Dick Armey Slams Huckabee’s Liberal Economic Record

Club for Growth PAC-FreedomWorks PAC hold press conference in South Carolina ahead of pivotal primary

COLUMBIA, S.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Leading conservative organizations joined together at a press conference today to highlight Mike Huckabee’s dismal record on core economic issues. Although Governor Huckabee is attempting to portray himself as an economic conservative, his gubernatorial record and campaign rhetoric tell a very different story.

Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey was joined by Pat Toomey of the Club for Growth PAC, Tom Schatz from the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste Political Action Committee, and Donald Devine representing the American Conservative Union PAC at the South Carolina Statehouse.

“Republicans shine when they are committed to securing the blessings of freedom by limiting the size and reach of government. Mike Huckabee’s record shows he is more interested in feel good economic populism and he believes in the power of the state to interfere in the economic and personal lives of Americans. This government knows best philosophy is more at home with liberals, not the conservative electorate.

“The GOP's longstanding unity between its traditional and economic wings, a coalition built to serve the goals of social as well fiscal conservatives, rests on the principle that freedom--individual and economic--is not in conflict with virtue, but rather is the key to it. The belief in economic and individual freedom is the foundation of the winning coalition that was solidified in the Reagan years, and paved the way for the Contract with America and the Republican Revolution in 1994.

“The root cause of Republican electoral defeats in recent years is the misguided embrace of big government conservatism and the abandonment of fiscal discipline. Republicans do not earn the trust of voters with ‘Democrat Lite.’

“Mike Huckabee's nomination would tear the winning Republican coalition apart, and lead to years of Republican wandering in the political desert of electoral defeat.”

Paid for by the FreedomWorks PAC and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

>>”How are the Huckabee supporters going to spin this?”<<

Concerning Huckabee’s “campaign rhetoric,” arguably the greatest means by which government interferes in the economic and private lives of citizens is by its constant manipulation of the income tax code. Huckabee supports the Fair Tax which, if implemented properly, would do more to get government out of our lives than any proposal I can think of currently being made by the other candidates. But Huckabee is the anti-Reagan?

By the way, I’m not trying to start a discussion on whether or not the Fair Tax will work, or whether the rate needs to be higher or lower. I’m just pointing out that the 16th amendment has generated more government interference in our lives than could have been imagined by its creators, and Huckabee’s answer is to do away with it. Reagan, I suspect, would approve, especially if he could see how easily his successful efforts to lower income tax rates were later reversed.

I’ve decided that the Republican establishment has been bought and paid for by Romney, but I can’t believe how many people can be so easily led down his garden path to socialism. Rush claims to be neutral but piles on both McCain and Huckabee when the only apparently viable candidate (at the time...could yet change) was Romney. Ditto for Hannity and the editors at the Wall Street Journal as well as numerous other conservative publication.

Well, maybe we’ll let Romney buy the Republican nomination without objection, but if RomneyCare is any indication of the future direction of the country, it won’t be pretty. The pity is that if conservative leaders would actually give Huckabee a chance, they’d come to realize that his proposals are far closer to Reaganism than anyone else’s (except Thompson) but I guess he just isn’t “big business” enough for them.

I’m not looking forward to four years of Democratic control, but if we go with Romney, that’s exactly what we’re going to get because he’s the epitome of Mr. Big Business, himself.

Or, I suppose we could just jump ship before the election and nominate McCain, in which case it won’t matter who wins the general election because we get a liberal either way.

Challenge: Someone cite one piece of Huckabee’s “campaign rhetoric” that you find so liberal. I’d like to consider it. And please don’t do a data-dump of all the supposed liberal sins he committed as Governor. Cite what he’s saying he’s going to do when President. Thank you.

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