The following list of quotes is a bit long, but it’s important to understand where Mike Huckabee actually stands — as opposed to where the NR Editors tell us he stands: # “We have to help other governments mount an active counterinsurgency wherever the terrorists are to be found.” # “We can achieve tremendous bang for the buck with swift, surgical air strikes and commando raids by our elite units, as we’ve recently done with the Ethiopians in Somalia.” # “The administration has quite properly said that it will not take the military option for Iran off the table. Neither would I.” # “[T]o contain Iran, it’s essential that we actually win in Iraq.” # “Another way to contain Iran is through diplomacy, while never taking the military option off the table.” # “I’ve supported and continue to support the surge in Iraq.” # “War is about will. Whoever gives up loses. We can’t afford to lose. How we handle this will determine the kind of world that our grandchildren will live in or, for that matter, die in.”
# “The administration plans to increase the Army and Marines by about 92,000 over five years, but we must accelerate that to more like two or three years …. We spend currently just around 3.9 percent of our GDP on defense. Under Ronald Reagan, we spent 6 percent in 1986. We need to return closer to that 6 percent figure if we’re really serious about our options in the world.”
Also, can you imagine Jimmy Carter ever saying this? The NRO folks really need to find some new brains.
National Review, a former reputable conservative news magazine has come in support of Gov. Romney. It wasn't very surprising, however. There is a good reason why they decided to announce the endorsement now rather than later. Romney's poll numbers have been dropping in early states and he hasn't garnered much support in the national polls. What's mind-boggling is that they don't give any excuses to Gov. Huckabee but embraces all of the flip-flops and previous anti-reagan and anti-republican statements of Romney.
I found an article that showcased the connections between the Romney campaign and NRO.
Mitt Romney today garnered the support of the right-wing magazine National Review. Romney has donated thousands of dollars in order to support various right-wing causes. In March the NY Times reported that Romney and allied organizations had paid thousands of dollars to The National Review and various Republican causes.
“Mr. Romney gave $5,000 to help sponsor the anniversary dinner celebrating National Review's Web site last October at a Washington steakhouse. Another group called Evangelicals for Mitt also gave $5,000…The magazine and its Web site have written favorably of Mr. Romney.”
Now on to Mr. Matt Drudge. There is a lot of speculation between the connections between the Romney campaign and Drudge himself. I very wary of individuals who have too much power in their hands and the drudgereport website is a prime example of that.
Here's an article in the NY Observers that explains how Romney and Drudge are connected: LINK
Something to keep in mind as Matt Drudge continues his effort to take down Mike Huckabee: Huckabee poses the most immediate and serious threat to Mitt Romney.
Last year, a delegation of RNC officials flew to Miami Beach, where Drudge lives, for a dinner at the Forge steakhouse to introduce the Internet maven to Matt Rhodes, the party's new opposition research director.
During his time at the RNC, Harris suggests, Rhodes was the G.O.P.'s main conduit for funneling potentially damaging research on Democrats to Drudge.
A year ago, Rhodes signed on to Romney's campaign. Since then, Drudge-watchers have noted Drudge's consistent refusal to hype--and in many cases to even mention--negative stories about Romney. But now Huckabee threatens to blow Romney's nomination strategy. Since last week, Drudge has unleashed a torrent of screaming, anti-Huckabee headlines, culminating in today's "exclusive" (which cites one unnamed Democrat) about the Democrats' supposed hope that Huckabee will emerge as the G.O.P. nominee.
Today's exclusive on Drudge was the following "DEMS HOLD FIRE ON HUCKABEE; SEE 'EASY KILL' IN GENERAL ELECTION". It wasn't linked to any particular article, but it was one of those special articles written by Drudge himself.
Jonathan Martin at Politico called the DNC for a comment:
DNC denies Drudge item came from them
I asked officials at the DNC about the item screaming at the top of Drudge today.
Responded Communications Director Karen Finney:
"We always appreciate having our hard work noticed, and we know Mitt Romney likes to feel special, but the truth is we've been tracking Huckabee for over a year. The Romney campaign should take heart in the fact that the Drudge Report is buying their spin hook, line and sinker because nothing in that story came from us."
Romney's camp keeps a close watch on who the Dems are hitting and have boasted in the past about how they are the most popular target.
I have a theory about this. I'm pretty sure the Romney campaign wanted to point out the fact that Huckabee hasn't been attacked so far by the DNC. So Drudge probably got some random DNC official to say something to back up his presupposition.
Now if the so-called exclusive is true, then that means that the DNC is actually scared of the eventual nomination of Gov. Huckabee. They were trying to do some reverse psychology to make the perception that electing Huckabee would be a mistake because they some how have the silver bullet to derail Huckabee's candidacy. That's nonsense of course, because everyone knows which area they are going to attack Huckabee on.
Just because a liberal reporter likes a republican candidate doesn't mean its the end of the world. I think more than anything it shows the cross-over appeal he has.
Chris Matthews loves Giuliani and no one is crying about that.. why the double standard on Huckabee? Anyways, here is my response:
I'm a supporter of Gov. Huckabee. I'm not going to start attacking the rival candidates, but I wanted to clear up the SCHIP issue that Hugh Hewitt, a radical supporter of Romney try to pin Huckabee on. The next day, Gov. Huckabee was invited to an interview with Michael Reagan. Reagan was concerned about Gov. Huckabee's interview with Hugh Hewitt and asked him the same question.
If you all have the curiosity to listen, please listen to this mp3 clip of that day's Michael Reagan Radio Show.
He explained he would have vetoed the bill in it’s present form, but he would not have allowed the bill to come before him in that form because he would have framed the debate in a way that would have shown what the bill was all about. The two then got into a discussion about the way the Republicans have fallen down on the job and let the Democrats frame the debate about the issues.
I believe Gov. Huckabee explained his reasoning really well. He was against the SCHIP bill that the democrats put up, but he said he wouldn't have let them come out and start attacking republicans as child haters and those who love to fund the Iraq war. He basically said that we can't let the democrats frame the debate.
Hugh Hewitt has zero credibility. He came out with a book on Romney and he has no choice but to support him at any cost.
Mitt Romney is at it again. This time he's attacking Huckabee, saying that Huckabee is no Reagan. Obviously Romney was always a great admirer of Reagan (NOT) and he was a supporter of Reagan-Bush policies in the '80's (NOT). I will allow Romney to tell you that himself, watch the video below.
MORE RESPONSE:
FISCAL: Joe Carter wrote an article on Reagan and attacks by club for growth. This is pretty relevant to this blog post as well.
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.
ON IMMIGRATION: Don't forget Reagan's Amnesty plan of 1986. The border wasn't built under Reagan, nor the illegal immigration situation was solved. I'm not saying that it was a good thing, nor am I saying that Huckabee is going to do the same. I'm just laying out the Reagan record.
There has been a lot of talk about Gov. Huckabee's proposal on allowing children of illegal immigrants who have attended an Arkansas school for at least 3 years and met all academic requirements for graduates to receive an in-state tuition rate for attending any college in Arkansas.
WHEREAS, there are children of undocumented immigrants who have lived in Arkansas most of their lives; and WHEREAS, most of these children have spent their formative years in Arkansas elementary and secondary schools; and WHEREAS, many of these children have proven their academic ability by graduating from an Arkansas high school; and WHEREAS, many of these children are precluded from accessing an affordable college education because they do not qualify for in-state tuition rates or state-supported scholarships; and
WHEREAS, educational opportunities should be offered to all children so they may contribute to the future economic viability of Arkansas,
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: As Engrossed: S3/31/05 S4/11/05 HB1525 04-11-2005 19:35 KAC234 SECTION 1 1. (a) This act shall be known as the “Access to Postsecondary Education Act of 2005”. (b) Any tuition rate that is granted to residents of Arkansas shall be granted on the same terms to all persons, regardless of immigration status,who have attended a secondary educational institution in Arkansas for at least three (3) years and who have either graduated from an Arkansas high school or received a general education diploma in the state. (c) In addition to the requirements under subdivision (b) of this section, a student without documented status shall file an affidavit with the state-supported institution of higher education stating that the student has an intent to legalize his or her immigration status. (d) The Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall promulgate the rules necessary for implementation of this act.
Obviously, this might be a turn off to those who thinks this is amnesty. I beg to differ, because there is a lot of qualifiers for this bill. Gov. Huckabee has not flip-flopped on this issue, nor has rephrased his support in anyway and I admire him for it. Gov. Huckabee has explained the logic behind why he supported this proposal: It is better to encourage people to become tax payers than tax 'takers'. On the other hand, Act 2210 of 2005 was signed into law by Governor Huckabee. The legislation made it illegal for a driver’s license to be issued to anyone who could not prove legal residency in Arkansas. http://roebuckreport...
Gov. Huckabee is strongly for building the border, also he's against blind amnesty. Here is a very detailed article about Gov. Huckabee's position on immigration on MikeHuckabee.com. I would encourage you look at the other top-tier candidates and you would see that a bunch of these candidates are clearly pandering to far right for votes. I can bet you none of these guys wouldn't do anything different than Huckabee.
I wrote this on another post but I decided to place a copy of it on this post since we are on the topic of immigration:
SIDE NOTE:
How come these conservatives aren't attacking Romney nor Rudy on immigration? Why just Huckabee? I think it's very clear that Rudy was for sanctuary cities in NYC and Thompson has no real record to judge from (so he can pretty much claim anything he wants). Here is Romney's past statements and his record in Massachusetts when it comes to illegal immigration and how he has flip-flopped on this issue (like many others).
Romney Supports McCain-Bush Immigration Bill, Saying They Are "Quite Different" From Amnesty. According to the Boston Globe, in November 2005 Romney spoke "approvingly of efforts by McCain and Bush to solve the nation's immigration crisis, calling them 'reasonable proposals.[Boston Globe, 3/16/07]
Gov. Mitt Romney expressed support yesterday for an immigration program that places large numbers of illegal residents on the path toward citizenship… 'I don't believe in rounding up 11 million people and forcing them at gunpoint from our country,' Romney said. '[T]hose that are here paying taxes and not taking government benefits should begin a process towards application for citizenship, as they would from their home country.[Lowell Sun, 3/30/06]
I really think the conservative media is not doing their job in revealing the past positions of the candidates they like. They know it will hurt their favorite candidate. Recently, Huckabee has become a real threat to the republican establishment and so all of them are all out on him. I hope the American people will see through the usual convoluted politics and get to know Gov. Huckabee for who he truly is.
On a personal note, It takes a lot of our time and energy as volunteer bloggers for Huckabee to respond to all of these unfair charges. I only wish most of these conservative columnists would spend the time in doing proper and fair research.
Yes, the second day of the row, the exposer of Liberal Media Bias has come against Gov. Huckabee again! This time criticizing his empathy towards those who aren't doing so well financially. Some call it being a 'populist'. Also, some rival campaign supporters attacked Gov. Huckabee on his theological degree and tried to make the point that he is not qualified enough to be President. Some said he should run for a Baptist pastor.
Again, I humbly took on the task again of setting the record straight.
MY RESPONSE I don't know how an attack piece on Huckabee comes under "Exposing and Combating Liberal Media Bias."
If one would look at this in an intellectual and strategic point of view, what Gov. Huckabee is doing is very shrewd and effective. There is nothing wrong with having a populist rhetoric. Huckabee is offering free-market, conservative solutions to these real issues.
Let's use that classic story of giving someone fishes vs. teaching them how to fish. There is nothing wrong for a person to say, hey I understand what you are going through, but the best way for you to get fishes regularly without depending on anyone is by learning how to fish.
The democrats say, hey I understand what you are going through, let me constantly provide you fishes for the rest of your life.
We as conservatives lack empathy, and we can use that to our advantage to get the common folk to understand why we are very adamant on individual responsibility. There must be a combination with the head and the heart in how we communicate.
If one thinks Gov Huckabee is no different than the democrats, you haven't done your homework. I suggest you all listen to the debate between Gov. Huckabee and Sen. McCain on healthcare. If Gov. Huckabee was a liberal he would've said let the government fully fund healthcare. Go check it out for yourself.
Also on taxes, Gov Huckabee is for the Fair Tax (http://www.fairtax.org). Anyone with an decent IQ score knows that the fair tax is not a liberal tax policy. He has also signed the no new taxes pledge by Norquist, unlike some other candidates.
Finally on his educational background. If Gov. Huckabee was currently a pastor of a church without any kind of executive experience, you have a point. He has proven how he can lead an entire state and do it effectively. No one accuses him of being incompetant. He has been the Lieu. Govenor of Arkansas for 3 years, then Govenor for close to 11 years. While being Governor he served as the Chairman of the Southern Governors Association and also the Chairman of the National Governors Association.
Also he served in other leadership positions including president of the Council of State Governments, state co-chairman of the Delta Regional Authority, and chairman of the Southern Governors Association, the Southern Regional Education Board, the Southern Growth Policies Board, the Southern Technology Council, the Southern International Trade Council and the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission.
As former chairman of the Interstate Oil & Gas Compact Commission, Huckabee worked with the 37-state coalition to develop energy policy and lobby Congress on energy matters, such as the regulation of oil and gas production.
Now what did Romney do as a one-term Governor of Massachusetts?
Note to NewsBusters: Please stick with your motto and focus on the liberal media and democrats.
NewsBusters.org is a respectable website whose motto is "Exposing and Combating the Liberal Media Bias". I decided to set them straight. Some people were complaining about candidates of not being Reagan-like. I thought I should also set them straight too about Reagan's record. Don't get me wrong, I admire Reagan a lot, I just don't deify him as the God of Conservatives.
MY RESPONSE:
The real media bias here is that ABC turned this interview into propping the center-right positions of a republican candidate and making him look like a liberal. I am a supporter of Gov. Huckabee and what is being missed in the media, both in the MSM and especially in conservative websites like newsbusters.org is his conservative positions. I really don't believe that an unfair attack on a fellow republican should be the purpose of this website. Let me go into detail about illegal immigration: If anyone honestly want to learn Gov. Huckabee's positions on Illegal immigration you can go here. He is very strongly against illegal immigration. http://www.mikehucka...
Do you want more assurance? Act 2210 of 2005 was signed into law by Governor Huckabee. The legislation made it illegal for a driver’s license to be issued to anyone who could not prove legal residency in Arkansas. http://roebuckreport... On the tuition breaks, the governor only supported the measure that applied to those who met the academic qualifications and applied for legal citizenship. The measure didn't pass. Governor Huckabee stressed that any student would simply be treated as any other graduate of an Arkansas High School, and not given any special consideration.
I really want to challenge my fellow friends who commented here about candidates not being Reagan-like. Reagan was a human being and he too wasn't perfect on conservative issues. For example, Reagan had no choice but to raise taxes in California, and Reagan approved blind amnesty to everyone and he didn't do anything to build the border. Let's not forget that. We claim to be conservatives and under the Reagan and Bush 43 administrations the national debt went up big time. What Reagan was known for was his sunny optimism and his ability to connect with all Americans, hence the term Reagan democrats came into existence.
Gov. Huckabee is not for blind amnesty and he has said time after time that the border must be built and that is the first solution to the problem of illegal immigration. He is correct in stating that the problem of illegal immigration is due to the failure of the federal government in building the border. Someone above commented about someone breaking in a house = to illegals crossing the border. You know what, there is no door, its an open field that anyone can cross through easily. Let's build the border and then discuss what happens to those who came here illegally.
Democrats are set to win congress next year and most republicans are just twittling their thumbs. It's almost like we are letting them win. Very unfortunate.
SIDE NOTE:
How come these conservatives aren't attacking Romney nor Rudy on immigration? Why just Huckabee? I think it's very clear that Rudy was for sanctuary cities in NYC. Here is Romney's past statements and his record in Massachusetts when it comes to illegal immigration and how he has flip-flopped on this issue (like many others).
Romney Supports McCain-Bush Immigration Bill, Saying They Are "Quite Different" From Amnesty. According to the Boston Globe, in November 2005 Romney spoke "approvingly of efforts by McCain and Bush to solve the nation's immigration crisis, calling them 'reasonable proposals.[Boston Globe, 3/16/07]
Gov. Mitt Romney expressed support yesterday for an immigration program that places large numbers of illegal residents on the path toward citizenship… 'I don't believe in rounding up 11 million people and forcing them at gunpoint from our country,' Romney said. '[T]hose that are here paying taxes and not taking government benefits should begin a process towards application for citizenship, as they would from their home country.[Lowell Sun, 3/30/06]
