180 Comments (0 topical, 180 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
How many suckers can Caucus Cooler manufacture?
I'm not even going to go through this further, except to say that you need to look at the documents CC posted; you need to investigate what "bribe" means; and you need to investigate what Novo Nordisk manufactures.
for diabetes drugs and treatments. And they use embrionic stem cell research as part of the process. What of it?
---
Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. - Milton Friedman
By this standard, I bribed the local In-n-Out Burger for a double-double meal last night.
So much for my presidential aspirations.
politicain takinga "bribe". Of course not. Consulting fee, honorarium, donation, etc, etc. etc. but never a bribe. And yep, if you paid $25,000 bucks for the double double you were buying MORE than a burger.
Envisioning when all that is Left is the Right.
I don't know what world you're in, but I want to be a part of it.
Unless you can demonstrate that no speaking occurred in exchange for the speaking fee; or unless you can demonstrate that meaningful services were performed in addition to speaking; you have no case here.
The "Murtha Defense Gambit". Well played, but the transparency is its weakness.
Envisioning when all that is Left is the Right.
On a couple of levels.
Get back to me when you have the evidence -- not proof, just evidence -- requested above.
Thank you for confirming my assessment. However, from what I've seen, the Huckabee crowd is about on par with the Ron Paul crowd except that they haven't bought into that gold standard thing.
Tell ya what. Why don't you tell me why you support the guy?
Envisioning when all that is Left is the Right.
See pretty much everything I've written in the past few weeks.
Are you being paid to apologize for the guy? If not, you should be. I'm surprised you don't take a pair of pliers and jerk out his tongue so that all you would have to do is apologize for his past stupidity rather than have a new mess to clean up every day. The guy needs someone to follow him around with a plastic bag turned inside out over his mouth to dispose of the stuff that comes out before he steps in it.
Envisioning when all that is Left is the Right.
He also cross-posted a polemic for his candidate at RedState.
It just calls into question his motives. Is interested in advancing himself or the US? Guiliani has distanced himself from his firm. I'm sure Thompson could get a cameo gig somewhere...but those guys are principled.
Freedom and religion endure together, or perish alone. --Mitt Romney
I'll pretend to agree with that if I never again have to hear a Huck supporter talk about fees to discredit Romney's tax record.
Freedom and religion endure together, or perish alone. --Mitt Romney
As an admirer of Mitt Romney, you have an accomplished role model in the pretending-to-agree department.
Investigate what the word "fungible" means.
"Honor is self-esteem made visible in action." - Ayn Rand, West Point, 1974
Any comment posted by a Huckabee supporter?
How convenient would it be for you folks if you didn't have to justify your unsubstantive hit pieces against Governor Huckabee?
"I believe in grace, because I have seen it. In peace, because I have felt it. In forgiveness, because I needed it."
-George W. Bush
Slow down. If you are commenting faster than you are figuring out what is going on, you might as well be spamming.
"The Cooler has obtained documents "
Yea that's right and I just printed up a deed to the Brooklyn bridge!
I would prefer to take the man at his word rather than some boogie man with a grudge and the cooler
from Mike Huckabee dot com
"I support and have always supported passage of a constitutional amendment to protect the right to life."
"I am opposed to research on embryonic stem cells. "
To see where Mike Huckabee stands on the issues visit
MikeHuckabee dot com
Stan
You said Huckabee always supported a Consitutional amendment.
Then explain this interview in 2006 with John Hawkins.
John Hawkins: Switching gears again, do you think we should overturn Roe v. Wade?
Mike Huckabee: It would please me because I think Roe v. Wade is based on a real stretch of Constitutional application — that somehow there is a greater privacy issue in the abortion concern — than there is a human life issue — and that the federal government should be making that decision as opposed to states making that decision.
So, I've never felt that it was a legitimate manner in which to address this and, first of all, it should be left to the states, the 10th Amendment, but secondly, to somehow believe that the taking of an innocent, unborn human life is about privacy and not about that unborn life is ludicrous.
So Huckabee in 2006 thought it was a matter left to the states per the tenth amendment. There is no mention of a Constitutional amemdment whatsoever.
He's prolife but once again he "overselling" himself. Not a deal breaker but worth noting that just like the Washington Times pointed out that Huckabee doesn't always get his own facts right about where he stands and what he's done.
In a flood of them. The funny thing is how his supporters react when you point this out to them.
______________________________
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
Huckabee is a sleazy little snake oil salesman. This is all going to come back to him. In the end, he's going to look like the petty little socialist that he is. There's another little populist down in Venezuala doing the same stuff.
I just hope the Huckapimps wise up while we can still nominate a viable candidate like Fred, Mitt, Rudy, or even John.
Truly, now he is being compared to Hugo Chavez. I have read this twice today. You folks are getting desperate and it shows.
"I believe in grace, because I have seen it. In peace, because I have felt it. In forgiveness, because I needed it."
-George W. Bush
"Due to the ongoing Presidential campaign, Mr. Huckabee is not accepting speaking engagements." It seems obvious to me that response #2 is wrong.
And it's pretty sleazy to print this information without a definitive answer to your pure speculation that he is getting paid for his apperance today when you have information from the ISB saying he is not accepting speaking engagements.
---
Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. - Milton Friedman
...and where is any proof or facts that demonstrate that HUck is getting paid today for his appearence, or that he is getting paid for any appearences???
The first response from the ISB is pretty damn definitive, i.e. Huck is not accepting any speaking engagements right now. And Erick and his source should have gotten clarification from either the ISB or Huck campaign before publishing this.
He's not getting any pardon checks or free furniture any more, so he's got to pay the bills some how.
---
Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. - Milton Friedman
His campaign is his religion. Preaching at churches is campaigning. By getting paid for it, he pockets some money, and, even better, can't talk about presidential issues, which frankly he'd rather avoid anyway.
He knows that his campaign has no where to go after maxing out on religious support, but in the meantime he's raised his profile among churches who will pay him a lot of money to speak to them about what a great culture warrior / identity politician he was.
The Unofficial RedState FAQ
“You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say. ” - Martin Luther
The Unofficial RedState FAQ
“You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say. ” - Martin Luther
And anyway, people were getting tired of Alan Keyes.
Drink Good Coffee. You can sleep when you're dead.
[Merged by NS] I'm not sure Rudy is viable. Vegas Rick, after watching this video tell me what you think ok buddy.
It shows Rudy in a very disturbing light, in my opinion.
This is the last try guys, maybe this time i can post the link.
controlcongress.com/uncategorized/rudy-protects-child-molester
That is garbage isn't worth one attempt to post, much less three.
---
Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. - Milton Friedman
If you don't use the Reply To This links to reply to comments, and just go around spreading negative comments about candidates, nobody knows what you're talking about and you will just get ignored or ridiculed.
Oh, and I'm deleting your first two tries, since we really don't need them.
So now conservatives are against people making money?!?
Seriously, what's the problem? This seems like a reasonable speaking fee. I have setup quite a few religious events with guest speakers... given Huckabee's status, this is reasonable.
Did you think that religious folks work for free?
If all of us who loathe the Huckster and speak out are conservatives, and we are the enemy, then what is Huckabee?
It just sheds light on his campaign strategy. He has stopped speaking at any venue other than churches during his campaign, because for Huckabee, only speaking at churches is a political act, and so furthers his campaign.
A more cynical take is that since he knows his campaign must fail, he will mold his campaign rhetoric not for success in the primaries, but for success in his speaking career. I would find that to be an unethical exploitation of his supporters, although I wouldn't put it past Huckabee.
It just sheds light on his campaign strategy. He has stopped speaking for pay at any venue other than churches during his campaign, because for Huckabee, only speaking at churches is a political act, and so furthers his campaign.
A more cynical take is that since he knows his campaign must fail, he will mold his campaign rhetoric not for success in the primaries, but for success in his speaking career. I would find that to be an unethical exploitation of his supporters, although I wouldn't put it past Huckabee.
to have an "honest" discussion about Huckacrite if you or any of the other Huckapimps who've been wasting RS bandwidth is involved.
____
CongressCritter™: Never have so few felt like they were owed so much by so many for so little.
Since a heck of a lot of people feel exactly the same way about the Huckster.
---
Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. - Milton Friedman
....appears to harbor a special sort of hysterical antipathy toward the man. Sui generis, so to speak.
but he commuted the sentence of the drunk who did. (For an honorarium.)
Envisioning when all that is Left is the Right.
Founder and contributor to The Minority Report and Editor for The Hinzsight Report
---
Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. - Milton Friedman
Don't forget the drunk then killed a few more dogs in a neighboring state.
You know him like the back of your hand tbone!
"Honor is self-esteem made visible in action." - Ayn Rand, West Point, 1974
apparently killed, Josh, is you're understanding of right & wrong, of ethical behavior, and of basic honesty. You've bought into a bill of goods from a guy that makes Bill Clinton look like an honest man.
I feel for you. It's a long way down when you finally figure out what a sleazy piece of lying, thieving crap Huckacrite is.
____
CongressCritter™: Never have so few felt like they were owed so much by so many for so little.
if anyone that disagrees with him stops posting.
"I believe in grace, because I have seen it. In peace, because I have felt it. In forgiveness, because I needed it."
-George W. Bush
The man is pocketing in one appearance possibly more money than most Baptist pastors make in a year (which is why so many of them rely on gifts from the flock).
That wouldn't be bad in itself, but the point is, the man is selling himself as the champion of the evangelicals, while at the same time choosing only to charge money when speaking at one of their events. He'll speak for free all over the place in Iowa, but if a church wants him, they'd better pay up.
He's not a champion of the evangelicals. He's a leech off of them. I hope Cornerstone counts the chairs after he leaves.
On two counts, Neil:
1) The churches are, apparently, the ONLY places he accepts engagements for. It's not like he speaks for free on-demand elsewhere. I know this firsthand: we can't get him to show up for a fundraiser(!) here in NorCal to save our lives.
2) I know it's become au courant in the conservosphere to allude to the dull-witted nature of Evangelicals, but rest assured that the parishes who engage with Mike Huckabee are generally aware that he is, uh, being paid by them.
______________________________
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
---
Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. - Milton Friedman
---
Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. - Milton Friedman
now THAT was funny!!
The Unofficial RedState FAQ
“You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say. ” - Martin Luther
Just a mild comment about condescending commenters. Apparently others agree. And I am the least likely person to support Huckabee that you'll find.
______________________________
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
---
Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. - Milton Friedman
______________________________
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
Didn't he *admit* to taking furniture home with him when he left office in Arkansas, and give it all back? Saying it was a mistake?
I specifically referred to your implication of on my part a prejudice against evangelicals.
Please don't do that again.
We've all had our moments when defending our candidate of choice has made us look worse than we ordinarily would, and this is one for you.
I, for one, would be shocked to learn that my church had invited a political candidate to come speak, for one, and more shocked to learn that he were being paid for it in the midst of a campaign. However, I gather that there are evangelical churches for which that would not be the case, but that doesn't mean that everyone who doesn't recognize that is pandering to anti-evangelical bigots. Get a grip.
Incidentally, as a former politically active minister in Arksansas, I knew a not insignificant number of evangelical pastors and ministers who knew Huckabee before and after he went political. Not one of them intends to vote for Huckabee in the primary, and I have heard specifically from one of them that it's because of the way that Huckabee has used religion as a wedge issue, both within Arkansas and without. So these ideas about Huckabee are not all (or even mostly) driven by anti-evanglical bias, and you need to stop insinuating that they are.
------------
The Red Sox Republican: Burkeanism, Baseball, and Sundries.
We've all had our moments when defending our candidate of choice has made us look worse than we ordinarily would, and this is one for you.
I think sometimes when a knife is brought to the fight, you need to bring a gun. I admit that this has gotten nasty on both sides, and I regret that. However, I have seen Huckabee supporters called liars, idiots, cowards, and sheep on this website. It has become difficult to be the bigger man given some staments that have been made in the comment section. I don't understand why we are threatened by civility.
"I believe in grace, because I have seen it. In peace, because I have felt it. In forgiveness, because I needed it."
-George W. Bush
....give it a rest. You're in a poor position to cast stones, for reasons irrelevant to this thread.
Anyone shedding crocodile tears for the poor, ignorant parishioners fleeced by the Huckster is indeed pandering to anti-Evangelical bias. Considering how the great majority of these parishes are run -- a subject you of all people should be familiar with -- the notion that any speaker costing significant funds would be brought in without a broad parish consensus defies credulity.
Neil Stevens advanced precisely this notion, and then claimed that he should not be called on it because -- well, because he gets to, I guess. That is, I repeat, absurd.
And I had hoped to appeal to your sense of self-awareness to help you avoid such a moment. To no avail, it appears.
To be quite honest, I haven't the foggiest idea how a place such as Cornerstone is run. I do not doubt that your sense about the existence of a "broad parish consensus" is true for many (most?) churches, but I *also* know of quite a few large churches where that is most emphatically *not* the case.
For instance, during the course of working on one of the campaigns I worked for, we learned that our opponent (happily, a Democrat) had enlisted many evangelical ministers as "consultants" in exchange for tacit (or outright) support from the pulpit, and/or an invitation to speak whenever this candidate wished. How many of these congregations were told of the arrangement that their ministers/pastors had entered into? My guess is, "not nearly all."
Again, there are many reasons to second-guess this kind of maneuver, and anti-evanglical bigotry isn't even the first one on the list. I myself oppose such a move because I think it perverts the function of the local church, as you know. Just because you don't know a similar fact about Neil's background doesn't mean you should assume the worst.
------------
The Red Sox Republican: Burkeanism, Baseball, and Sundries.
I'm not aware that I've undertaken an odyssey betwixt candidates at all similar to yours.
In any case, you have particular views on parish roles in public life. So be it. We probably mostly agree on this point; but I don't derive a condemnation of Mike Huckabee from it.
As for your defense of Neil Stevens, again: whatever his background, his words are what they are. There's not much defense to be made of them on their own terms -- instead, there's special pleading that, by dint of the writer's personal history, they don't mean what they plainly mean.
Well.
Since leaving the employ of Brownback, I've gone from "leaning Fred" to now supporting Romney, and I'd be pretty much okay with McCain. In other words, I'm like a lot of Republican voters right now. That's not the point I was making. The point I was making was with the way we behave during the course of supporting various candidates.
As to the rest, I will say that the reason Neil's particular unstated beliefs became an issue in this discussion is because you ascribed a particular set to him.
The rest of this discussion will have to wait until after Christmas.
------------
The Red Sox Republican: Burkeanism, Baseball, and Sundries.
Religion is Huckabee's entire campaign. Outside of his religious message, he's basically taking a John Edwards, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton approach to the issues, except for abortion and marriage.
Yes indeed. John Edwards, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton really do want to:
1) Win in Iraq.
2) Support General Petraeus.
3) Chase al Qaeda even in its Pakistani hideaways.
4) Double military spending as a proportion of GDP.
5) Contain Iran and deny it nuclear arms -- by force, if needed.
All things Mike Huckabee has espoused since his campaign began. Not that you'd know it from the conservative-establishment media.
Do all of the above and the world is going to like us even less, but that's okay with me. I don't see #5 as a family squabble.
"Honor is self-esteem made visible in action." - Ayn Rand, West Point, 1974
However, they probably shouldn't leave the Sunday School offering lying about.
Envisioning when all that is Left is the Right.
You're way too informed to buy into the Kathryn Lopez line on Hagee. Furthermore, you provide no evidence of illegal or unethical behavior on Huckabee's part. So what's actually going on here?
Also, when presented with conflicting information (response #1 from ISB says Huck is no longer accepting engagements due to campaign, response #2 indicates otherwise) is not the responsible thing to contact the ISB to say definitively which response is correct? And even better, contacting the Huck campaign and asking them what the deal is?
Instead, Erick takes the lazy and sleazy way out, like some journalists have been doing lately with other candidates, and does not even attempt to clarify conflicting information, instead making an accusation unsupported by the facts.
I'd be happy to be proven wrong, but Erick and his "source" could not be bothered to pursue a complete set of facts, so I do not know whether I am wrong or right, and neither do any of you.
...lazy and sleazy because not only did he and his friend not do the legwork to clarify conflicting information (lazy) he takes the conflicting information to make an accusation for which he has no proof and is based on the information he refused to clarify (sleazy).
Can you not see that it's the Huckster playing it two ways here? No speaking engagements UNLESS it's to the people he's trying to get to support him directly on a political basis as the "Christian" running for office.
Please fess up that you were only pretending to be that stupid and not the picture portrait of a SoCon that the MSM has been portraying for years now.
Well done is better than well said. —Benjamin Franklin
trevino, unlike Erick, I will back his words of truth up. Hope you are not too offended by these truths. I really do not care though, I am going to tell you anyway.
I know you will not care, and you will still vote for you Huckabee brother, I am here to simply prove you wrong. You can vote for you guy without even having to have a reason on the merits. After all, you do not ever need to have a reason to vote for Huckabee, or for that matter any candidate. After all, this is a free nation.
Here is the proof on (6) seperate subjects of interest to the commissions findings of wrong doing.
(1) Campaign Cash
The ethics commission fined Huckabee $1,000 for failing to report that he paid himself $14,000 from his 1992 U.S. Senate campaign and $43,000 from his 1994 lieutenant governor's campaign.
The latter payment — for the use of his eight-seat, twin-engine plane — was reported in a cryptic way that didn’t identify Huckabee and his wife as the owners of the plane.
Huckabee sued the commission, alleging its investigation into the campaign payments violated state rules and his due process rights.
And he asked the judge to impose a statute of limitations on ethics complaints.
The commission, whose director accused Huckabee of trying “to shut the commission down,” sued Huckabee for trying to quash its subpoenas, though both sides dropped their suits after reaching an out-of-court settlement.
2) I.R.S. Fraud
The commission found Huckabee unintentionally failed to disclose $23,500 he received from a nonprofit organization set up to handle his speaking engagements and supplement his income before he became governor.
The nonprofit, Action America, paid Huckabee a total of $41,500 in 1994 and 1995 but missed IRS filing deadlines for those years.
Huckabee has repeatedly declined to disclose the handful of benefactors who financed the group.
After Huckabee’s “Fox News Sunday” appearance, Thompson’s campaign accused the former governor of using Action America to “funnel his speaking fees through the organization and avoid disclosure requirements.”
3) Bribes Though Gifts
According to Huckabee’s disclosure reports, he accepted more than 300 gifts worth at least $130,000, ranging from $3,700 cowboy boots to a $600 chainsaw and $250 worth of dental care.
Plenty of politicians accept gifts of all sorts, but Huckabee had problems with Arkansas gift rules that bar public officials from accepting rewards for official action and require them to report the value and source of gifts.
He alleged in a second lawsuit against the commission that the rules were unconstitutionally vague.
Meanwhile, commissioners were investigating a $500 canoe that Coca-Cola gave him and ultimately fined him $250 for accepting it because they said it rewarded him for doing his job.
A judge later overturned the canoe decision but upheld an admonition for Huckabee’s failure to report receiving a $200 stadium blanket the same year.
4) Stealing State of Arkansas Governor’s Mansion Furniture
Allegations by a former governor’s mansion employee in 1998 became part of the basis for a lawsuit against Huckabee over his family’s use of a $60,000-a-year fund. The lawsuit also dealt with Huckabee’s assertion that $70,000 worth of furniture donated to the governor's mansion was his to keep.
The fund had been used to pay for pizza, a doghouse, a magazine subscription and pantyhose for Huckabee’s wife, Janet, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.
The suit was settled with Huckabee admitting no wrongdoing but acknowledging a dispute "regarding reimbursements” and making clear the furniture was for the mansion.
5) Wedding Registry
As the Huckabees prepared to leave the governor’s mansion last year for a private home in the Little Rock suburbs, Janet Huckabee’s friends set up registries on two stores' websites listing $7,000 worth of housewarming gifts, ranging from napkins to a $300 KitchenAid mixer.
Arkansas newspapers quoted state lawmakers criticizing the registries, which were listed as “wedding” registries, even though the Huckabees have been married since 1974.
Huckabee explained the only option other than weddings was baby showers.
And the couple lashed out at Arkansas media for their coverage of the registries, which Janet Huckabee told the Democrat-Gazette did “permanent damage.”
6) Destuction of Arkansas Government Property involving Computer Hard Drives
Before leaving office Jan. 9, Huckabee spent $13,000 in state funds to destroy the hard drives of nearly 100 computers in the governor’s office.
He pointed out that he had backed up the data and argued that the hard drive destruction was standard practice to prevent the dissemination of sensitive information related to employees or constituents.
Critics suggested he was hiding something. But the ethics commission dismissed complaints alleging violations of record management rules.
There were a total of (14) Complaints that were filed against Huckabee for Ethics violations. Of these, (5) of the complaints were "Ruled" to be in "Violation of the Arkansas Ethics Guidelines" by the "State of Arkansas Ethics Commission" in their Report.
At the bottom of this page I have provided a link to the Report which backs up my posting of all the facts of these cases.
The Report from the "Arkansas Ethics Commission" on "Michael Dale Huckabee" involving the findings of the Comission's Report, can be reviewed at the bottom of this page. A copy was obtained from the Washington Post.
This is not good news for "Huckabee The Wannabe" presidential candidate folks.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/documents/ethics_commissio...
1. He apparently thinks that Acts 10:15 means Christians can eat anything they want without regard to the food laws or even common-sense healthy living.
2. He hasn't been inspired by Huckabee's own return to fitness.
Must be frustrating having a candidate where a new legitimate scandal comes out every day. Hucks strength comes from having so many of these stories come out, people can't remember what was said two days ago. I can't keep up with it.
Freedom and religion endure together, or perish alone. --Mitt Romney
There seems to some sort of inverse laffer curve for scandals where if you increase the rate of scandals, their effect becomes decreased individually, and after a certain point even in aggregate.
______________________________
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
---
Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. - Milton Friedman
1. $25k doesn't approach what Rudy charges last I checked (a bit of googling reveals Giuliani was still getting $100k speaker checks this year plus benefits and travel from all sorts of places - and I have no issue with that, more power to him)
2. Cornerstone is not exactly short on cash.
3. If Cornerstone as a church wants to pay Huckabee 1/4th of Giuliani's speaker fee for that, that's their business. Personally I think the money can be better spent, but that's for the church involved to decide.
This is getting a bit ridiculous, I have to say.
Does he command $25K to speak at a church because he is running for POTUS or was that his fee prior to announcing?
What is disconcerting to me is the way his role as preacher and candidate and money are all tangled up. Is this a preacher getting a preacher's fee for preaching? Is this a candidate for POTUS getting a fee for a campaign appearance? Is this a little bit of both but passing as neither?
Of Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton running for POTUS. I can't tell the difference between when they're a preacher and when they're a candidate.
"Honor is self-esteem made visible in action." - Ayn Rand, West Point, 1974
Assinine, desperate, unfair, etc.
"I believe in grace, because I have seen it. In peace, because I have felt it. In forgiveness, because I needed it."
-George W. Bush
all liberals. Policies, those things that affect peoples' lives.
Mike Gamecock DeVine @ The Charlotte Observer
http://thehinzsightreport.com
www.theminorityreportblog.com
www.race42008.com
www.fred08.com
However, it's not exactly like this is a phenomenon that is either new or likely to go away soon. So I'm not sure Huck deserves special treatment.
------------
The Red Sox Republican: Burkeanism, Baseball, and Sundries.
I am from Arkansas and was very excited about Huckabee's fist run in 92. He spoke my language and I am sure I was feeling the warm fuzziness that the Iowa Christians are experiencing right now.
However, please listen to me. This guy has more skeletons in his closet than Bill Clinton, Jim and Tammy Baker, and Gary Hart combined. Huckabee's skeletons involve the love of money. He has set up so many 501c4's whose sole purpose is to allow people with an interest in receiving help from Huckabee to funnel money to him. I can't think of all of them but a few are: Action America (which he still refuses to disclose who the donors were) Next Step Foundation, which was supposed to be used for education reform in Arkansas but instead went to pay him money, 12 stop foundation which he received hundreds of thousands of dollars in consulting fees while he was Governor from people who could benefit from his position and now he is taking an inordinate amount of money from churchs to supplement his campaign. I can't believe that it is "fair market value" to pay someone at least 25,000 dollars to be a guest preacher.
As a Christian it offends me that he would charge that much money to a church to speak. I can understand having the church pay your expenses, but to take money that could go to missions or helping the poor and put it into your pocket while at the same time getting national attention that only helps your campaign is beyond dispicable - it is immoral and I will never vote for Mike Huckabee again.
I live in San Antonio and went to see Mike Huckabee speak there this morning, even though it is not a place I attend church or would probably ever attend church. First of all, he did not talk about politics at all, not one word. Nothing was said about the fact that he was even running for president by anyone. He gave a message that was centered around the birth of Christ and the meaning of Christmas that you could hear in a lot of churches this time of year. (I have to admit he is a great speaker and it was more well done than many of its type I have heard.) The church did take (only) a regular offering and no mention was made of any money going to support Huckabee. As for your e-mail about him charging a $25K speaking fee for churches, many Protestant Christian speakers who are well-known charge a fee for speaking, from what I've heard. If he is speaking an apolitical message on Christianity to Christians, I don't see what the problem is here. Now, if he takes the $25K from Cornerstone and uses it for his campaign I do not know how that figures in, although if it counts as his personal income I don't see why it would be a problem, if he wants to spend his own income on his campaign. I am not saying no wrong was done here, saying he was "dipping into the offering plate" without any proof is irresponsible, don't you think? You should give evidence to back up such a statement.
"First of all, he did not talk about politics at all, not one word. Nothing was said about the fact that he was even running for president by anyone. He gave a message that was centered around the birth of Christ and the meaning of Christmas that you could hear in a lot of churches this time of year."
No way a guy goes into a church in Texas just 11 days from an Iowa caucus he's leading and makes no mention of the presidency unless he's getting paid. No freakin' way. I'll eat my shoe if he did it for free.
__________________________________________
First State Politics
Nothing was said about the fact that he was even running for president by anyone
Anyone. Not one single person. Not one seeeeeengle person, in that entire church, mentioned in any way that Huckabee is running for President.
Nothing. Nobody.
Wow. Consider yourself beclowned. That was a ridiculous comment.
the comment meant that no one said anything about Huck being a presidential candidate into a microphone that was broadcast to the congregation...
now, since very many of the people there probably knew that Huck is running for president, someone may have turned to their neighbor and said "Hey, I like what this guy is saying...he's a good preacher, I think I'll vote for him if I get the chance." Is that a good basis for a decision like that? No. But neither is that a basis for corruption charges.
When a politician (or a preacher) gives a political speech in church or a political endorsement from the pulpit, that is a problem - something that should not be done...but from this purportedly firsthand account that didn't happen...so no foul on Huck's part here.
"Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first."
Ronald Reagan
Just like Huck's whole snake oil campaign, it seems. Nobody ever actually comes out and SAYS it. It's all implied.
All implied.
If nothing else, the Huckabee campaign has been a wonderful exercise for the paranoid mind.
This is my first time posting on RedState and I have to admit I am not impressed. Any reasonable people out there? Let me get it straight here. You are calling me a liar, with absolutely no evidence to do so, although I was there and you weren't. That says a lot more about you than it does about me.
Tell you what, why don't you get the tape? They tape the entire service. Then you can post on here how your shoe tasted. :) I'll be interested to know.
P.S. I went to the 8:30 service, and was shocked that not even the pastor (Hagee) mentioned he was running for president! If anyone else on here was there how's about backing me up? Or are you all people that weren't even there but have already decided what MUST have happened, lacking facts? Any fair and open-minded people out there???
WHAT A SCAB! HUCKABEE IS SCUM.
RomenyBot, think a bit about what you just said. Think a bit if the guy you continually pimp here at RS would say what you just did.
While I disagree with Pastor HuckaFraud, I'll say to you that there is such a thing as too far, you just crossed that line.
______________________________________
Proud member of the Barry Goldwater wing of the party !
I thought Erick was above this... but "Dips Into Offering Plates" is like all the anti-Huckabots complaining that Huckabee is too Christian while trying to make the case that he is a bad Christian.
to someone to speak? I don't get these churches I thought that they would help the poor, etc. I don't think paying Huckabee or anyone 25K is helping the poor. If Huckabee is so happy with his messege on Christ shouldn't he give it away for free. I believe Jesus did not accept speaking fees, he so wanted you to believe he gave it away. Food for thought people.
The hypocrisy is mindboggling to say the least.
Freedom of Religion not Freedom from Religion
If a church wants to pay $25K to bring in a speaker so what? It's their money. Personally I don't think anyone is that good of a speaker, but that's just me.
As for Jesus, I know he got a free meal a few times.
==== 13 ====
I could certainly see them doing it to spread their message.
You could also view it as a purely business decision.
If having a speaker can bump your attendance you will take in more over time.
I used to hold seminars on changes in medical regulation to bring in potential customers.
The problem here is spending that kind of money for a speaker with the baggage Huckabee has. He alienates as much as he encourages.
______________________________
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
Here's what I think happened.
Somewhere in Romney or Thompson HQ:
Press Sec1: "Dude, _uckabee is speaking at that church today. You know the one we dug up some stuff on the pastor."
Comm Dir: "Well, let's hit, or it'll be a lost opportunity. Who can we send the info to?"
Lame Lawyer: "But, there isn't actual evidence or a connection of legal impropriety."
Comm Dir: "Shut up, image is everything, stupid, don't you know how to campaign? Hey (to Press Sec1) get this on the blogs, it'll be a good hit. The papers won't jump on it as fast as the internet."
Press Sec1: "Right, let me IM my contacts."
Comm Dir: "Nah ____k that! Offer RS an exclusive first, if they pick it up, good, if not, spread that."
Press Sec 1: "Got it."
Comm Dir: "Then I'll tell Fred or Mitt the good news and they'll pat me on the back like a schnauzer."
Honestly, this is just a good press shop at work, hitting Huckabee at any level. Kudos to them. That's the way a real campaign is run.
Then again, the prosperity gospel people chose the way of Balaam long ago.
For offerings given to God's service, I don't see how this spreads the Gospel or accomplishes the works of mercy. And when I read of the great needs and the sacrifices for the sake of the Gospel that many others make in Africa and Asia and South America, I must say shame.
Simony is not something I respond to very civilly.
Christians in Iraq put Christians in America to shame...there is no 25K to speak there...oh no those people put their lives on the line to try to spread the message....as the apostles did.
How far the flock has fallen from the original intent and yet these same "conservatives" would like the Supreme Court to stay with original intent...interesting little web Christians have made for themselves in America.
Freedom of Religion not Freedom from Religion
http://hosted.ap.prg/dynamic/stories/H/HUCKABEE_AROL-?SITE=ARMOU&SECTION...
He is being paid at least 25,000 dollars to make national news by speaking from the pulpti about his commercial. He knows that him speaking at church and referencing his controversial ad will make news and further solidify the non-thinking christians.
These days, unless something's illegal, there's nothing wrong with it, apparently.
and their dying for their religion as opposed to 25K to speak to a church gathering.....nothing "wrong" legally there...something wrong "morally" there.
If Huckabee was really just speaking on Christmas why did he have to take 25K couldn't he have just been paid flight, room and board, etc. He could have been above the fray by donating the 25K to oh I don't know the people he talks about who are one rent check away from the street.
I have to say churches today with the money they rake in and the absolute disgusting way in which they throw it around would make the early Christians cry....really the inhumanity of it all.
That he would institute more program govermentally to help these "poor" (did you all see the poor woman in LA with a 60 inch screen) is the most shameful of all. We all know you lift no one up with a hand out you must extend a hand up.
Freedom of Religion not Freedom from Religion
....is with the priorities of the churches, not the actions of Mike Huckabee. That's the nature of economic choices: we can always think of something "better" to have spent the money on.
This entire affair is a mountain out of a molehill.
is with both and the hypocrisy that abounds 1) that the church would pay 25K and 2) the preacherman took it.
Oh by the way all the news organizaations are reporting that he did bring up his "Chrismas Video" which was political. I am not shocked mind you because it would appear from posters here that as long as Hillary and Obama are doing it, that makes it ok.
Freedom of Religion not Freedom from Religion
Update: Jonah Goldberg wonders why this hasn't made more of a splash. So am I. Maybe now that NRO has picked it up, it will pick up some steam.
With as many critiques that I've given Huckabee, I've never questioned him on social issues. I've always thought that was his strong point. But now comes news that those principles may not be so bonafide, at least when money gets involved.
The Caucus Cooler reveals details on some shady fundraising that includes $35,000 from an embryonic stem cell research group.
Most noteworthy, $35,000 came from Novo Nordisk, one of the world’s largest embryonic stem cell researchers. It seems that when money is at stake Huckabee may be able to look past his supposedly fervent opposition to this procedure
He also received speaking fees and honoraria from churches while Governor.
It is certainly calls into question whether or not it is appropriate for a Governor to be taking a consulting fee from interest groups, as Huckabee did, when issues surrounding that interest group could come across his desk.
The consulting money was funneled through an organization called 12 stops, a group created in 2004 to handle Gov. Huckabee’s book deals. With all the attention Senator Obama received for running a separate PAC and potentially funnelling money from maxed out donors through that PAC, it calls into question whether Huckabee may have done the same.
More at the Boston Globe:
He opposes embryonic stem-cell research, but this year accepted a fat speaking fee from drugmaker Novo Nordisk, which conducts embryonic stem-cell research. Over protests from churches, he pushed through a bill allowing video poker at the state's racetracks, then took a cool $10,000 campaign contribution from the owner of the state's biggest track.
….
Brantley reports that Huckabee used campaign funds to pay himself as his own media consultant. (Personally, I consider this a hanging offense.)
According to Brantley, "Huckabee raked in tens of thousands of dollars in gifts, including gifts from people he later appointed to prestigious state commissions. Inauguration funds were used to buy clothing for his wife."
Matt Taibbi in Rolling Stone found Huckabee had a $60,000 taxpayer slush fund for personal expenses like dog food, pantyhose, and meals at Taco Bell. Taco Bell?
Rob Port of Say Anything:
Mike Huckabee is no fiscal conservative, but he’s strong on social issues. But if he loses credibility on social issues as well, his campaign “ship” is sunk.
Dan Riehl:
The word on Huckabee is that he likes his money. I'm not sure people realize just how much, given the poor preacher image and all. He appears to have made several times his salary as Governor from outside business interests.
So how will this make his social defenders feel? Will they look elsewhere? This news so far isn't registering in the MSM. Will it be ignored as he is the media darling?
....for proving that anyone may put anything on the internet, and count upon large numbers of people believing it.
Even when the putative "source documents" show exactly the opposite of what is claimed.
Huckabee's position on stem cells:With respect to stem cells, I support federal funding of research using existing stem cell lines. I do not believe in creating life for the sole purpose of destroying it. I'm encouraged by recent discoveries showing that stem cells from the umbilical cord offer great promise.
Huckabee's position re taking money from people who do embryonic stem cell research: Take the money and book sales and run for president.
I also notice an apt comment at this site by charlie parrot
Huckabee's repertoire:
1) Bait and switch
2) unhitch and retrade
3) confuse then scapegoat
4) when it gets too hot, play hammer-hand bassIn his dealings with the Danish Co. Novo Nordisk, Huckabee would be well advised to read Rudyard Kipling's poem, Dane-geld.
Now there's no more oak oppression,
For they passed a noble law,
And the trees are all kept equal
By hatchet, axe, and saw.
was giving to the church came from gambling winnings:
"I'll take money from the Devil to do God's work!"
ADMITTEDLY not quite on point, and I agree Huck should not continue to take the money, but
I love to work in that quote when I can.
Mike Gamecock DeVine @ The Charlotte Observer
http://thehinzsightreport.com
www.theminorityreportblog.com
www.race42008.com
www.fred08.com
______________________________
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
but the antihuckabee wannabes are a more interesting read. Were it not for him there would be nothing to read at RS. I hope he doesn't drop out. It's like reading the comic page every day.
Did Huckabee raise any campaign funds while he was in San Antonio or have campaign staff with him? If he did, he violated campaign finance laws.
He also violated campaign finance laws by referencing his campaign commercial in his speech.
that he referred to the ad? The one person who was there said he didn't mention a word about his campaign. Even if he did, it's perfectly fine for candidates to speak in churches: see Obama and Hillary.
and might I add look at who you are using for examples of what you consider to be fine.
Freedom of Religion not Freedom from Religion
First of all the AP report said that he referred to his campaign commercial and held a fundraiser afterwards. It is ok for Barack and Hillary to speak at Churches and talk about the campaign because THEY ARE NOT BEING PAID 25,000 DOLLARS OR MORE.
As soon as you are charging people to hear you speak, the rules change. Huckabee is a snake oil salesman and gullible people like you are keeping him in business.
what he said was that some people get mad when you mention that Christmas is about Jesus Christ, and he found that out the hard way. That is not an exact quote, but the general gist of it. He did not mention the ad by name as I recall. As for Hillary, she spoke at Rick Warren's church (Saddleback) recently, supposedly on AIDS, and used the opportunity to outline in specific detail what she will do for AIDS if elected president. Sounds like campaigning to me! You can Google this and check it out for yourself. Obama has been to the same church doing the same thing. I have no idea if they were paid or not, but they got a free platform to do what - campaign! If Huckabee got paid it was not for campaigning because he didn't do any, unless he gave a totally different message at the 11:00 service which I wasn't at. If you want to say he was campaigning by just being there, I suppose that it a matter of opinion. But he did not talk about politics, while the Democrats seem to do this regularly with no repercussions (sic). Sorry, it's late and my spelling fades.
The fact that he didn't mention it by name is immaterial.
This is yet another example of what Nick Danger referred to in his famous "Snake Oil is Sold" post, in which he details just how Huckabee always manages to say inflammatory things in the passive voice, taking pains to make his point without having the courage to come out and say it directly.
Look, this is all very confusing for me. Trying to figure out exactly why I am uncomfortable with what it is he was doing there is very difficult. It's even more difficult because I have no model for defining what it was he was doing there. What explains 25K to a preacher to preach a sermon at a church while he is running for POTUS and people are coming to see him because of his candidacy? The mighty trevino did not even offer to explain it.
Whatever it is, part of my discomfort is that his campaign technique seems to involve seeking, actually more than seeking, importuning -- his attitude is revealed in various interviews by readily accessible quotes -- on Chistian voters based on the claim that he is the best Christian running for POTUS. This is creating all kinds of divisions with "chilling effect" and an inchoate dynamic that is hard to judge explicitly but grates against our traditional instincts.
What bothers me about this is 1) Cornerstone (or any church) paying anyone $25K to speak, as some have said above, and 2) Huckabee speaking at the church of someone so notoriously anti-Catholic (and I'm not even a Catholic, but Hagee is outrageous). There's no way Huckabee doesn't know Hagee, after all. If nothing else, you sorta have to question the wisdom of his decision to speak there when people are looking for reasons to criticize him. I wonder, does Mike Huckabee harbor anti-Catholic sentiments himself? It's not like it'd be unheard-of among evangelical Southern Baptists...
guilt by association to me, unless you can you provide some quotes by Huckabee saying that he is anti-Catholic. Sounds like you are stereotyping the Baptists which is no better than stereotyping Catholics. I am no fan of John Hagee and do not agree with much he is purported to say, but I went to Cornerstone because I was curious to see what Huckabee had to say. I would have gone if he was speaking, at say, the Masonic Lodge, even though I am not a Mason and don't agree with Masonic teaching. Too much is being made of the issue of John Hagee. Huckabee did not stand up and say he agreed with Hagee's theology, for gosh sakes. He said "thanks for inviting me" and then spoke his OWN message. By the way I really recommend that folks get out to see candidates. It was the first time I did it and I am really glad I did. You get a whole different perspective seeing them "raw" and without the press to take out selective sound bites and spin things. It was a fascinating experience.
I don't think it is "deflecting" to hold Romney (and all the other candidates) to the same standard. That is just being fair.
-->Too much is being made of the issue of John Hagee. Huckabee did not stand up and say he agreed with Hagee's theology, for gosh sakes.<--
Didn't Huckabee call Hagee "one of the great Christian leaders of our nation?"
That implies admiration and agreement. Hagee's viewpoints need further investigation.
52 weeks at 40 hours a week at $25/hr, that's a cool $1 million a week, or $52 million/yr. Not bad for an economic populist that likes to rail against wealthy CEOs. Reminds me of John Edwards.
I'm all for one private entity paying another $25k for services rendered if they see that kind of value, but unlike Huckabee I'm a free market capitalist that doesn't decry the wealthy.
"Honor is self-esteem made visible in action." - Ayn Rand, West Point, 1974
I am torn between Huckabee and another GOP frontrunner, which I will not name.
But the idea of speaking at churches then taking money from them lowers us to the Democrats level. People in this country want someone that is beyond reproach.
Speaking at the church makes me squirm less (but not by much) only if the invitation is given out to all candidates.
Personally, I would be ticked if my church had any candidate speaking at my church during a Sunday worship service. I want to go worship my Lord, not hear the bellowings of ANY candidate.
Tax Hike Mike has perverted the scriptures.
He is a profit with honorarium in his own country.
Yesterday, I read a deadly article about Huckabee supporting Embryonic Stem Cell Researchers by taking $35,000 U.S. Dollors from a Company named "Novo Nordisk" that proves Mr. Mike Huckabee the Former Gov. of Arkansas, is only interested in getting more bribe money, rather than taking the Conservative Pro-Life Poistion even when tempted by Money. "Novo Nordisk" is one of the Worlds Largest Research Companies, that does work on "Human Embryonic Stem Cells".
I finally have proof of What I always have suspected. Which is, that Huckabee is our current day Richard Nixon. Corrupt to the core of his inner being. I am Pro Life, and I am glad more fellow Moral People can see the Huckabee for the man he "Chose" to be, as Governor of the State of Arkansas. It appears
It appears Huckabee's weak ablity to resist temptations of bribe money's corrupting influence, is now coming out in the public spotlight.
Below is the link to the article which proves Huckabee, is the New "Slick Willie" of Arkansas.
http://caucuscooler.blogspot.com/2007/12/cooler-exclusive-governor-graft...