Huckabee Shows Fundraising Potential
Nets $500K at a Little Rock event
By Leon H Wolf Posted in 2008 — Comments (14) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
According to the December 18th issue of The FrontRunner (sorry, no link available), Mike Huckabee is convincing at least some political watchers that he is a viable candidate for 2008:
The AP (12/17, DeMillo) reported that Huckabee "tested his fundraising ability for a potential White House run Saturday, drawing more than $500,000 for his political action committee at a Little Rock gala. Huckabee said the event was to raise money for his PAC and not for a presidential campaign, but 2008 was clearly on the minds of many people attending the fundraiser. Stickers saying 'Mike Huckabee President' were seen throughout the ballroom at the Statehouse Convention Center." During a speech at the fundraiser, Huckabee said, "I'm often asked what's my next step, and the answer is, I'm not quite sure just yet. ... Yes, I have a lot of thoughts and encouragement and...in the near future I may decide to take a bold and frightening step."
I had assumed, at this point, that Huckabee would not present a serious challenge to the candidates who are running to the right of McCain right now (Romney, Brownback), but it appears that this may be premature. As a former resident of Arkansas during Huckabee's tenure, I have never understood the fascination for Huckabee among circles. Huckabee, after all, was rated dead last among the nation's governors by the Cato Institute for tax rates and revenue variables, and was given a "C" on spending. His manifold fiscal failures have been widely chronicled by the Club for Growth, and the Cato Institute has widely criticized him for his expansion of the nanny-state in Arkansas. Huckabee has also favored in-state tuition rates for illegal immigrants, and state funded scholarships for the same. Mike Huckabee may very well have a constituency with which he is philosophically aligned, but that constituency is nowhere near "to the right of McCain."
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Anyone and everyone should be pushing this man to run for AR SEN. He should not be a Presidential candidate and he would be passing up a chance to help the AR GOP, which needs help.
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Social Security Choice - Club For Growth
Yes he needs to run for the Senate. The reason we do not control the Senate is because we got too many red states like Arkansas with Democratic Senators.
...sucks all the air out of Huckabee's bid. He is clearly a fiscal liberal with a minimal chance of capturing the nomination. He should defiantly pass up a presidential run and take a shot at Pryor in 08.
Isn't he an ordained Baptist minister?
I have nothing against that, but there is NO WAY that an ordained minister could be elected as a Republican. There will be no end of angst in the liberal media about the potential mixture of church and state.
May be I'm wrong, but I thought that was his background.
BRASSBAND77
to recommend him. Can someone enlighten me how he could have a prayer (no pun intended)? Is the GOP that bereft of good candidates?
You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you.
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If "pro" is the opposite of "con", what is the opposite of "progress"?
Call my ballot in that race an "undervote".
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If "pro" is the opposite of "con", what is the opposite of "progress"?
aren't so bad, if you look at history.
The first historical indicator is very bad for McCain. The last (elected) President to come out of Congress was Nixon, but he was considered a Washington outsider by the time he ran for President (the smell of D.C. had disappated.) Johnson was really a coattail candidate for Kennedy, who was the last elected President to REALLY come directly out of Congress. (Johnson would never have made it on his own.) Before that, the last elected President to come out of Congress was Truman, again a coattail candidate following FDR. Carter, Reagan, Clinton, Bush II: all governors. Bush I was a coattail candidate for Reagan.
History lesson: Congressmen don't do well in presidential elections.
The second historical indicator is very bad for Romney. Northerners don't do well. Kennedy was the last president from the North. All of the elected presidents following Kennedy were from the south or California, and southern California, to boot. Except maybe Bush I. Is he a Texan or a Maine-aise? Whichever, northern candidates don't carry the South.
And Rudy? From the North, two divorces, public affairs, gay rights, gun control. Forget about it.
History lesson: Northerners don't do well in presidential elections.
I love Brownback, but the man is a exciting as dirt. Not to mention, he comes out of Congress.
Which brings us back to Huckabee. Huckabee is a southern governor, which have done pretty well in recent years. Two other strong points in his favor: 1) he ain't McCain and 2) he ain't Romney.
Not my first choice, but don't write him off.
If he is for amnesty, and he is, he will not get my vote. Same reason I cannot support Brownback. Other comments on here is that he is a big government "conservative" which is an oxymoron if I ever heard one. If there is one thing we can all agree on (except the blue blood rockerfeller lib wing of the party) is that we want smaller government.
Again hoping the 08 candidate is not yet on radar.
but I think the amnesty isse will be dead by 2008. It appears to be dying a not-so-slow death as we speak type. The best that can be hoped for, immigrationally speaking, is a sane border policy AFTER Congress grants amnesty to the current crop.
Here's a link to educate yourselves about Huckabee. http://www.mikehuckabeepresident2008.blogspot.com
Regards,
BSR
Huckabee is a Rockefeller Republican. He came up through a political organization built by Wynn Rockefeller.
I would say he's got very little chance at winning the Presidency. I just don't think the time is right for a Republican economic populist friendly social conservative who shares a position on immigration with the current President. On the other hand, I'm almost always wrong about these things. He's got virtually no record or state positions on foreign policy, and unlike another former governor of Arkansas, he brings has virtually no experience outside of Arkansas either in his education or his professional life.
He's a capable administrator--for instance, the Arkansas Katrina relief efforts were efficient even though they were quickly improvised. He's brilliant on the stump--speaking eloquently and extemporaneously. The ability to be spontaneious may be a refreshing change from politicians who appear to have scripted every move. Huckabee does not follow a script. On the other hand, this does lead him to make comments that will provide fodder for opponents and commentators, and this tends to expose his biggest liability--he's thin skinned.
Huckabee suffers from one of the worst cases of white guilt I've ever seen in a politician. Its truly nauseating to hear him talk about immigration, especially his idiotic defense of mass immigration on the grounds that its a way for white people to make amends for slavery! I'm not kidding about this;
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2006/12/6/110901.shtml
The guilt and stupidity displayed in that argument should be enough alone to make any conservative think long and hard about this guy.