Huckabee Might be Out of His Element in New Hampshire

The traits that helped Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee race to a second-place finish in last week's Iowa straw poll might be more of a drag with voters in New Hampshire.

Huckabee returns to the state Friday with an uptick in fundraising and fresh criticism aimed at his chief rivals.

These candidate threads illustrates why I only read the articles and move on.

Reagan’s 11th commandment was “Thou shalt not speak ill of a fellow Republican.”

The motto for the all too vocal minority on FR seems to be “Roast them all, so we can continue to loose!”

Look at some of the posts in this or similar threads...

One guy can’t get past Huckabee’s name. So what? You think Barack Hussein Obama is a better name? Have you ever been to a campaign school? Smart candidates can use an odd name to raise name ID.

Somebody else is trashing Romney for his religion, Fred Thompson for indecision (does anybody really doubt he’ll enter the race?), or Tancredo for being a loose cannon.

Look at the attacks on Ron Paul.

You would think he personally financed 9/11 for what he said. I totally disagree with Paul on foreign policy, but honestly, he didn’t say we deserved 9/11. He’s an isolationist. Like Pat Buchanan and George Washington before him, he was arguing we got into other’s fights and created enemies; we shouldn’t be surprised when they attack us.

We shouldn’t be surprised, I happen to believe those are our fights.

I’m no isolationist (I’m in Iraq right now), but Paul is a good person who says what he believes. He’s a Libertarian, so don’t expect him to be anti-drug, pro-life, or favor lots of social conservative legislation.

The worst insult seems to be “RINO”.

What the heck is that? Some allegiance to an arbitrary Republican philosophy? When was the last time any of you were at a local or state party committee fighting over the platform?

There are plenty of republicans, and Republican organizations, that have platforms you would strongly disagree with – either too Christian, or not pro-life enough, or weak on RKBA, or isolationist.

So, do you call Reagan a RINO because he supported illegal alien amnesty and went luke-warm on RKBA after being shot? Or maybe, you call him a RINO because of the INF treaty? You call Bush a RINO because he fathered the illegal alien amnesty fiasco?

…why? He doesn’t get beat up enough by the left you want to help?

We used to call them “squishes”. That was a better description, because it describes their action (or lack thereof) of squishing on principles when faced with a determined opposition.

Do these posters think they own the philosophy of the Republican party? I dare you to find a single platform that you 100% agree with, or a candidate for that matter.

The only person you’ll agree with 100% of the time is yourself, so you’re better off moving things in your direction then insisting on perfection.

Instead, some choose to make the perfect the enemy of the good. They give the worst of the liberals a pass, so they can attack moderate Republicans.

Kay Hutchison is a good example. There were plenty of “way-too liberal for Texas” reps that could have been defeated. Instead of running against them, a one issue wonder (pro-life) went after her (second election IIRC).

That is about 75% of the posts on FR now – Hunter Brigades (do any of you remember Buchanan Brigades) trashing Huckabee; Paul advocates attacking Giuliani; Tancredo fans attacking Paul. …and what have they really done? Accuse eachother of being RINOs.

When was the last time any of you actually left your computer terminal and walked precincts for conservative candidates? When was the last time any of you did something besides writing vicious posts, dripping with hate and angst from the comfort and anonymity of your workstation?

I would encourage people to put their money where their mouth is, and start working for the candidates they support, instead of flaming others.

Use FR to organize for those you support, and to fight libs – that is why it was a valuable tool back in 1994, before the 24x7 professional do-nothing posters set themselves up as the judges of what is or is not Republican.

Mike Huckabee says that these are his views on immigration:

* My number one priority is to secure America’s border.
* We have to know who is coming into our country, where they are going, and why they are here. We need a fence along our border with Mexico, electronic in some places, and more highly-trained border agents.
* Those who are caught trying to enter illegally must be detained, processed, and deported.
* Illegal immigrants already living among us who commit crimes must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law and incarcerated or deported.

I opposed the amnesty bill that was defeated by the Senate in June. I support the $3 billion that Congress recently appropriated for border security. These funds will be used to train and deploy 23,000 more agents, add four drone airplanes, build 700 miles of fence and 300 miles of vehicle barriers, and erect 105 radar and camera towers. They will be used to end “catch and release” by providing money to “catch and detain” those caught entering illegally and to crack down on those who enter legally, but overstay their visas. These border security provisions will stem the tide of illegals, which is what we must do before we can turn the tide and deal with those who are already here. Before you fix the damage in your house caused by a leaking roof, you stop the leak, which is what this legislation will do.

My number one priority is to have a secure border. Right now, we have too many people entering the country illegally, and this must stop. We can’t turn the tide until we stem the tide. We need to know who is coming into our country, where they are going, and why they are here. We need to create a process to allow people to come here to do the jobs - plucking chickens, tarring roofs, picking fruits - that are going unfilled by our citizens. They must have a tamper-proof, scannable I. D. with a finger or retinal scan, so that their employers know they belong here.

Besides stopping terrorists, we must weed out those with a criminal background or a communicable disease. We have to build a fence along our border with Mexico, parts of which will be electronic. We need more well-trained border agents and cooperation agreements with local and state law enforcement officials, so that we have a clear and consistent approach by all jurisdictions.

Those who are caught trying to enter illegally must be detained, processed, and deported. Illegal immigrants who are already living among us and commit crimes must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law and incarcerated or deported.

From:
http://www.mikehuckabee.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Issues.View&Issue_id=4

John Hawkins: Let me ask you about the hot issue of the day, illegal immigration. When it comes to illegal immigration, do you think we should allow illegal aliens currently in the country to become citizens or at least give them the opportunity to or the opportunity to stay as guest workers, or do you think they should have to leave the United States?

Mike Huckabee: Well, I’m not as sure that leaving and then coming back is as important as it is to acknowledge that what they’ve done is illegal, pay a fine, and then get in line behind the people that are going through the process of being here legally. It’s important that we have a legal process.

We can’t just ignore our laws. We either change them or enforce them for clearly this land is a land that is dependent on more workers than we currently have for many of the jobs that Americans honestly don’t want. So there is, I think, a reality that we shouldn’t just sort of look the other way. I don’t believe in amnesty. That’s not a good idea, but creating a pathway where people can have a form of restitution to make things right, to understand that laws have to be obeyed or some consequences have to be applied. That makes more sense than trying to deport 12 million people or build a 700 million, ehr...700 billion dollar fence (Hawkins Note: Most estimates of the cost of the fence are in the 2-5 billion dollar range), whatever it’s going to cost.

-—snip-—

John Hawkins: Let me ask: if an illegal alien couple has a child in Arkansas and he becomes a citizen, can they get benefits that way?

Mike Huckabee: They would be able — the child would.

John Hawkins: Right, but, ok...

Mike Huckabee: But, the child is a citizen. That child is not illegal.

John Hawkins: Right.

Mike Huckabee: Also, I believe that you don’t punish a child because the parents did something wrong. To me, that’s —— our justice system has never been based on punishing the innocent for the sins of the guilty and you certainly don’t punish an underage child because of something the parents did. If you did, you’d be locking up a lot of kids because the parents are bums.

http://www.rightwingnews.com/interviews/huckabee.php

Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee Calls Immigration Reform Legislation Racist, Un-Christian [Update]
By Digger

Arkansas is putting through legislation asking for verified identification for voting and denying taxpayer funded benefits and services to those illegally in our country. Sounds reasonable to me and Arizona put the same thing in place with Proposition 200 which was approved November 2004. Well apparently it doesn’t sound reasonable or “Christian” to the current Governor of Arkansas Mike Huckabee.

Arizona Republic

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 there’s 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.

Which one sounds like a lunatic and which one sounds like a logical thinker? If you want to go around doing the Christian good and ignoring the law go become a monk or priest and leave the enforcing of laws to those who want to do it. I can’t believe that a Governor, someone who is looked upon as a person who is wanting the law to be upheld, could stoop to a personal attack on someone who is suggesting what the majority of the public wants.

* * *
Update (7:40PM PST)

More from Arkansas News

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 citizenzhip 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.

Amen to Jim Holt. Joe McCutchen, Chairman of Protect Arknsas NOW, a newly formed group supporting the bill had this to say.
“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.

http://www.diggersrealm.com/mt/archives/000718.html

Huckabee: sanctimoniously supports illegal immigration
From this:

...the nation is being given a chance to make up for past racism by the way it handles the influx of Hispanics.

Huckabee, a Republican who is considering a run for president in 2008, said Arkansas has made progress on racial justice and has a fresh opportunity to do the right thing in the way it welcomes the growing Hispanic population.

“One of the great challenges facing us is that we do not commit the same mistakes with our growing Hispanic population that we did with African Americans 150 years ago and beyond. We’re still paying the price for the pathetic manner in which this country handled that,” Huckabee said at a meeting of the Political Animals Club in Little Rock. The club meets monthly to hear from political figures and experts.... (read more)

http://immigration2008.com/president/mike-huckabee

Mike Huckabee disses Americans, Mexicans, promotes illegal immigration
America’s second-most anti-American governor, Mike Huckabee, recently spoke before a meeting of the Lexington County [South Carolina] GOP:
...When people say illegal immigrants take jobs from Americans, Huckabee said he asks them to name someone “who cannot get a job because a Mexican illegally here has taken the job they want.”

“If that’s the case, if you can get me their name and phone number by five this afternoon, I can have them making a bed, plucking a chicken, tarring a roof or picking a tomato by the morning at 8 o’ clock,” he said.

No one has been able to give him a name, he said. Illegal immigrants have jobs Americans don’t want, he said...
He really hit them all:

1. Appeal to ignorance.
2. Support for illegal immigration.
3. A McCain-style disconnect.
4. Dissing Mexicans, as if they’re genetically predisposed to being our maids and gardeners.
5. Dissing all the American citizens who are maids, gardeners, and the like in states and areas without a large illegal alien population.
America has a right to know who’s here and why, he said. But federal immigration laws “are so antiquated and the process so cumbersome, it would take some people 10 to 20 years to go through the legal process.”
Our rights aren’t just limited to knowing who’s here, they include deciding who’s able to come here in the first place. George Bush, the GOP, and the Democrats have taken that right away and Huckabee would just continue that de facto policy.

Then comes the usual false choice between an amnesty and mass deportations:
Creating a system to process people properly and thoroughly would cost money, but certainly less than it would cost to “round up 13 million people and deport them,” Huckabee said.
He continues with the Bushian/Feinsteinian redefinition of amnesty:
He said he doesn’t believe in “blanket amnesty,” but illegal immigrants here should be given a way to pay a fine and apply for legal status. They should be required to speak English and pay taxes, he said.
Then, the Rovian/Schwarzeneggerian call to just relax:
He said the debate has gotten too emotional.
And, for good measure, some sanctimony combined with more support for illegal immigration:
“Tonight, when you get home, get on your knees and thank God you live in a country people are trying to break into rather than a country people are trying to break out of,” Huckabee said. “If we start there, we might have a possibility of getting a solution.”

http://lonewacko.com/blog/archives/005609.html

Want more?

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