Posted on 11/30/2007 4:30:52 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
One of the national writers putting together a profile of Mike Huckabee asked how it might be that this preacher showed such an affinity for popular culture.
The Chuck Norris alliance, the tailgate party in South Carolina with the wrestler, the pardon for Keith Richards, the playing of bass guitar in a rock cover band offering Lynyrd Skynyrd - isn't all that out of character for a man from the Southern Baptist pulpit?
Actually, Huckabee was a radio man before he was a preacher and he has remained more decidedly a media man than a pulpit man.
His superficially likable nature, which provides the essence of his oddly succeeding presidential campaign, comes via a disc jockey's shtick rather than a pastor's. I refer to the rich intonations of his professional voice, the music, the hip topicality, the impersonations, the jokes, the Mr. Glib.
It can't be those radical policies. Outlawing abortion altogether, not merely leaving it to the states, is extreme. A national sales tax to replace the income tax is a gimmick, either scandalously regressive or entirely too difficult to design so that it wouldn't be. He barely scratches the surface on foreign policy with what got described over the weekend as "cheerful know-nothingness." He denies the better points of his record in Arkansas, since they're entirely too moderate for modern Republican primary voters.
His is wholly a candidate of personality, and, as such, is more Don Imus than Billy Graham.
Yes, Imus. Huckabee can be mean and inappropriate. It usually doesn't get revealed until the second impression. He's still making his first out there on the trail.
As a midteen, Huckabee found work, including some on-air, on a Hope radio station. Then he had one of those seminal religious moments. So he figured he'd apply his talents and interests to serve Jesus through Christian broadcasting.
That led him to the seminary, after which, almost by accident, he got preaching work in Pine Bluff, then Texarkana. In both towns, he supplemented the preaching with work for which he was better-suited and that he more enjoyed. That would be a local cable television show.
He attained the presidency of the Arkansas Baptist Convention not so much by conventional preaching as by the clever politics of making himself palatable both to fundamentalists and moderates. It was from there that he moved to secular politics.
When Huckabee was lieutenant governor, needing something to do in that pointless job, he accepted an invitation to substitute for a vacationing radio talk show host. He invited me to be his guest, mainly so he and his callers could berate me. He was fully at home and adept in the radio booth.
One day as he prepared to ascend to the governorship, Huckabee had a news conference. I was struck by his intimacy with the TV cameramen. He joshed with them authoritatively about their equipment, specifically about the comparative modernity of one station's gear versus another's.
Then the producer of his cable show in Texarkana, Gary Underwood, joined the governor's staff. Huckabee and Underwood transformed the governor's conference room into an audiovisual studio. They produced a slick, self-promotional cable television program that they distributed for use by ever-pliable local access channels.
As Huckabee prepared to become governor, he said one of his dreams was to do radio play-by-play for a Razorback football game. Naturally, as the new governor, he was obliged. He described a few downs, smoothly and ably, of course.
From time to time I've written an unoriginal but incisive line, which is that Huckabee is really running for his own show on Fox or MSNBC. I'm sticking with that.
But I'll admit there are moments lately when I wonder if he'll have to go through the motions of being the Republican presidential or vice presidential nominee first.
The same way that Tennessee supported Al Gore.
Why didn’t he try the Fair Tax in Arkansas?
Now I understand how and why Huck became a favorite interviewee on the (old) Imus radio show!
Thanks for posting this - a very informative article. It explains a lot.
As a former DJ I hope we’re not going to get negative on all former Dj’s!?
I love his one liners though. Man that answer to What would Jesus do was brilliant. Won’t be voting for him though.
I’d like to see the GOP go looking for a few more DJs, motivational speakers, actors, and preachers to fill their cards.
“As a former DJ I hope we’re not going to get negative on all former Dj’s!?”
No, but it explains what a great communicator he is. He has a great delivery, doesn’t he. Don’t forget - Reagan started out in radio.
If he gets defeated, it will be this idea that causes it. There are too many people with vested interests in the various loopholes of the present tax system to let someone take their advantage away. The system is also a source of power for politicians dispensing favors in the way of tax breaks to their supporters.
I don't agree with Rev Huckabee on his immigration stance, and am really tired of having a "compassionate conservative" in the White House....giving out my tax dollars to select groups (I'd prefer to choose my own charities). I do, however, like the idea of a Fair Tax.
Being a ‘great communicator’ isn’t the point, what Huck IS communicating IS the point.
1) Huck on Illegal Aliens? A liberal disaster.
2) Huck on Taxation? A liberal disaster. (his fair tax gambit is belied by his recent history).
3) Huck on ‘Manmade Global Warming’? A liberal disaster.
4) Huck on National Security? See items # 1, 2 & 3.
I dislike Huckabee for all the same reasons you list, but being a great communicator IS the point. Without that skill any candidate who is good on immigration,taxation, global warming, and national security has as much chance of being President as AZCAP, Tom Tancredo, NDNBill, Duncan Hunter, or Bob Dole. A lot of people on the Free Republic don’t like to admit it but at this stage in the game the polls show that there are only 4 GOP candidates with a shot. They are not the 4 most conservative but the 4 with the best abilities to communicate (and thus raise money, gather volunteers, and build winning organizations.) I was unhappy with Rudy-Huckabee-Romney for the same conservative reasons that a lot of Freepers attack them viciousouly every day. I thought Fred would ride in and save the day, but it looks as if his horse is lame. He is a terrific communicator but he doesn’t do enough of it. Rudy, Mitt and Mike are trying hard. Eventually we will have to choose. I can’t stomach Rudy’s politics and as a candidate he has way too many skeletons. That leaves Mitt and Mike (the two best communicators.) Neither one is perfect but both are better Hillary.
"The issue divides strongly committed pro-life and pro-choice Republicans but is not a central issue to most other Republicans. A possible platform revision long under discussion would say the Republican Party, 'unlike the Democratic Party, does not stand for abortion on demand and is basically a pro-life party.' In the spirit of federalism, the proposed GOP revision also would replace the abortion amendment with a statement saying the issue should be left up to the individual state legislatures to deal with as each sees fit. 'That's exactly what we have looked for, and if it's left up to the states, more of them are going to put some restrictions on abortion,' Arkansas Lt. Gov. Mike Huckabee said in an interview after appearing on a conference panel yesterday."
(Ralph Z. Hallow, "Conservatives Hold Fire On Abortion," Washington Times, 2/12/95)
And in an April 2006 interview with the blog "Right Wing News" Huckabee indicated that abortion decisions should be left to the States.
John Hawkins [Right Wing News]: Switching gears again, do you think we should overturn Roe v. Wade?
Mike Huckabee: It would please me because I think Roe v. Wade is based on a real stretch of Constitutional application -- that somehow there is a greater privacy issue in the abortion concern -- than there is a human life issue -- and that the federal government should be making that decision as opposed to states making that decision. So, I've never felt that it was a legitimate manner in which to address this and, first of all, it should be left to the states, the 10th Amendment, but secondly, to somehow believe that the taking of an innocent, unborn human life is about privacy and not about that unborn life is ludicrous.
(www.rightwingnews.com/interviews/huckabee.php)
And just last week Huckbee give the completely opposite position while chastising Thompson for having the same position on abortion that Huckabee had just last year:
Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee rejects letting states decide whether to allow abortions, claiming the right to life is a moral issue not subject to multiple interpretations. "It's the logic of the Civil War," Huckabee said Sunday, comparing abortion rights to slavery. "If morality is the point here, and if it's right or wrong, not just a political question, then you can't have 50 different versions of what's right and what's wrong." "For those of us for whom this is a moral question, you can't simply have 50 different versions of what's right," he said in an interview on "Fox News Sunday."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071118/ap_on_el_pr/huckabee
---
Immigration, just one month ago:
http://www.onenewsnow.com/2007/10/immigration_activist_welcomes.php
The former Arkansas governor received numerous standing ovations during an address to 2,000 social conservatives at the recent Values Voters Summit in Washington, DC. Huckabee accused the government of making it more difficult for the average American to get on an airplane in their own hometown than for an illegal alien to get across an international border.
"We need to make it clear," Huckabee told the gathering, "that we will say no to amnesty, no to sanctuary cities, and no to the idea that there can be some complete ignoring of the fact that our laws have been broken."
Continuing, the GOP presidential hopeful said he does not blame those who want to come to America. "I blame our government for sitting on its hands for over 20 years and letting this problem get completely out of hand. Build a border fence, secure the border -- and do it now," Huckabee implored.
Roy Beck, president of Numbers USA, says Huckabee's past record on immigration has not matched his recent rhetoric, citing several instances when the former governor "stood up for illegal aliens" during federal immigration raids in Arkansas. "It does not seem to me that, as governor, he particularly lived by those principles, at least strongly so. I am always happy to see someone learn more about an issue and come around and take better positions," he states. "We welcome what seems to be some change of heart."
Beck says Huckabee received an "F" for his past record on immigration, but his recent statements have pulled him up to the "B" range.
---
And what has Huckabee said on immigration in the past?
"I would hope that no matter who we are, or where we are from, that America should always be a place that opens its arms, opens it heart, opens its spirit to people who come because they want the best for their families."
-Mike Huckabee [spoken along with Tyson Foods Inc. Chairman and CEO John Tyson, at a noon luncheon of the League of United Latin American Citizens]
Gov. Mike Huckabee on Thursday heaped criticism upon immigration legislation in the Arkansas Legislature, describing it as inflammatory . . . race-baiting and demagoguery. He also challenged the Christian values of its main sponsor.
Huckabee said the bill, seeking to forbid public assistance and voting rights to undocumented immigrants, inflames those who are racist and bigots and makes them think there's a real problem. But theres not.
The bill is modeled after Proposition 200, approved by Arizona voters in November. The Arkansas measure was filed by Republican Sens. Jim Holt of Springdale and Denny Altes of Fort Smith.
Huckabee, also a Republican and a Baptist minister, said Arkansans should be welcoming hard-working immigrants of all races. He singled out Holt, who often talks of his strong Christian beliefs, saying, “I drink a different kind of Jesus juice. My faith says don't make false accusations against somebody. In the Bible, it's called don't bear false witness.”
In response, Holt said he was hurt by the governor's questioning his faith. “I just want to uphold the law and protect the benefits that apply to citizens, “ Holt said.
-Arkansas News: http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/2005/01/28/News/316347.html
Gov. Mike Huckabee Thursday denounced a bill by Sen. Jim Holt that would deny state benefits to illegal immigrants as “un-Christian, un-American, irresponsible and anti-life.” Holt, R-Springdale, replied later that Christian charity does not include turning a blind eye to lawbreaking.
Senate Bill 206, filed Wednesday, also would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and would require state agencies to report suspected cases of people living in the country illegally.
Holt replied, “I think the politically correct movement has misconstrued what compassion really means. They think compassion means that any person can disrespect our laws and that we're supposed to be tolerant and let them get away with it.”
”True compassion is correcting them so in the future they can be law-abiding citizens,” Holt said. “They broke the law,he said. My angst is not with them, though. My angst is with the state and federal government for not enforcing our laws.”
”People living illegally in the United State has overwhelmed our school and welfare system,” McCutchen said. As for whether the bill reflects un-Christian attitudes, McCutchen said: “Jim Holt is as good a man and as good a Christian as any man walking this Earth.”
”Doggone it, the rule of law is not being upheld, and that's wrong,” McCutchen said.
-Arkansas News: http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/2005/01/28/News/316347.html
”I didn't sign the No Amnesty pledge because it was a silly piece of campaign propaganda cooked up by Tancredo. Candidates don't make pledges for each other to sign, and he knows that.”
-Mike Huckabee August 4, 2007 http://www.libertypost.org/cgi-bin/readart.cgi?ArtNum=196021
He [Mike Huckabee] also made the insane point that companies like Toyota would not invest in Arkansas if the state didn't allow non-citizens to vote because it would send the message that, essentially, 'If you don’t look like us, talk like us and speak like us, we don't want you.
-Ann Coulter [http://www.townhall.com/columnists/AnnCoulter/2007/10/10/fred_sawyer_and_huckabee_finn]
”I do believe that some of [the opposition to the McCain-Kennedy-Bush Amnesty Bill] is driven by racism or nativism. It's not amnesty to make people pay for breaking the law.”
-Wash. Times May, 2006
Trust me, peel away Huckabee's packaging and you'll see another big government social conservative.
Most of us see it already. Outside of Iowa where is his support? If he loses there his campaign is over.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.