Posted on 12/09/2007 10:15:30 AM PST by dano1
Mike Huckabee, the newest sensation in the Republican presidential primary, waded into a jammed restaurant here Saturday morning and, despite stepped-up scrutiny of his record as governor of Arkansas, delivered a folksy, feel-good message that was greeted warmly.
He had good reason to smile. A new McClatchy-MSNBC poll shows him surging to the head of the Republican pack in South Carolina, ahead of Rudolph W. Giuliani, Mitt Romney, Fred D. Thompson and John McCain, in that order...
Here at the Lizard’s Thicket, a popular family restaurant despite the skin-crawling name, about 400 people (four times capacity) had pushed in to see Mr. Huckabee...
“I think a whole lot of people in this country, even though they have deep convictions, as do I, are tired of the horizontal politics, where everything is left, right, liberal, conservative, Democrat, Republican,” he said. “People want there to be some vertical leadership, that leads us up and not down. And that’s what I’m going to try to do for this country if I get the opportunity to be president, and from the looks of things, it might just happen.”
That prompted a big round of applause from the people crushed around him...
“Families are the backbone of our society, not the government,” Mr. Huckabee said. “In fact, as I often remind people, long before God ever created a government structure, the basic structure was the family. Mothers and fathers raised their kids to train replacements. And that’s what we’re about. If we don’t have strong families, it’s hard to have a strong country. And that’s why you’ll never hear some YouTube moment from me from generations ago saying something different about the family and about marriage than I would say today.”
(Excerpt) Read more at thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com ...
It's a kind of burning, itching sensation . . . and just cries out for that old-fashioned topical salve called conservatism.
"We're going to South Carolina, then Virginia, then Florida, then Vermont, then Wisconsin......YYYEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"
Moment!
How doesn’t that pardoning business in Arkansas make Huckabee an accessory to murder himself?
Right now I think that's all that can stop him. If he doesn't self destruct he'll be our nominee. He's peaking at the right time.
No, the MSM has had enough this was in the real New York TImes today
Parole Case and ’90s AIDS View Trail Huckabee
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/09/us/politics/09campaign.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper&oref=slogin
Huckabee promotes 'open door' policy at LULAC convention
Thursday, Jun 30, 2005
By Wesley Brown
Arkansas News Bureau
LITTLE ROCK - In a impassioned speech before hundreds of influential Hispanic civil rights leaders from across the nation, Gov. Mike Huckabee told a captive audience Wednesday that America is great because it has always opened it doors up to people seeking a better way of life.
"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 ...," Huckabee said as the largely Hispanic audience gave him a standing ovation.
Huckabee was the keynote speaker, along with Tyson Foods Inc. Chairman and CEO John Tyson, at a noon luncheon of the League of United Latin American Citizens, which is holding its 76th annual convention in Little Rock.
About 10,000 political, community and business leaders, along with exhibitors and speakers are in Little Rock attending the convention at the Statehouse Convention Center. The convention started Monday and runs through Saturday.
Although he never actually talked about the U.S. or Arkansas immigration policy, Huckabee made it very clear where he stood on the issue. In his opening remarks, he said the nation will need to address the concerns of the Hispanic community because of its growing influence and population base.
He told the LULAC delegates that their presence in the state's capital city was very important because Arkansas has one of the fastest growing Hispanic populations in the nation. "Your gathering is so very significant for our state," Huckabee said. "We are delighted to have you."
Despite several light moments, Huckabee did not stray away from several controversial issues that made him a target of criticism during the recently ended 85th General Assembly. He said Arkansas needs to make the transition from a traditional Southern state to one that recognizes and cherishes diversity "in culture, in language and in population."
"This is an issue that is going to require extraordinary efforts on both sides of the border, particularly those coming from Mexico," Huckabee said of verifying the status of illegal aliens. "But I am confident that our government will recognize that we should accommodate people who wish to provide the best opportunities for their families (and) employers so that we can make sure our economy has the necessary work force."
During the legislation session, Huckabee criticized an immigration bill by Republican senators Jim Holt of Springdale and Denny Altes of Fort Smith as un-Christian, un-American, irresponsible and anti-life. Senate Bill 206, which died in the Senate, would have required proof of citizenship to register to vote and also force state agencies to report suspected cases of people living in the country illegally. Holt, R-Springdale, replied later to Huckabee's comments that Christian charity does not include turning a blind eye to lawbreaking.
Mr. Cole said yesterday that he asked Mr. Huckabee to look into the case. “I think Mike was very torn about the whole thing,” Mr. Cole said. “I feel he felt an innocent man was in prison, or if not, he had been in prison too long. But he didn’t come out and say that.”
"The parole board meetings are public, but after Mr. Huckabee arrived, the board chairman closed the meeting to everyone except board members. What happened next is in dispute. 1 2
The new york times also mentioned the above about husckster!
Gee Dane, you must be so proud that the New York TImes is in love with your Huckster.
I’m positive that the NYT, like you, have nothing but the best of intentions for conservatives.
arkansasleader.com - 08/01/2004
If you're wondering how Gov. Huckabee's hundreds of clemencies compare with neighboring states, get ready for a shocker. Huckabee leads the pack. He has issued more commutations and pardons than all of the six neighboring states combined.
Governors seldom reduce sentences in other states – and almost never for murderers serving life without parole or for rapists or for habitual drunk drivers, while in Arkansas it's a regular habit with Huckabee.
Other governors use their clemency power only rarely, while Huckabee has made it routine. As we've told you before, he has issued more than 700 pardons and commutations during his eight years in office – more than 137 this year alone – and more than his three predecessors combined.
Here are the figures for neighboring states since 1996, when Huckabee took office (and keep in mind the population of these states is nearly 20 times ours): Louisiana – 213. Mississippi – 24. Missouri – 79. Oklahoma – 178. Tennessee – 32. Texas – 98 (includes 36 inmates released because they were convicted on drug charges with planted evidence).
Total: 624 vs. Huckabee's 703
Governors in neighboring states almost never grant killers clemency, while Huckabee has commuted the sentences of a dozen murderers. "That is extremely rare here," said one corrections official in a neighboring state. She recalled one case in the early 1990s when the governor commuted a killer's sentence and none since then. In Texas, we could find only one clemency case for a killer.
--snip to end--
Although Huckabee changed his mind about commuting DuMond's sentence, DuMond went free after the governor met with his parole board. DuMond is now serving a life sentence for murder in Missouri, where, the record shows, it's unlikely the governor will pardon him any time soon.
You know.... zinging Huckabee about his opinion of Aids is not going to hurt him in the primary. (most conservatives agree with his position) Really, it’s better that it comes out now instead of before the general.
didnt you just post this today shill
George W. Bush ran on a slogan of "compassionate conservatism" but got a lot of criticism from the media for not intervening to stop death sentences from being carried out in Texas while he was governor. Huckabee seems to be taking compassionate conservativism a step further, being compassionate to murderers too (but not to the relatives of their victims).
"I now believe that the only thing the American people are going to accept — and, frankly, the only thing that really makes sense — is a pathway that sends people back to the starting point. But this idea of the waiting years — no, I don't agree with that...You do have a pathway that gets you back home.
But that pathway to get back here legally doesn't take years. It would take days, maybe weeks, and then people could come back in the workforce."
Need compassion? Call 911-HUCK!
Iowa isn’t surprising. They eat too much corn in Iowa. But the good conservatives of SC? They’re getting taken in by this shyster. It’s a sad day.
While I likes Huck Gump, I’se afeerd he could be a wacko.
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