Posted on 01/02/2008 8:33:46 PM PST by RebekahT
As a conservative, evangelical, politically-active father of four in Arkansas I believe it is imperative for like-minded voters to become more familiar with the Mike Huckabee that just completed 10 years as our governor.
..
That said, here are 7 key reasons I cannot in good conscience support Mike Huckabee as the Republican nominee for President. This is based on his record here and is not a personal attack - I cannot speak for his or anybody's motives.
..
This is the Mike Huckabee we know.
1) Governor Huckabee did lasting damage to the Republican Party and conservative movement in Arkansas.
It's hard to go after Democrats with a conservative message when your Republican Governor is out front releasing violent criminals, providing state benefits to illegals, pushing tax increases, expanding government spending and programs, and constantly walking an ethical tight-rope (more on each of these items to follow). This tied our party's hands - many conservatives got frustrated, apathy set in, and some quit the fight. In addition:
* Huckabee insisted on having "his people" controlling the Republican Party campaign organizations that are set up in Arkansas each election cycle. He also insisted that his guy remain as state party chairman when party leaders planned to make a change. The mismanagement and ineptness that followed was so great that the Republican Party plunged into debt and the Federal Election Commission levied the the largest fine ever against a state political party following an investigation of the 2000 and 2002 election cycles. Obviously, this set back the Republican Party of Arkansas for years.
(Excerpt) Read more at hughhewitt.townhall.com ...
http://www.arkansasleader.com/2005/10/editorial-whats-politics-without.html http://www.arkansasleader.com/frontstories/st_08_11_04/huckabee8.html http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=12430 http://www.arkansasleader.com/frontstories/st_07_28_04/huckabee6.html http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/2004/07/22/News/261108.html http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iKCu_Pj0_Ek6Wjcimi7fVv96RmUwD8TESSSG0 http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=YWFjYjFmOWMwYThjYzcwM2FiYmE5MDcyMmM4NzlkMGQ=&w=MA http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/story?id=3983797&page=1 http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071130/NATION/111300094/1002 http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp?Page=/Politics/archive/200712/POL20071204b.html http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/2005/03/11/News/318458.html http://www.nwanews.com/story.php?paper=adg§ion=News&storyid=106235 http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/2005/06/30/News/323746.html http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pLOC4krZI4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYrGlfkvRV0&feature=related http://www.nwanews.com/adg/national/203850/ http://www.arkansasleader.com/2007/11/editorialswhos-biggest-tax-raiser.html http://www.swtimes.com/articles/2006/11/13/week_in_review/news/saturday/news09.txt http://www.judicialwatch.org/judicial-watch-announces-list-washington-s-ten-most-wanted-corrupt-politicians-2007 http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/2007/11/11/DavidJSanders/344030.html http://drudgereport.com/flashhu.htm http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=ZjM3Zjg5NWYxOGRkNzdmOWY3ZTU4ODQ2OGEyMzRkZmU http://apnews.myway.com/article/20071215/D8THJH880.html
Ping.
What actually surprised me was the poll internals from New Hampshire where 40% of respondents said immigration was a critical issue to them, yet supported John McCain.
That surprised me, too. I am getting so tired of hearing about polls...
Ping.
What will Huckabee do to Hugh Hewitt now? Be afraid, very afraid. Oh, I forgot, it’s too late.
...It's rather interesting that you posted this thread, since earlier today while listening to Rush, a caller from Arkansas claimed the Governor is a 'Conservative', and has a 'conservative' track record. Even when Rush begged to differ with the caller, he continued on, as in Rush's own words, 'making the case for his guy'.
Frankly, I'm a bit worried about this election, especially since the GOP appears to be all over the board with the current crop of candidates. One thing that I truly find disturbing is the penchant among nearly all the potential front runners (Romney, Huckabee, and Guiliani), to make Conservatism more marketable to the Drive By Media Elites. By that I mean straying away from the core principles that gave Ronald Reagan landslide victories during the 1980's (although foolishly, I did not vote for him, but I definitely learned my lesson over the years). If these guys would actually attempt to sit down and talk with the grass roots base of the Republican Party instead of allowing the Drive By MSM to define them, we'd probably have a repeat of those glorious days when truth trumped over spin.
...Unless the GOP gets its act together, we will wind up watching the swearing in of President Hillary Rodham Clinton on January 20, 2009.
http://www.arkansasleader.com/2005/10/editorial-whats-politics-without.html http://www.arkansasleader.com/frontstories/st_08_11_04/huckabee8.html http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=12430 http://www.arkansasleader.com/frontstories/st_07_28_04/huckabee6.html http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/2004/07/22/News/261108.html http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iKCu_Pj0_Ek6Wjcimi7fVv96RmUwD8TESSSG0 http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=YWFjYjFmOWMwYThjYzcwM2FiYmE5MDcyMmM4NzlkMGQ=&w=MA http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/story?id=3983797&page=1 http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071130/NATION/111300094/1002 http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp?Page=/Politics/archive/200712/POL20071204b.html http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/2005/03/11/News/318458.html http://www.nwanews.com/story.php?paper=adg§ion=News&storyid=106235 http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/2005/06/30/News/323746.html http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pLOC4krZI4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYrGlfkvRV0&feature=related http://www.nwanews.com/adg/national/203850/ http://www.arkansasleader.com/2007/11/editorialswhos-biggest-tax-raiser.html http://www.swtimes.com/articles/2006/11/13/week_in_review/news/saturday/news09.txt http://www.judicialwatch.org/judicial-watch-announces-list-washington-s-ten-most-wanted-corrupt-politicians-2007 http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/2007/11/11/DavidJSanders/344030.html http://drudgereport.com/flashhu.htm http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=ZjM3Zjg5NWYxOGRkNzdmOWY3ZTU4ODQ2OGEyMzRkZmU http://apnews.myway.com/article/20071215/D8THJH880.html
Thank you much. I thought I had finally figured it out :)
Please to read this letter, it’s very good in explaining what Huck has actually stood for and done in the past. Apologies for the outburst on that last thread. It was uncalled for.
What first got my attention about Huckabee was that his weakest support -- and strongest opposition -- comes from Arkansas Republicans. As Mr. Thompson points out in his letter posted by Hugh Hewitt, Mike Huckabee inherited a solid red state in his first term. But now after two terms of Huckabee's governorship, Arkansas is the only blue state in the South! No Democrat could have destroyed the Arkansas GOP as effectively as Huckabee did. Perhaps that's why those who know Mike Huckabee best support him least.
People like David Thompson -- a Conservative activist and evangelical Christian who witnessed the Huckabee years as a GOP footsoldier -- should be listened to. We don't need another Bill Clinton or Jimmy Carter, and we especially don't need them on the Republican ticket.
From the article:
This is the Mike Huckabee we know.
1) Governor Huckabee did lasting damage to the Republican Party and conservative movement in Arkansas.
It’s hard to go after Democrats with a conservative message when your Republican Governor is out front releasing violent criminals, providing state benefits to illegals, pushing tax increases, expanding government spending and programs, and constantly walking an ethical tight-rope (more on each of these items to follow). This tied our party’s hands - many conservatives got frustrated, apathy set in, and some quit the fight. In addition:
Huckabee insisted on having “his people” controlling the Republican Party campaign organizations that are set up in Arkansas each election cycle. He also insisted that his guy remain as state party chairman when party leaders planned to make a change. The mismanagement and ineptness that followed was so great that the Republican Party plunged into debt and the Federal Election Commission levied the the largest fine ever against a state political party following an investigation of the 2000 and 2002 election cycles. Obviously, this set back the Republican Party of Arkansas for years.
When Huckabee started his first full term in 1998, Arkansas had just elected a Republican Governor, Lt. Governor, U.S. Senator, and 2 Republican Congressmen. Upon his leaving office in 2007, Republicans now hold no statewide offices, have no Republicans in the U.S.Senate, and only one Republican Congressman remains.
It was often said during Huckabee’s term that Arkansas had 3 parties: Republican Party, Democrat Party, and the Huckabee Party.
“He destroyed the conservative movement in Arkansas, and left the Republican Party in shambles.” - Phyllis Schlafly, president of the national Eagle Forum
“His support for taxes split the Republican Party, and damaged our name brand.” – Former Arkansas State Representative Randy Minton (R)
“I think if they knew [his record] it would totally de-energize them . . . his policies are just wrong.” – Former Arkansas State Senator Jim Holt’s (R) warning for conservatives around the country who think they have found their candidate in Mike Huckabee.
2) Governor Huckabee’s non-stop clemencies continually hindered the work of criminal prosecutors and miffed Republicans. The numbers are staggering - over 1,000 clemencies and commutations of criminals as governor. Most people now are familiar with his push to parole convicted rapist Wayne Dumond, who went on to rape and murder a Missouri woman less than a year after his release. But there are many more troubling facts regarding Huckabee’s pattern of releasing violent criminals. While I cannot speak for Huckabee’s motives, it seems clear that he used poor judgment and was reckless with this executive power.
Huckabee released more criminals than the combined total of every border state to Arkansas (made up of Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Louisiana) - even though the combined population of these states is 16 times higher than Arkansas’. He also issued more than double the clemencies of his three predecessors combined.
In many cases, Huckabee’s actions set loose savage criminals convicted of grisly murders over the passionate objections of prosecutors and victims’ families. This American Spectator story details some of these violent cases and explains the resulting difficulties they presented prosecutors working with other victims and their families.
Huckabee and his appointees ignored the laws on the books, including the requirement to notify victims’ families and explain the reasons for those clemencies. He said to fully explain his reasoning would cost millions of dollars and “take money away from education and Medicaid and other things.”
A 2004 investigative article by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette found that prisoners had a better chance of being granted clemency by Huckabee if they had a mutual acquaintance, labored at the governor’s mansion under a prisoner work program, or a minister intervened on their behalf. Prosecutors say Huckabee was more inclined to release or reduce the sentences of prisoners if he had direct contact with them or was lobbied by those close to him.
He often refused to learn the facts of the cases (sometimes not even reading the murderer’s own confession), made no attempt to get the police/prosecutor’s case files, or even get input from the victims’ families before making his decision.
The clemency granted to one multiple DUI offender was likely tied to large political contributions from the offender’s family, including a soft money political organization run by Huckabee’s people.
Good summary article
“Last January, after Mississippi Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, a Democrat, lost his re-election bid, he issued 16 clemencies, and there was a huge outcry. That’s how many Huckabee averages per month.” – Arkansas Leader, (August 11, 2004)
“He seems to believe that granting clemency to murderers, rapists, drunk drivers and other convicted criminals is a part of the everyday affairs of the governor’s office rather than something that he should approach cautiously and selectively.” – Robert Herzfeld, Saline County Prosecuting Attorney during Huckabee’s tenure
“I know some of the people that Huckabee let loose have reoffended. Some of them we’ve caught and some of them we haven’t caught......I used to be able to tell the families of victims, in all good faith and candor, that it was a rare event when a governor commuted a sentence and let a murderer back out, or a rapist back out or a child molester back out. But I can’t do that anymore.” - Larry Jegley, longtime Pulaski County Prosecuting Attorney
“I felt like Huckabee had more compassion for the murderers than he ever did for the victims.” - Elaine Colclasure, co-leader of the Central Arkansas chapter of Parents of Murdered Children.
3) Governor Huckabee’s pattern was to ignore immigration laws, often in the name of Christianity.
Huckabee opposed immigration enforcement as governor on a number of fronts. Immigration enforcement groups call Huckabee’s record on immigration “a disaster” and reference him as they guy who “scares the heck” out of them.
In 2001, Huckabee’s human services liaison Robert Trevino pushed for legislation to provide driver’s licenses for illegals. It was understood by legislators that he acted with Huckabee’s blessing.
In 2001, Huckabee opposed a measure to require proof of citizenship to vote.
In 2005, Huckabee supported a bill that offered illegal immigrants in-state tuition rates and made them eligible for the same merit-based scholarships to Arkansas state colleges and universities as legal citizens. The bill would have violated federal law and was not enacted by the legislature.
In 2005, he opposed a bill that denied some state benefits to illegals and required proof of citizenship to vote (patterned after Arizona’s Prop 200 that has been successful in curtailing illegal immigration in that state). In this story, Huckabee called the measure “un-American….inflammatory….race-baiting and demagoguery.” He added that the bill “inflames those who are racist and bigots and makes them think there’s a real problem. But there’s not.” He then singled out State Senator Jim Holt, also an openly professing Christian, saying, “I drink a different kind of Jesus juice.”
In 2005, Huckabee criticized federal agents for a recent crackdown on illegals, saying that it wasn’t fair to the innocent family members of those targeted in the operation. (No word on whether he also opposes raids on other law-breakers who might also have innocent family members affected by the fruits of their illegal activity.)
In 2005, Huckabee promoted an “open door” policy on immigration as he addressed the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) national convention in Little Rock. LULAC is a left-leaning group that opposes virtually all measures of immigration enforcement.
“He was an absolute disaster on immigration as governor. Every time there was any enforcement in his state, he took the side of the illegal aliens.” - Roy Beck, president of NumbersUSA, a group that played a major role in rallying the phone calls that helped defeat this year’s Senate immigration bill.
“I would hope he could be trusted to secure the borders, but given his track record in Arkansas, I don’t see the conservative he has portrayed himself to be in Iowa.” - Jake Files, a former Arkansas state representative and current chairman of the Sebastian County Republican Party
ping
The Arkansas GOP has two factions.
One faction supports Huckabee.
The other faction does not, and some of them (e.g., Jim Holt and Randy Minton) are taking money from Ron Paul to attack Huckabee.
HAL9000, good to see you. Thanks for the observations. This missive is a pretty classic set of mudslinging talking points. And you are a dependable FR poster.
Absolutely false. The Arkansas GOP was at it's peak in Arkansas under Huckabee - until Tim Hutchinson dumped his wife to marry a staffer and Win Paul Rockefeller died. Those things were not Huckabee's fault.
But I've figured out the real source of this bogus charge. When the Democrat-controlled Board of Apportionment redrew the districts, Randy Minton's district boundaries were changed. He lost in the next election in the reapportioned district and tried to lay the blame on Huckabee. He went whining about it to Phyllis Schlafly, and she took his word for it without any further investigation. Then Minton went on Ron Paul's payroll and traveled to Iowa on a trash-talking tour against Huckabee.
The Arkansas GOP is much smaller today than it was before Huckabee became governor — a fact which speaks for itself. No statewide office is presently held by the GOP, as Arkansas has reverted to a blue island in a red sea. It’s no wonder only a third of the surviving Arkansas GOP legislators support Huckabee’s candidacy — they know him too well. And as for taking Ron Paul’s money against Huckabee goes, every Arkansan I know is supporting Fred Thompson.
Thanks, and I’ve added a little more info in #17 above.
“What actually surprised me was the poll internals from New Hampshire where 40% of respondents said immigration was a critical issue to them, yet supported John McCain.”
Possible evidence of people that can hold two or more ideas in their minds at once?
(I suspect that many voters see illegal immigration as a problem, yet also regard efforts by Bush and McCain to address the problem as realistic efforts, albeit not successful. Some of those folks actually envision a realistic solution short of rounding up 20 million people for deportation, in combination with stronger border barriers, internal enforcement, etc.).(Notice my intentional ommission of the words “comprehensive” and “citizenship?”)
When Rockefeller contracted a fatal illness and was forced to drop out in the middle of his campaign, you can't blame Huckabee for that. When Hutchinson got caught with his pants down, you can't blame Huckabee for that either.
Huckabee cannot resurrect dead candidates or put chastity belts on live ones. He cannot force voters to elect the second-rate candidates who lost their elections. The losers should step up and take responsible for their own shortcomings, instead of trying to shift the blame to Huckabee.
Most of these other posts/threads gave absolutely no traction to consider other candidates since the slams rarely sought to document anything.
The question seems to come down to who has the fewest weaknesses...
And Hunter seems to fit the bill...if only his campaign would kick into gear!
If it doesn't, we're down to slim pickings...Almost all of them seem to have a slew of key weaknesses...even Thompson does.
I've decided not to support Giuliani, Romney, Paul & McCain. With talk of Thompson quitting, looks like Huck then becomes a "role" candidate...somebody there to play as a trump card against the others.
Hal -
I don’t think anyone is blaming Tim Hutchinson losing his Senate seat or WinRock dying on Huckabee. However, the state GOP suffered tremendously under Huckabee. We lost many seats in the House partially due to poor candidate and recruiting by Huckabee and his people.
I have also heard that Minton and Holt were paid a fee to travel to Iowa and talk about their experiences with Huckabee. But please don’t sink to the low level of calling these attacks on Huck’s record “trash-talking”. And Huckabee has been doing the same - Jim Bob Duggar is in Iowa now being paid to say good things about Huckabee.
About the author’s other 6 points. Can you disprove any of them?
I strongly admonish every evangelical to not listen to his campaign promises but honestly look at this mans record when he HAD power and ask yourself one simple question: Were his policies conservative? The answer is a resounding "NO" on so many fronts it is frightening.
Please, don't vote for Huckabee because he claims to be a "christian". Instead, use your God-given discernment and vote for another candidate who's overall record while in office was conservative and more in line with your political standpoint.
Good info. Thanks for posting.
Where's the mud? Looks to me like straightforward comparison betweeen Huckabee's words and actual deeds. It seems like everytime Huckabee is challenged on his record, he accuses the questioner of "mudslinging" and personal attacks. That is very unseemly for someone seeking the accountability of high elective office. And very Clintonian.
It cannot be denied that Huckabee, as a two-term governor, was the leader of the Arkansas GOP. Neither can it be denied that during his term, Arkansas fell from a solid red state to a solid blue state -- the only blue state in the entire South. And now the leader of the Arkansas GOP blames it all on Hutchinson's philandering and Rockefeller's death? No wonder a majority of Arkansas GOP lawmakers refuse to support Huckabee! "The buck stops there" is classic Clintonian politics!
I have a different take on the Arkansas Republican Party's demise during Huckabee's governorship. When Republicans govern like Democrats -- as Huckabee clearly did -- they will eventually lose power. Conservatives will walk away from the RINO stink, and Liberals will go home and vote for the genuine article from their own party.
As for Jim Holt and Randy Minton - I disagree with several of their complaints, but I'm especially disappointed to see them taking tainted money from Ron Paul. Holt used to work for the DIA - now he's on the payroll of a guy who wants to undermine our war on terror. He ought to know better.
I just can’t believe how the evangelicals in Iowa are being fooled by the Huckster. Are they stupid or just incredibly politically naive, or are they so single issue that all they can see is the Huckster’s religious background, and no other quality counts in order to be President? I just saw a snippet of the Huck on TV a few minutes ago, where once again he’s cracking out the one-liners. Do the “Christian” Pubs think they are hiring a jokester for Prez? He makes them laugh so he must be Prez material? How incredibly shallow in thinking.
The reporter just asked the Huckster if he was really going on Steven Colbert’s show next week, and Huck said yes. So, now he goes on Jay Leno’s show last night, and on to Steven Colbert’s show next week. Wow, what great Presidential material. Remind you of someone? Billy Clinton from Hope, Arkansas going on TV playing his saxaphone? Mike Huckabee is Bill Clinton turned inside out. THis all just disgusts me. I don’t even want to be associated with the Pub party anymore if the Huckster is our nominee. What a total embarrassment.
I will agree with you about Holt, although I am assuming his rationale is that there is no way that Paul will get the nomination but there’s a danger that Huck will - and Iowans need to know the truth about Huck’s record sinCe he’s painting him as a true conservative on the issues.
I am very saddened that I cannot support Huckabee. He’s a fellow Christian from my homestate and I’ve known his family for a long time. But this election is for president of the United States, not Sunday School teacher. Therefore, I have to vote my values and I cannot overlook an abmissal record on everything from taxes/spending, immigration, private property rights, and reckless pardons/commutations for violent criminals JUST because the man happens to be pro-life and a former Baptist preacher.
What has upset me the most about Huckabee during this election cycle is that he is not truthful about his record and calls any of his opponents’ attacks on his record “negative”. Huckabee needs to be truthful - he’s a Christian who supports big-government programs, illegal immigration, and is recklessly soft on crime.
I think more than 40% of New Hamshire residents are out of touch with reality.
The same Arkansas voters who gave Bill Clinton the nickname “Slick Willy” long before the rest of us knew who he was, also gave Huckabee the nickname “Tax Hike Mike”. There is a lesson there for us.
The main factor in my decision to support Fred Thompson over Huckabee is foreign policy. Like most governors who seek the presidency, Huckabee's foreign policies are uninformed and incoherent. But I think he'd make a fine vice-president, and that would give him time to get up to speed on things, and hopefully adopt Fred's policies. After a couple of terms as vice-president, I think he would be the leading presidential candidate on this forum.
“I am a conservative Evangelical Christian and I will NEVER vote for the Huckster, he is Carter redux. I was fooled once, voted for Carter because he was a “christian”, BIGGEST mistake I ever made politically. I will not be fooled again. Huckabee’s RECORD speaks louder than his words or his profession of faith. The man is soft on crime, soft on national security AND out of his mind regarding illegal AMNESTY. No matter what promises he is making now, his political record while in office speaks for itself.
I strongly admonish every evangelical to not listen to his campaign promises but honestly look at this mans record when he HAD power and ask yourself one simple question: Were his policies conservative? The answer is a resounding “NO” on so many fronts it is frightening.
Please, don’t vote for Huckabee because he claims to be a “christian”. Instead, use your God-given discernment and vote for another candidate who’s overall record while in office was conservative and more in line with your political standpoint.”
Great post. I’m also a Christian conservative and I will not vote for Mr. Huckabee either. Rush was right in saying that Huckabee is no conservative. His pandering to illegal aliens, revolving prison door pardons, and massive tax increases as Arkansas’ governor demonstrates his weak record and fails to gain my support.
Thompson/Hunter in 2008!
Fred Thompson is NOT quitting.
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=YTcxZmFmMWM1MmUzODc5MGMzNjUzNGZhNDQ2NWU3YWI=
“Huckabee certainly made some mistakes over the years - but he learned his lesson from his mistakes in most cases.”
If by learning from his mistakes you mean running from his record now that he wants to be president, you’re probably right.
But many of his worst mistakes were recent - such as the state-wide smoking ban in Arkansas. I think Huckabee got more and more liberal as time went on. We all thought that he would be such a good, conservative governor when he first took office. The longer he was governor, the more left-leaning he became.
All that proves is Mike has friends who will whore themselves for him.
Arkansas Freepers are for the most part, responsible for his rise in power. We campaigned for him before his liberal metamorphosis.
I, for one, can't do enough penance for ever supporting him.
sw
I oppose the ban on free-market principles, but most of the smokers I know are liberals - except for the cigar smokers.
I don’t like smoking either. But I dislike the government banning a legal activity on private property even more. If Huckabee were as conservative as he purports to be, he would understand that.
I was wondering when you were going to come and visit this thread, Spectre.
Here's Huckabee's Christianity in dealing with illegal immigration:
Christianity and Illegal Immigration.
sw
I’m hoping for some good news tonight.
...As I said earlier, I'm worried about this election and the current crop of GOP candidates. And this doesn't give me much comfort, either.
I want to encourage everyone to send this letter to every Evangelical that you know. We need Huckabee’s record to get in as many conservative hands as possible.
Arkansas,ARG poll, March 19, 2007
Huckabee, 40%
Romney, 21%
Giuliani, 12%
McCain, 12%
Thompson, 4$
Well if everyone is going to jump off the bridge, I guess I will too.
I have read most of the letter; I will reread it again tomorrow. Thank you for pointing this out to me.
Sure thing. I have the author’s personal email - he’s open to any questions - if you are interested. He was on a local talk radio show last week discussing the points in the letter.
I find that, for me at least, it’s more difficult to sort out governor’s positions than a representative’s or a senator’s.
I am easily able to look up how a senator or rep voted, or what they sponsored (at thomas.gov), but as concerns a govenor, there’s much more difficulty (unless, of course, one is from that state and obviously is better able to pay attention/read your own governor’s law signing/vetoes/commutations, etc.).
When you’re an “outsider” you also have no history as to what led up to any particular bill signing or action.
I don’t feel the need to contact your friend, as his letter appears to align itself with other things I have read by others.
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