Misgiving #5 - I Heart Huckabee? Uh.... no.
I began this year looking at the lot of Republican hopefuls with some disappointment... surely after 6-7 years of a slowly denigrated conservative party there would be a leader or two that would rise out of the ashes of Medicare prescription coverage, nationalized education, and a record number of earmarks. But those of us that are the unwavering conservatives, we were faced with an opportunistic Mitt Romney or a rock-solid, but pro-choice Giuliani.
Ah, so suddenly all of you have gotten so excited about one man, Mr. Mike Huckabee. Alas, some of you have been campaigning for him for nearly two years, long before he even declared his intent. I'm so glad that some of us have had the vision to look ahead and begin, literally, a grass roots movement to raise a leader you can believe in to national status... with almost no special interest money or compromise.
But I have had a hesitation in my gut since day one. Not just cuz the guy is from Arkansas... I mean, only two of the last three governors have been corrupt; it doesn't mean Huckabee had to be. In fact, he was a crusader! He came in to clean things up, right? He's pro-life, pro-family, a Baptist minister in his own right. It's almost too perfect!
Exactly.
I've learned to trust my gut, and so I decided to start digging for the truth long before conservative talk show hosts did. Those who know me and my past political adventures know I’m not one to shy away from voting my conscience. I don’t consider it a “wasted vote” to vote with your heart – with PRINCIPLE. It’s weakness at the ballot box that gives us weakness in leadership. So I really wanted to see if this Huckabee guy was all he was cracked up to be. I wanted someone to BELIEVE IN AGAIN! I began my journey about 8 months ago, just as the Republican list of nominees seemed set in stone. But conservative columnists like Ilana Mercer and Vox Day began chiding conservatives for the next several months because of their blind embrace of the pro-life minister. I wanted to know why.
Meanwhile, the mass-media has begun to notice Huckabee, and as our mutual distrust for the Arkansan Politico has matured, they have finally put into writing what I have been slowly discovering the last 4-5 months... Mike Huckabee is not a conservative. He is no more a conservative than Zell Miller. Yes, that's right. Of course, he supports gun rights. He's from the Ozarks man. Of course, he's pro-life – he IS a man of faith, and I DO respect that. But any man that raises taxes 47% during his governorship, pushes for government subsidies of tuition for illegal aliens and health benefits, criticizes the President for his veto of the Democratic increases in CHIP, grants pardons to criminals as often as he winks at the camera (more than 700, you know including 12 murderers), calls fellow conservative critics names, slanders his Republican brothers with flat-out lies (Club for Growth accusation on hidden donations), suffers 15 reprimands from the state ethics board, then SUES that ethics board (and loses), views global warming as a serious issue and that we have a "biblical duty" to address it… is NOT a conservative. He is a social conservative, to be sure... but he is NOT a fiscal conservative at all, and Lord knows, the Republican Party is not the same today because it lost sight of the other half of the two-edged sword, small-government vs. strong morals.
One of the most disturbing revelations I found about Huckabee was his reaction to the Club for Growth, a conservative, anti-tax, small government group because of their opposition of him. Rather than playing the gentleman and ignoring the critics, he slandered them as hiding their sources of money and called them "Club for Greed". Ironically, Huckabee founded a non-profit while governor and strangely, the non-profit's only expenditure was paying Mr. Huck himself for various speeches. Of course, these donors are not public either, and being a non-profit, allows the "conservative savior" to make thousands of dollars outside the realm of his public office.
My problem isn't so much his attempt to reach "across the aisle" to get things done, or even some of his positions... I can be pragmatic too. My problem is the fact that he represents NOTHING of my fiscally conservative values and has toed the line of ethics so long that no one in his past political circles respects him anymore. Even fellow Republicans.
To all conservatives out there, please heed these warnings... Mike Huckabee is NOT the best choice. Every frustration we've tried to ignore with our current President is magnified in this man. If you thought the last several Congressional sessions were a waste of time, Huckabee gives no reason to hope otherwise. Together, the Americans for Tax Reform, The Club for Growth and the revered Cato Institute have given us stern warnings about him and his economic philosophy. Huckabee supporters are out there in the audience of this post, and please, don’t take offense to this. But be honest with yourself. Don’t tell me he cut taxes… his tax increases outweighed his tax cuts by $500 million!! Who CARES about the tax cuts when you cancel every one with a hike somewhere else, and THEN som.
As governor, Mike Huckabee:
Signed a sales tax hike in 1996 to fund the Games and Fishing Commission
and the Department of Parks and Tourism.
He supported an internet sales tax in 2001.
He publicly opposed the repeal of a sales tax on groceries and medicine in 2002.
He signed bills raising taxes on gasoline (1999), cigarettes (2003), and a $5.25 per day bed-tax
on private nursing home patients in 2001.
He proposed another sales take hike in 2002 to fund education improvements.
He opposed a Congressional measure to ban internet taxes in 2003.
In 2004, he allowed a 17% sales tax increase to become law
Increased state spending over 60% from 1996 to 2004
Opposed school choice or open voucher programs
So let me ask you, is there any reason you want to support a man like Huckabee, other than he's funny, affable, smart, "experienced" and pro-life?! Is being Pro-life the only thing you care about? Then heck, let’s get Georgia’s Zell Miller to run for President! He’ll bankrupt us with nationalized health care and kill our nation with open borders, but he’s pro-life!! Come on, let’s be serious
If Huckabee gets your Republican primary vote, he really has pulled off one of the most impressive grass-roots uprisings I've seen in a long time. But I guess that's not too surprising for those who knew him back in Arkansas… they know their ole’ guv’ner well… there they affectionately call him, "the Huckster"... apropos.
Below are some of the many links I've gathered of articles exposing The "Huckster" for what he really is... another sleezy, fun-loving Arkansan. Don't hate me yet... just read these first. ESPECIALLY the Robert Novak piece in the Washington Post:
http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=12205
http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=12394
http://www.arkansasleader.com/frontstories/st_08_11_04/huckabee8.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/25/AR2007112501547_pf.html
http://www.clubforgrowth.org/2007/11/updated_huckabee_white_paper.php
http://www.clubforgrowth.org/media/uploads/071113-white-paper-huckabee-update.pdf
posted by Mr. Ed at 11:41 PM
3 Comments:
Eddie,
You cite your conservative columnists who are opposed to Huckabee, but what about people like Michael Medved, Chuck Norris and Newt Gingrich who like Huckabee?
If you want fair and balanced coverage, you all should look at some of these articles, along with the ones Eddie posted. They're not all from Huckabee supporters, and I think they give a pretty balanced picture.
This article from Star Parker (admitting Huckabee's weaknesses) on the label of "big-government liberal":
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/balance/stories/DN-parker_30edi.State.Edition1.1f6c0a3.html
This NY Times article admits to the tax increases that you talk about, Eddie, but it also provides some context:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/02/us/politics/02huckabee.html?n=Top/&_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1197130168-DNR0UjPHgDjOCKtNNpDMSQ
Michael Medved speaks up on Mike's behalf here:
"For those who are interested in the truth, the growth of the tax burden in Arkansas under 11 years of Huckabee looks no worse (and actually a tad better) than the growth of taxes in Massachusetts under 4 years of Romney."
http://michaelmedved.townhall.com/blog/g/c6692253-551a-45e4-ba9f-37e740fe9411
The blog Evangelical Outpost has done some great research on the tax issues:
"Huckabee was Governor of Arkansas from July 1996 to January 2007. During that 10 1/2 year period, taxes that affected all citizens increased by the following amounts:
* Increase in the income tax rates: 0 percent
* Increase in the sales tax: 1 cent
* Increase in the gas tax: 3 cents a gallon
* Increase in diesel fuel tax: 4 cents a gallon"
http://www.evangelicaloutpost.com/archives/004113.html
"After being elected Governor of California in 1967, Ronald Reagan reneged on a campaign promise and signed into law the single biggest tax increase in the state's history: $1 billion. (At the time, the total state budget was only about $5 billion. Adjusted for inflation and population growth, the increase in today's dollars would be $10 billion.)
If the Club for Growth had been around in 1980, Reagan might not have become President. The influential fiscal conservative group would surely have done everything in their power to prevent the Gipper from gaining the nomination. They would have attempted to derail Reagan's campaign just as they are now doing to Gov. Huckabee."
http://www.evangelicaloutpost.com/archives/004053.html
Incidentally, Governor Huckabee has signed the Americans for Tax Reform’s pledge to protect taxpayers and not raise the income tax rates.
Grover Norquist said that, “State government officials across the nation should take note of Gov. Huckabee’s example of how to handle a spending shortfall.”
http://huckamania.wordpress.com/2007/08/17/club-for-growth-of-government/
And finally, Mike Huckabee did NOT pardon Wayne Dumond. I don't know about the 700 other pardons you mention, Eddie, but in the Dumond case, Huckabee denied commutation of Dumond's sentence 4 times. He has admitted his error and regret over supporting Dumond's parole, but he is not personally responsible for that. The main attack piece that came out last week was from the Huffington Post, a left-wing blog. If the whole Wayne Dumond issue is something you've been hearing/reading about, then you really need to look at this post from my brother Alex:
http://ihearthuckabee.blogspot.com/2007/12/wayne-dumond-attacks.html
Increasingly, Mike Huckabee is what leadership looks like. He's an adroit public speaker, and he communicates his message in life-like, cogent terms, with compelling examples like the story he told (at the Ames Straw Poll) of what his then-11-yo daughter entered into the "Comments" section of a Visitors Book after visiting the Yad Vashem holocaust museum: “Why didn't somebody do something?” Very effective.
Huckabee is all about calling his listeners to "do something," to awaken them to their own empowerment, and summon them to action in order that "Main Street," and not "Wall Street," will prevail in guarding the values and beliefs upon which the Republic was founded.
Huckabee puts his listeners at ease, and reassures them, articulating clear concepts in a natural, easy style (no doubt something well-cultivated as a pastor). He’s not as “mechanically-scripted” as Romney, nor angry or demanding, like a Ron Paul, and his large brown eyes, peering through a humble demeanor, draw a striking contrast to a unconvincing, tired-looking Thompson. One can easily imagine sitting comfortably with Mike over a cup of coffee at the Main Street Cafe.
Most importantly, perhaps, Huckabee is ONE with the FairTax grassroots movement. While many - like Romney, and others, who are invested in the current income tax system - seek to demagog the well-researched FairTax plan, its acceptance in the professional / academic community continues to grow. Renown economist Laurence Kotlikoff believes that failure to enact the FairTax - choosing instead to try to "flatten" what he deems to be a non-flattenable income tax system - will eventuate into an irrevocable economic meltdown because of the hidden aspects of the current system that make political accountability impossible.
Romney's recent WEAK response to FairTax questioning on “This Week with Geo. Stephanopoulos” drew a sharper contrast between Huckabee and all other presidential front-runners who will not embrace it. Huckabee understands that what's wrong with the income tax can't be fixed with "a tap of the hammer, nor a twist of the screwdriver." That his opponents cling to the destructive Tax Code, the IRS, preserving political power of granting tax favors at continued cost to - and misery of - American families, invigorates his campaign's raison d'etre.
Of the FairTax, Huckabee asserts that it's...
• SIMPLE, easy to understand
• EFFICIENT, inexpensive to comply with and doesn't cause less-than-optimal business decisions for tax minimization purposes
• FAIR, FLAT, and FAMILY FRIENDLY, loophole-free, and everyone pays their share
• LOW TAX RATE is achieved by broad base with no exclusions
• PREDICTABLE, doesn't change, so financial planning is possible
• UNINTRUSIVE, doesn't intrude into our personal affairs or limit our liberty
• VISIBLE, not hidden from the public in tax-inflated prices or otherwise
• PRODUCTIVE, rewards - rather than penalizes - work and productivity
A detailed benefits analysis of the plan (from The FairTax Book) explains Huckabee's ardent advocacy:
For individuals:
• No more tax on income - make as much as you wish
• You receive your full paycheck - no more deductions
• You pay the tax when you buy "at retail" - not "used"
• No more double taxation (e.g. like on current Capital Gains)
• Reduction of "pre-FairTaxed" retail prices (due to reduced costs; increased competition)
• 29.9% mark-up yields 23% FairTax portion of prices
• Over the first year, "market-adjusted" FairTax prices comparable to current
• Every household receives a monthly check, or "prebate"
• "Prebate" is "advance tax payback" for monthly consumption to poverty level
• FairTax's "prebate" ensures progressivity, poverty protection
• Finally, citizens are knowledgeable of what their tax IS
• Elimination of "parasitic" Income Tax industry
• NO MORE IRS. NO MORE FILING OF TAX RETURNS by individuals
• Those possessing illicit forms of income will ALSO pay the FairTax
• Households have more disposable income to purchase goods
• Savings is bolstered with reduction of interest rates
For businesses:
• Corporate income and payroll taxes revoked under FairTax
• Business compensated for collecting tax at "cash register"
• No more tax-related lawyers, lobbyists on company payrolls
• No more embedded (hidden) income/payroll taxes in prices
• Reduced costs. Competition - not tax policy - drives prices
• Off-shore "tax haven" headquarters can now return to U.S
• No more "favors" from politicians at expense of taxpayers
• Resources go to R&D and study of competition - not taxes
• Global "free (and equitable) trade" becomes possible for currently-disadvanted U.S. exports
• U.S. exports increase their share of foreign markets
For the country:
• 7% - 13% economic growth projected in the first year of the FairTax
• Jobs return to the U.S.
• Foreign corporations "set up shop" in the U.S.
• Tax system trends are corrected to "enlarge the pie"
• Larger economic "pie," means thinner tax rate "slices"
• Initial 23% portion of price is pressured downward as "pie" increases
• No more "closed door" tax deals by politicians and business
• FairTax sets new global standard. Other countries will follow
Passionately supporting FairTax, Huckabee understands that, if elected President, Congress will have to present the bill for his signature. His call to action goes beyond his candidacy: Main Street will have to demand that their legislators deliver the bill.
(Permission is granted to reproduce, in whole or part. - Ian)
First of all, Joel, you said:
"You cite your conservative columnists who are opposed to Huckabee, but what about people like Michael Medved, Chuck Norris and Newt Gingrich who like Huckabee?"
Why do I have to cite them? The problem I've seen is that my sources haven't been cited by YOU or your brothers.
You said:
"If you want fair and balanced coverage, you all should look at some of these articles, along with the ones Eddie posted."
Do I call myself "fair and balanced"? And do I have a duty to be so in every post? No. You've already made your case, now I'm making mine. Don't frame me in a box of defensiveness when all I'm doing is making the case to MAKE the coverage balanced. Helloooo...
You said:
"This NY Times article admits to the tax increases that you talk about, Eddie, but it also provides some context"
The only context is that he is supportive of a government philosophy traditional conservatives are adamantly opposed to - namely, government involvement in anything that should be local, or left to the people.
The defense of Huckabee against Romney on taxes is hardly a strong suit, and could be negated by the ethical and moral issues Huckabee has faced in an official (non-profits/pardons, etc) and in a communicative (lying about opponents) capacity.
You said:
"Incidentally, Governor Huckabee has signed the Americans for Tax Reform’s pledge to protect taxpayers and not raise the income tax rates."
Oh, ok... now that it's convenient. His record says something else about what makes up this man's tax philosophy.
You said:
"I don't know about the 700 other pardons you mention, Eddie, but in the Dumond case, Huckabee denied commutation of Dumond's sentence 4 times."
Exactly, you don't know about the other 700. So my point stands... he has grossly misjudged what it is for a governor to show mercy to the convicted. Do you really believe little AK has more illegitimate convictions than all the surrounding states combined?
______________________________
Now to respond to Ian -
You said:
"He's an adroit public speaker..."
So is/was Barack Obama, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, John F Kennedy, FDR, William Jennings Bryan, Buchanan, Harrison, Aaron Burr, blah blah blah... all candidates or presidents with terrible policies, or none at all yet "adroit".
"Huckabee is all about calling his listeners to "do something,"
Yeah, sounds like the campaign slogan of one Lyndon Johnson. He sure did "do" alot. Big whoop. The government isn't a legitimate agent of "doing something". It's our job, not his, yet he believes government IS empowered to do good things on our behalf. WRONG.
"and his large brown eyes, peering through a humble demeanor..."
Ok, now it just sounds like you're describing that cute little scene of Paws in Shrek... Comon. :)
As for the fair tax, that is a worthy debate of having. But I am not willing to support an unethical, unelectable, vindictive, big government Republican, just because he has one good economic idea out of dozens, and happens to be pro-life. I might as soon write-in Zell Miller...
Good debate, let's keep it up? ;)
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