July 1, 2008
Vindication is Sweet
Nachama Soloveichik
It looks like Mike Huckabee hasn't seen the last of the Club for Growth. Last week, Huckabee's PAC, Huck PAC, endorsed one of Congress' most audacious porkers, Rep. Don Young of Alaska, in his primary race. Don Young is being challenged by fiscal conservative Lt. Governor Sean Parnell, who the Club for Growth PAC has endorsed.
Over the past year, the Club for Growth has been criticized by Huckabee and some conservatives for painting the Arkansas Governor as a fiscal liberal. If ever there was proof that that the Club was right from the start, it is this outrageous endorsement of Rep. Young who embodies the worst of the Republican Party's wasteful habits.
Of course, for those who saw Huckabee for the economic liberal he is, this endorsement should not be terribly surprising. Let us take a moment to compare the two politicians:
Government spending under Mike Huckabee increased nearly 50%. Calling Don Young a big spender might be an understatement. The King of Pork oversaw the bloated 2002 Transportation Bill and is responsible for the $223 million "Bridge to Nowhere."
Mike Huckabee was a huge tax-hiker, with the average tax burden in Arkansas increasing 47% over his tenure. Don Young has shown a penchant for tax increases as well. Young recently voted for a tax hike on high-income earners and came out in support of a $1 per gallon increase on gasoline.
Mike Huckabee signed a minimum wage increase as governor and was the only GOP candidate to seek the labor unions' endorsements. Don Young also supported a minimum wage increase, voted for the abominable Card Check bill, which would allow unions to organize without holding secret ballot elections, and was recently endorsed by the AFL-CIO.
Huckabee was the only Republican presidential candidate to refuse to endorse President Bush's veto of the SCHIP bill. Similarly, Don Young voted for the SCHIP bill, and then voted to override the President's veto of the bill.
On the campaign trail, Huckabee demonstrated an antipathy for free trade, expressing doubts about the U.S. trade agreement with South Korea and calling for "fair trade" instead of free trade. Don Young has demonstrated similar protectionist tendencies, voting against NAFTA and free trade agreements with Singapore and Chile.
During the primary, Huckabee spoke enthusiastically about the Farm Bill. Don Young voted for the Farm Bill and voted to override President Bush's veto of the bill.
Now, Mike Huckabee can claim he is a fiscal conservative until he is blue in the face, but that's a lot like claiming Don Young is a fiscal conservative.
PAID FOR BY CLUB FOR GROWTH PAC AND NOT AUTHORIZED BY ANY CANDIDATE OR CANDIDATE'S COMMITTEE. 202-955-5500.
Posted at 3:38 PM, July 1, 2008 | Trackback | Print | #
May 27, 2008
Huck Rejects Free-Market Capitalism
Nachama Soloveichik
In an interview last Thursday, Mike Huckabee laid out his vision for the Republican Party:
Republicans need to be Republicans. The greatest threat to classic Republicanism is not liberalism; it's this new brand of libertarianism, which is social liberalism and economic conservatism, but it's a heartless, callous, soulless type of economic conservatism because it says "look, we want to cut taxes and eliminate government. If it means that elderly people don't get their Medicare drugs, so be it. If it means little kids go without education and healthcare, so be it." Well, that might be a quote pure economic conservative message, but it's not an American message. It doesn't fly. People aren't going to buy that, because that's not the way we are as a people. That's not historic Republicanism. Historic Republicanism does not hate government; it's just there to be as little of it as there can be. But they also recognize that government has to be paid for.
Mike Huckabee misses the fundamental point of free-market capitalism, which is that free markets promote economic growth for all people, including the poor, in a way that government simply can't match. Historically, it has been free markets and private philanthropy--not government--that has generated prosperity, eliminated poverty, and fostered opportunity. When government interferes by trying to manipulate the economy to produce "desirable" results, it almost always ends up doing worse than the market could have done by itself.
Huckabee is subscribing to the liberal, not to mention condescending, notion that people cannot better their lives without government holding their hand a good part of the way. Huckabee is entitled to his opinion, but he shouldn't pretend to be an economic conservative when he rejects the basic tenet upon which conservatism is based.
Posted at 6:11 PM, May 27, 2008 | Trackback | Print | #
January 24, 2008
Huckabee Blames the Club for SC Loss
Andrew Roth
Huckabee almost sounds like a Scooby Doo villian. I was just waiting for him to say, "I would've gotten away with it if it hadn't been for those meddling fiscal conservatives!"
Posted at 8:25 AM, January 24, 2008 | Trackback | Print | #
January 19, 2008
Larry Kudlow's Thoughts on Mike Huckabee
Andrew Roth
Posted at 3:28 PM, January 19, 2008 | Trackback | Print | #
January 18, 2008
Huckabee and the 1st Amendment
Press Release
Meet Mike Huckabee, the Speech Police
Washington – Just in case there was any doubt about Mike Huckabee’s liberal policies, the Arkansas Governor told NPR on Wednesday that he would like to outlaw independent political speech in the public domain:
I personally wish that all of this were outlawed. I think that every candidate ought to speak for himself, and that everything that involves the candidate’s name or another candidate’s name should be authorized and approved by that candidate, otherwise it shouldn't be spoken . . . The point is that candidates can’t force these special interest 527 groups to stop. I wish we could.
“Apparently, Mike Huckabee has decided to appoint himself head of the speech police, worthy of telling people what they can and cannot say,” said Club for Growth President Pat Toomey. “Under a Mike Huckabee presidency, no individual or group would be allowed to criticize a politician’s policies without the politician’s approval. Which part of ‘Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech,’ is lost on Governor Huckabee?”
“For someone who claims to believe in limited government, Mike Huckabee thinks the government should tax its citizens out of prosperity, should tell CEOs how much they can earn, should dictate wages, should control prices, and should control what a person can say in the political arena. That doesn’t sound like limited-government conservatism.”
PAID FOR BY CLUB FOR GROWTH PAC AND NOT AUTHORIZED BY ANY CANDIDATE OR CANDIDATE'S COMMITTEE. 202-955-5500.
Posted at 4:50 PM, January 18, 2008 | Trackback | Print | #
January 17, 2008
Special Report in South Carolina
Andrew Roth
PAID FOR BY CLUB FOR GROWTH PAC AND NOT AUTHORIZED BY ANY CANDIDATE OR CANDIDATE'S COMMITTEE. 202-955-5500.
Posted at 2:02 PM, January 17, 2008 | Trackback | Print | #
Broccoli on the Brain
Nachama Soloveichik
A couple weeks ago I posted "the Anti-Huck List"--an increasingly long list of conservatives who take issue with Mike Huckabee for one reason or another. Apparently, all conservatives on that list have an I.Q. equivilant to that of a stalk of broccoli, as least according to Mike Huckabee:
”Folks, I don’t know what you are going to hear, about that I’m not a conservative, but when you cut taxes, and you increase the per capita income, you improved the schools, and you rebuild the roads, and you preserve the national resources, and you streamline government, your government grows at a rate that is half that of the average of all states,” Huckabee said, his voice rising. “Call it anything you want to, but anybody with an I.Q. above broccoli calls that conservative, rock-solid, kind of leadership.”
PAID FOR BY CLUB FOR GROWTH PAC AND NOT AUTHORIZED BY ANY CANDIDATE OR CANDIDATE'S COMMITTEE. 202-955-5500.
Posted at 10:46 AM, January 17, 2008 | Trackback | Print | #
January 16, 2008
Huckabee Loses in Michigan
Press Release
Huckabee Loses in Michigan, Taxpayers Win
Washington – Tonight, voters across Michigan soundly rejected the liberal economics of Mike Huckabee in a victory for taxpayers everywhere.
Many voters in Michigan saw Club for Growth.Net’s $200,000 worth of television issue ads educating people about the need for pro-growth policies and Mike Huckabee’s long laundry list of tax hikes as Arkansas governor. The ad asked viewers to urge Huckabee to support more pro-taxpayer policies, including a moratorium on taxation of Internet access. Obviously, they wanted no part in Huckabee’s big-government tax-raising record. Entitled “Arkansas Governor,” the ad used a humorous tone to demonstrate Huckabee’s willingness to raise taxes in Arkansas.
“Mike Huckabee walked around the state of Michigan telling people he was an economic conservative who cut taxes ninety times,” said Club for Growth President Pat Toomey, “but the truth is that Huckabee’s tax increases far surpassed his tax cuts, and his record is riddled with spending increases and big-government initiatives. Club for Growth.Net’s ad was critical in educating people in Michigan about pro-growth policies and setting the record straight. Tonight, the truth won out over campaign spin.”
“The Club for Growth PAC urges South Carolina voters to reject Mike Huckabee and his big-government policies this Saturday. The Club for Growth PAC will be hosting a joint press conference tomorrow in South Carolina with three other major conservative organizations -- FreedomWorks PAC, American Conservative Union PAC, and Council for Citizens Against Government Waste PAC -- to expose Mike Huckabee’s liberal record. Republican voters should nominate a leader who will return the party to the principles of economic conservatism, not an economic liberal who sounds more like John Edwards than Ronald Reagan.”
PAID FOR BY CLUB FOR GROWTH PAC AND NOT AUTHORIZED BY ANY CANDIDATE OR CANDIDATE'S COMMITTEE. 202-955-5500.
Posted at 8:50 AM, January 16, 2008 | Trackback | Print | #
January 15, 2008
Using 'Summer' As a Verb
Andrew Roth
NRO's Kathryn Lopez shares her thoughts on a recent comment made by Mike Huckabee. Freeman Hunt adds her two cents as well.
Posted at 2:17 PM, January 15, 2008 | Trackback | Print | #
January 9, 2008
Huckabee's Influence in Arkansas
Andrew Roth
From David Sanders of the Arkansas News Bureau:
In 2001, when conservative Republican lawmakers opposed a higher sales taxes and fees the governor supported, [Huckabee] began calling them "Shiites." Huckabee's positions on fiscal policy became indistinguishable from Democrats' positions. A year later, he openly campaigned against a ballot initiative to remove the sales tax on food and medicine. While he and Rockefeller won re-election in 2002, [Republican] Sen. Tim Hutchinson didn't.
In 2003, Huckabee not only begged lawmakers for new taxes to make up a budget shortfall, but he rebuffed conservatives' (Republicans and a couple of Democrats) plan to cover the shortfall by tapping one-time money and cutting pork. In 2004, President Bush won re-election, but Huckabee campaigned for some Democrats - even some who had Republican opponents - and Republicans lost state legislative seats for the first time since 1990.
[...] Under Huckabee: taxes up, government up, Democrats up and Republicans down. In the end, Republicans may prefer Huckabee keep his vertical politics to himself.
Read it all here.
Posted at 11:38 AM, January 9, 2008 | Trackback | Print | #
New Ad in Michigan
Andrew Roth
ClubforGrowth.NET just issued a new TV ad in Michigan that's critical of Mike Huckabee's record as governor of Arkansas.
Posted at 8:43 AM, January 9, 2008 | Trackback | Print | #
January 8, 2008
New Hampshire Rejects Huckabee
Press Release
New Hampshire Rejects Liberal Mike Huckabee
Washington – In light of Huckabee’s third place finish in New Hampshire, Club for Growth President Pat Toomey released the following statement:
“The Club for Growth PAC applauds the voters of New Hampshire for soundly rejecting Mike Huckabee and his liberal economic policies, and encourages voters in Michigan to do the same next week. Tonight’s election demonstrates the limited appeal of Mike Huckabee’s class-warfare rhetoric and tax-and-spend gubernatorial record.”
“It is clear that New Hampshire voters are not interested in a candidate who defends tax hikes, opposes school choice, supports new government regulations, and engages in protectionist rhetoric. New Hampshire voters believe in the free-market, limited-government values embodied in their state motto—live free or die—and Mike Huckabee does not represent those values.”
PAID FOR BY CLUB FOR GROWTH PAC AND NOT AUTHORIZED BY ANY CANDIDATE OR CANDIDATE'S COMMITTEE. 202-955-5500.
Posted at 9:15 PM, January 8, 2008 | Trackback | Print | #
January 7, 2008
Chuckabee Facts
Andrew Roth
Posted at 9:59 PM, January 7, 2008 | Trackback | Print | #
January 6, 2008
Huckabee Fibs Again!
Press Release
Huckabee Fibs Again!
Washington – For the umpteenth time, Mike Huckabee fibbed about his 1999 gas tax hike during tonight’s Fox News Republican presidential debate.
Pressed to defend his tax-hiking record as Arkansas governor, Huckabee said, “We also rebuilt our road system. People want roads. And the people in my state voted by an 80% margin to vote for those roads and to pay three cents a gallon to pay for those roads.”
There is one small problem with this defense: It simply isn’t true. On April 1, 1999, Huckabee signed legislation that raised taxes on gas and diesel fuel in order to pay for road improvements in the state, and the tax hikes began taking effect that day, but the people of Arkansas had no say over the matter (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 04/02/99.) Arkansans voted on whether to issue a bond, but that vote had no bearing on Mike Huckabee’s tax increases on gas and diesel fuel (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 04/25/99). Unfortunately, this is not the first time Huckabee has tried to blame Arkansas voters for his tax hikes. Other examples include (watch video here):
- NBC, “Meet the Press,” 01/28/07
- ABC, “This Week with George Stephanopoulos,” 02/11/07
- FOX News, Republican Presidential Debate, 05/15/07
- CNN, “The Situation Room,” 10/30/07
- MSNBC, 10/30/07
- NBC, “Meet the Press,” 12/30/07
“Does Mike Huckabee think so little of the intelligence of American voters that he fibs so freely about his tax record?” Club for Growth President Pat Toomey asked. “If Mike Huckabee is proud of raising gas taxes to pay for roads, he is welcome to defend his tax increases, but political desperation does not afford him the right to blame the people of Arkansas for a tax he signed, while the people of Arkansas had no say in the matter at all.”
PAID FOR BY CLUB FOR GROWTH PAC AND NOT AUTHORIZED BY ANY CANDIDATE OR CANDIDATE'S COMMITTEE. 202-955-5500.
Posted at 9:19 PM, January 6, 2008 | Trackback | Print | #
Questions for Mike Huckabee
Press Release
Questions for Mike Huckabee in Tonight’s Presidential Debate
Washington – Over the past couple of weeks, Mike Huckabee has surged into the first tier of the Republican presidential race, but the American public still has little information on where he stands on key economic issues. Voters know that Mike Huckabee is great with a joke and quick on his feet, but many questions remain about what exactly he would do if he was actually elected President. The Club for Growth PAC proposes the following questions:
- Mike Huckabee has adopted the Fair Tax with vigor, but there is little chance of his Fair Tax proposal going anywhere in Congress, leaving many to wonder where Mike Huckabee stands on taxes absent his Fair Tax proposal. Where does Huckabee stand on the Death Tax? The corporate tax? Increasing taxes on private equity firms and hedge funds? The Alternative Minimum Tax? And taxes on capital gains and dividends?
- Mike Huckabee has embraced protectionist language that sounds more like John Edwards than any of his Republican opponents, but as a Reuters article on Friday pointed out, there is little information on what Huckabee actually proposes to do on trade issues. Does he support or oppose the recent free trade agreement with South Korea? He talks about being tough on China, but what does that mean—is he categorically opposed to any kind of tariffs on China? Would he push for expanded free trade or seek to cut down on the number of free trade agreements the U.S. engages in?
- Mike Huckabee has been endorsed by one of Congress’s most notorious porkers—Alaska’s Don Young—and has appointed Young chairman of his congressional team. At the time, Mike Huckabee praised Rep. Young’s work in Congress, saying “I have deep respect for the job he has done in Congress.” Given his generous praise for a representative known singularly for his ability to bring home the bacon, one has to ask: Does Mike Huckabee categorically oppose all pork-barrel spending?
- Mike Huckabee has railed against “the sheer unadulterated greed” of CEO salaries, but has not ruled out imposing federal regulations to stem CEO pay. Will he unambiguously rule out using the federal government to regulate corporate salaries?
- Mike Huckabee claims he believes in the principle of limited government, but is the only Republican candidate to propose a nationwide smoking ban. How exactly does that proposal jibe with his claims of being a limited-government conservative?
PAID FOR BY CLUB FOR GROWTH PAC AND NOT AUTHORIZED BY ANY CANDIDATE OR CANDIDATE'S COMMITTEE. 202-955-5500.
Posted at 4:43 PM, January 6, 2008 | Trackback | Print | #
December 25, 2007
Huckabee on CEO Pay
Nachama Soloveichik
You've probably seen Huckabee rail against CEO pay (if you haven't, see here and here, but until now, Huckabee has not been clear about what exactly he would do about CEO pay if he were President. Yesterday, CNBC's John Harwood asked Mike Huckabee just that.
HUCKABEE: It’s a combination. It’s when one person losing his job who helped make the company successful and the person who steers the company either into bankruptcy or selling off it in pieces is taking that golden parachute of several hundred million dollars. I mean, there’s just something wrong about that, and every American knows it, whether he’s at the top or bottom. What the government ought to do is, first of all, call attention to it, put some spotlight on it. I don’t think it’s about coming up with some new regulation. Corporate boards ought to show some responsibility. If a board allows that kind of thing to happen, shame on that board. And I would hope that it wouldn’t necessitate additional laws and regulation because usually when you get into regulation, it just gets worse and it makes it [an] even bigger problem than you had to begin with.
HARWOOD: So you wouldn’t actually do anything about it as the head of the government? You would simply use the pulpit to talk about it?
HUCKABEE: That would be the first line of maybe offense, perhaps John. And then what I would like to see is the corporate board showing responsibility with an understanding that if they don’t start showing some responsibility, then they’re going to end up forcing government to take action, which is the worst thing that could happen and it only exacerbates a problem rather than actually solves it.
Huckabee's response is emblematic of his governing approach. He claims government is not the answer, but, at the end of the day, he is willing to use government to achieve the results he deems morally necessary. Notice also how Huckabee inoculates himself, arguing that he would be forced to impose government regulations because of inaction on the part of corporate boards. It is a clever political gambit that allows him to claim opposition to new regulations in principle, while he imposes them left and right because others are "forcing" him to do so.
PAID FOR BY CLUB FOR GROWTH PAC AND NOT AUTHORIZED BY ANY CANDIDATE OR CANDIDATE'S COMMITTEE. 202-955-5500.
Posted at 12:55 PM, December 25, 2007 | Trackback | Print | #
December 21, 2007
The Anti-Huck List
Nachama Soloveichik
The Club for Growth PAC may have been the first to take on Huckabee, but we now find ourselves in very good company. As Huckabee surges in the polls, many prominent actors in the conservative movement are rallying against Huckabee's candidacy for one reason or another. With each day, the list continues to grow, and I have started keeping track:
Club for Growth PAC
National Review Editors
Wall Street Journal Editorial Board
John Fund
Jonah Goldberg
Don Lambro
Robert Novak
Tony Blankley
George Will (twice!)
Investors Business Daily Editorial Board
Richard Viguerie
Kim Strassel
Washington Times Editorial Board
Michael Barone
Rush Limbaugh
Laura Ingraham
Charles Krauthammer
Peggy Noonan
Stephen Hayes
Phyllis Schlafly
Deroy Murdock
Ryan Sager
Chuck Muth
Ann Coulter
Arkansas Journal
Rich Karlgaard
Mark Levin
Dick Armey
Council for Citizens Against Government Waste PAC
American Conservative Union PAC
I apologize in advance for omitting anyone who deserves to be on this list. Please email any glaring omissions or suggestions.
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Posted at 12:06 PM, December 21, 2007 | Trackback | Print | #
December 18, 2007
Ted Strickland Endorses Mike Huckabee
Nachama Soloveichik
I missed this little gem. In Sunday's Cincinnati Enquirer, Democratic Governor of Ohio, Ted Strickland, said Huckabee is his personal favorite among the Republican presidential candidates. Strickland explains:
But he's the kind of combination of conservative views in some ways, but very, almost liberal views in other ways.
Posted at 11:27 AM, December 18, 2007 | Trackback | Print | #
December 13, 2007
Huckabee and School Choice
Press Release
Will the Real Mike Huckabee Please Stand Up?
Washington – First it was taxes, now it’s school choice. Mike Huckabee has a habit of playing make believe with his own record.
In an interview with Mike Huckabee yesterday, MSNBC’s Tucker Carlson asked the surging candidate what he thought about vouchers and school choice. Despite his documented opposition to vouchers, Mike Huckabee responded as follows:
School choice is a good thing. In rural states like mine, it`s not very practical because most of our schools are rural. The idea of creating competing schools in a very small area would be difficult. While I think vouchers has [sic] some tremendous potential, I also believe in charter schools. I think parents ought to make home school an option. More than saying about vouchers, here`s what we ought to say. Empower mothers and fathers to make these education decisions. Give them a stake in it. Ultimately moms and dads, not governments, ought to decide what`s best for their children.
This is deliberately misleading. In a September interview, Mike Huckabee told the New York Jewish Week that he opposes school vouchers because they may lead to “inequality” in schooling and could undercut public education. In fact, Rhonda Wesolowski, President of the New Hampshire affiliate of the National Education Association, said the group endorsed Huckabee this week specifically because of his opposition to school vouchers (Concord Monitor, 12/12/07).
“Three months ago, Mike Huckabee told a reporter he opposes school vouchers; today he says he supports vouchers,” said Club for Growth President Pat Toomey. “Well, which one is it? It sounds like Mike Huckabee wants to have it both ways on school choice. His position changes depending on the audience he speaks to—one position for the National Education Association and the opposite position for Iowa Caucus voters. The American people have a right to know exactly where Mike Huckabee stands on this issue.”
PAID FOR BY CLUB FOR GROWTH PAC AND NOT AUTHORIZED BY ANY CANDIDATE OR CANDIDATE'S COMMITTEE. 202-955-5500.
Posted at 4:07 PM, December 13, 2007 | Trackback | Print | #
December 10, 2007
Defending Huckabashing
Nachama Soloveichik
In what appears to be a criticism of the Club, Ramesh Ponnuru writes:
I'm not especially a fan of Huckabee's fiscal record as governor, and I'm not terribly persuaded by his defenses of it, but I think his critics are going overboard on this issue, too. Republican governors should try really hard not to preside over net tax increases. But Huckabee has pledged not to raise taxes at the federal level, and has come out with a very specific (if to my mind dubious) right-wing tax-reform plan. If it's good enough for Grover Norquist, how much is left here for conservatives to beat up?
Plenty. There is Huckabee’s support for a minimum wage increase, farm subsidies, a federally mandated and funded arts and music curriculum, and NCLB, his opposition to school choice and free trade, his CEOs-make-too-much-money diatribe, his national smoking ban, his Arkansas record that mirrors Bill Clinton’s, and on it goes. I recommend the Club for Growth’s white paper—viewable here.
But there is a bigger issue that gnaws at the brain. Given Ponnuru’s social conservatism, it is understandable that he would support candidates more conservative on social issues than on economic issues, but he is being unfair when he argues that economic conservatives should accept Huckabee’s Johnny-come-lately assurances, despite an appalling record on economic issues.
Ponnuru basically suggests that economic conservatives should tolerate Mike Huckabee because he has pledged not to raise taxes and has the tentative support of Grover Norquist. By this logic, social conservatives should be appeased by Giuliani’s pledge to appoint conservative judges and the endorsement of Pat Robertson. Ponnuru is entitled to have one set of standards for judging social conservative credentials and another—much lower—set for judging economic conservative credentials. But he shouldn’t expect economic conservatives to accept his low standards, especially when he wouldn’t accept comparable assurances on the social issues that matter to him most.
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Posted at 9:07 PM, December 10, 2007 | Trackback | Print | #
December 7, 2007
New TV Ad on Huckabee's Tax Record
Andrew Roth
ClubforGrowth.NET is running the following ad on broadcast TV and statewide cable in Iowa, on statewide cable in South Carolina, and on FOX News nationwide, with an expectation to dramatically increase the buy in the near future. The initial ad buy is $175,000. You can learn more here.
Posted at 2:41 PM, December 7, 2007 | Trackback | Print | #
December 5, 2007
Another Union Endorsement for Huckabee
Andrew Roth
From NBC's Tricia Miller:
The 16,000-member New Hampshire affiliate of the National Education Association has chosen to recommend to its members Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary and Mike Huckabee in the Republican primary, according to a source within the state NEA.This is the first time the state affiliate has picked a candidate in the GOP primary, and it follows Huckabee’s showing as the only Republican who spoke to the NEA convention in July.
Posted at 1:57 PM, December 5, 2007 | Trackback | Print | #
Quote of the Day
Andrew Roth
From Dave Weigel at Reason:
The fact is that reporters really, really like Huckabee. One reason is his general affability but another is something the other GOP candidates can't steal: His liberalism.
Posted at 12:03 PM, December 5, 2007 | Trackback | Print | #
Pat Toomey on Huckabee's Record on NBC
Andrew Roth
Posted at 10:54 AM, December 5, 2007 | Trackback | Print | #
November 28, 2007
Dick Morris Needs to Do More Research
Nachama Soloveichik
Reading Dick Morris’ column on Mike Huckabee this morning, it looks like Morris went to Huckabee’s website and copied and pasted Huckabee’s talking points, fibs, warts, and all.
Most galling is his reiteration of Huckabee’s persistent fib that the Arkansas Supreme Court “ordered” the former governor to raise the sales tax to pay for education improvements. False. Untrue. Incorrect. Bogus. Fill in the adjective of your choice. The State Supreme Court mandated education improvements, but the state could pay for those improvements by raising taxes or cutting spending elsewhere. Huckabee and his Legislature decided to raise taxes. Morris also tries to belittle the effect of this tax increase by writing, “He raised the sales tax one cent in 11 years and did that only after the courts ordered him to do so.” But the 2003 sales tax increase constituted a 17% hike and was the largest tax hike in Arkansas’ state history (Associated Press, 02/06/04).
Morris perpetuates the myth that Huckabee doesn’t deserve responsibility for his 1996 sales tax hike because he “got voter approval for a one-eighth-of-one-cent hike for parks and recreation.” The truth is, Huckabee campaigned vigorously for the sales tax hike, even taking a fishing trip down the Arkansas River to promote it, and in the end, his support proved crucial. According to the Arkansas Secretary of State website, The amendment passed by just 8,284 votes out of 802,148 votes cast, or a meager 1% margin.
Morris also gives Huckabee credit for repealing an income tax surcharge he enacted in 2003, but the surcharge was enacted as a temporary measure in order to garner the necessary votes for passage in the House and Senate. There is nothing impressive about repealing a temporary tax that never should have been enacted in the first place.
Morris excuses the fact that the average Arkansas tax burden rose 47% under Hucakbee’s tenure by saying that other states raised taxes more. Even if we take Morris’ word on this, that is not a particularly comforting thought. There are many liberal governors out there, and I wouldn’t want them to be the Republican nominee for President either. It’s like saying Billy hit Sally twice, so it’s okay that Jimmy hit her only once.
I also have to wonder if Dick Morris is actually listening to the kind of things Huckabee talks about on the campaign trail. Morris praises Hucakbee for urging “an all-out attack on teen smoking and overeating and a push for exercise not as the policies of a big-government liberal but as the requisites of a fiscal conservative anxious to save tax money.” Excuse me? Huckabee signed a smoking ban as governor and said he will impose a national smoking ban if elected president. If that’s not the policy of a “big-government liberal,” then I don’t know what is. Of course, there are Hucakbee’s other big-government policies: increasing the minimum wage, a federally-mandated arts and music curriculum, and farm subsidies.
Finally, here is a list of some of Huckabee’s other tax hikes the governor either supported or raised that Morris omits from his column:
--1999: Gas and diesel fuel tax hikes
--2000: A sales tax hike
--2001: A cigarette tax hike
--2001: A nursing home bed tax
--2002: His ardent opposition against an amendment to repeal the sales tax on groceries and medicine
--2002: Huckabee’s proposal to raise the sales tax (immediately after he was reelected—funny how he never mentioned this proposal when he was campaigning)
--2003: A tobacco tax hike
--2003: His opposition to a congressional moratorium on taxing Internet access
--2006: His insistence on maintaining the beer tax even though it was subject to expire
PAID FOR BY CLUB FOR GROWTH PAC AND NOT AUTHORIZED BY ANY CANDIDATE OR CANDIDATE'S COMMITTEE. 202-955-5500.
Posted at 2:16 PM, November 28, 2007 | Trackback | Print | #
November 27, 2007
Mea Culpa from the Huckabee Campaign
Nachama Soloveichik
Yesterday, Matt Lewis of Townhall.com and I engaged Huckabee's new Director of Research, Joe Carter, in a bit of a debate over Huckabee's economic record. Today, I received the following mea culpa from Carter. Very interesting stuff and a marked change in tone from the campaign.
In a post on their website, the Club for Growth takes me to task for an email I sent to Matt Lewis calling the organization a group of "dishonest hacks." While I don't often agree with the CFG, they are right when they say, "Carter is entitled to his opinions, but if he wants to throw around the word dishonest, he ought to back it up with some concrete evidence."
In my email I also said, "The CFG sold out their credibility when they allowed Steve Stevens--an earmark loving AR businessman--to use the group to get back at his political rival." While I believe that Mr. Stevens, chairman of the CFG.net, paid for political attack ads in Iowa, I should not have made the claim without more evidence. CFG has neither confirmed nor denied that this was the case, so I should not have made the charge without gaining additional details.
I apologize to the Club for Growth and its members for resorting to such base name-calling. It was not only unprofessional but, I hope I can claim, uncharacteristic of me to resort to such insults.
I also apologize to my buddy Matt Lewis for using his forum to vent my frustration. Rather than responding harshly--as was certainly warranted--Matt overlooked my rudeness and answered with his typical civility. His friendly response made me even more ashamed of the way I had acted.
There are other points, both errors of fact and interpretation, in the CFG's post that I feel need to address. But since it would be improper to bring them up in this mea culpa I will save them for another time.
-Joe
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Posted at 4:27 PM, November 27, 2007 | Trackback | Print | #
November 19, 2007
Club for Growth Challenges Huckabee
Press Release
Club for Growth Challenges Huckabee to Public Forum
Washington – In response to Huckabee’s interview with Fox News’ Chris Wallace yesterday morning, the Club for Growth challenged Mike Huckabee to engage in a public forum on economic issues.
“Rather than explain his record, Huckabee has resorted to name-calling, which strikes us as rather unbecoming of a man who aspires to become the President of the United States,” said Club for Growth President Pat Toomey. “At the Club for Growth, we take our responsibility to educate the public very seriously, and all of our presidential white papers and press releases have been exhaustively researched and documented. If Governor Huckabee feels that the Club for Growth has unfairly represented his record, despite our thorough documentation, we would be happy to debate his economic record in a public forum. After all, the American people deserve to hear honest explanations, not ad hominem attacks.”
When Chris Wallace asked about his long list of tax hikes cited by the Club for Growth, Huckabee brushed them aside, arguing that he cut taxes 94 times and calling the Club for Growth “despicable.” But Huckabee refused to respond to the Club for Growth’s basic conclusion, as cited by Chris Wallace: “Huckabee’s substantial tax hikes far surpassed his modest tax cuts, with the average tax burden increasing by a whopping 47% over his tenure.” Nor did Huckabee address the laundry list of tax hikes he supported and helped enact over his ten and a half years as governor. These include:
- Sales Tax, 1996: Huckabee campaigned on behalf of a constitutional amendment to raise the state sales tax (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 11/07/96)
- Gas and Diesel Fuel Taxes, 1999 (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 04/02/99, 04/25/99)
- Sales Tax, 2000 (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 09/25/02)
- Cigarette Tax, 2001 (Associated Press, 04/02/01)
- Nursing Home Bed Tax, 2001 (Associated Press, 06/25/01)
- Sales Tax, 2002: Huckabee proposed a sales tax hike, but it was rejected by his Legislature (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 11/15/02)
- Income Surcharge Tax, 2003 (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 10/09/07)
- Tobacco Tax, 2003 (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 10/09/07)
- Sales Tax, 2003: Rather than fight the largest tax increase in Arkansas history, Huckabee allowed the tax hike to become law without his signature (Associated Press, 02/06/04)
- Internet Taxes, 2004: Huckabee opposed a federal moratorium on taxing Internet access (Bond Buyer, 02/24/04)
- Beer Tax, 2006: Huckabee objected to letting the beer tax expire (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 11/17/06)
While Huckabee passed two modest tax cuts during his tenure, the rest of his so-called 94 tax cuts consisted of minor tweaks and cuts, such as exempting residential lawn care from the sales tax; reducing taxes on bets made at Southland Greyhound Park; and exempting Arkansas Symphony Orchestra purchases from the sales tax (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 10/09/07).
“While Huckabee deserves comedic points for his “Club for Greed” line, his attacks on the Club for Growth and economic conservatives in general raise important questions about his economic philosophy,” Mr. Toomey continued. “If Mike Huckabee disagrees with the fundamental principles of economic freedom and limited government as embodied by the Club for Growth and other economically conservative groups—i.e., lower taxes; lower spending; less government regulation; school choice; freer trade; tort reform; and market-based reform of our entitlement programs—why does he continue to call himself an ‘economic conservative,’ and what exactly does his version of ‘economic conservatism’ stand for?”
Posted at 4:12 PM, November 19, 2007 | Trackback | Print | #
November 16, 2007
Another Day, Another Falsehood
Press Release
Huckabee Alert: There He Goes Again
Washington – Another day, another falsehood from Mike Huckabee.
Facing heightened criticism of his economic record in Arkansas, Governor Huckabee has a habit of falsely blaming his 1999 gas and fuel diesel tax hikes on Arkansas voters. Last night, Huckabee peddled the same fib during an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity and Alan Colmes:
HANNITY: Now, Alan talked about the Club for Growth. You talked about cutting taxes and balancing budgets. You know, what was the net result? You did support some tax increases, but some tax cuts. Can you explain that?
HUCKABEE: Yes, I did. Certainly, there was an issue that involved road building and infrastructure on roads and bridges, and I did support that. We added $1 billion to our economy, 40,000 jobs, went from having the worst to the best roads. When we put that out there for the people to decide whether they wanted to affirm it, they did by an 80 percent vote, I would call that leadership.
“Actually, we would call that dissembling,” said Club for Growth President Pat Toomey. “By the Club for Growth PAC’s count, this is at least the sixth time Huckabee has blamed the people of Arkansas on national television for a gas tax hike he himself signed into law. (Fibs #1-5 can be viewed here) The truth is, the gas and diesel fuel tax hikes were never on the ballot, and the people of Arkansas never had a say in whether to raise them.”
Instead, Huckabee signed the gas and diesel fuel tax hikes into law on April 1, 1999, and the tax hikes began taking effect that very day. After the tax cuts were enacted, Arkansas voters voted on whether to issue a bond for the purpose of funding transportation improvements. The Arkansas-Democrat Gazette made this clear when it wrote, “The tax increases will stay whether voters approve the bond issue or not” (04/25/99).
“Governor Huckabee needs to stop making excuses and take responsibility for the taxes he raised,” Mr. Toomey continued. “Then, American taxpayers will see that Mike Huckabee is not the economic conservative he claims to be.”
PAID FOR BY CLUB FOR GROWTH PAC AND NOT AUTHORIZED BY ANY CANDIDATE OR CANDIDATE'S COMMITTEE. 202-955-5500.
Posted at 1:48 PM, November 16, 2007 | Trackback | Print | #
November 15, 2007
Huckabee Makes an Honest Mistake
Andrew Roth
In trying to defend his speech calling for higher taxes, Governor Mike Huckabee actually defended the wrong tax hike. But seriously, it's an honest mistake. When you support higher taxes as often as he did, you're bound to get them confused.
HT: Citizen Journal
PAID FOR BY CLUB FOR GROWTH PAC AND NOT AUTHORIZED BY ANY CANDIDATE OR CANDIDATE'S COMMITTEE. 202-955-5500.
Posted at 10:47 AM, November 15, 2007 | Trackback | Print | #
November 13, 2007
Updated Huckabee White Paper
Press Release
Club for Growth Releases Updated Huckabee White Paper
Washington – Today, the Club for Growth released an updated white paper on former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee (PDF file).
The Club for Growth originally released the Huckabee white paper on January 29, 2007, the first in its presidential white paper series. As the presidential race developed over the past ten months, many readers have expressed comments and questions, and new information about Governor Huckabee’s record has come to light. In order to ensure that the presidential white papers continue to be thorough and relevant, the Club for Growth decided to issue an updated account of Mike Huckabee’s economic record.
“Over the pas ten months, Governor Huckabee’s embrace of his liberal economic record as governor and his populist, protectionist rhetoric on the campaign trail has only confirmed the Club for Growth’s original assessment,” said Club for Growth President Pat Toomey. “Huckabee himself admits that he is a ‘different kind of Republican,’ a code word for more government involvement, less personal freedom, and greater dependence on government bureaucrats.”
“Huckabee is proud of his tax hikes, his spending increases, and his regulatory expansions as governor, and he has not indicated that he would govern any differently as president. Nominating Mike Huckabee for president or vice-president would constitute an abject rejection of the free-market, limited-government, economic conservatism that has been the unifying theme of the Republican Party for decades.”
Posted at 10:31 AM, November 13, 2007 | Trackback | Print | #
November 12, 2007
Explanation Needed From Huckabee
Press Release
Club for Growth PAC Demands Explanation from Huckabee on Gas Tax Dishonesty
Washington – The Club for Growth PAC demanded an explanation from Mike Huckabee about his frequent deceit over his gas tax hikes.
Last week, the Club for Growth PAC released a video documenting Governor Huckabee’s recurring dishonesty about his 1999 gas and diesel fuel tax hikes, but the Huckabee campaign has not yet stepped forward to apologize to the American people or offer an explanation.
Huckabee has consistently told reporters that “the fuel tax was a vote of the people—eighty percent of the people voted to improve roads” (CNN, 10/30/07). This is a blatant falsehood. The 1999 gas and fuel tax hikes were never on the ballot in Arkansas. Huckabee signed the tax hikes into law on April 1, 1999, and the tax hikes began taking effect that day. The only referendum Arkansans voted on in 1999 was a bond issue to fund transportation improvements on June 15, 1999.
Unfortunately, Huckabee has peddled this tall tale numerous times, including:
- NBC, “Meet the Press,” 01/28/07
- ABC, “This Week with George Stephanopoulos,” 02/11/07
- FOX News, Republican Presidential Debate, 05/15/07
- CNN, “The Situation Room,” 10/30/07
- MSNBC, 10/30/07
“Mike Huckabee is so desperate to hide his record of tax hikes in Arkansas, he will even go so far as to blame a tax hike he signed on Arkansas voters,” said Club for Growth President Pat Toomey. “The American people deserve an explanation, if not an apology.”
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Posted at 1:01 PM, November 12, 2007 | Trackback | Print | #
November 8, 2007
Huckabee Fibs on Gas Tax Hike
Andrew Roth
The Club for Growth PAC has issued this new video to expose Governor Huckabee's continual (and false) insistance that Arkansas voters approved of his gas tax hike on the ballot. They did not.
The Washington Post's Chris Cillizza has more coverage that you should definitely check out.
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Posted at 11:16 AM, November 8, 2007 | Trackback | Print | #
November 2, 2007
Just the Facts, Please
Press Release
Huckabee Needs to Check his Facts
Washington – When asked about the Club for Growth by CBS News’ Brian Goldsmith, Mike Huckabee accused the Club for Growth of “dishonesty,” but—surprise, surprise—didn’t actually provide any facts to back up his allegations.
CBSNews.com: Do you think that the people who run the Club for Growth care more about themselves than the country?
Mike Huckabee: I am not going to judge their motives, because I do not know what they are. I just know that their tactics are, frankly, despicable...Why they do that is something they will have to explain. But I think the dishonesty about the issues, and how they distort and misuse them, is very troubling. And they have to answer for that.
Unfortunately, it is Mike Huckabee that has resorted to dishonesty on the campaign trail, and the Club for Growth PAC is merely setting the record straight.
FALSEHOOD #1: Huckabee consistently blames his 1999 gas and diesel fuel tax hikes on Arkansas voters. He told Tim Russert on “Meet the Press” when he announced his candidacy, “Did we raise taxes on fuel? Yes, but 80% of the people voted on it because it was on the ballot.” He repeated this same canard on MSNBC this week, saying, “there were issues like a road program that 80% of the people in my state voted for,” and again in his CBS News interview: “And when we have burning issues, like a crumbling infrastructure of roads and bridges that I've inherited and I take it to the people and get an 80% vote for a highway program, I think that shows good management” (CBS News, 11/02/07).
TRUTH: While Huckabee’s initial tax increase proposal was contingent on voter approval, the tax hike that Huckabee actually signed was not at all dependent on voter approval. A totally separate measure providing for a $575 million bond issue was contingent on voter approval. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette made this clear, writing, contrary to Huckabee’s claims, that “the tax increases will stay whether voters approve the bond issue or not” (04/25/99). Huckabee is intentionally and dishonestly conflating the bond issue, which did require voter approval, with the gas tax increase, which did not.
FALSEHOOD #2: “I have always staunchly opposed any tax on Internet access. I am adamantly opposed, always have been. For them to say anything otherwise is an outright lie” (National Review Online, 10/30/07).
TRUTH: In 2004, Huckabee teamed up with Democratic Governors Jim Doyle of Wisconsin and Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania in opposing the ban and asking Congress “to reject a proposed permanent extension of the Internet access tax moratorium and instead embrace a temporary two-year extension of the ban” (Bond Buyer, 02/24/04).
“We believe we have a responsibility to educate the public about the economic records of the various presidential candidates,” said Club for Growth President Pat Toomey. “When a candidate like Huckabee persists in denying his tax increases or distorting the historical truth about his record, we feel strongly that we need to set the record straight on behalf of taxpayers across America.”
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Posted at 3:06 PM, November 2, 2007 | Trackback | Print | #
November 1, 2007
A Huckabee Montage
Andrew Roth
Posted at 5:36 PM, November 1, 2007 | Trackback | Print | #
September 18, 2007
Mike Huckabee's Track Record
Press Release
The Truth about Mike Huckabee
Washington – Ask Governor Huckabee to defend his ten-year tax-and-spend record as governor of Arkansas and this is what he has to say for himself: “Club for Greed.”
“If this was a schoolyard playground, we might be impressed with Huckabee’s talent for name-calling,” said Club for Growth President Pat Toomey, “but seeing as Mike Huckabee is a grown adult running for President of the United States, American taxpayers have a right to expect a little more than silly insults and political propaganda. They have a right to expect the truth.”
Allow us to do the honors:
HUCKABEE: “Did we raise taxes on fuel? Yes. But 80% of the people voted on it because it was on the ballot” (“Meet The Press,” 01/28/07).
TRUTH: Governor Huckabee signed a gas and diesel fuel tax increase that was not contingent on voter approval. A second bill, which raised $475 million dollar in bonds, did require voter approval. Governor Huckabee shouldn’t falsely blame the voters for his tax increase.
HUCKABEE: “We were under a Supreme Court order to raise revenue for our schools” (“Meet the Press,” 01/2/07).
TRUTH: The Arkansas Supreme Court required the Legislature to devote more funds to education, but the Legislature had the option of cutting spending on other programs. It was not forced to raise taxes. When the Legislature raised sales taxes by 17%, Huckabee did not sign the bill, but he did not veto or fight the tax increase either. He also opposed repeal of the sales tax on groceries and medicine in 2002 and proposed a sales tax increase of his own shortly thereafter.
HUCKABEE: “I have always been staunchly opposed to any tax on Internet access. I am adamantly opposed, always have been. For them to say anything otherwise is an outright lie” (National Review, 09/10/07).
TRUTH: In February of 2004, Huckabee joined with two other Democratic governors in urging Congress to reject a bill that would make the Internet access tax moratorium permanent and embrace a temporary two-year extension of the ban instead.
HUCKABEE: “I've earned my stripes in government. I've run something. I've made tough decisions. I've balanced budgets” (Human Events, 06/18/07).
TRUTH: Balancing the Arkansas state budget is not a demonstration of Huckabee’s alleged fiscal responsibility but a function of Arkansas law that requires governors to produce a balanced budget each year. In fact, every Arkansas governor over the past fifty years has balanced the budget, from Orval Faubus, to Bill Clinton, to Mike Huckabee.
“If Governor Huckabee thinks he can wave away his tax-and-spend record with clever nicknames and half-baked stories, he has another thing coming,” Mr. Toomey added. “Make no mistake: Governor Huckabee is no economic conservative and—here’s a little bit of advice—making fun of the Club for Growth won’t actually make him one.”
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Posted at 9:52 AM, September 18, 2007 | Trackback | Print | #
August 27, 2007
Huck on Fox News Sunday
Press Release
Huckabee Shoots and Misses on Fox News Sunday“Huck again more or less lied by saying the Club for Growth has distorted his record.” — The Arkansas Times, 08/27/076
Washington – Unable to defend his tax-and-spend record as governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee resorted to leveling outrageous allegations at the Club for Growth on Fox News Sunday yesterday morning. Unfortunately for him, outrageous allegations are not terribly convincing. “It’s a telling sign when a candidate levels outlandish accusations instead of defending his own record,” said Club for Growth President Pat Toomey. “It’s usually a sign that there is no plausible defense.”
But don’t just take our word for it. The liberal Arkansas Times has been chronicling Mike Huckabee’s record for the past 10 years, and while they applaud his tax-and-spend record, they are appalled by his dissembling. The Arkansas Times put it best when it wrote yesterday: “Huck again more or less lied by saying the Club for Growth has distorted his record.”
“Mike Huckabee can’t hide from the cold, hard facts,” Mr. Toomey said. “Taxes in Arkansas were higher when he left the governor’s office than they were when he entered. He can pile up accusations on top of excuses, but he can’t snap his fingers and make his liberal tax-and-spend record disappear.”
“If Mike Huckabee is interested in defending his record, I’d be happy to debate his many tax hikes with him. I should warn him though—he won’t be able to get away with leveling outrageous accusations. He’ll actually have to talk about why he raised taxes and spending so much.”
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Posted at 10:28 AM, August 27, 2007 | Trackback | Print | #
Huckabee on Fox News
Andrew Roth
Max Brantley of the Arkansas Times wrote a quick blog post about Mike Huckabee being on Fox News Sunday this weekend. The Times leans to the left, so they have been critical of Huckabee the Republican. However, on fiscal issues, they have been supportive of the former governor. Note this excerpt:
Huck again more or less lied by saying the Club for Growth has distorted his record. But Chris Wallace's producers had done their homework. He noted that the Cato Institute and another anti-tax think tank had criticized the governor's record on taxes and spending in Arkansas. (We repeat: This is an area where we applaud the record from which the former governor is trying to run.)
Telling, isn't it? For more, read this.
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Posted at 8:48 AM, August 27, 2007 | Trackback | Print | #
August 24, 2007
Porkiest Quote of the Day
Andrew Roth
Here's Mike Huckabee talking about Rep. Don Young of Alaska, a 3-time Porker of the Month and the author of the pork-infested transportation bill in 2005 that included the infamous "Bridge to Nowhere."
"As Governor of Arkansas and NGA Chairman, I worked closely with Don on a range of critical issues, including transportation -- which is a passion we both share. I've seen him in action and respect his commitment -- not only to the people of Alaska, but to our country. I have deep respect for the job he has done in Congress, and I know he'll do a great job as chairman of my congressional team."
Posted at 3:12 PM, August 24, 2007 | Trackback | Print | #
August 21, 2007
A New Cross of Gold?
Andrew Roth
Meet William Jennings Huckabee.
Posted at 5:40 PM, August 21, 2007 | Trackback | Print | #
August 2, 2007
Bill Clinton or Mike Huckabee?
Andrew Roth
Here's the ClubforGrowth.NET press release that accompanied this ad. This is a week-long buy playing in the Des Moines/Ames broadcast and cable markets.
Posted at 11:48 AM, August 2, 2007 | Trackback | Print | #
July 9, 2007
Huckabee's Union Speech
Andrew Roth
Last week, I pointed out that Mike Huckabee was the lone Republican presidential candidate to accept an invitation to speak at an NEA event. Here's how the editor of one Arkansas newspaper reacted [emphasis added]:
One news account said [Huckabee] was the first Republican candidate for president in history to address the NEA, which sounds implausible. Every Democratic candidate accepted the invitation and Huckabee followed Sen. Barack Obama to the lectern. While an NEA official warned the delegates in advance of Huckabee’s appearance that it was not good form to boo or hiss, it was recorded that the crowd actually gave Huckabee four standing ovations.
While we do not have a transcript of the governor’s speech, the NEA press release and the news accounts made no mention of his usual campaign mantra — that he would never raise taxes and that he had slashed taxes “94 times” as Arkansas governor, a record that was kept secret from Arkansas taxpayers. He could not very well say it in that forum because there were 60 delegates — the Arkansas contingent — and probably many more who knew that Huckabee had raised taxes repeatedly as governor, the largest share of them to improve the public schools and higher education. No governor in Arkansas history raised taxes so much and so often or raised government spending and debt to such heights.
Posted at 4:09 PM, July 9, 2007 | Trackback | Print | #
July 3, 2007
Huckabee and the Teachers' Union
Andrew Roth
Five Republican presidential candidates were invited to speak at the annual meeting of the National Education Association, the country's largest teachers' union.
Four of them -- McCain, Giuliani, Romney, and Thompson -- declined. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee accepted.
I wonder what he'll talk about. Perhaps his shared belief with the teachers' union that school choice is a bad idea. Tsk, tsk.
Posted at 5:13 PM, July 3, 2007 | Trackback | Print | #
April 3, 2007
Huckabee on the Issues
Andrew Roth
Jeremy Lott reviews former Governor Mike Huckabee's latest book. Below he highlights a couple of political issues:
[Huckabee's] policy proposals on most issues are a mix of conservative rhetoric and liberal hand-wringing. On education, he proposes testing and administrative reforms, promotes charter schools and insists that states should fully fund arts and music programs. School choice is conspicuous by its absence.
On Social Security, he wants to convince Baby Boomers to work longer and continue paying into the system. Those who can afford it should be given the option to will a tax-free deferred payout to their children or grandchildren. No mention is made of private accounts for those grandchildren.
Posted at 8:26 AM, April 3, 2007 | Trackback | Print | #
March 2, 2007
Huckabee Buckles under Heat from Club
Press Release
Mike Huckabee Buckles under Heat
from Club for Growth
Washington – Feeling the heat from the Club for Growth’s presidential white paper on his tax-and-spend record, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee pledged today at the CPAC Conference to rule out raising taxes if elected president. Club for Growth President Pat Toomey commended Governor Huckabee’s pledge as an important step in the right direction. “We hope this is evidence that Governor Huckabee appreciates that Americans are overtaxed and neither want nor need higher taxes,” Mr. Toomey said.
In an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press on January 28, 2007, Tim Russert challenged Governor Huckabee’s fiscal conservative credentials, citing the Club for Growth’s repeated criticisms of his tax-hiking record, including a 37% increase in the sales tax, and a 16% and 103% increase in the motor fuel and cigarette taxes. Despite his glaring record, Governor Huckabee refused to rule out raising taxes at the time. His pledge today demonstrates the important role the Club for Growth plays in protecting American taxpayers on the national stage.
Still, Mr. Toomey warned that it is easy and common for candidates to make campaign promises. “We certainly appreciate Governor Huckabee’s conversion,” Mr. Toomey continued, “but we believe a candidate’s record in public office is often more indicative of his philosophy than his pledges on the campaign trail.”
Posted at 3:47 PM, March 2, 2007 | Trackback | Print | #
February 28, 2007
Huckabee and the King of Pork
Andrew Roth
From David Sanders of the Arkansas News Bureau:
Read it all.If you are second-tier Republican presidential candidate with a tax-and-spend record conservatives find offensive, picking “one of the most notorious pork-barrel spenders in Congress" to head congressional efforts might not be the best idea.
But that is what former Gov. Mike Huckabee did on Friday when his exploratory committee announced that Alaska's Rep. Don Young, who was characterized as such by the National Review, would lead Huckabee's effort to recruit and rally members of Congress to his campaign.
At a time when congressional support is hard to come by, including support for candidates like John McCain, Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney, Huckabee is surely eager to count on any support he can get within the halls of Congress. Is Young's support worth it?
Posted at 1:35 PM, February 28, 2007 | Trackback | Print | #
December 27, 2006
Huckabee's Fiscal Failures
Andrew Roth
Leon Wolf links to the Club's blog and reminds RedState readers of Mike Huckabee's "manifold fiscal failures" as Arkansas' governor.
Posted at 3:54 PM, December 27, 2006 | Trackback | Print | #
October 27, 2006
I'm Mystified Too...
Andrew Roth
From Ramesh at NRO:
"Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, the enthusiasm for whom in some quarters has always mystified me, gets an F for his last term and a D overall [on the Cato scorecard of governors]."
Posted at 4:25 PM, October 27, 2006 | Trackback | Print | #
October 20, 2006
More on the Flunking Huckabee
Andrew Roth
The Arkansas News Bureau picked up the story of Governor Mike Huckabee getting an "F" from the Cato Institute, but said that it wouldn't have much affect on Huckabee's image. However, they did quote a political analyst who said that something else would, in fact, hinder Huckabee. Excerpt:
The anti-tax Club for Growth is one group that has repeatedly attacked Huckabee for promoting sales tax increases to pay for education reform, among other spending measures.
Dean Spiliotis, director of research for the New Hampshire Institute of Politics, said the club's dislike for Huckabee may cause problems for the governor in his state.
"If a national organization is willing to put money out there saying 'Don't be fooled, this guy is really a liberal,' that can chip away at (Huckabee), especially in states where you're not well known," he said.
Yes, indeed. Don't be fooled.
Posted at 8:28 AM, October 20, 2006 | Trackback | Print | #
October 19, 2006
Mike Huckabee Gets an 'F'
Andrew Roth
The Cato Institute just released their 2006 fiscal report card for all 50 governors. Not surprisingly, Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee had a failing performance. Excerpt:
"Mike Huckabee of Arkansas also went from being one of the best governors in America to one of the worst. He receives an F for his current term and a D for his entire tenure. The main reason for the drop was his insistence on raising taxes at almost every turn throughout his final term."
According to the Cato data, Huckabee's most recent score was broken down into 3 parts:
- 'F' for revenue variables (he was dead last among all 50 governors)
- 'C' for spending variables (he was 16th)
- 'F' for tax rates (he was...you guessed it...dead last again)
To put this into perspective, Huckabee had a worst score than Ohio Governor Bob Taft (he got a "C"), who is normally considered the worst governor in the country.
Posted at 5:42 PM, October 19, 2006 | Trackback | Print | #
October 16, 2006
Huckabee = Big Government
Andrew Roth
Outgoing Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee has been in office for 10 years so it was no shocker to see this recent headline ($) in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, "State's Expenses Soar Over Decade: Report to Panels Shows Outlays Nearly Doubled to $15.6 billion". [emphasis mine]
Posted at 4:39 PM, October 16, 2006 | Trackback | Print | #
October 10, 2006
Huckabee Aligns Better with Democrats
Andrew Roth
John Brummett of the Arkansas News Bureau wonders why Mike Huckabee is helping Republican candidate Asa Hutchinson succeed him as governor when his political philosophy is more aligned with the Democrat candidate, Mike Beebe.
It probably has something to do with...oh, I don't know...his futures aspirations.
Posted at 9:03 AM, October 10, 2006 | Trackback | Print | #
September 24, 2006
The Huckabee Weather Vane
Andrew Roth
"Huckabee is all over the map philosophically, " writes journalist John Brummett.
Posted at 9:48 AM, September 24, 2006 | Trackback | Print | #
September 20, 2006
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Huckabee
Andrew Roth
Ernest Dumas of the Arkansas Times expands on my letter to the DC Examiner editor about Mike Huckabee's convoluted record as governor. The last paragraph below by Dumas is a scorcher:
Bipolar politics has always been Huckabee’s strongest suit. No one is better at saying one thing, doing the opposite and getting credit for both, of talking small government and actually promoting big government. Huckabee can do that in Arkansas, a peculiarly bipolar state where people think of themselves as conservative but like populist stands.
[...] But Huckabee’s real troubles may be with the fiscal hardliners. Already, the Club for Growth tails him wherever he goes. After the Examiner article, in which Huckabee said he thought Bush’s tax cuts for the rich should be made permanent even though he agreed that the party often favored the wealthy, the director of government affairs for the rich man’s club wrote a letter to the newspaper accusing Huckabee of trying to falsify his conservative record.
“On the surface,” he wrote, “Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee may come across as a sensible lawmaker with a silver tongue, but if one takes a closer look at his record, you’ll see a hornet’s nest of fiscal liberalism.”
Huckabee has never been a lawmaker, sensible or foolish, but the observation is not so far off the mark. He has not governed as a right-winger. While next door Gov. Haley Barbour, the former GOP national director, has been trying to slash Medicaid benefits to the Mississippi poor, Huckabee has been working twice as hard to expand them in Arkansas. While he signed two modest tax cuts, he has supported and signed even more and fatter tax increases. The number of state government workers has risen 20 percent on his watch and the state’s general-obligation debt has risen by some $800 million — more than the accumulated debt under all previous governors, unadjusted for inflation — and it would have risen much more if the voters last year had not smacked him down on highway and college bonds.
(For the record, I used "sensible lawmaker" to pseudo-describe Huckabee because I thought "sensible politician" was too much of an oxymoron.)
Posted at 2:30 PM, September 20, 2006 | Trackback | Print | #
September 18, 2006
Reminder: Huckabee is a Liberal
Andrew Roth
Last week, Bill Sammon wrote a profile about Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee in the DC Examiner newspaper that was widely circulated throughout the blogosphere. The article was very fair, which is customary for Sammon, but it didn't go into enough detail. Therefore, I wrote this letter to the editor, which got published this morning.
Posted at 8:52 AM, September 18, 2006 | Trackback | Print | #
August 25, 2006
Arkansas Favors Hillary Over Huckabee
Andrew Roth
According to a recent poll, Arkansas, for the most part a red state, would prefer estranged native daughter Hillary Clinton over current governor Mike Huckabee by a score of 51% to 36%, if the two of them ran against each other in the 2008 presidential election.
Likewise, if the match up were between General Wesley Clark (another candidate with Arkansas roots) and Huckabee, Clark would win 51% to 37%.
While Hillary and Huckabee don't suffer from a lack of name ID in the state (both are at 98%), Clark has just 63% name recognition.
Posted at 9:13 AM, August 25, 2006 | Trackback | Print | #
July 6, 2006
Huckabee is Writing a New Book
Andrew Roth
According to this AP article, Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee is writing a new book. Similar to this recently published book, may I suggest that the governor consider the following as the title?
"Huckabee's Personal Journey: How I became a big-spending, tax-hiking, minimum-wage-increasing, nanny-state-loving, oil-company-bashing, vindictive-newspaper-hating, NCLB-embracing, liberal!"
Posted at 5:00 PM, July 6, 2006 | Trackback | Print | #
June 20, 2006
Democrat Gives Huckabee a Lesson on Taxes
Andrew Roth
Anybody who understands basic economics knows that tax rebates do not stimulate the economy. They don't provide additional incentives to produce. That's the role of tax cuts, which lower the cost of doing business. Lower taxes means more commerce, more jobs, and a higher standard of living.
This is no-brainer stuff, but Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee still loves the idea of tax rebates. In fact, even one Democrat in the state legislature understands the difference between rebates and cuts. From the Paragould Daily Press:
While Gov. Mike Huckabee has expressed interest in using some of the projected $600 million state surplus for tax rebates, several local lawmakers disagree and say a rebate will not stimulate the economy or have a significant effect on each taxpayer.
"A flat rebate isn't a good idea and wouldn't make much of a difference in any single taxpayer's household," said Rep. Robert Thompson, D-Paragould. "It would be just a few dollars for each taxpayer and will likely not increase economic activity."
Huckabee on Thursday told city officials from around the state that he hoped lawmakers would consider the rebate because the surplus offers a chance for a "tax reformation."
I think Huckabee's understanding of economics needs a "reformation".
Posted at 9:05 AM, June 20, 2006 | Trackback | Print | #
June 17, 2006
Mike Huckabee and the Nanny State
Andrew Roth
The headline of this Baxter Bulletin editorial in Arkansas says it all: Huckabee Promotes 'Nanny Government'. And this blogger calls Huckabee a "nannystatist".
Posted at 5:53 PM, June 17, 2006 | Trackback | Print | #
June 12, 2006
Put the Cuckoo Back into the Clock, Gov. Huckabee
Andrew Roth
Here are some scary quotes that I pulled from an article ($$) published last year in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette titled "Huckabee Lashes Out At Oil Firms Over Profits".
Gov. Mike Huckabee on Thursday night lambasted the profit levels of oil companies, saying they "are stealing from absolutely the poorest people."
"There's no excuse, there's no reason that they [oil companies] should be profiting at that level when everyone else is suffering the consequences."
Market forces are one thing, he said. But "there's a point at which you cannot continue to just gouge people because you can, because they don't have an option. That's not a market. That's an immoral force."
Let's compare Huckabee's comments to those made by people who appear to think similarly:
"Prices have doubled, profits have tripled, and oil companies already are making historic, obscene and record profits." -- Nancy Pelosi
"If we don't fight Big Oil, this country's going down." -- Hillary Clinton
Our citizens are paying more than $3 at the gas pump, while oil companies laugh all the way to the bank to deposit their record profits. Our opponents say we can't stop the big oil companies from gouging the American people. But we say, why not. -- Ted Kennedy
"It is a travesty that oil companies should be making such staggering profits on the backs of Americans trying to fill their gas tanks." - Harry Reid
Birds of a feather...
Posted at 5:56 PM, June 12, 2006 | Trackback | Print | #
Huckabee is a Class Act
Andrew Roth
"I've got a map of 7-Elevens, a bunch of blue steel revolvers, and some ski masks. We're going to go all over the country and raise money in a very unique way." -- Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee quoted on how he "plans" to fund his 2008 presidential run.
Posted at 8:26 AM, June 12, 2006 | Trackback | Print | #
June 10, 2006
A Lost Vote for Huckabee
Andrew Roth
Dave from the Political Prognostications blog did some research on Mike Huckabee ahead of 2008. Some of that research he found on the Club's blog. He smartly concludes:
I realize that a lot of people have probably already invested a lot in a Huckabee run, which is fine, but I won't be joining them, and I doubt the majority of Republicans will either. Just my 2 cents (1.33 cents after taxes).
Posted at 3:30 PM, June 10, 2006 | Trackback | Print | #
June 9, 2006
Huckabee, First Nanny of Arkansas
Andrew Roth
Governor Mike Huckabee is getting grief from Arkansas citizens for passing a smoking ban on various private establishments like restaurants and bars, but despite that, he now wants to take it a step further (surprise, surprise). From the Arkansas News Bureau:
Huckabee responded to one question by saying that he would support a ban on all cigarette sales in the state. Health care cost savings would more than make up for the loss of tax revenue, he said. [emphasis added]
Radley Balko, who also wrote about this, said it best:
It was Huckabee, don't forget, who started this stupid idea of weighing public school children and sending fat report cards home to their parents. Huckabee recently lost more than 100 pounds. Oddly enough, he did it with no help from the government. Yet now he's fully on board with the busybody left. Never underestimate the tyranny of the ex-addict.
UPDATE: National Review's Andrew Stuttaford calls Huckabee a Big Government Republican. Let's echo that message a million times for the next two years. Big Government Republican, Big Government Republican, Big Government Republican...
Posted at 10:28 AM, June 9, 2006 | Trackback | Print | #
June 8, 2006
West Virginians Don't Brush Their Teeth
Andrew Roth
I love StateMaster.com. It's a website that ranks the 50 states in all sorts of different ways. For instance, did you know that West Virginia leads the country in having citizens aged 65 and over who have lost all of their natural teeth? A whopping 42.8% of them.
Or that Minnesota had the highest voter turnout with 76.7% of all eligible voters going to the polls in 2004.
Or that Arkansas had the 49th worst gross state product per capita in 2004 (and you know who their governor has been for the last 10 years, right?).
Posted at 4:44 PM, June 8, 2006 | Trackback | Print | #
May 30, 2006
Getting a 'F' for Fat
Andrew Roth
Arkansas should change its nickname from the Natural State to the Nanny State.
Thanks to Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, every school kid in the state gets a 'fat grade' on their report card. It lists their Body Mass Index (BMI) to let them know if they are obese or not (as if they couldn't already tell).
Just another reason to support school choice.
Posted at 6:06 PM, May 30, 2006 | Trackback | Print | #
May 22, 2006
Mike Huckabee is a Big Blue Liberal
Andrew Roth
Blogger Big Red Lance of Arkansas links to the Club's blog