Stupid Joke:

Substance:

For that alone you will be missed.

America should not elect Huckabee.


America should not elect Huckabee.

Mike Huckabee; King of Gimmick

Betsy Hagan, the "Arkansas director of the conservative Eagle Forum and a key backer of his early runs for office, was once "his No. 1 fan." She was bitterly disappointed with his record. "He was pro-life and pro-gun, but otherwise a liberal," she says. "Just like Bill Clinton he will charm you, but don't be surprised if he takes a completely different turn in office"

America's President Deserves Thanks And Respect

Table of Contents

  1. America should not elect Huckabee.
  2. America should not elect Huckabee.
  3. Mike Huckabee; King of Gimmick
  4. Mike Huckabee Videos
  5. Official Romney videos contrasting Huckabee and Romney
    1. Romney Vs. Huckabee
  6. Press Releases about Mike Huckabee
  7. Issues
    1. Foreign Policy
      1. Mike Huckabee and the NIE Report
    2. Taxes
      1. ARKANSAS LEADER:"WHO'S THE BIGGEST tax RAISER?"
      2. Mike Huckabee: tax Raiser
      3. Fair Tax?
    3. Immigration
      1. Laura Ingraham On Governor Huckabee's Explanations For Giving Illegal Immigrants Tuition Breaks:
      2. Laura Ingraham: Huckabee Is A "Big Loser" On Immigration
      3. Huckabee Supports In-State Tuition Breaks For Illegals
      4. Huckabee Waffles On Federal Student Aid For Illegals
      5. Huckabee Opposes Proof Of Citizenship For Voting
    4. Ethics
      1. Gifts
      2. Campaign cash
      3. Governor’s mansion
      4. 'Wedding' registry
      5. Mike Huckabee gives jobs to those who give him money
  8. Articles About Mike Huckabee
    1. None of The Below; By George F. Will
      1. Gov. Romney On Mike Huckabee's Record
    2. Action America
    3. Gifts
    4. Computer drives
      1. Huckabee and Giuliani Support Tuition Breaks For Illegal Immigrants
      2. Huckabee on Taxes
    5. National Review's Lowry Smacks Huck
    6. Powerline's Paul Mirengoff: Huckabee "[http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives2/2007/12/019190.php|even less qualified to be president than I suspected]."
  9. Club for Growth Releases First Presidential White Paper
    1. Is Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee a Pro-Growth, Economic Conservative?
    2. taxes
    3. Spending
    4. Free Trade
    5. Entitlement Reform
    6. Regulation
    7. School Choice
    8. Political Free Speech
    9. Summation
  10. Pardons
    1. Huckabee and criminals: It's worse than just Wayne DuMond
    2. Miscellaneous Mike Huckabee Info:
  11. Mike Huckabee Facts
    1. Links to information on Mike Huckabee
  12. Mike Huckabee Links
    1. Abortion
    2. Advocated Quarantine for AIDS Patients:
    3. Mike Huckabee's Country Clubs
    4. Soft on Crime:
    5. Denials, Can't Admit Mistakes:
    6. Lies About Theology Degree:
    7. Foreign Affairs Article (Embarassing):
    8. Misleading Huckabee Statements on Various Topics:
    9. Pardons for Political Donations:
    10. Cuba Flip Flop:
    11. Summarized Scandals & Criticisms:
    12. Clueless on the NIE report:
    13. Never heard that the INS ceased to exist in 2003:
    14. Fair tax Plan:
    15. God on Huckabee's Side:
    16. Also, only he and John McCain have endorsed the discredited cap-and-trade system to limit global-warming emissions that has proved a fiasco in Europe.
    17. Mike Huckabee disses Americans, Mexicans, promotes illegal immigration:
    18. Christians Need To Beware Of Mike Huckabee:
    19. While Gov. of Arkansas, Huckabee was AGAINST proving citizenship in order to register to vote. He called those who were in favor of this "racists"...
    20. Huckabee supported in-state tuition for illegal aliens...
    21. Immigration
    22. Huckabee's opposition to the illegal aliens bill:
    23. Taxes
    24. Religion
    25. Fiscal conservative
    26. Miscellaneous
    27. Those Who Know him Best
    28. Huckabee's Laundry List of Liberalism
    29. Quotes from Conservative leaders on Mike Huckabee
    30. "HE'S JUST OUT OF TUNE WITH ALL MEASURES OF FREE MARKET, SUPPLY SIDE ECONOMICS"
  13. http://patriotradio.org/index.php


Mike Huckabee Videos

CNN Fact Check: Romney v Huck

Romney Cites Club for Growth

MSNBC: Immigration Fact Check

MSNBC Video shows that Mitt Romney passes the fact check on his tough stance on Immigration as Governor. Mike Huckabee FAILS fact check.


More on Mike Huckabee

Official Romney videos contrasting Huckabee and Romney

"Choice: The Record"
Video about Mike Huckabee's Immigration record

GOVERNOR MITT ROMNEY: "I'm Mitt Romney and I approved this message."
ANNOUNCER: "Two former governors, two good family men.
"Both pro-life, both support a Constitutional amendment protecting traditional marriage.
"The difference?
"Mitt Romney stood up, and vetoed in-state tuition for illegal aliens, opposed driver's licenses for illegals.
"Mike Huckabee? Supported in-state tuition benefits for illegal immigrants.
"Huckabee even supported taxpayer-funded scholarships for illegal aliens.
"On Immigration, the choice matters."
To watch "Choice: The Record," please see: http://tv.mittRomney.com/?showid=718462
AD FACTS: Script For "Choice: The Record" (TV:30):
GOVERNOR MITT ROMNEY: "I'm Mitt Romney and I approved this message." ANNOUNCER: "Two former governors, two good family men. Both pro-life, both support a Constitutional amendment protecting traditional marriage."

  • Governor Romney Has Been Recognized For His Pro-Life Leadership In Massachusetts. "Mitt Romney was a great Governor, who served with honor and distinction. But most importantly, he was a pro-life Governor. He vetoed a number of pro-abortion pieces of legislation and made many pro-life appointments. He was always there for us. He's a busy man these days and we are extra fortunate that he and his wife Ann could be with us. Governor, you have been an inspirational leader in many ways. And if I may say so, Mitt, you're looking very presidential. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming our friend, Governor Mitt Romney, to the podium as our 2007 Mullins Award Winner for Outstanding Political Leadership." (Kevin Jourdain, Remarks, Agawam, MA, 5/10/2007)
  • Governor Romney Supports A Constitutional Amendment Defending Traditional Marriage. "While Romney is willing to generally leave it to states to decide how to set up health care coverage plans, he said it shouldn't be left to states to decide same-sex marriage issues. 'It's a status that lasts a lifetime. And so, if somebody is married in one state and they move to another state, that status travels with them. And so, if you have gay marriage in one state, whether you want it or not, you have gay marriage in all states,' Romney told reporters after speaking at a Greenville, S.C., restaurant." (Amy Lorentzen, "Iowa Gay Marriage Ruling Stirs 2008 Race," The Associated Press, 9/1/07)
**ANNOUNCER: "The difference? Mitt Romney stood up, and vetoed in-state tuition for illegal aliens, opposed driver's licenses for illegals."*** Governor Romney Vetoed In-State Tuition For Illegal Immigrants. "Mr. Romney also cut several outside sections, including a plan that would allow illegal aliens to pay in-state tuition rates at state colleges and universities; he said the plan would encourage illegal Immigration." (Shaun Sutner, "Romney Approves $22.5B Budget," Telegram & Gazette, 6/26/04)
  • Governor Romney Opposed Efforts To Give Driver's Licenses To Illegal Immigrants. "'Those who are here illegally should not receive tacit support from our government that gives an indication of legitimacy,' the governor said, echoing arguments that opponents have voiced in the Commonwealth and in other states considering similar license measures. 'If they are here illegally, they should not get driver's licenses,' he said." (Scott S. Greenberger, "Romney Stand Dims Chances Of License For Undocumented," The Boston Globe, 10/28/03)
ANNOUNCER: "Mike Huckabee? Supported in-state tuition benefits for illegal immigrants. Huckabee even supported taxpayer-funded scholarships for illegal aliens. On Immigration, the choice matters."
  • Huckabee Fought To Pass A Bill Which Granted In-State Tuition Breaks For Illegals. "Other than the highway plan, the only bill in the governor's 21-bill legislative package that failed to win legislative approval was a proposal to make the children of illegal immigrants eligible for state-funded scholarships and in-state tuition to Arkansas colleges. After passing the House relatively early in the session, the bill faltered in the Senate where it was amended to remove the scholarship provision but fell just short of passage Tuesday and Wednesday. Huckabee said his office worked throughout the day Wednesday for the two Senate votes needed to pass the bill." (Melissa Nelson, "Governor Touts Successful End To Legislative Session," The Associated Press, 4/13/2005)
  • "'I Don't Understand The Opposition To It, I Just Honestly Don't,' Huckabee Said." (Melissa Nelson, "Governor Touts Successful End To Legislative Session," The Associated Press, 4/13/2005)
  • Huckabee Proposed Extending Taxpayer-Funded College Scholarships To Illegal Aliens. "Gov. Mike Huckabee is proposing extending eligibility for state-funded college scholarships to illegal aliens who graduate from Arkansas high schools * an idea that several legislators predicted will go nowhere" (Laura Kellams, "Huckabee Plan Would Aid Illegal Aliens," Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 1/12/2005)
  • Huckabee Said It Was "Terribly Unjust" That Illegal Aliens Couldn't Have Taxpayer-Funded College Scholarships. "Huckabee said it's 'terribly unjust' for a child who arrived in Arkansas at a young age and graduated from high school to be denied state-funded college scholarships because of a 'a status that he had no control over.'" (Laura Kellams, "Huckabee Plan Would Aid Illegal Aliens," Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 1/12/2005)

Romney Vs. Huckabee

Gov. Romney On N.I.E. Report

Top

Top

Press Releases about Mike Huckabee

Issues

Foreign Policy

Mike Huckabee and the NIE Report

[Huckabee not aware of NIE report on Iran
Kuhn: I don’t know to what extent you have been briefed or been able to take a look at the NIE report that came out yesterday ...

Huckabee: I’m sorry?
Kuhn: The NIE report, the National Intelligence Estimate on Iran. Have you been briefed or been able to take a look at it —
Huckabee: No.
Kuhn: Have you heard of the finding?
Huckabee: No.
Kuhn then summarized the NIE finding that Iran had stopped work on a clandestine nuclear program four years ago and asked if it “adjusts your view on Iran in any sense."
Kuhn: What is your concern on Iran as of now?
Huckabee: I’ve a serious concern if they were to be able to weaponize nuclear material, and I think we all should, mainly because the statements of Ahmadinejad are certainly not conducive to a peaceful purpose for his having it and the fear that he would in fact weaponize it and use it. (He pauses and thinks) I don’t know where the intelligence is coming from that says they have suspended the program or how credible that is versus the view that they actually are expanding it. … And I’ve heard, the last two weeks, supposed reports that they are accelerating it and it could be having a reactor in a much shorter period of time than originally been thought.
Kuhn: Does the United States face a higher burden of proof on Iran in light of Iraq, in the international community?
Huckabee: Probably so. First time I’ve been asked a question like that. But I think probably so because there is going to be a real anxiety for us to take any type of action without there being some very credible and almost irrefutable intelligence to validate our decision.
Kuhn: And then on the flip side of that. a conservative concern might be, does the United States, might they hedge, might they be timid from taking necessary aggressive action due to the failures of intelligence on Iraq, and our failures in Iraq itself?
Huckabee: I think that’s a possibility as well. And that would be unfortunate if we actually knew we needed to take action but were fearful of doing so because of getting burned in the Iraq situation. That would be a serious challenge for us.

Taxes

ARKANSAS LEADER:"WHO'S THE BIGGEST tax RAISER?"

By Ernie Dumas, Editorial writer for the Leader
December 1, 2007
"Mike Huckabee raised more taxes in 10 years in office than Bill Clinton did in his 12 years."

...
"Huckabee tax increases

  • Imposed an income tax surcharge of 3 percent on tax liabilities of individuals and domestic and foreign corporations (Act 38, 1st special session of 2003). (It was temporary until revenues improved. The legislature repealed it in 2005.)
  • Increased the sales tax by 1/8 of one percent by initiated act (but it was a personal campaign by Huckabee, who campaigned across the state for it and took a celebrated bass boat trip for 4 days down the Arkansas River holding press conferences in each river city to urge passage of the act)
  • Increased the sales tax by one-half of 1 percent (Act 1492 of 1999)
  • Increased the sales tax by 7/8ths of 1 percent and expand the sales tax to many services previously exempt from the tax (Act 107, 2nd special session of 2003)
  • Collected a 2 percent tax on chewing tobacco, cigars, package tobacco, cigarette papers and snuff (Act 434 of 1997)
  • Levied an additional excise tax of 7 percent on tobacco (Act 38 of 1st special session of 2003)
  • Increased the tax on cigarette and tobacco permits (Act 1337 of 1997)
  • Increased the tax on cigarette and tobacco – cigarettes by $1.25 per thousand cigarettes and 2 percent of the manufacturers? selling price on tobacco products (Act 434 of 1997)
  • Increased the tax on cigarettes by 25 cents a pack (Act 38, 1st special session of 2003)
  • Levied a 3 percent excise tax on all retail sales of beer (Act 1841 of 2001 and extended by Act 272 of 2003 and Act 2188 of 2005)
  • Revived the 4 percent mixed drink tax of 1989 and added a 4 percent tax on private clubs (Act 1274 of 2005)
  • Increased the tax on gasoline by 3 cents a gallon (Act 1028 of 1999)
  • Increased the tax on diesel by 4 cents a gallon (Act 1028 of 1999) Note: Contrary to what Huckabee has said repeatedly in debates, speeches and TV shows, the 1999 gasoline and diesel taxes were not submitted to the voters and approved by 80 per cent of them. ?
  • Increased the driver’s license by $6 a person, from $14 to $20 (Act 1500 of 2001)
...
"But if you look at the major taxes, I see the aggregate Huckabee taxes as greater, especially if you deduct the 4 cent gasoline and diesel taxes that Clinton vetoed in 1985 and that the legislature enacted over his veto.
"Anyway, the sales tax is the big revenue producer. Both raised it by 1.5 cents on the dollar and both expanded it to cover a myriad of services. Clinton raised motor fuel taxes a little more, Huckabee cigarette taxes a lot more.
"A further note: Huckabee claims credit for a major tax cut in 1997, saying it was the first tax cut in Arkansas history (there had been many prior to that) and that he forced the Democratic legislature to curtail its impulse to always raise taxes.
"The facts: The omnibus income tax cut bill of 1997 was proposed by Gov. Jim Guy Tucker in the spring of 1996."
...
"The 94 tax cuts that he said he fathered are similarly misleading. The vast majority of those were the usual exemptions and modifications of various taxes and fees that the legislature enacts every time it meets."
...
"If you counted all the tax benefits extended to corporations under the incentives enacted by the legislature under Clinton – and they were part of his programs, especially in 1983, 1985 and 1989 – the tax cuts would dwarf those under Huckabee."

To read the full editorial, please click [http://72.32.175.87:8080/opencms/opencms/News/Press-Releases/www.arkansasleader.com/2007/11/editorialswhos-biggest-tax-raiser.html|here].

Mike Huckabee: tax Raiser

The Wall Street Journal's Brendan Miniter: "Huckabee's tax Challenge":

"Huckabee's tax Challenge"
By Brendan Miniter
The Wall Street Journal's Opinion Journal's "Political Diary"
December 3, 2007
"Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is good at one-liners."
...
"Asked by a reporter what he thought about former Sen. Fred Thompson's attack ad that shows an old news clip of Mr. Huckabee as governor before he lost 100 pounds listing one tax after another he would support raising, the governor got off one of his better lines: He said that he must have been under the influence of sugar at the time.

"It's a good line, but not good enough."
...
"He likes to point out that as governor he cut taxes some 90 times. What he doesn't say, however, is that he also raised more than 20 different taxes for a net tax hike during his tenure of about $500 million. He also left it to his successor – Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe – to cut the state's hated sales tax, which Mr. Beebe did shortly after taking office.

"When we pressed Mr. Huckabee on his tax record a few months ago, he said he 'won't apologize' for raising taxes because he needed the money to repair his state's decrepit highways. Fresh asphalt always seems to appeal to Republican elected officials – especially those who love earmarking federal highway funds. But it's not something that will win over fiscal conservatives."...


Fair Tax?

Monday, Dec 03, 2007
... QUESTION GOVERNOR HUCKABEE'S RECORD

Immigration

Laura Ingraham On Governor Huckabee's Explanations For Giving Illegal Immigrants Tuition Breaks:

"The Laura Ingraham Show"
December 3, 2007

...

Ingraham: "I know Mike Huckabee is a nice man. And I know he has a wonderful style. And he's good on a lot of issues. He's great on the life issue. Great on marriage. Great on all these things. But on this Immigration issue, which is so important to so many of us, I am tired of this double speak. The taxpayers are footing the bill for this. This is the money of the taxpayers of Arkansas. And if you offer these benefits to illegal aliens, more illegal aliens will come into your state. That is just a fact.

"And people across this country have made their views known about this. So people can debate whether Giuliani is Catholic enough or Mitt Romney is Christian enough or John McCain is calm enough to be the president. But I think on this issue, we have to ask, 'Who is going to enforce this border?' 'Who is going to put teeth into these laws?' 'Who is going to represent the will of the people on an important issue culturally, for our health care, for our prisons, for our economic structure, for everything that we care about this issue is involved?' And on this issue, I think Huckabee has been a big loser. Okay? That is my view on this."...

To listen to Laura Ingraham, please click here.

Laura Ingraham: Huckabee Is A "Big Loser" On Immigration


Huckabee Supports In-State Tuition Breaks For Illegals


Huckabee Waffles On Federal Student Aid For Illegals


Huckabee Opposes Proof Of Citizenship For Voting


Top

Ethics

Gifts

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.

Governor’s mansion

In 1998, a former governor’s mansion employee and others sued Huckabee over his assertion that $70,000 worth of furniture donated to the governor's mansion was his to keep, as well as his family’s use of a $60,000-a-year fund.
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.

'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.”

Mike Huckabee gives jobs to those who give him money

THE POLITICO ON GOV. HUCKABEE'S GIFT-GIVERS
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1207/7401.html
"Huck's Gift-Givers Ended Up In State Posts"
Politico
By Kenneth P. Vogel
December 14, 2007
"Mike Huckabee accepted more than 90 gifts from 21 Arkansans he appointed to state posts during his decade as governor, a Politico analysis of state public records found.
"Since setting his sights on the White House, those supporters, their families and their companies have kept on giving. They contributed nearly $161,000 to a pre-presidential campaign account and Huckabee's official campaign committee since late last year, according to state and federal campaign finance records."
…
"In one year, the value of the gifts given to Huckabee amounted to more than $112,000 – nearly double his $67,000 state salary. And he wrangled with the state ethics Commission over gift rules, with the commission twice finding he’d broken them (one violation was later overturned).
"Huckabee twice sued the commission, once seeking a statute of limitations on ethics complaints and in another suit he sought to narrow the scope of prohibited gifts. Ironically, he was represented before the ethics commission by Crass and one other lawyer who donated their services – as gifts.
"Huckabee later named one of the attorneys, Tom Mars, to head the Arkansas State Police."
…
"Huckabee is an avid hunter and fisherman, and his appointees to the state’s influential Game and Fish Commission provide a window into the layered relationship he had with supporters. At least four Huckabee appointees to the seven-member commission had given the governor gifts and are now counted among his presidential donors.
"Ronald Pierce is one of Huckabee’s longtime fishing buddies and the owner of a bass boat manufacturer. From 1997 to 2000, Pierce loaned Huckabee a pair of boats that today would retail for about $40,000 each. He also gave Huckabee and his wife, Janet, jackets and rain suits.
"Huckabee named one of the loaner boats 'State Business' because, he once joshed, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, it allowed his secretary to tell callers 'He’s out on State Business' when he was on fishing trips.
"After Huckabee’s gifts drew some bad press, Huckabee became concerned that 'it would kind of look bad' if Pierce loaned him a new boat, Pierce told Politico. So Pierce’s company pulled its loaners and sold the governor a new boat – albeit at a reduced price usually reserved for professional fishermen whose patronage is good marketing. 'The governor driving your boat on the lake is going to help you,' Pierce explained.
"Huckabee last year tapped Pierce for a seat on the Game and Fish Commission and this year Pierce and his wife gave $4,600 to Huckabee’s presidential campaign."
…
"In all, Huckabee accepted more than $54,000 in clothes for himself and his family during his decade as governor. And the lion’s share – $25,000 – came from Jennings Osborne, a colorful Businessman who was by far the most generous gift giver to the Huckabees.
"Osborne, whose website describes him as 'Little Rock's own version of Elvis' gave Huckabee, his family and staff more than $60,000 worth of gifts, including $11,000 in flowers, nearly $12,000 worth of pastries and more than $25,000 in clothes.
"Huckabee appointed Osborne to a seat on the commission that oversees the stadium where the University of Arkansas football team plays some home games, and Osborne and his wife contributed $4,100 to Huckabee’s presidential campaign."
…
"Huckabee also gave appointments to givers of less extravagant gifts who have yet to appear in his campaign donation reports.
"He accepted a barbecue grill from a resort owned by the family of a man he appointed to the state’s State Parks, Recreation and Travel Commission.
"He accepted as gifts seemingly common services, including car repairs. He reported receiving free eye care and 'eye wear' from an optometrist and an ophthalmologist – both of whom he tapped for spots on the boards overseeing their respective professions.
"In 1996, when the governor’s mansion was being refurbished, Huckabee received free 'general contracting and interior design services' from designer Georg Anderson and furnishings from cotton magnate Charles Adams. The next year, Huckabee named Anderson, as well as Adams’ wife, Myrna Vine Adams, to the Arkansas Governor's Mansion Commission.
"When Adam's furniture gift, worth more than $70,000, was first revealed, Huckabee claimed it was his family’s to keep. He backed down after a lawsuit was filed over the furniture and his family’s use of a $60,000-a-year fund, which the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported had been used to pay for pizza, a doghouse, a magazine subscription and pantyhose for Janet Huckabee.
"The suit was settled with the furniture still in the mansion and Huckabee, while admitting no wrongdoing, acknowledging a dispute 'regarding reimbursements.'"
To read the full article, please see: http://dyn.politico.com
Top

San Diego Union-Tribune: "Meet The Huckster":

San Diego Union-Tribune
December 3, 2007

...

"Unfortunately for Huckabee, the positive first impression he often makes fades when you learn more about him. He may have been a solid steward in his 14 years as lieutenant governor and governor in Arkansas. But he also showed an enthusiasm for parlaying his public office into a cushy lifestyle that makes Fabian Nuñez, California's similarly inclined Assembly speaker, look like a Boy Scout.

"Over the years, Huckabee has:

  • "Used campaign funds to pay himself $14,000 for being his own media consultant.
  • "Used campaign funds to pay himself $43,000 for use of his private plane while attempting to hide what the payment was actually in return for.
  • "Used an account set up to cover operational costs of the governor's mansion to pay such obviously personal expenses as fast-food and dry-cleaning bills.
  • "Set up a nonprofit organization that paid him $23,500 without disclosing the source of the money.
  • "Attempted to take $70,000 of furniture with him when moving out of the governor's mansion.
  • "Took more than 130 gifts worth more than $300,000 – while suing to overturn a law that made him disclose the gifts.
*"We could go on in this vein, but space is limited. The bottom line: Mike Huckabee has an awful lot of explaining to do."...

To read the full editorial, please click here.


Romney is the only one who can beat Hillary. And the polls are starting to show it. He has been the most scrutinized candidate and his stock just keeps going up. Two Newsweek cover stories that were thinly veiled hit pieces — who else has been vetted that way? The thing is, Iowa Republicans don’t always put “electability” at the top of their checklist. It's on there, but not at the top. I think Rudy is a disaster for the party, he might personally fare well enough, but his positions will turn off so much of the base; even if it’s only 5-10-percent that stays home he kills GOP down-ballot races. Huckabee will get shredded by the Clintons — they know his Arkansas record better than anyone, and next to him, the Bill/Hill days suddenly look respectable — I mean they weren’t asking friends to furnish their house when they left office.

Articles About Mike Huckabee

None of The Below; By George F. Will

Sunday, December 2, 2007; B07

On the Republican side, Mike Huckabee's candidacy rests on serial non sequiturs: I am a Christian, therefore I am a conservative, therefore whatever I have done or propose to do with "compassionate," meaning enlarged, government is conservatism. And by the way, anything I denote as a "moral" issue is beyond debate other than by the uncaring forces of greed. His is a moralist's version of the intellectual vanity once ascribed to Oxford's Benjamin Jowett:

My name is Jowett
Of Balliol College;
If I don't know it,
It is not knowledge.

Many Iowans think it would be wise to nominate a candidate who, when the Republicans were asked during a debate to raise their hands if they do not believe in evolution, raised his. But, then, Huckabee believes America can be energy-independent in 10 years, so he has peculiar views about more than paleontology.

Huckabee combines pure moralism with incoherent populism: He wants Washington to impose a nationwide ban on smoking in public, show more solicitude for Americans of modest means and impose more protectionism, thereby raising the cost of living for Americans of modest means.

Although Huckabee is considered affable, two subliminal but clear enough premises of his Iowa attack on Mitt Romney are unpleasant: The almost 6 million American Mormons who consider themselves Christians are mistaken about that. And -* 55 million non-Christian Americans should take note -* America must have a Christian president.

Another pious populist who was annoyed by Darwin -* William Jennings Bryan -* argued that William Howard Taft, his opponent in the 1908 presidential election, was unfit to be president because he was a Unitarian, a persuasion sometimes defined as the belief that there is at most one God. The electorate chose to run the risk of entrusting the presidency to someone skeptical about the doctrine of the Trinity.

If Huckabee succeeds in derailing Romney's campaign by raising a religious test for presidential eligibility, that will be clarifying: In one particular, America was more enlightened a century ago.


Gov. Romney On Mike Huckabee's Record

“National media folk rave about what a nice guy Huckabee is,” said Quin Hillyer, a former editorial writer at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette newspaper. “If only they did a little home-work they would discover a guy with a thin skin, a nasty vindictive streak and a history of imbroglios about questionable ethics.”

During his 14-year career as governor he became embroiled in 14 official investigations and was fined five times for breaches of state rules. Most of the complaints against him concerned alleged infringements of rules on political campaign spending, notably when he failed to report that he had paid himself $14,000 to be his own media consultant in a 1992 campaign and did not disclose that he and his wife were the owners of a two-engine plane hired by his campaign for $43,000 in 1994. He was fined $1,000 by the state ethics commission.

In an online article entitled “The dark side of Mike Huckabee”, one of his former adversaries alleged that Huckabee “raked in tens of thousands of dollars in gifts, including gifts from people he later appointed to prestigious state commissions”.

His career has also been colored by 14 ethics complaints and a volley of questions about his integrity, ranging from his management of campaign cash to his use of a nonprofit organization to subsidize his income to his destruction of state computer files on his way out of the governor’s office.

They did, however, yield five admonitions and $1,000 in fines from Arkansas' Ethics Commission and, perhaps more significantly, a pattern that strategists for two competing GOP campaigns privately predict could become fodder for attacks playing on the culture-of-corruption theme Democrats used to pound Republicans in the 2006 midterm elections.

Huckabee didn’t get many ethics questions — or many tough questions about anything — as he languished at the bottom of the polls and the fundraising race through the summer.

After Huckabee fielded ethics questions last weekend on “Fox News Sunday,” campaign aides for former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, who’s competing with Huckabee for socially conservative voters, put out a statement accusing Huckabee of “repeatedly dodging questions about his ethical problems.”

Action America

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.”

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.

Computer 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.

That might not be the end of the story, though.

A lawyer is suing Huckabee, alleging that he misspent state money on the destruction.

Friday, Nov 30, 2007

... DISCUSS GOV. HUCKABEE'S

TAX-AND-SPEND RECORD

FACT: Arkansas Conservatives Have Widely Criticized Gov. Huckabee:

Betsy Hagan, Arkansas Director Of The Eagle Forum: "He Was Pro-Life And Pro-Gun, But Otherwise A Liberal" "Nor am I alone. Betsy Hagan, Arkansas director of the conservative Eagle Forum and a key backer of his early runs for office, was once 'his No. 1 fan.' She was bitterly disappointed with his record. 'He was pro-life and pro-gun, but otherwise a liberal,' she says. 'Just like Bill Clinton he will charm you, but don't be surprised if he takes a completely different turn in office.'" (John Fund, "Another Man From Hope," The Wall Street Journal, 10/26/2007)

Former Republican State Rep. Randy Minton Said That Gov. Huckabee's Record Will Turn Away Economic Conservatives. "Also that year, the state grappled with an economic downturn and a resulting budget shortfall. 'Republicans that believe in limited government and lower taxes and fees, they'll look at his record, and they won't be satisfied with it,' said former Republican state Rep. Randy Minton of Ward." (Daniel Nasaw, "Home Turf Not Rock Solid For Huckabee," Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 10/4/07)

  • Huckabee Has Been Called "A Treacherous Liberal On Taxes, Social Welfare Spending And Illegal Immigration." "Mr. Minton voices the concerns of many conservatives that while Mr. Huckabee governed as a social conservative in opposing abortion and same-sex 'marriage,' he was a treacherous liberal on taxes, social welfare spending and illegal Immigration." (Ralph Z. Hallow, "Huckabee Stirs Up Third Party Fear," The Washington Times, 10/29/07)
Phyllis Schlafly Said That Huckabee "Destroyed The Conservative Movement In Arkansas." "Mrs. Schlafly, one of the most respected leaders in the social-conservative movement, has accused Mr. Huckabee of 'destroying' the conservative movement in Arkansas and leaving the GOP 'in shambles.' She says many of the evangelical Christians who 'sold' social conservative voters on President Bush in 2000 are now 'trying to sell us on Mike Huckabee.'" (Ralph Z. Hallow, "Huckabee Stirs Up Third Party Fear," The Washington Times, 10/29/07)

FACT: Newspapers In Arkansas Have Lambasted Gov. Huckabee And His Liberal Fiscal Record:

In An Editorial, The Arkansas Leader Called Huckabee "One Of The Most Liberal Governor's In Arkansas History." "His record has been both Huckabee’s strength and his Achilles? heel, as we have had occasion to observe. He is one of the most liberal governors in Arkansas history, having accounted for more tax increases than any other and having enlarged state government more than any other. He has exorbitantly inflated his record as a tax-cutter on the stump and now that will catch up with him. But we continue to believe that if he will shoot straight with the Republican constituencies, his record and his moderate views on such things as Immigration and government health assistance could make him the party?s best opponent to Sen. Hillary Clinton, the expected Democratic nominee. That is not the conventional wisdom, but it will be his best pitch." (Editorial, "Huck Keeps Moving Up," The Arkansas Leader, 10/31/2007)

Huckabee's tax Increases Were Mockingly Called The "Tax Me More Fund." "What a banana-splitting riot Gov. Mike Huckabee has conjured with his 'Tax Me More Fund' campaign. Those of us who don't feel we are being adequately peeled by government now are free to send our tax-deductible contributions to the state." (Mike Masterson, Op-Ed, "Bananas And Taxes," Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 12/6/01)

  • "I don't know about you, but I could hardly wait to get my additional tax dollar in the mail this week. It's becoming increasingly obvious to me, in light of Huckabee's enlightened leadership, that we should acknowledge how we are not being taxed enough in Arkansas today. Why, just this week I found myself complaining to an underpaid Quickie Mart attendant that I didn't feel the 33 cents or so a gallon I am paying for highway construction and maintenance is nearly enough. It certainly wasn't enough to keep us from enjoying the two worst interstates in America, so I left an extra quarter on the counter." (Mike Masterson, Op-Ed, "Bananas And Taxes," Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 12/6/01)
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: Huckabee Is "Economically Illiterate" And Needs A "Refresher Course In Basic Economics." "The time to investigate the wisdom of this tax was before the Guv signed it into law. A refresher course in basic economics might have helped, too. Only the economically illiterate believe that businesses can be taxed without their passing the costs on to those who buy their goods and services--in this case, nursing home patients. To pretend otherwise is to ignore not just economics but human nature." (Editorial, "In Shock," Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 6/20/01)

Huckabee Was Widely Criticized For His Record Budgets. "Beware of rosy budgets submitted by governors addicted to easy money. We're not just talking tacos and pantyhose anymore. We're talking about the biggest state budget ever proposed. We're talking billions, three of them and change. And that's just general revenue; it doesn't count those other hundreds of millions Gov. Mike Huckabee apparently wants to raise by going in debt for highways based on federal money to come." (John Brummett, Op-Ed, "Huckabee's Easy-Money Budget," Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 11/17/98)

  • "For perspective: Huckabee's budget is more like one submitted by Bill Clinton than Jim Guy Tucker. Clinton sometimes overbudgeted, which meant that when tax collections lagged he was required by the Revenue Stabilization Act to order across-the-board reductions in spending levels to keep the budget balanced. Tucker, who governed during periods of growth, was notorious for stingy budgeting that produced end-of-year windfalls. " (John Brummett, Op-Ed, "Huckabee's Easy-Money Budget," Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 11/17/98)
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Said Huckabee's Grocery tax Allowed The State "To Grind The Faces Of The Poor." "Yes, There have been failures, too. Mike Huckabee has shown a growing weakness for the easy, politically savvy solution rather than real reform. Instead of eliminating the tax on groceries, he fiddled and compromised and finally caved in to the Legislature. And so the state continues to grind the faces of the poor, and the working poor, and just those on a tight budget, every time they buy their bread and milk." (Editorial, "For Mike Huckabee," Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 10/29/98)

Huckabee and Giuliani Support Tuition Breaks For Illegal Immigrants

Thursday, Nov 29, 2007

"Most annoying to some conservatives are Mr. Huckabee's positions on Immigration. For many Republicans, Immigration is the deal-breaker in judging which candidate is worthy of support. 'Rudy Giuliani spent years defending the right of New York City to remain a sanctuary for illegal aliens. Yet Giuliani was a veritable Lou Dobbs Jr. on illegal Immigration in comparison to Mike Huckabee,' said Jim Boulet Jr., executive director of English First, a Springfield, Va., lobbying group." (Ralph Z. Hallow, "Huckabee Stirs Up Third Party Fear," Washington Times, 10/29/2007)

In The CNN/YouTube Debate, Mayor Giuliani Claimed His Sanctuary Policies Were Limited To Essential Services:

Mayor Giuliani Said That New York City Only Allowed Illegal Immigrants To Go To School, Report Crimes, And Receive Emergency Medical Care. MAYOR GIULIANI: "New York City was not a sanctuary city. New York City did three exceptions. The three exceptions were to allow children to go to school, to allow those illegal immigrants who were the victims of crime to report the person who assaulted them, beat them up, mugged them. And third, to allow emergency care in the hospitals, which we were required to do by federal law." (CNN/YouTube, Republican Presidential Candidate Debate, St. Petersburg, FL, 11/28/2007)

FACT: The Sanctuary Policies Mayor Giuliani Supported Led To Tuition Breaks For Illegal Aliens:

ABC News: "New York Became A Sanctuary City ... Through An Executive Order Signed By Mayor Ed Koch In 1989." "New York became a sanctuary city, where illegal immigrants enjoy some measure of protection, through an executive order signed by Mayor Ed Koch in 1989, five years before Giuliani became mayor in January 1994. But if Giuliani inherited the policy, he reissued it and seemed to embrace it." (Jake Tapper and Ron Claiborne, "Romney: Giuliani's NYC 'Sanctuary' For Illegal Immigrants," ABC News, 8/8/2007)

In Response To Executive Order 124, CUNY Gave In-State Tuition To Illegal Immigrants. "Responding to the 1989 Order, CUNY changed its tuition policy, applying the above provision by making undocumented or out-of-status alien students eligible for the resident rate of tuition.8 This policy allowed undocumented students to pay the resident tuition rate, if they had resided in New York State for twelve months or had attended a New York City hi