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How Huckabee Could Rock the 2008 Vote
The Washington Post ^ | 11/4/2007 | Charles Mahtesian

Posted on 11/04/2007 4:11:53 PM PST by dano1

Huckabee is for real -- a man poised to go further on the national stage than any other candidate produced by the Christian conservative movement. Sure, some pundits still write him off, and back home, detractors insist that he's just angling for a plum Cabinet post. But you can spot an awfully convincing blueprint for how the candidate once tagged as "the hillbilly Ronald Reagan" could win the Republican nomination -- or end up as the inevitable vice presidential pick on a GOP ticket led by Rudy Giuliani. That's more than you can say for some of Huckabee's rivals.

(snip)

Huckabee's mere survival through Iowa and New Hampshire would suddenly become a huge political story. Coasting on media attention, Michigan's Jan. 15 GOP primary would become less important to Huckabee as the Republicans' attention turns to South Carolina's Jan. 19 primary: the preacher's chance to shine. While he has yet to win over politically pragmatic Christian conservative leaders who wonder about his electability and worry about his weak fundraising, it's hard to imagine them turning their backs on one of their own at the very moment when Huckabee will be closer to the Oval Office than any other Republican Southern Baptist in history.

Huckabee will move on to another good opportunity with Florida's contest 10 days later, then brace for the major primary payday on Feb. 5, when Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee and several other heavily Southern Baptist states cast their votes. When the dust settles on Feb. 6, carrying the South would let Huckabee have a one-on-one duel, possibly with Giuliani, that enables him to showcase his greatest asset: his personality. Could that take him all the way? The abrasive Giuliani, or any other finalist, would rule that out at his peril. (snip)

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2008; arkansas; huckabee
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To: Shermy
Thompson’s got the smart folks, letting everyone else run around, saving the money for a tv ad/internet video blitz.

Everyone keeps saying Thompson's going to do something, but so far I haven't seen him do anything.

Maybe he's the tortoise in this race, but he has yet to do or say anything I find impressive. I'm still trying to figure out why he gets so much attention.

21 posted on 11/04/2007 4:53:46 PM PST by Amelia
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To: dano1; AuntB

BE WARY, my fellow Christian Conservatives, of the candidate the WaPo gives positive print space to!

There is much on FR to read about the man, and we owe it to future generations to know ALL about each and every candidate before casting our vote.

He’s the poster boy, bought and paid for, of Healthy People 2010, thus indirectly against homeschooling and pro global health care! He was a big taxer and a so so governor! He is very soft on illegal aliens, wanting cheap labor for Arkansas, reminiscent of pre-Civil War days! He is NOT a conservative!

True conservatives will vote for the one true conservative running, Duncan Lee Hunter.


22 posted on 11/04/2007 4:53:55 PM PST by Paperdoll ( Vote for Duncan Hunter in the Primaries for America's sake!)
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To: dano1

And the mexican consulate can issue Matricula cards that can be accepted for employment and Driver’s “Licences”

Hmm think Tyson foods need for workers at the Chicken processing plants has something to do with that Consulate opening up in Ark?

Huck also stated that people who opposed Amnesty were racists, I’m a bit indifferent toward Huckabee, could do better, could do worse, but the soft shoe seems in need of some commentary.


23 posted on 11/04/2007 4:58:23 PM PST by padre35 (Conservative in Exile/ No more miller brewing products, pass it on/Isaiah 3.3)
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To: dano1
“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.”

Huckabees against this and that..........”The governor only supported the measure that applied to those who met the academic qualifications and applied for legal citizenship.”

He means if an illegal alien has good grades and promises to become a citizen he gets the same privileges of any high school student.

PROBLEM! THEY ARE STILL LAWBREAKING ILLEGALS!!!! NO I don’t believe in special privileges.....much....

24 posted on 11/04/2007 4:59:36 PM PST by captnorb
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To: dano1
Huckabee is for real --

yes he is for real. A real huckster, that has sold his sole to tyson chicken and illegal slave labor. Nanny sate liberal and is a peg are two below ron raul.

25 posted on 11/04/2007 5:00:19 PM PST by org.whodat (What's the difference between a Democrat and a republican????)
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To: pissant
"No slams here, but what are the top 3 or 4 reasons you see Huck as preferable to the rest of the field?"

For me, it's sort of a process of elimination. The following is my take on things. (Please note, no offense is intended to anyone's favorite candidate. I'm only stating my personal impressions since I was asked.)

I like Romney but I think Dems would beat us bloody on the flip-flopper charge if we nominate him, since we did that to them with Kerry.

I liked McCain, but my impression is that he is just not a sharp as he once was, I think just because of aging. He's just doesn't seem to be at the top of his game any more.

Thompson's campaigning has just been underwhelming. He doesn't seem to want it enough or think he needs to convince anyone who doesn't already support him.

Giulianli is way too liberal and has too much personal baggage.

So, IMHO, Huckabee might be the best of the frontrunners at this time. Again, these are just my thoughts. I'd be interested in hearing what other people think.

26 posted on 11/04/2007 5:00:28 PM PST by dano1
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To: barnicus
He has made some pretty dumb statements on immigration recently. But, this post seems to indicate that he is repositioning. We can go back and look at all of our candidates except for Tancredo and see that they were all asleep on this issue until recently. I am inclined to doubt McCain because of the recentness and the adamance of his plan. He now says he wants to “secure the borders first” before proceeding. I simply do not trust him. As long as the others are adamant and not weaseling I will trust them.
27 posted on 11/04/2007 5:04:08 PM PST by bilhosty
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To: dano1

With due respect, Numbers USA would take exception to those facts as stated by the “truth squad”.

http://www.betterimmigration.com/candidates/2006/prez08_gop2.html


28 posted on 11/04/2007 5:07:56 PM PST by WildcatClan (DUNCAN HUNTER- The only choice for true conservatives)
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To: SittinYonder

>>>I might be inclined to believe that they are deliberately misleading.

That is my thought.


29 posted on 11/04/2007 5:12:36 PM PST by Calpernia (Hunters Rangers - Raising the Bar of Integrity http://www.barofintegrity.us)
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To: bilhosty

Do you consider 1986, “until recently”? If not you perhaps should recant or restate. Duncan Hunter opposed the 1986 amnesty, got the fence built in his district and then wrote the law for 854 miles of double-fence across our southern border.

It’s a matter of record and Hunter did a lot towards border security and illegal immigration before Tancredo was even in congress.


30 posted on 11/04/2007 5:14:49 PM PST by WildcatClan (DUNCAN HUNTER- The only choice for true conservatives)
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To: Clintonfatigued

I want to like him, but there are so many questions. Unfortunately, he has the ability and record to make Bush look like a fiscal conservative.


31 posted on 11/04/2007 5:22:06 PM PST by Reagan79 (Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys)
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To: dano1
Sorry... this is a deal breaker. No program will be this destructive to the U.S.
Huckabee Backs Mandatory U.S. Cap on Global-Warming Pollution

32 posted on 11/04/2007 5:26:34 PM PST by calcowgirl ("Liberalism is just Communism sold by the drink." P. J. O'Rourke)
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To: bilhosty

Personally, I do not trust Mike Huckabee ( or Mitt Romney either ).

The real conservatives in the Presidential race are Tom Tancredo, Duncan Hunter, and Ron Paul, who is an extreme isolationist, but also a constitutional conservative.

However, any Republican would be better to have in the White House than any Democrat; because the Republican would answer to us ( as the outcome of Harriet Meiers nomination demonstrated ), while the Democrat would answer to George Soros and Al Gore.


33 posted on 11/04/2007 5:27:24 PM PST by devere
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To: calcowgirl

“No program will be this destructive to the U.S.”

I agree with you. Stopping Al Gore’s Ecopalyptic insanity is the most important issue facing the country; now that the open-border lobby is at least temporarily on the run.


34 posted on 11/04/2007 5:33:21 PM PST by devere
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To: dano1

I’ve met ‘im. Nice guy. Decent bass player. Don’t like his puppying up to the Hispanic community by openly condoning, embracing illegal immigration.

He needs to get his mind right.....then? Good chances.


35 posted on 11/04/2007 5:36:53 PM PST by RightOnline
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To: WildcatClan
Thanks for the link. It's an interesting website but I couldn't find how they reached their conclusions. For example, they say that Huckabee supports amnesty, whereas Huckabee says he doesn't. I don't suppose there is much point in debating this, since reasonable people can disagree. Some people may choose not to believe Huckabee, which is their prerogative.

Anyway, for what it's worth, I'll paste below what some others have written on the same topic. (Thanks again for the link.)

From "Huckabee Attacks Unfounded", posting on RedState by radicalconservative Where does Huckabee really stand on the issue of illegal immigration? At first glance of all the chatter, some of the news stories, and the editorials out there floating around, one would believe that Huckabee is, not only soft on illegal immigration, but actually, farther to the left of the issue than our current President. After reading all of the stories out there and listening to the facts in the case against Huckabee, I was beginning to have some serious doubts about the sincerity of this candidate myself, who is admittedly a strong Huckabee supporter.

However, upon doing a little research on this particular issue I discovered that, as usual, there is more than one side to the story. Evidently, the truth of the matter goes a little more like this: Huckabee opposes illegal immigration, supports sealing the border, and opposes amnesty. In a perfect world that would be enough, but this is no perfect world as we all know. The fact of the matter is that there are millions of illegals in this country already, and there is a constant flow of them across our borders each and every day. Another fact, Huckabee supports the deportation of illegal immigrants, but he believes that the process should be a better one.

Case in point is the 119 illegals deported in an Arkansas raid of a plant in 2005, in which officials, without having properly done their homework, proceeded to deport the illegals leaving their children behind here in the states to be a burden to our already overloaded system.

Also, according to the Arkansas State Constitution, children of all ages, whether legal or illegal are entitled to an education. Huckabee following the logic of the state's Constitution, supported allowing children of the illegals to attend Arkansas colleges at in-state rates. Bear in mind these are not individuals who came here illegally, but rather the offspring of those individuals. Holding said offspring responsible for the sins of the parents is like holding anyone else responsible for some crime committed by their forefathers. This is a preposterous notion, a dangerous road, and completely inconsistent with the ideology of compassionate conservatism.

Now, before anyone goes hysterical here, let me point out that we are not suggesting that illegals, who are defiantly in violation of the law, be given any form of amnesty, nor is there any promotion of the idea of an open border here. However, as in any crime or act of wrongdoing their are always innocents involved who may become collateral damage. Let's be clear there should be a secure border between the U.S. and its bordering nations, there should be no amnesty, and there should always be consequences for breaking the law, but we must remember to follow the ideology of compassionate conservatism as well. After all our system is a system of checks and balances, and we must not forget that there are two sides to the scales of justice. These are the principles that guide Presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee. These are the principles that should guide every American.

Source can be found at http://mikehuckabeepresident2008.blogspot.com/2005/08/msm-huckabee-right-on-illegal.html

http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2005/08/13/opinion/18editorial.txt

And from Byron York at National Review Online:

"On immigration , Huckabee is a strong advocate of a fence across the entire U.S.–Mexico border. While Congress debates guest-worker programs, Huckabee tells me, the most important problem is being ignored. “Seal the border,” he says. “Until you do that, you don’t have any control over how many people are coming in, who they are, and where they’re going.” At the same time, Huckabee has taken criticism for his proposal, as governor, to offer Arkansas in-state tuition to illegal aliens and their children. “I have always said you don’t punish a child for the crime of a parent,” Huckabee tells me. “Frankly, it’s in our best interest to try to get that child on to a higher level of education.”

36 posted on 11/04/2007 5:38:45 PM PST by dano1
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To: dano1

I really think he’s going to be the Running Mate.


37 posted on 11/04/2007 5:39:28 PM PST by buccaneer81 (Bob Taft has soiled the family name for the next century.)
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To: pissant
No slams here, but what are the top 3 or 4 reasons you see Huck as preferable to the rest of the field?

1) Immigration... See #19
2) Supports FairTax
3) ONLY True ProLife Candidate
38 posted on 11/04/2007 5:41:02 PM PST by AzNASCARfan
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To: fieldmarshaldj

AMEN. I agree — say no to Huckabee. He raised taxes repeatedly in Arkansas, has his share of ethical problems...and has attacked President Bush over the war on terror. He is NOT what we need.


39 posted on 11/04/2007 5:48:09 PM PST by sruleoflaw
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To: dano1

I have a close friend who is very positive about Huckabee. I must say that I am less positive about him, but from what I can see, though I would have policy disagreements with him in a number of areas, he seems to be a good man. That counts for a lot with me, so I would vote for him without reservations if he were the nominee.


40 posted on 11/04/2007 5:48:50 PM PST by mountainbunny
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