Minuteman's Huckabee endorsement draws fire

WorldNetDaily.com ^ | December 15, 2007 | Jerome R. Corsi

[Man50D]

The surprise decision this week by Minuteman Project founder Jim Gilchrist to endorse the candidacy of Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee has a drawn sharp reaction from within the Minuteman movement, which split two years ago over funding.

Chris Simcox, founder and president of the Minuteman Civil Defense League called Gilchrist's endorsement of Huckabee "unwise."

"Jim Gilchrist speaks only for himself – not for my organization and not for the Minuteman movement," Simcox told WND.

Gilchrist's The Minuteman Project and Simcox's Minuteman Civil Defense League are completely separate organizations of citizen volunteers seeking to curb illegal immigration.

"What raised everybody's ire was when the media came out and said the Minutemen support Huckabee," Simcox said. "No, the Minutemen don't support Huckabee. Jim Gilchrist supports Huckabee. This endorsement threatens to destroy Gilchrist's credibility and the credibility of his organization forever."

Similar to Pat Robertson's endorsement of Rudy Giuliani, Gilchrist told WND his support of Huckabee was calculated to back a "least worst" choice who still has a chance to win.

"Let's cut to the chase here," Gilchrist told WND in a telephone interview. "If the electorate wants a choice between Giuliani and Hillary, all they have to do is get rid of Huckabee and those will be our two choices. It's as simple as that."

Asked why another candidate could not emerge for the lower tier just as Huckabee has, Gilchrist indicated it likely is too late.

"Tom Tancredo and Duncan Hunter have been the key leaders on Minutemen issues," he said "But we need to support someone else when Tancredo and Hunter are down at 1 or 2 percent support in the polls with only eight weeks left in the primaries."

[Man50D]

Simcox pointed to Tancredo, Hunter and Ron Paul as "the candidates who have been true to the Minuteman movement for years."

"These three brought us to the dance and supported us all along," he said. "Those are the candidates our volunteers are out there working to elect, not Mike Huckabee."

Wow! Voting your convictions instead of voting solely based on the perception of who someone thinks will win. What a novel idea!

[Goreknowshowtocheat]

Gilchrist has been snookered by Huckster. What a fool.

[Carbonado]

"Gilchrist told WND his support of Huckabee was calculated to back a "least worst" choice who still has a chance to win"

Why are so many conservatives so easily backed into a corner and so quick to support the "lesser evil"?

I for one am sick and tired of being forced to make the same least of the worst calculation every time.

NO MORE FALSE COMPASSIONATE CONSERVATIVES! I'M NOT LOOKING FOR A HUMAN SAVIOR, SO STOP PRETENDING YOU ARE ONE.

[no-to-illegals]

Heard a blurb this AM that Ed Rollins has been picked up by the Huck campaign. It may have already been posted (probably has) but I was not aware.

The Huck campaign......not much to say. Not much substance on illegals. When the voting starts, in less than three weeks.....prediction of it may take four more years before Americans have their fill of illegal immigration, may become reality and amnesty the law of the land. May those thoughts be wrong.

[WildcatClan]

You have to like this guy, Simcox. I would hope any all donations now go to him and his organization. Simcox, as they say, “has done us proud”. Glad you posted this as many are putting The Minutemen totally under the Gilchrist umbrella.

[Guenevere]

Courage of conviction!....That's why I'm for Hunter...
Appreciate Simcox clarification....helps to dispel the heartburn of Gilchrist.

[gitmogrunt]

Who needs friends like Gilchrist..a consumate hypocrite & back stabber...

[TomGuy]

Politics makes strange bedfellows, depending on who gets promised what under the table.

[AuntB]

“You have to like this guy, Simcox. I would hope any all donations now go to him and his organization. Simcox, as they say, “has done us proud”.”

Gilchrist has definately gone wrong here, but don’t give Simcox much credit, he doesn’t deserve it. His fence was a big scam. He’s concerned about pulling in money and talk. Sorry that this has turned out this way, but it’s a sad fact.

[gubamyster]

ping

[rintense]

He’s a fool, picking Huck because he’s afraid of Hillary and Rudy? Go grief, man! Support Duncan or Fred, not an illegal advocate!

[WildcatClan]

He was scamming money for a fence? We have a fence now, just need a leader that: 1) actually wants it built 2) will actually build it. One can hope, but I don’t see it getting built unless Hunter is elected. Kay Bailey is trying to take it off the table as we speak.

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

Californian conservatives and Republicans (and others from liberal, non-swing states) can vote solely on their convictions. Swing state conservatives and Republicans might not have that luxury. In those cases, picking the least bad candidate makes sense because the election is more dependent on their vote.

This isn't stating that they shouldn't vote on their convictions, only that they do have a reason to vote based on who can win.

[Man50D]

state conservatives and Republicans might not have that luxury.

Voting based on your principles is not a luxury. It is a necessity. Doing otherwise will only create the more of the same problem that has caused the GOP to abandon Conservatives while appealing to those who are not Conservative in order to expand its voting base simply for the sake of winning. Clearly this line of reasoning hasn't worked and has caused the Republicans to find itself in its current predicament.

picking the least bad candidate makes sense because the election is more dependent on their vote.

Voting for the "least bad" candidate mentality only begets more bad candidates. The current crop of media anointed "top tier" GOP candidates is a perfect example of that thinking.

[Guenevere]

bttt