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Thursday, August 14, 2008
posted by Kyle Hampton | 11:53 PM | permalink

"The primaries are over," Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom said when asked for comment about Huckabee's statements. "Now, the task of all Republicans is on uniting the party to help elect John McCain, not on sowing division."

Apparently not all feel the same.

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13 Comments:


I start to wonder if Huckabee really is a Christian... he doesn't act very much like one.



This is hilarious. Romney not only has committed to prolife, but his record shows his committment to that. To say this issue is about Romney's change of opinion and not about Mormonism is laughable.



Why would Tom Ridge want to become pro-life? If he switched from pro-choice to pro-life Huckabee wouldn't back him for VP anymore. This logic is non-sense and nothing but a cover up for his bias opinion. These people who vote and practice politics based on religion are doing a dis-service to America.



Huckabee's not a bigot. Some of Huckabee's best friends are Mormon. Further evidence that our country will have a Christian Democratic Party within 10 years.



We all know what Romney has done since the primary. What did Huckabee do? "Everything in my power to support John McCain?"



Anonymous:
You say some of Huckabee's best friends are Mormon.. Name some! I would bet that he has no real friends let alone "best friends" who are LDS (Mormon). He has always been against the LDS Church. His religion teaches anti-LDS activities. Take a look at how they acted during the SBC Convention in Utah in 1998.



I think it is pretty funny that Huckabee is saying Romney is not good while Richard Land (President of the Southern Baptists Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission) says the following:

"I think Mitt Romney would be an excellent choice. There are people in the evangelical community who would have a problem with his Mormonism. I am not one of them. ... I mean, I'm very clear that I do not believe Mormonism is a Christian faith. But that does not disqualify someone from being president or vice president."

Here is the link...

http://www.newsmax.com/headlines/richard_land_mccain_vp/2008/08/15/122389.html

I have to believe Huckabee is just mad at Romney and hates Romney's religion.



Huckabee is such an assclown. He is the biggest joke in politics since people actually started taking Jesse Jackson seriously. He's done nothing since the primaries but promote his own career and gripe about Romney. If it weren't for his sniveling, coniving, backhanded politicking, Romney would be the presidential nominee and conservatives wouldn't feel "forced" to unite behind a candidate that leaves a sour taste in their mouths.



Count how many times the guy blinks in this video. He's lying through his teeth.



Huckabee is a hateful, despicable person who seems to thrive on stirring the pot. How un-christianlike.



Don't you just want to punch him in the mouth every time he talks? I can't stand even looking at Mike Up-Chuck-abee. Why can't he just register as a Democrat already?



I find it very interesting how Huckabee says that Romney's religion doesn't bother him - and then starts trying to qualify himslef by naming several outstanding politicans who are Mormon who are his "friends - when back in the late 90's, he attended and was a speaker at a major anti-Mormon rally in Salt Lake City - and even distributed anti-Mormon literature!

The literature that was distributed was found to contain a lot of lies about Mormons and their religion - and yet, Huckabee is a "Christian"? What a loser!!!



I was going to say something to the effect of "I can't believe this kind of drivel is coming out of the Huckster," but then I realized something- I can believe it. I should have seen it coming. I cannot stand this reprobate of a human being. He is so ridiculously bigoted that it makes me sick that the GOP is beholden to morons like this, who hold their vote conditional on a man's religion. A pox on him and his political career!




Tuesday, May 6, 2008
posted by Kyle Hampton | 9:49 PM | permalink
...from the recent Matt Lewis article at Politico talking up the Romney/Huckabee grudge match:
And if anyone doubts Huckabee’s penchant for self-promotion, the former governor also recently announced he was writing a book about his failed presidential campaign.

Seems to be common knowledge why Huckabee is in politics.

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1 Comments:


I didn't realize that Mike Up-Chuck-abee was still alive.

I hadn't heard about Up-Chuck-abee in so long that it was like one of those old actors that you haven't heard about in forever that when you hear about some movie with them the biggest surprise is: "Oh I didn't know he was still alive. I just asumed he passed away years ago!" Oh well.




Tuesday, April 15, 2008
posted by Kyle Hampton | 3:36 PM | permalink
...and a miss. What a waste of a countdown.

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7 Comments:


What exactly was Huckaster trying to do this time? Pitifully looking for ways to upsurp Mitt?

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 15, 2008 at 4:31 PM  


Any surprise?....During his run for the presidency. Huckabee did nothing but Huckafart or two out of his mouth. The hot air coming out his mouth made some laugh and others puke. That is all it was and thats all his lame countdown ended up being. Huckafart is spewing his junk on the net too. Good Job Mike! Maybe your Hollywood B.S. charisma will land u an acting job.



Wow...a real copy cat.



Huckabeen's followers were all ready and expecting the countdown to end with a big joint announcement from McCain that Huckabeen was the chosen VP. So gullable--his deluded supporters; so pathetic--Huckabeen.



Too bad. I really was looking forward to Up-Chuck-abee committing Seppuku. Oh well. I guess that instead of him taking everybody out of his misery, we'll just have to continue living with him as a complete waste of space and air.



Huck-a-Who???? . . . . . .mwa-ha-ha!!!!!!!

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 18, 2008 at 6:53 PM  


Hey guys, I don't share a lot love for Huckabee either, but these names you are calling him seem peurile and immature. Up-Chuck-abee? Farts out his mouth? I see this kind of nasty and childish tone all the time on Daily Kos. I thought the level of discussion on this blog might be a little higher. We can do better than this.




Friday, April 11, 2008
posted by Kyle Hampton | 10:19 AM | permalink
Reid Wilson tells the tale of two former presidential candidates. He juxtaposes the specter of what Romney has done for McCain since ending his presidential bid versus what Huckabee has done since ending his bid.

First Romney:

Romney has been the most active, appearing for McCain this week at a Lancaster, Pennsylvania Republican dinner, shepherding McCain around Utah for a major fundraiser and promising to hit the stump in the future. Romney has also said he will raise $15 million for McCain, as the Associated Press' Glen Johnson reports.
Compare that to Huckabee:

Huckabee, too, is staying active. He signed a contract with a Hollywood talent agency this week, and next week he will launch a new venture with a major speech, to which his website is counting down (four days, five hours, forty-one minutes and twenty five seconds from the time this post was written).
Is there a starker contrast between two people? Romney has dedicated his time towards a greater cause. Huckabee has used the occassion for self-promotion. Ideally the countdown on Huckabee's website would be the dwindling of his minutes of fame.

In this world we need fewer self-promoters and more people willing to work for a cause other than self. Thank you for the example Gov. Romney.

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8 Comments:


Self promotion and gimmickry.



How about calling Huckaphony Huckavain instead?



I'm really happy for Huckabee that he was able to sign a contract with a Hollywood agency this week. Maybe he can get a spot in a good dog food commercial. You know, as the dog.



Huckabeen is a joke! The sooner we don't have to see his face again, the better! Good riddance to the selfish and egotistical Dorkabee!



Nobody ever told you, never pick up a rattlesnake, it doesn't want to be pet. Why do the romney's folks like to poke huckabee, just ignore him and leave him alone. Fact is when romney runs for president someday, he will need huckabee supporters to eventually be on his side, so i would advise to let the facts speak for themselves and move on without calling out.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 11, 2008 at 3:04 PM  


I'm just glad to know his countdown has nothing to do with the VP spot. *wipes brow*

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 11, 2008 at 3:34 PM  


All you had to do was look at Huck's time in Ark. to know it was always about him.Particuarly being a gift-a-holic. It's a shame that so many people fell for his religious stances when they were all phony all along and a con game.He handed McCain the nom and now everyone has buyers remorse.The most appalling part of Huck though was/is his bias against Mormons.Wouldn't surprise me at all if his supporters were behind all the robo calls condeming Romney's religion.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 12, 2008 at 2:39 PM  


There is nothing wrong with Romney supporters bashing Mike Up-Chuck-abee. In fact, there would be nothing wrong with everybody else joining in as well.

As for the valid bashing of Up-Chuck-abee by Romney supporters somehow hurting Mitt as an Anonymous poster above posits, I disagree.

Mitt has always been a class act. He has refused to make personal attacks or involve himself in name-calling. Mitt has also refused to play the part of a victim or try to get sympathy. This is even though Up-Chuck-abee has acted like a child throughout. Up-Chuck-abee is STILL attacking Romney - months after Romney dropped out of the race. Up-Chuck-abee is such a baby! He can't get over Romney's wealth and among the many personal insults that he tried to pin on Romney, Up-Chuck-abee tried to compare Romney to a grade school tattletale when Mitt brought up the fact that Up-Chuck-abee wanted to give instate tuition breaks to illegal aliens. How does an adult respond to such ridiculous assertions?

It must have been a very strange fight for Romney. Romney must have felt sorry for Up-Chuck-abee throughout. It would have been like arguing with a child with down syndrome.

But I don't feel sorry for Up-Chuck-abee. I don't feel like just because he appears to have some sort of developmental disability that I should feel bad enough for him to give him the benefit of the doubt when the fate the of entire Free World is at stake.

His website is probably just getting ready to brag about some new nationally syndicated radio show that he will have to compete against Rush Limbaugh - who Huckabee must hate - since Rush saw right through Up-Chuck-abee as a total phony.




Thursday, April 10, 2008
posted by Justin Hart | 5:22 PM | permalink
This is funny.

MikeHuckabee.com, the official website of Mike Huckabee for President, is showing a countdown to April 15th when it will launch something big.

One MMM reader notes:
The countdown posted at www.mikehuckabee.com is being touted on blogs, and articles as the announcement date that JohnMcCain's name will scroll to the top of the site, with Mike's underneath it. The star is the same as the one used on McCain's site, and the gold/blue is similar to McCain's site, as well.

The ONLY thing that makes sense about it is that McCain will ignore his advisors, stick with his "gut" and select the guy he promised the spot to after Iowa. It's the kind of thing I could see McCain doing.

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10 Comments:


If McCain does choose Huckabee, I forsee McCain loosing the Presidency. Even with the Evangelical support that Huckabee *MIGHT* bring, it will not make up for the support that McCain will loose.
Huckabee is on Judicial Watch's "Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians" for 2007 (http://www.judicialwatch.org/judicial-watch-announces-list-washington-s-ten-most-wanted-corrupt-politicians-2007).
For the sake of McCain's Presidential future, the future of the Republican Party, and the Country... I hope and pray that McCain does NOT choose Huckabee!

But again, our country will get what it deserves.



This is worrysome. It's the only thing that could cause me, a life-long staunch Republican, to plug my nose and vote Democrat or 3rd party against McCain. I really don't want to do that, but am so totally disgusted with the tactics of Hike Muckabee and his supporters that I could not possibly bring myself in any way to support them, especially if McCain is shown to be tainted by this by choosing him. I hope, REALLY hope that you are wrong on this one. Could McCain really be that stupid?

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 10, 2008 at 8:16 PM  


In a way it would take away the guilt I currently harbor for wasting my vote this election cycle since I won't vote for McCain. Put Huckabee on the ticket and I joyfully deny the two my vote. That clearly puts McCain's mental ability in question.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 10, 2008 at 9:46 PM  


April 15 is tax filing day. I'm willing to bet that the star is simply there to create a buzz. Suckabee is going to announce something Fair-Tax related.



I can't see McCain picking the Shuckster. The whole conversation would move to his religious views something McCain definately wants to avoid with independent voters.He'll pick someone as unexciting as he is.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 11, 2008 at 4:41 AM  


Aaron, I agree. The star is probably there to keep people's interest, and thus keep Huckabee in the spotlight. It probably will be fair-tax related.



I hope you're right, Aaron, and that this has something to do with the Fair Tax. If it's a Huckabee for VP announcement, then McCain will lose my vote. I think Huckabee's the only VP pick that I feel that way about.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 11, 2008 at 9:17 AM  


If McCain were to announce his running mate this soon, it would not be on the VP selections site. There would be a major press conference scheduled and it would be unveiled on McCain's site to drive the traffic to his site where he can get donors. This is a set-up for something else, while at the same time trying to put in peoples mind the possibility of a Huckabee VP. Huckabee is all about self promotion. Grassroots support for Mitt for VP is overwhelming and I think that will become clear to McCain.



I don't believe McCain would be part of anything so fruity as having a ticking clock for making a big announcement that he is selecting Huckabeen, the unethical fool, actor-wanna-be, rock star-wanna-be, as his VP.

This is just another of Huckabeen’s desperate antics for attention.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 11, 2008 at 1:03 PM  


It is with some sadness that I make this announcement, but that countdown is just for the time when Mike Up-Chuck-abee is going to take us all out of his misery. Yes, Up-Chuck-abee is planning on committing Seppuku.

From Wikipedia: Part of the samurai honor code, seppuku has been used both voluntarily by samurai to die with honor rather than fall into the hands of their enemies, as a form of capital punishment for samurai who have committed serious offenses, and for reasons that shamed them.

Anyway, oh well, but it's better than having to suffer through more stupid publicity stunts like his press conference to unveil the negative attack ad that he was going to use but didn't want anyone to see.

Up-Chuck-abee is the epitome of buffoon. He actually makes me almost feel sorry for the people of Arkansas who had to deal with him as their Governor for 10 agonizing years, and this is with fully recognizing that they had to deal with Bill Clinton for 8 years.

The only reason that I don't feel sorry for them is because they voted for the idiot Mike Up-Chuck-abee, so they really deserved him. But one thing is for sure, the rest of America does not.




Tuesday, February 12, 2008
posted by Kyle Hampton | 1:33 PM | permalink
There's been a lot of opinions written lately about Huckabee staying in the race. Most of the people that take the time to write something about the topic are pro-Huckabee types. Not that there's anything wrong with that.Personally I'm agnostic about Huckabee's continued presence in the race. However, I thought this piece by George Neumayr over at Human Events deserved some responding to, especially from us Romney Republicans.

Huckabee and Neumayer make the argument that there needs to be competition, as if this were some sort of ongoing marketplace and not an elimination process. Huckabee has been mathematically eliminated from getting the nomination, yet he continues to press forward as if he has not been. Huckabee has countered, notably at CPAC, that he did not major in math (which seems to be stating the obvious), but in miracles. Well, Huck, I cannot deny you a continued faith in miracles, but it seems a poor substitute at this point for an honest self-assessment.

Neumayr also makees the argument that Huckabee's continued presence "stimulates much-needed debate about pervasive liberalism in the party." It seems ironic that Huckabee's presence would stimulate debate about pervasive liberalism in the party. It is true that Huckabee's continued campaign stimulates that discussion, only not in the way that they would like to think. Most conservatives, and especially us Romney Republicans, see Huckabee as a liberal on taxes, government spending, government programs, immigration, and even seems to have those tendencies on foreign policy. Truly Huckabee's campaign does spark debate, but it is about how Huckabee represents liberalism on so many issues.

The truth is that Huckabee's campaign has not about issues. His whole platform has been personality and identity based (I guess you could count the Fair Tax, but that's another discussion). I think the same elements of personality keep Huckabee in the race. It is more about self than about the people.

So, by all means, Huckabee, stay in the race. I do not begrudge you the chance to make your presidential campaign last as long as you like. However, dispense with the false notions that the campaign is about competition or issues. Your continued presence is about self. Just admit it. After all, they say honesty is the best policy.

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11 Comments:


I don't like calling names, but it's difficult to view Huckabee as anything other than a charismatic, egotistical dope. I hope that his refusal to pull out of the race lowers him to the status of a right-of-center John Edwards: very, very annoying, but ultimately, irrelevant.

Gosh, there must be something weird in the drinking water of Arkansas!



A true fiscal conservative would stop spending someone else's money on a dead campaign. +1 for Romney.



Amen to that!



I'va came up with this weird theory about John McCain...It's waaaaaaaaaay out there...But anyway....Remember 1996 when Dick Morris had Bill Clinton triangulate and co-opt Republican themes and cast them as his own. One hundred thousand cops comes to mind, not sure about welfare reform..Well my theory is McCain is triangulating the Dems by adopting their positions.Here's how I got to this.


I began thinking maybe the Dems want their race to drag on to the bitter end because they have no general election message or one they want exposed and massaged by the media. Then I got to thinking "hey what do the dems have to run on against Mccain"? The answer is basically nothing....He's stolen all their issues!! They want to leave Iraq,he'll stick it out..He has a border plan but not a harsh one..Global warming?? Covered..Health insurance.I'm sure he has something that isn't big government..Anybody have an opinion on this??



As far as delegate count goes, Huckabee is mathematically done - out! He knows and understands that well. In his mind, influenced mainly by religious urging, he still believes he has a chance. Where does the chance come from? Well, we all know - though he won’t admit it - that it comes from “divine providence/intervention”! That’s why he said that in college he did not major in Math, but in miracles! Also, he said in one occasion that in these media driven times, a candidate can say a “campaign ending” something and gets YouTubed the following day and it’s over for that candidate. This also falls in the “miracle” category for which he is hoping. And still another miracle he definitely hopes for is for McCain to have some health problems - a heart attack, sudden hospitalization, etc., And I’m sure Chuck Norris is giving him (Huckabee) hope in this aspect. Again, Huckabee is still hoping for God to intervene - hence, he still believes that any misfortune on the part of McCain will be an act of God! I’m sure he also credits God for Romney’s campaign suspension. This is the kind of person who usually ends up with dementia - very soon!



The one thing I can't understand is how this character gets so many votes. He has done so many stupid things that should have spelled the end of anyone else's presidential political career. The only thing I can figure is that the media is restraining from criticizing him in the hope that he will continue to make a fool of himself and thereby make fools of the republican party in general, especially if he can continue to get significant votes. This coupled with the fact that there are sizable numbers of evangelicals who continue to support this guy, and will continue to support him no matter what stupid comments he makes, or what selfish motives he betrays. It particularly bugs me when he insinuates that God is supporting his campaign. He is so obviously using his religion as a tool to gain power, and wearing it on his sleeve, so to speak. This cheapens both his religion and himself.



Huck's personality type is an ENFP on the Meyer's Briggs scale...don't know for sure but a strong hunch. These types are known to be very charismatic and alluring, but are also known to have very deep selfish streaks and a desire to have the spotlight shine brightly on them. What a spoiler this Huckabee has been. When you factor in background as a Baptist preacher, this is pretty much the only type of guy who could have taken out Romney...and he did. But Romney will be back, and hopefully by then people will be tired of Huck's selfish act.



I think Huckabee is fairly selfish. But he is not stupid (he may be less intelligent than your average president, but that still leaves him as no dummy).
One of my best guesses is that McCain and Huckabee agreed to be Pres and VP a long time ago. After Romney dropped out there was no need to gang up, but they made a choice.
Neither of them have been very good at raising money. Neither of them attract the folks who contribute large sums (or the HUGE number of small donors). So they made the choice to continue “fighting.” Huckabee wins a few states gets some free press. McCain looses and gets some free press. Tonight McCain won three states and got some free press. Huckabee lost and go some free press.
Until Huckabee addresses McCain in the negative way he addressed Romney, I do not see him as actually trying to win. So what is he doing? The above is my best guess even though it sound far out there.

Thanks, TOm



Hey anonymous, I take issue with ascribing those traits to an ENFP (or any M-B type). Huck is just a....



The reason that he is staying in the race is very simple. He makes his living as a public speaker. Staying in the race increases his value on the speaking tours that he goes on. His campaign may not have a lot of money but I bet that it still pays for his meals and lodging. Politicians from Arkansas sure know how to look good while living on someone elses dime.



The reality is that Mike Huckabee is in third place and is still losing to a man that dropped out of the race 8 states ago. From the most current numbers on CNN, Huckabee trails Mitt Romney by 72 delegates and by 1.4 million voters.


My guess is that Mike Huckabee is trying to reach Mitt Romney’s numbers, so he can say he beat Mitt in the GOP primaries. Huckabee will then be able to use that as promo for his VP spot or his 2012 presidential run or appease his Romney dislike or all of the above.


I think Huckabee has an irrational, emotional dislike of Mitt Romney. It was displayed numerous times throughout the campaign. Most noticeably at the now infamous Huckabee press conference where the non-airing airing attack ad against Mitt was publicized. It was reported that Mike Huckabee was so enraged and belittled by Romney’s Iowa attack ads that it drove him to that action. Or there is the revealing self satisfied smirk/smile Huckabee gives McCain at the ABC New Hampshire debate right after he makes a snarky remark about Mitt changing his positions.



Those are just a couple examples but the Dr. Phil’s of the world will find a treasure trove of behavior displayed by Huckabee to make for a very interesting case study of envy.



The second argument for Huckabee staying in the race is that it’s good for his business as a public speaker & his band which are entities that are all about him. It’s in his character to stay in for those reasons.




Tuesday, February 5, 2008
posted by Jon | 2:57 PM | permalink
I’ve said this before, and I make no bones about saying it again.

Mike Huckabee is a man without honor.

Maybe you’ve thought I just say that because I believe he’s only in this campaign to siphon off votes from Mitt. This fact is not in dispute.

Today, however, both he and McCain have taken the political system to a new low – something that truly requires the combination of shamelessness and desperation embodied by those two campaigns.

In the West Virginia Caucus, when it became apparent that Mitt would pull out the first victory of this Super Tuesday, Huck and McCain supporters (obviously working in tandem) got together to combine their delegates against Mitt. Huckabee won his first caucus since Iowa – only with the support of McCain backers intent on derailing the Mitt Express.

If McCain and Huck are going to collude their campaigns, then the time has come for McCain to announce Huck as his VP. To continue Huck’s charade of a campaign is simply dishonest, dishonorable, and makes a mockery of the political primary system.

This tactic is a travesty and West Virginia should be ashamed they allowed themselves to be used in such a fashion.

Memo to Huck: Win fair, or go home. Actually, in truth, you should have gone home a very long time ago. You are a man without honor – and your national political future is over. End Memo.

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3 Comments:


I too am upset by Huck's shameless character. He's only in this for himself. Purely selfish.



I think the first thing President Romney should do is demand reform in the Primary Process. This is a joke.



This is very sad. How would either McCain or Huckabee supporters feel if someone did this to them?




Saturday, January 19, 2008
posted by Kyle Hampton | 1:26 AM | permalink
Look, I don't want to make too big a deal about this, but I thought it should be addressed. Mike Huckabee, as many of you know, described the Constitution as a "living" Constitution.


The reason I don't want to make a big deal out of this is that technically, Huckabee is right; the Constitution "lives" in the sense that there is a process by which we can change it. It can be revised through the amendment process.

However, and this is important, Huckabee's careless choice of words should be sending red flags up everywhere. One of the central fights in Constitutional jurisprudence has been over the idea of a "living" Constitution - i.e. one that can be changed through judicial activism rather than the amendment process. The notion of a living Constitution has given birth to cases such as Roe v. Wade and Lawrence v. Texas. Conservatives have slowly turned the tide against the idea that the Constitution's meaning is generationally pliable through nominating "strict constructionist" or "originalist" judges. Of course all these words - "living Constitution", "strict constructionist", and "originalist" - are buzz words or code for a whole jurisprudential divide. Choosing to use one word or another generally signals one's stance on a whole host of issues including abortion, gay marriage, affirmative action, etc.

While Huckabee's intent was not to indicate approval of abortion, gay marriage, or affirmative action (quite the contrary - he was talking about amending the Constitution to ban abortion and gay marriage), his inartful choice of words signals something else: inexperience. Only someone inexperienced with the intellectual movements among the judiciary and the social issues that follow them (which hardly seems possible these days after the confirmations of Justices Roberts and Alito) would describe his ideas in that way. These are basic issues and ideas for social conservatives and Huckabee flunked in getting key terminology right. Indeed, this once again exposes an intellectual gap that has haunted Huckabee in his quest for the Republican nomination. Huckabee has shown a profound lack of understanding when dealing with foreign affairs, economics, and now, what is supposedly his strength, social issues. The once faint and now persistent feeling that Huckabee is in over his head just keeps getting stronger as the campaign continues.

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4 Comments:


Yeah. He probably migrated the phrase 'living bible' over to the constitution. Especially in the context where he said it. It makes sense to that one audience, and it reveals a shallow preparation on the part of Huckster.



Huck is such a joke it's beyond belief.It's a shame that there are so many identity politic voters choosing him on religion alone.A constitutional fight over abortion would energize the libs when they are now demoralized because the war is going better and thier candidates are dividing them over racial/sexist lines. I wish Mitt would start running ads quoting Rush that McCain and Huck would be the end of our party as we know it.There are a lot of smitten Mitten women around who love Mitt's family and his relationship with his wife.You don't have any better value system than that.Huck's history of cronyism and gift grubbing in Ark. should be enough on it's own to do him in.



Just want to quickly back up Kyle and comment to any readers unfamiliar with constitutional law that Kyle is absolutely right.

Every first year law student in this country learns the difference between originalist and "living, breathing" constitutional viewpoints as part of his/her basic legal education. We're talking Constitutional Law 101 here, folks.

Now, I suppose we can't expect Huckabee to possess the knowledge of an attorney, but for a Presidential candidate, one auditioning for the chief seat of one of the three branches of government set forth under our Constitution, he shows a tremendous lack of understanding of the principled positions underlying the fight to preserve the Constitution the founders gave us.

Makes you shudder to wonder just what kind of thought process Huckabee would employ when considering potential Supreme Court nominees . . .



As a Latter-day Saint, I wonder about the possible underlying meaning of his words in this video regarding scriptures: "The scriptures, however, were not written so that we would change them, to adapt them to ever changing cultural norms." Is he making a coded criticism of "Joseph Smith's 'New Translation' of the Bible"? Or is making an indirect criticism of all the differing translations of the Bible found in Christian bookstores? I wonder which of the many translations of the Bible he reads? Whatever the meaning of his words, this confusion of mine supports your point that Huckabee is careless in his choice of words.




Saturday, January 5, 2008
posted by Jon | 8:58 PM | permalink
As I surveyed the campaign coverage of post-Iowa, mid-Wyoming, and pre-New Hampshire I found pretty much a mixed bag. Nobody really knows what’s going to happen, but everyone’s willing to hazard a guess.

Then I happened upon Michael Medved’s latest Townhall column and I started to get just a little miffed. I don’t really have an opinion on Medved – I’ve never really listened to his show, I don’t read his stuff and my only exposure to him has been via Blogfather Hugh’s radio show. Medved has now come out as a McCain backer, but his latest diatribe will most likely find its way to Team Huck for distribution.

Medved would have you believe there is no anti-Mormon bigotry behind Huck’s success in Iowa and in other evangelical heavy states. I’m not going to take Medved’s data apart here, simply because its not necessary to prove my point. I’d simply like to pose a question which turn’s Medved’s logic on it’s head:

But for religion, where would the race stand today?

But for religion, Mike Huckabee would be lagging back in single digit polling no matter what state he ran in. He’d be rightly labeled as a populist tax and spend governor of a state that – were it not for its alphabetical ranking – most Americans would never have heard about. His attitude toward and record on crime – demonstrated by his seemingly endless string of pardons – would subject him to an endless barrage of questions and commentary which would subsequently consign his campaign to the Dukakis Memorial Dust Bin. His Carter-esque foreign policy ideas would lead most responsible Republicans to run screaming from the room – to say nothing of his economic ideals which appeal to the masses but portend fiscal danger and disaster should they ever actually be implemented.

So what, pray tell, is Huck’s appeal? He plays the religion card and manages to convince some Iowans that he’s one of them. He brands himself as the “Christian Leader” thereby calling into question the religiosity of every other candidate – a not-at-all veiled jab at Mitt Romney. He then takes an even less-veiled broadside at Mitt specifically and Mormonism in general with his throwaway line to the New York Times Magazine specifically designed to put religious and not political differences on the front page – again.

While Huck may have apologized for that insult, and Mitt may have accepted said apology, the intent was clear. No, I don’t buy Huck’s explanation and I don’t accept his apology. After so many years at the pulpit, Huck knew exactly what he was saying and the publicity and religious furor it would generate. Huck’s “apology” is a bout as valid as Typhoid Mary’s would have been weeks after she came to town.

In short, but for religion, Huck would already be an also-ran.

On the other side of the spectrum you find Mitt Romney. Here is an exceptionally accomplished man – by any yardstick you choose to measure him. He has succeeded at nearly everything he’s ever even thought of attempting – be it professional, personal, or political. When the chips were down and conventional wisdom said it couldn’t be done, somebody called Mitt and the impossible got done.

Mitt has made over a quarter-billion dollars for himself, and untold billions for others in the private sector. Unlike any other candidate, he has created and saved untold millions of jobs for Americans. He enjoys new challenges, so he took it upon himself to save the 2002 Olympics and then serve his state. Having given Uncle Ted the race of his life and not being stymied by defeat he took a shot at the Governor’s chair and turned a state around. Most people would think Mitt had done enough and deserved a well earned early retirement.

In any other universe, Mitt would be so far beyond any other candidate – Democrat or Republican – this race would all but be over. He personifies the all American family man – married to the same woman for nearly four decades with five strapping sons all successful on their own merits. Norman Rockwell couldn’t have painted a better picture of a presidential candidate.

And yes, in case you were wondering, my picture does include all Mitt’s rightward shifts on the issues he takes hammers on. It wouldn’t matter – and in reality it doesn’t matter.

But for religion, Mitt would all but be sworn in. Were he Baptist, Presbyterian, Unitarian, Catholic, or Methodist the only questions in this campaign would be aimed at policy. But Mitt is Mormon, and evidently that changes the rules set down by over 200 years of American political tradition.

Were there no Mormon Question, the media might have to focus on issues that really matter rather than the actual location of the Garden of Eden or the actions of Mitt’s long dead relatives. They might actually have to work for a decent newsworthy story.

No matter what Mr. Medved claims, there is an undercurrent of religious bigotry which has and will continue to dog the Romney campaign. Bear in mind with the exception of the occasional reference to “faith”, Mitt has been fairly neutral on the subject of religion. He’s gone to great lengths to avoid bringing religion into a race for a secular office. Never the less, Mitt’s opponents and their surrogates seem to revel in reverting to religion at every opportunity.

What proof do I have of this undercurrent? I won’t bother pointing you to the surrogate blogs filled with a never ending diatribe of combined anti-Mitt and anti-Mormonism. I’ll just point you to Mike Huckabee’s officially sanctioned blog. What you’ll find there is just one example of many I could point you in what is fast becoming little more than a cesspool of anti-Morminism. Spare me the “Huck isn’t responsible for comments” excuse. It’s got his name on it, he’s responsible for it.

I’m not going so far as to blame all the woes of Team Mitt on religious bigotry – I’m not quite that naïve. What I am saying is that Mitt has one hurdle the other candidates are free to bypass – and it makes this campaign race much like Mitt having to run100 yard dash in knee-deep water while his opponents sprint down the track.

Even with that obstacle, Mitt is still running neck and neck with them.

That says more about Mitt that I ever could.

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4 Comments:


Whew! You got a lot off your chest on that blog. I wish I could have said it so well.

Medved was pro-amnesty. I think, whether he admits it or not, he is not favorable toward Gov. Romney's tough stance on immigration.



Great analysis and spot-on!



On the other hand, if Romney weren't LDS, he might be on his second or third wife by now like many of the other candidates.



I have been on top of this this issue TrustMitt.org

Shazam, Iowa results are proof positive that inbreeding and frigid temperatures yield irrational decisions. Despite Huckabee’s liberal record, Gomer Pyle charisma, and hate mongering against Mormonism, Huckabee pulls out a victory. Since Huck has no chance of beating Obama in a national election, the people have spoken and they would rather tear The Republican Party up then vote for a viable candidate. Thanks Iowa for splitting the party between social and economic conservatives, leaving us with McCain (who has no money to run a campaign) right before one of the most difficult presidential elections in recent history. If Mitt loses in New Hampshire and Michigan due to the blow in Iowa I will be obligated to vote for Obama in retaliation for Iowa's bigotry. TrustMitt.org




Thursday, January 3, 2008
posted by Kyle Hampton | 5:23 PM | permalink
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Well yessir buddy that's right, just come on out and say it. What did he call Huckabee, a phony roller plastic banana - or some such. Rush is always borrowing my ideas and never gives me credit.



I don't know who's worse the Hucknutters ot the Paultards.



At least the Ron Paul supporters research their candidate's positions, even the wacky ones. That puts them above the average Huck backer, who seem to vote based on emotion.




Monday, December 31, 2007
posted by Kyle Hampton | 5:40 PM | permalink
…or is he not? Apparently Huckabee is trying to have it both ways. Here are the reports:

Jonathan Martin: “Claiming that he changed his mind this morning, Huckabee told reporters gathered in anticipation of seeing the spots that he would no longer attack Romney off the air, either, and would run a positive campaign in the final days before the caucuses.

But Huckabee still aired the ad he cut yesterday in which he criticized Romney on fiscal matters, gun control, law and order, and abortion.

Additionally, Huckabee spoke surrounded by five placards on easels leveling the same attacks in print on Romney.


Stephen F. Hayes at the Campaign Standard: “Hmmmm. It's an old campaign ploy--to share attacks on your opponent with journalists in the hope that they include them in their reporting. The politics of paralipsis again: Here are the negative charges I'm not going to air. The Huckabee camp is probably hoping not only to give life to his attacks on Romney, sort of a political bank shot, but to get credit for staying positive.

But let's assume Huckabee is telling the truth. Why was he even considering running these ads? He promised nearly two weeks ago that he would not run negative ads against Romney and, indeed, said he was betting his campaign on it.”


Rich Lowry at the Corner: “To me, Huckabee seems a little like McCain near the end in 2000, when he got absolutely obsessed with process and the ads and phone calls that were being run and made against him. In the end, most voters don't care. Maybe people in Iowa are obsessed enough with "positive" campaigning that all this will work for Huckabee, but at the very least it's gotten him off message.”


Marc Ambinder: “The Dallas Morning News seems to buy the Huckabee spin:
In a news conference Monday designed to launch an all out assault against Mr. Romney, Mr. Huckabee said he would instead remain positive. "At some point we have to decide can we change politics and the level of discourse?" he said.

Most reporters did not.

They started to laugh.”


Joe Klein at Time: “That sound you hear rumbling out of Des Moines appears to be a monumental implosion.”


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Wednesday, December 19, 2007
posted by Kyle Hampton | 11:46 PM | permalink
I had so many comments on my Fair Tax post that I wanted to respond to some of the points made:

First, several people made the point that Europe has a Value Added Tax (VAT) that is more than the 10% figure that I quoted. All of the research that I read made a distinction between the VAT and a national retail sales tax like the Fair Tax. This distinction is based on the mechanics of the tax. The value added tax looks at what a firm adds to the value of a product where a national sales tax is an excise tax levied at the point of sale. The end result looks similar because the VAT is passed on to the consumer. However, the VAT requires firms to report the value added at each stage of production. A national retail sales tax does not require any such reporting other than that the national rate has been applied. The figure I used looked just at those countries using a national retail sales tax and did not include those countries using a VAT.

Second, several readers expressed frustration at the current tax system and argued that we are essentially paying the same rate as what the Fair Tax would impose. That may be true, but I don’t understand how that merits scrapping the current system. If the Fair Tax does the exact same thing, why should switch? The tie goes toward stability, does it not? People have planned, not just in the short term, but in the long term for the tax benefits of the current system. Revolutionizing the way we tax would upset the expectations of a millions of Americans and businesses. Thus, doing something that drastic requires not just generalized frustration, but serious injustice. Generally, I think that frustration with the current tax system has made people over-eager to do something else. I don’t deny that the current system has its flaws. Indeed, it should be flatter and simpler. However, taking the extreme position of overhauling what we have and disturbing the expectations of those who are paying taxes seems unwise to me.

More rebuttals to come

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6 Comments:


For benefit of your readers, I posted a couple of explanatory comments at your last post. Here I'll layout the essentials. The FairTax is...

• SIMPLE, easy to understand
• EFFICIENT, inexpensive to comply with and doesn't cause less-than-optimal business decisions for tax minimization purposes
• FAIR, FLAT, and FAMILY FRIENDLY, loophole-free, and everyone pays their share
• LOW TAX RATE is achieved by broad base with no exclusions
• PREDICTABLE, doesn't change, so financial planning is possible
• UNINTRUSIVE, doesn't intrude into our personal affairs or limit our liberty
• VISIBLE, not hidden from the public in tax-inflated prices or otherwise
• PRODUCTIVE, rewards - rather than penalizes - work and productivity


A detailed benefits analysis of the plan (from The FairTax Book) explains such strong support:

For INDIVIDUALS:
• No more tax on income - make as much as you wish
• FairTax is paid on retail goods and services when purchased new, not used

• You receive your full paycheck - no more deductions
• Every household receives a monthly amount, or "prebate"
• "Prebate" is "advance tax payback" for monthly consumption to poverty level
• FairTax ensures poverty protection, being less regressive than income tax
• Increased household income preserves real purchasing power against any higher prices

• Reduction of pre-FairTaxed retail prices (due to reduced costs; increased competition)
• 29.9% mark-up yields 23% FairTax portion of new price tags
• FairTax portion of new prices reveal true cost of gov't to consumers

• FairTax is captured on illicit forms of income, when spent
• Parasitic income tax filing industry eliminated
• No double taxation on goods and services
No more IRS or FILING OF INCOME TAX returns
• Savings is bolstered with reduction of interest rates


For BUSINESSES:
• Corporate income and payroll taxes revoked under FairTax
• Business compensated for collecting tax at "cash register"
• No more tax-related lawyers, lobbyists on company payrolls
No more embedded (hidden) income/payroll taxes in prices
• Reduced costs. Competition - not tax policy - drives prices
• Off-shore "tax haven" headquarters can now return to U.S
No more "favors" from politicians at expense of taxpayers
• Resources go to R&D and study of competition - not taxes
• Global "free (and equitable) trade" becomes possible for currently-disadvanted U.S. exports
• U.S. exports increase their share of foreign markets


For the COUNTRY:
• 7% - 13% economic growth projected in the first year of the FairTax
Jobs return to the U.S.
• Foreign corporations "set up shop" in the U.S.
• Tax system trends are corrected to "enlarge the pie"
• Larger economic "pie," means thinner tax rate "slices"
• Initial 23% portion of price is pressured downward as "pie" increases
No more "closed door" tax deals by politicians and business
• FairTax sets new global standard. Other countries will follow


Mr. Romney's weak response to FairTax questioning on “This Week with Geo. Stephanopoulos” elevated his opponent who seems to understand the core problem. Understatedly, Mr. Huckabee quipped that what's wrong with the income tax can't be fixed with "a tap of the hammer, nor a twist of the screwdriver." But make no mistake, he's on to the bigger picture, and he pointedly understands the larger ramifications of how enacting the FairTax can course-correct global trade inequities.

While Mr. Romney clings to the destructive tax code, the IRS, preserving political power of granting tax favors at continued cost to - and misery of - American working families, his opponent speaks to Americans who have a terrible feeling that it is not only difficult to surmount increasing barriers to reach the next rung on the wealth ladder, but should they succeed, they'll need to spend an additional fortune to keep from having their hard-earned success confiscated by a government whose idea of "fairness" derives from Karl Marx's playbook (paraphrased), "From those according to their abundance, to those according to their need."



It seems like a flat tax produces much of the same pros that are mentioned by Ian, with less overhead.

Implementing and regulating the sales tax and it's refund system seems more complicated to me than something like a flat tax.

Now I don't think Romney is pushing for a tax overhaul, but a flat tax seems much more practical than a sales tax.

By the way. I grew up in Alberta Canada. When I was young, there was no sales tax. I liked that you could go up to the register and pay the amount that it was advertised for without having to add taxes in your head.

The conservative government then in 1991 reformed the tax system by replacing a 13.5% hidden Manufacturers' Sales Tax with a 7% visible Goods and Services Tax. Revenue neutral would have been a 9% sales tax.

So they lowered the tax but made it more visible (As a fair tax would do--I assume most people make more purchases than they get paychecks).

The next election they lost all but 2 of their 151 seats in parliament.

So even if Huckabee is able to get this implemented (There's no way in Hades it will be if Bush can't even get Social Security reform through), don't count on republican re-election the following election. In fact I think it is fair to say that if Huckabee were to pass this in his first term, he would not get the Republican nomination for re-election.



Ian, thank you for all that lovley propeganda. Quantity does not make up for lack of content. Just post a link the fairtax.org next time. I have seen your post on other sites. You guys sure do get out in force. This is not the only way to introduce a consumption tax, and Warren Buffetts political views arn't exacly conservative, and don't represent the views of most of the readers of MMM. I emplore you to read these.

http://thoughtfulideas.blogspot.com/2007/12/is-national-retail-sales-tax-good-idea.html

http://www.opinionjournal.com/best/?id=110011009



Stephen, I don't really expect much from bloggers - and comments like yours don't surprise me. It's far easier to engage in Psychologist David Burn's Cognitive Distortion No. 6 - Minimzation / Magnification - than to actually engage on the specifics of points that I've taken great pains to learn about, research, and present to you for thoughtful consideration.



Kyle,
It's truly not just a matter of replacing one system for another. There are almost too many negatives in the current tax code to count. Regardless of personal or even public feelings about the current tax system, even the United States Government itself has come out and said that the current tax system is broken and is costing both the American Worker and it's government, huge amounts of money, lost jobs, etc. The minor tweaks that Mitt and others are proposing, however helpful over the next 4 to 8 years, are not going to fix the tax code enough to avoid financial train wreck we face in the next 20 to 30 years. The Current tax code needs to be eliminated and replaced, and to date the best option presented has been the Fair Tax. PLEASE, use this link and read this Very Well written article:
( http://www.realclearmarkets.com
/articles/2007/12/the_fair_tax_is
_about_economic.html )

Stephen, any time you have some facts or figures you'd like to have an honest conversation or debate about, I'm sure that Ian or I would gladly participate. I'm not above being proven wrong, but with the amount of research done by top economic scholars on the Fair Tax and it's figures, those who have legitimate beefs are very few, and very far between.



Romney said "Government is Broken!". Yet ignoring a system that would make a huge economic progression is hipocritical. I want to "fix" the gov't but I don't care about ideas that could easily do so, come on. I agree with everything else Romney says, but ignoring FairTax is ignoring the current economic situation.
Where's Regan? GOD BLESS AMERICA!

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 3, 2008 at 11:04 AM  



posted by Kyle Hampton | 11:05 AM | permalink
Peter Wehner, former deputy assistant to the president, penned an article decrying Huckabee's foreign policy. Below, he defends his criticisms of Huckabee's foreign policy:

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Tuesday, December 18, 2007
posted by Kyle Hampton | 2:45 PM | permalink
I want to disclaim at the beginning that I am no tax policy expert. Yet, I think that the concepts argued for and against the “fair tax” as proposed by Mike Huckabee are simple enough that most people should be able to understand them.

Mike Huckabee describes on his campaign web site his version of the Fair Tax:
When the FairTax becomes law, it will be like waving a magic wand releasing us from pain and unfairness.

The FairTax will replace the Internal Revenue Code with a consumption tax, like the taxes on retail sales forty-five states and the District of Columbia have now. All of us will get a monthly rebate that will reimburse us for taxes on purchases up to the poverty line, so that we're not taxed on necessities. That means people below the poverty line won't be taxed at all. We'll be taxed on what we decide to buy, not what we happen to earn. We won't be taxed on what we choose to save or the interest those savings earn. The tax will apply only to new goods, so we can reduce our taxes further by buying a used car or computer.

Our current progressive tax system penalizes us for working harder and becoming more successful. As we climb the ladder, the government lurks on each rung, hungry for a bigger bite out of our earnings. The FairTax is also progressive, but it doesn't punish the American dream of success, or the old-fashioned virtues of hard work and thrift, it rewards and encourages them. The FairTax isn't intended to raise any more or less money for the federal government to spend - it is revenue neutral.
There are a lot of different points to be made. Easily dismissed is the claim that the Fair Tax will release us from pain and unfairness. Such a silly claim gets at the unseriousness of the Huckabee campaign in general. More substantively, only six countries have ever adopted retail sales taxes at rates of 10% or more; none do now. 58 Fla. L. Rev. 1043, 1048; Joel Slemrod, Presentation to the President's Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform: The Costs of Tax Complexity (Mar. 3, 2005), available at http://www.taxreformpanel.gov/meetings/ docs/slemrod 03032005.ppt.

Huckabee next says that all will get a monthly rebate for purchases up to the poverty line. This argues against one of the main points that he promotes in arguing for the Fair Tax: administrative ease. Huckabee has argued for abolishing the IRS, but it seems that he would have to replace it with some other agency by which to mail out every American’s monthly rebate check. The type of money being passed through the mail would also invite all sorts of criminal behavior (remember how well the debit cards went after Katrina?).

Huckebee also says that the Fair Tax will create positive incentives for saving. That is probably true. Through a combination of zero tax on savings and the dramatic increase of goods after the Fair Tax is enacted, people are likely to refrain from spending. The Fair Tax creates the incentive to withhold income from being put back into the economy. How this will affect the economy only an economist could predict, but the incentives seem to lead to a slowing of the economy as people withhold their dollars from the marketplace. However, eventually, even savings will be taxed as they are spent. The savings argument is misleading because it really only marks a delay in taxation, not an abolition of the tax on savings.

Huckabee argues that both taxes are progressive. However, the Fair Tax is difficult to make progressive. Since the tax applies to all at the point of sale, regardless of economic status, it would generally appear to be either a flat or regressive tax. The single rate of taxation on purchases hits low-income people harder than high-income people because the purchases are a larger proportion of the low-income person’s wealth. Higher income people are able to save a larger portion of their earnings. Thus, even with the rebates he proposes, for anyone above the poverty line, the tax is regressive. To make it progressive, Congress would have to add in additional complexity Graduated tax rates, differential rates, or higher rates all would lead to increasingly complex taxpayer behavior and legislative and administrative responses. 88 Calif. L. Rev. 2095, 2141.

In sum, and these certainly aren’t all the points to be made about the Fair Tax system, the Fair Tax likely does little to improve the current tax system and likely does harm. It does little to improve the complexity or administrative burden. It only shifts the time of taxation from when it was produced to when it was consumed. Finally, it likely dulls economic growth by creating a disincentive to spend.

Beyond its inherent political impracticability, the Fair Tax should be rejected. The better alternative, and the more realistic one, is the one Mitt Romney has proposed: lower marginal rates, end the death tax, end taxes on savings, and lower corporate taxes. These things combined will do more for the economy and the nation than the enactment of the Fair Tax.

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15 Comments:


Can you imagine the chaos visited on the economy if thie were implemented, either immediately, or gradually. Talk about a mess.



I used to be a supporter of the fair tax, but no more. The US economy will TANK with the fair tax. What will happen when everything we buy is increased by 30%?



To say no countries have a sales tax above 10% ignores the fact that the EU charges a 17% - 19% Value added Tax (VAT), which is essentially like a retail sales tax (Plus they have high income taxe!). So I would disagree with that statement, although if you examine the tax structure of Europe, you would clearly not want to adopt what they have.

Just thought I would point that out.



Thanks Kyle,
That certainly isn't a complete list but it isn't hard to see why only a candidate like Huck would adopt such an obviously flawed plan even when faults and shortcomings are so easy to find.
I would like to add that most of us remember from micro-economics 101, what sales taxes do. It keeps people who would otherwise enter the market out, both buyers and sellers. Gains from trade are unrealized. Plus it creates a huge incentive for black markets. These are not ways to stimulate the market, and keep America competitive with a growing Asian economy. I wish I had a whiteboard and 10 short minutes to show him. I guess that divinity school didn't offer advanced classes like that. My personal favorite way to streamline the tax code is a flat tax, but I'll save that for another day.
I hope he doesn't try the awe shucks I'm just a good ol' boy approach when he is pressed about this. Staying in a Holiday Inn Express isn't enough too fool the country.



This tax plan will create all kinds of political fights. What will the poverty level be? Who will determine it? Will there be annual adjustments to it like a cost of living increase? Are the monthly tax rebates to go to families or individuals? Do minors get a rebate on the taxes that they must pay? This will also cause a big dip in all sectors of the economy as people realize that they can save a huge amount by purchasing used items. This will have major ramifications for the auto and building industries. It will just be a matter of months after this tax in enacted before politicians try to get reductions or exemptions for industries that are having problems. This will be a nightmare.



I just thought that I would add this comment from David Frum at the National Post.
"The currently front-running candidate in Iowa, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, has built his campaign on a plan to abolish the Internal Revenue Service and replace the federal income tax with a national sales tax ... Economists and tax experts virtually unanimously agree that the plan is beyond unworkable -- that it is downright absurd."
http://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/story.html?id=169952

Amen!

Another worthy question is “how does the fair tax account for retirement accounts”. It seems like all the tax benefits vanish. Suddenly your 401k and IRA's are the same as any other savings account? That would really upset a huge percentage of the population, who historically are very good voters.



Are you aware we are more than double taxed on our dollar as our system stands right now? Do any of you run a business? If the government comes to you right now and tells you about a new corporate tax you now have to pay, where do you come up with the money to pay it? You get it from your customers. The consumer, who is paying for your service and your taxes from his after taxes dollar. That is double taxation!!!
Pass through all the taxes from a products consection, marketing and distribution and on average 22% of EVERYTHING we buy is taxes. And we pay that with our after taxes dollar. Can't you see that?

Why does the government have a need to know how much a citizen earns? These forms are intrusions into our lives. I want the government to leave me alone. I'll pay taxes, but let me have the final say on where my money goes.



Mike -

The stuff that I've read makes an explicit distinction between the VAT and a national retail sales tax. That's why I didn't include them in this. Otherwise I would agree. Check the citations for more information.



I am extremely skeptical of the promises made by the proponents of a national sales tax. A flat tax would be a much better and fairer system, but to get there without completely disrupting the economy, we would probably have to do it in steps. Step 1) Lower the rates and make them more equal. Then Step 2) Lower spending. Then Step 3) Repeat steps 1 & 2 over and over again. I figure that a President could achieve a flat tax somewhere near the end of his first term or beginning of his second term. Heck, Vladamir Putin did it in Russia and it's helped their economy.

Up-Chuck-abee argues that a national sales tax will somehow magically end America's shadow economy. Yeah right! It could easily make things worse though. In order to undercut the prices offered by America's legitimate businesses, a national sales tax could create a huge black market for "national sales tax-free" goods. Those tax cheat underground businesses could even charge more than businesses do today, because all that they've got to do is charge less than legitimate businesses for them to fulfill a need. Yes, the government could fine those businesses or send their owners to jail, but wouldn't that require even more elaborate enforcement and probably an even larger and more intrusive bureaucracy than we currently have with the IRS? What is going to stop people from ordering merchandise abroad in order to skate the rules or what will stop businesses from just going completely underground in order to avoid the taxes? How about smuggling? I’m sure that Mike Up-Chuck-abee with his great records on illegal immigration and fighting crime will make sure that we don’t have everything from kitchen sinks to contraband toys joining illegal drugs in its quest across our huge border with our southern 3rd world neighbor. A national sales tax might just be another scenario of hurting only the businesses who are willing to follow the rules (kind of like one of the main arguments against some gun laws).



Two issues concerning the Fair Tax. BTW, I actually see its potential since several of the issues you bring up are unproven and only a supposition of what might happen. The reason I say this, is because you ignore basic tenents of consumer behavior.

With that said however, my biggest concerns with the fair tax is the liklihood of the federal government to easily introduce it and than begin building on it so that we eventually resemble a western european nation with extremely high sales taxes as well as a high income tax on a Federal level.

The other concern is the ability to create an arbitrage market based on tax avoidance. Used goods are tax exempt in the Fair Tax system, so how difficult is it to take new goods, sell them for ridiculously low prices to a holding company that resells them for fair market value as tax exempt used goods.

Regarding European Sales Tax that statement about 10% is way off. Having lived the last 15 years in Europe the sales tax rates are much higher. In Sweden "moms" which is sales tax on all goods and services is generally at 25% with a few exceptions such as for books.



I actually like the fair tax and wish Romney would support it too. However there are many, many other reasons to support Romney over Huckabee. People are starting to notice Huckabee's flaws as the polls are indicating.



Kyle:

You are also not a tax expert. I suggest you stick to something you know as there is no merit to any of your comments. For instance, not a single prebate will be sent by check in the mail. Prebates will be distributed by either electronic transfers to a bank account or a special charge or debit card.



Dan Mastromarco did a great job of detailing the problems with a "flat" income tax, and how the FairTax would be superior, in rebutting an older Bruce Bartlett objection (which was resurrected for Bartlett's more recent diatribes - adequately rebuked - at WSJ, OpinionJournal, and The new Republic Online). For easier reading, and emphasis, I've paraphrased his 1999 reply to Bartlett following.

(Paraphrased) Reply by Dan R Mastromarco (LL.M., Taxation, Georgetown, principal in the Argus Group, adjunct professor at the University of Maryland, International Management Program, and research consultant to Americans for Fair Taxation - FairTax.org) to:

"A National Sales Tax Doesn’t Add Up" by Bruce Bartlett, December 29, 1999

Many engaged in true tax reform find Bartlett-type attacks exasperating, if not embarrassing. I'd like to convey perspective of both flat taxers and sales taxers who believe that such attacks are counterproductive, but first provide some political history by which to frame said perspectives.

For years Conservatives have posited that a VAT is bad policy (when liberals were discussing it), fearing it would become additional to an income tax (it was called a "money machine"). Circa 1980, conservative intellectuals touted Hall-Rabushka "subtraction method"[ H-R ] VAT which taxed business value added at the business side and labor value added at the labor side. Unlike European VATs (identical in scope), H-R became favorite of Dick Armey and Steve Forbes. It eliminated steeply progressive tax rates and tax on savings. Because of the prior VAT criticisms, H-R was packaged as the "flat tax" and is sold as an income tax to this day, rather than the VAT that its DNA characterizes it as being.

Some conservative commentators have called for the repeal of the 16th Amendment and for the adoption of the flat tax, (despite the fact that it is styled as a direct tax and could not be adopted with such repeal). Mr. Bartlett has called the national sales tax [ie, the FairTax] a VAT (which it isn't), castigated VATs as evil, and has said that sales taxes have become VATs in Europe (which they didn't). In the next breath, he "throws his arms around" the flat tax (which is a VAT). He quotes Bill Gale that the [FairTax] would have to be imposed at 60 percent, but glaringly fails to recognize that if the two bases are the same, he would have to impose that rate for the flat tax to be revenue neutral. In truth, all economists know that the two plans differ NOT in economic effect or base, but in administration.

An income tax taxes savings and investment multiple times. Both flat tax and FairTax are neutral as to savings and investment, tax income only once, and are both consumption taxes. Both are single rate taxes, have nearly the same base, and would improve the U.S. standard of living. Neither redistributes wealth.

While some have even suggested that hey are the same plans under different names, the flat tax taxes value added at each stage in the production process, but the FairTax prefers to tax it when it is added up at the end and eliminate the need to make everyone a taxpayer and collector.

Substantive commonalities between the flat tax and FairTax doesn't mean that there are NO key political and policy distinctions that could be exploited in pitting one against the other. If FairTax supporters wanted to retaliate in response to the Bartlett-type critique, they would have much material with which to honestly do so:

• The flat tax will make small firms and farmers pay the tax even if they have no profit
• The flat tax is opposed by many small business groups
• The flat taxers implicitly support big government by disguising even more of the overall tax burden as the current law
• The flat tax has been kicking around for nearly 20 years
• The flat tax makes everyone a taxpayer and collector, while the FairTax exempts 115 million filers [2000 figure] from ever having to deal with the IRS
• The flat tax is regressive, but the FairTax would enable everyone to keep his full paycheck.
• The flat tax has not only stalled, it has lost public and Congressional support.
• The FairTax is instantly understood, while even some proponents of the flat tax don’t understand it
• There are no transition rules developed for the flat tax and they would be very difficult to craft
• The flat tax taxes exports and relieves imports from tax
• The flat tax confuses tax reform with temporary tax reduction and makes both twice as hard
• The flat tax retains the entire income tax apparatus which erodes as quickly as you can say, “tax bill”


FairTaxers could advance these truthful points without resorting to bigotry associated with a cultic religious organization. However, for the most part, FairTax supporters have chosen not to attack the flat tax, but rather accentuate the commonalities between the plans - despite the above-noted differences. The reason is that, in the battle for tax reform, the real enemy is our current system.

Income tax advocates look down upon the articles of Bruce Bartlett with smug chortling, as Bruce is doing their work for them. The IRS and the liberals who want an income tax to ensure (1) taxes can be raised without the American people knowing it, and (2) wealth can be redistributed from the middle class to the poor, do not even need to fight us - we're killing ourselves!

Perhaps Mr. Bartlett believes that the flat tax will help elect Republicans, effect tax reform, and provide tax cuts; however, the real effect of his criticism is to divide conservatives, to delay serious national consideration of tax reform, and to fertilize the roots of the income tax.

( Source - Addit'l at FairTax.org Whitepaper - May republish in whole or part. - Ian)



I hate to sound rude, but it seems no one, with the exception if Ian, has =any idea= what they are talking about.

And, I think it was very irresponsible for major candidates, with the exception of Huckabee, to not familiarize themselves with the FairTax. When Romney is attacking Huckabee and the FairTax, he has no idea what he's talking about. Do you still think Romney -- a guy doing a "half-fast" job -- is not going to do a "half-fast" job if elected? The evidence points that way.

And, by the way, there've been a number of presidents without foreign policy experience, who've done a fine job in that area. Thus, I reject your assertions, otherwise.



Mitt's alright, but since he's run a business he, of all people, should know how much the FairTax will help the country. Most importantly the poor and middle class...oh..or maybe that's the problem. The people that the Fairtax seems most threatening to are the "super wealthy", "Politicians" and "Big Business" who can game the current system for tax breaks. I forgot that Mitt get's alot of support from those groups, so maybe he does really know what effects the Fair Tax would have on the economy...hmmmm.
I most love hearing people sound educated when trying to trash the Fair Tax, but clearly, for those who are educated on the plan, they present themselves as absolutely and utterly ignorant.
There are over 75 WELL renowned economists who support the Fair Tax and millions of dollars of research and running numbers to make sure the calculations are as correct as humanly possible. Here check out the list:
http://www.fairtax.org/PDF/Open_Letter.pdf




Monday, December 17, 2007
posted by Myclob | 6:20 PM | permalink
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Notice Huckabee brags about his theology degree -- again -- in this speech.

Today www.nyformitt.com posted a comment that I made about the distinction between a BA and a Masters in Divinity.

Huckabee has a BA in speech or communications, not sure which, but only went to seminary for a year and then dropped out to work for a televangelist.

If a man will lie about his credentials, what else will he lie about?



Huckabee's campaign is like when a really smart kid move into the neighborhood of a third-grader who burns down his neighbor's house while the smart kid dies of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Is anyone else really sick of his stupid comparisions? He acts as though he is teaching grade school.



i like how no one laughed at his OJ crack...kinda made me giggle a little bit.




Saturday, December 15, 2007
posted by Kyle Hampton | 4:25 PM | permalink
Victor Davis Hanson is one of my favorite public intellectuals. He has been the preeminent voice defending the war in Iraq. He is also very good on illegal immigration and pointing out the liberal bias in education. Really, you won't find a better reasoned defender of foreign policy conservatives. He posts occasionally over at the Corner. Here's his take on Huckabee's Foreign Affairs essay:

I don't know much about Mike Huckabee, but found his aw-shucks Foreign Affairs essay strange to say the least (e.g., cf. "The Bush administration's arrogant bunker mentality has been counterproductive at home and abroad." )

But what he offers inter alia is the rehashed plan of invading the nuclear, nominal ally Pakistan ("I prefer to cut to the chase by going after al Qaeda's safe havens in Pakistan." ) while reaching out to Iran, the de facto non-nuclear enemy, by offering normal diplomatic relations—of course, only after strengthening sanctions and declaring the Revolutionary Guards terrorists. He laments losing the good will once shown by Iran in its 2001 shared goal of defeating the Taliban-almost like lamenting the needless estrangement of the Soviet Union in 1946 after we once had been so close in working to defeat Hitler.

Nowhere is there any suggestion that a new President Huckabee might find the world not all that bad—at least without the Taliban and Saddam, and with consensual governments in their places, without a WMD program in Libya (and according to our brilliant intelligence agencies, one in Iran or North Korea either), with staunch US allies like Sarkozy in France and Merkel in Germany.

Don't know what to make of the Brer Rabbit and Brer Fox evocations and the general prose style of the piece (e.g., "We played Brer Fox to his Brer Rabbit. We threw him into the perfect briar patch")—other than these references and other similar metaphors and similes sound like some beltway policy wonk in DC playing at Will Rogers, or throwing in here and there perceived Arkansas-isms as proof of down-home authenticity.

I think that VDH gets at some of the flaws of the Huckabee foreign policy philosophy. Mostly Huckabee's statements show a lack of depth and understanding. There is very little recognition of what truly drives foreign powers and how we should interact with them. Indeed, Huckabee seems to be at public opinion's mercy. When public opinion drives one's policies, one must talk out of both sides of one's mouth. Huckabee has done just that. He is sometimes the hawk, sometimes the dove with very little intellectual coherence to help see a pattern as to why. This kind of confusion leads to inconsistent positions: overly hawkish towards Pakistan, overly dovish towards Iran, etc. Also, as VDH discussed, Huckabee's analogies seem rather inept. While some use analogies to simplify the complexities of an argument, Huckabee uses analogies to mask the argument, hoping the audience will be asuaged by the utter cute-ness of the comparisons he makes.

Timotheus: Rather than post separately on this subject, I wanted to invite readers to peruse excerpts from Romney's Foreign Affairs essay. Romney's managerial experience exudes competence in all aspects of our foreign policy. Looking at that side by side with Huckabee's should be a real eye opener. Besides, do you really want a guy who has a soft spot for ciminals in charge of protecting America from terrorists? I don't think so.

And this from the AP: "'I can't believe he'd say that. I'm afraid he's running from the wrong party,'" Romney said to a gathering of about 100 supporters in a restaurant here. "'I had to look again — did this come from Barack Obama or from Hillary Clinton? Did it come from John Edwards? No, it was Governor Huckabee.'"

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It seems like most conservative pundits are coming out against Huck but it's not hurting him in the polls. Until the MSM starts condeming Huck,that's not going to change. There's been a conspiracy of silence in the MSM for at least 2 months in taking a serious look at the things Huck did as governor and his positions as a candidate. The whole media focus has been on the polls. The Demoines Register and Boston Globe's endorsing McCain is an effort to boost him in NH and knock Mitt off there. There's no other reason for two liberal rags to endorse a cheerleader for a war they hate.




Thursday, December 13, 2007
posted by Kyle Hampton | 11:20 AM | permalink
The Cato Institute's Michael Tanner sums up the Cato view on Huckabee's tenure as governor and his prospects as president. Some excerpts:

As governor of Arkansas, Huckabee dramatically increased state spending. During his two-term tenure, spending increased by more than 65 percent -- at three times the rate of inflation.

Huckabee financed his spending binge with higher taxes. Under his leadership, the average Arkansan’s tax burden increased 47 percent, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, including increases in the state’s gas, sales, income, and cigarette taxes. He raised taxes on everything from groceries to nursing home beds.

Calling himself "a different kind of Republican," Huckabee often appears to be channeling John Edwards or Lou Dobbs. He rails against high corporate profits and attacks free trade agreements. As governor, he raised the minimum wage and increased business regulation. He says it is "a biblical duty" to pass more regulation to fight global warming.

As much as I don't align perfectly with Cato, these are nuts and bolts issues. As I've said before, the key reasons that Republicans were booted from office last election were lack of fiscal discipline, a sense of incompetence (Iraq, Katrina, etc.), and corruption and scandal. Mike Huckabee does little to address these issues. Obviously spending and taxes are not his strong points. Huckabee is also not campaigning on competence. When he does, as last night in bragging about the Arkansas school system, he flops badly. Finally, Huckabee has not been scandal free. A Huckabee candidacy would likely mean more losses for Republicans because he represents a continuation of the past and not a break from it.

Mitt Romney, on the other hand, addresses the problem areas and build on past strengths. Mitt has a strong fiscal record, exudes competence and delivers, and is notably scandal-free. These things in addition to a commitment to the coalition of conservatives, makes Romney distinct among the primary choices.

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Monday, December 10, 2007
posted by Kyle Hampton | 4:48 PM | permalink
I think that the fair tax is a pie-in-the-sky idea. Generally, I think that the idea of getting the tax code simpler and flatter is a good idea. However, I don't see how the fair tax accomplishes that. When pressed on the specifics of how it would affect low income Americans or other special interests who now pay no taxes, they talk about prebates. Once we've gotten to that point, however, there is little stopping the government from recreating any or all the tax exemptions now currently in the tax code. Thus, we have done little to affect who is paying taxes, but only shifted how they pay it. How that helps the tax situation is beyond me.

Proponents also argue that the national sales tax would help tax black market activities. James Taranto over at Opinion Journal looks further into this claim:
"Ask Mike Huckabee about his tax plan and he'll talk about pimps and prostitutes," the Concord (N.H.) Monitor reports. Not a bad lead. The story continues:

The Republican presidential candidate often says that one of the selling points of his plan to replace the federal income tax with a 23 percent sales tax is that it would force those who deal in cash to pay taxes.

"You end the underground economy," Huckabee said at a recent luncheon for the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce. "Illegals, prostitutes, pimps, gamblers, drug dealers--everybody pays taxes."

Huh? Does Huckabee really think prostitutes are going to collect sales taxes and pass them on to the government? Apparently not:

William Ahern, spokesman for The Tax Foundation, a nonpartisan tax research group in Washington, D.C., said even Huckabee's claim about pimps and prostitutes isn't true.

"Say (a drug dealer) spends $100,000 on a tricked-out Hummer," Ahern said. "Instead of just paying the local car tax or sales tax, he would be paying, according to the Fair Tax, the full 23 percent (tax).

"But he won't be collecting the Fair Tax on his sale of drugs," Ahern added. "You and me, the two secret heroin addicts who are pouring our wages into the coffers of this drug dealer instead of making mortgage payments . . . we avoid paying the Fair Tax by buying heroin instead of taxable goods."

To put it another way, under Huckabee's plan, johns and drug addicts would pay for sex and drugs with pretax income.

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The other, and I think more compelling argument, is that rather than end the underground economy, the "fair tax" would actually create a black market for everyday goods such as one never before conceived. When everyday products are tagged with a 30% premium by way of a national sales tax, widespread smuggling and black market transactions will result almost immediately. People who want to WILL find a way to get cheap goods without paying the tax. Those that dodge income taxes now WILL find ways to buy products on the black market for far less than they can pay at legitimate retailers. NOt only will such a black market become a fiscal drain, it will pose a potential public safety hazard to consumers who buy goods on the black market from unaccountable suppliers who hold no regard for product safety / liability concerns.

The fair tax is a volatile, risky, unrealistic dream and is a complete non-starter. Huckabee is selling a horrible bill of goods simply because its false promises appeal to just about everyone who doesn't like to pay taxes and is not well educated on fiscal policy (which happens to be a majority of American citizens)



It should always be mentioned that the 23% sales tax is inclusive. Or, in other words, it's actually a 30% sales tax the way most people think of it.

A $1.00 item will be taxed an additional $0.30. However, $0.30 is only 23% of $1.30, hence the more appealing number cited.



What happened to the actual "Flat Tax"? It's simple, and fair. And you don't have to get rid of the IRS.



I think the point of the "pimp, prostitute" example was that it would force them to pay taxes when they spent their money. Right now they totally avoid taxes by not declaring income.

However, the potential to create a bigger black market in the USA is huge. The incentive to do so is increased dramatically as under-the-table deals will now result in 300-400% increased tax evasion.

So prostitutes have to pay some taxes and black market problems spike. Great plan.

Devon: Your point is right on. Saying 23% gives everyone the wrong impression.



As I've said before, the Fair Tax is very, very unfair to people who have saved throughout their working years in anticipation of spending in their "golden years." The Fair Tax takes money that they've already paid income tax on and makes them pay "Fair Tax" on it when they spend it.

Do we really want to penalize savers?

I think that the Fair Tax is intended to ENCOURAGE savings (people will think twice about discretionary spending if they have a 23%-or 30% as stated above-Federal sales tax), but it sure starts off on the wrong foot.



Generally speaking I am ifavor of concepts like the fair tax. One thing no one has brought up is the impact that implimenting a 30% increase on all goods will have on the economy. The biggest reason it will never be implimented is that the politicians know that we will plunge into a recession if it is.



On average, each $1 you spend on goods in the United States has $0.22 of embedded tax. Think about it. Corporations have to pay 35% tax on every dollar they earn, in addition to social security, Medicare, and payroll taxes for each dollar they pay you. When the fair tax is passed, $1 goods will drop to $0.78, and then add the 30% tax, and you get $1.01 in today's dollars. Not much for Americans to pay considering they spend 6 billion hours a year filling tax returns (not to mention we pay the IRS $10 billion to keep an eye on us)



Perhaps the easiest way to make sure everyone is getting taxed, is to tax real estate. Everyone lives somewhere, right? If all property gets a federal tax hike, it's pretty difficult to avoid the taxman. However, a property tax then provides an incentive to people to not own US real estate, which would totally trash the real estate industry.

I think the only "Fair" thing to say about taxes is that there are no easy answers. Mike Huckabee spouting the "Fair Tax" as a panacea/great alternative to what we've got now is one more piece of evidence that he's a lightweight who doesn't have serious proposals to offer.



The black market issue is real. The internet will be the channel. People will begin buying EVERYTHING on-line to avoid the tax. This will require the Fed to monitor the net like never before to get those nasty tax evaders. Despite any such monitoring, people will be able to buy merchandise from companies in countries that won't allow our government to scrutinize their books. Not only will this kill tax generation, but it will force American companies to fight at a bigger disadvantage (23% bigger), causing more and more business to leave the USA. The lack of tax generation may require us to raise the rate only increasing the incentive for evasion. The IRS is a patsy compared to what the "fair tax" would require.

For this reason alone the fair tax idea should be laughed off stage.

That said, I think the fair tax has at least two or three more pressing deficiencies than the black market effect. The whole idea is lunacy.



Everyone remember that the fairtax would only tax new goods. That might hinder the relevance of a black market. As far as the effect on the economy, how many major corporations have left the US because of the tax penalties encountered due to their success. Relieving some tax burden would encourage corporations to stay in and/or return to the US.

Who cares if the IRS is abolished, I haven't seen too many people who have been audited with big smiles on their faces.
To the person stating this would hurt savers... I saved by putting money into my 401K for 5 years, at which point I found myself needing an engagement ring. I owed 40% of the money I put in the 401k to taxes. That is not what I would call fair.

Taxes caused this country to be created, when in the 1700's England thought they knew better how to spend our money than we did. This country can't continue to stand with the taxes as they are today.




posted by Kyle Hampton | 10:54 AM | permalink
I’ve hit Huckabee on foreign policy before, and I think with good reason. His simplistic equivalence of international relations with ordinary human interactions shows a lack of both seriousness and depth. I’ve also compared him (I think accurately) with Jimmy Carter. Powerline blog agreed. Now come the editors at NRO joining in the chorus:

Countries aren’t people, and the world is more dangerous than a Sunday church social. Threats, deception, and — as a last resort — violence must play a role in international relations. Differences cannot always be worked out through sweet persuasion. A U.S. president who doesn’t realize this will repeat the experience of President Jimmy Carter at his most ineffectual.
This seems to me to be exactly the wrong direction to take the country that still is at war with violent Jihad. Not only do we face the threat of independent operators, but also hostility from national regimes. The type of effort that it requires to confront these different types of threats takes more than just good interpersonal skills. The force of Huckabee’s personality will do us little good in the face of real military threats. In those situations we need someone more tough-minded who can evaluate real world consequences. We need someone that can evaluate the data, process the arguments of dissenting voices, and make hard decisions. Reliance on colloquialisms and quips will seem little consolation when deaths are imminent and the country faces real peril. Confronting other nations will also require some creativity, something that Huckabee has not shown even a glimmer of. Those qualities needed to confront nations are the qualities of one candidate: Mitt Romney.

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Saturday, December 8, 2007
posted by Justin Hart | 1:44 PM | permalink
The AP is reporting that in 1992 Huckabee "once advocated isolating AIDS patients from the general public, opposed increased federal funding in the search for a cure."

He also wrote in the 1992 questionnaire "I feel homosexuality is an aberrant, unnatural, and sinful lifestyle, and we now know it can pose a dangerous public health risk."

Taken a decade earlier these comments could have come from anyone but as the AP notes:
When Huckabee wrote his answers in 1992, it was common knowledge that AIDS could not be spread by casual contact. In late 1991, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there were 195,718 AIDS patients in the country and that 126,159 people had died from the syndrome.

Drudge currently has this as his lead headline and Politico had this to say:
The revelations could dampen the enthusiasm for the candidacy of Huckabee, a former Baptist minister, because the language clashes with his image as a compassionate, sunny leader.

...

The report is a second distraction at a time when Huckabee has tied or passed former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in polls in Iowa. A Newsweek poll of likely Iowa caucus-goers taken Wednesday and Thursday found Huckabee leading Romney by a two-to-one margin, 39 percent to 17 percent. Newsweek’s last poll, in late September, had Huckabee at 6 percent and Romney at 25 percent.

It also could cause Republican voters to reevaluate whether he would be effective at winning swing voters in a general election that looks trying for the GOP.

Drudge's link to the Politico story:
GAME-CHANGE IN GOP RACE?


Thoughts?

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Neither Huckabee or Romney are the right manfor the job. Huckabee can't beat Hillary and Romney can't win the primary.

It's going to have to be McCain.



This is exactly the kind of "flip flop" that Romney's being hammered for by the Huckabee supporters in Iowa (led by Steve Deace of 1040AM WHO). I would be very surprised if they abandon their guy over this (or the INS flip flop--trying to go hard on immigration now after his earlier squishiness). These Huckbots have already demonized Romney over things that every other candidate is guilty of, so it's not anything that is reality- or logic-driven.



d,

I would be very, very interested indeed to hear how you think McCain can win the nomination when Romney can't. You've got your work cut out for you, with all due respect to you and your candidate.



I questioned whether one month would be enough to inform the American voters on Huck's record and it sure looks like it's going to be enough. I think Drudge has made it his mission to disclose his record thank goodness!



This is now on the front page of FOXNews.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,316228,00.html

Mike says, "My concern was safety first, political correctness last."

Whatever, Mike.

"When Huckabee wrote his answers in 1992, it was common knowledge that AIDS could not be spread by casual contact."

McCain is too old and has too many issues wrong. Chief among his wrong issues are McCain/Feingold and McCain/Kennedy. He killed his campaingn with those two.

He also has no $ and little chance to get more. His bump only comes from the war going better.



There is very much wrong with Huckabee, but to hit him for espousing that homosexuality is a sin... Please, attack him for the right reasons. When you attack from the Left, you give Liberalism legitimacy and tip your hat to the notion that it is the pervasive and dominant creed in our culture.



Mike Huckabee's not perfect but Flip Romney's little better.



We point out at NY for Mitt that the Surgeon General mailed 107 million brochures about the spreading HIV/AIDS epidemic in 1988.

The government's publication makes clear how the disease is and is not transmitted. It was very well understood in 1988.

That was 4 years before Huckabee made his now-uncomfortable statements in 1992 about isolating/quarantining HIV-infected individuals.

Public health officials and health care professionals in Arkansas had to know the facts in 1992. Huck may not have known, cared, or bothered to ask.

Was he too lazy or didn't want the facts to get in the way of another decision? We're beginning to see a pattern, Mike.

One thing is sure, Huck's completely misrepresenting the facts when he said it was unclear in the late '80s and early 90s.

Read the entire story here:

http://nyformitt.blogspot.com/2007/12/huck-on-defensive-says-nobody-knew.html



Another thing, I'm not a good artist but I just got this funny idea of a cartoon with a guy in a HAZ-MAT suit and a nametag that says "President Huckabee" speaking in front of a group of people in a place called "AIDS Land." We ought to have a cartoon contest or something for this.



Well spoken Nealie Ride.



Where's the flip-flop, Mittster?

CBS NEWS -- Huckabee stands by his answers

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2007/12/08/politics/fromtheroad/entry3595065.shtml

In 1992, your guy was voting for left-wing Democrat Paul Tsongas in the Dem presidential primary, and was -- by his own words -- not even a Republican but an "independent" who supported abortion on demand and gays in the military. His wife was donating to Planned Parenthood in those days too.

I'll take Huckabee '92 over Romney '92 any day.



"Huckabee can't beat Hillary."

Rasmussen shows Huck leading Hillary by 6 points in Arkansas, while Mitt trails her by double-digits there.

Zogby shows Huck leading Hillary by five points nationally, the largest lead of any GOP candidate. Romney polls weakest against Hillary nationally.



It truly annoys me that People say Mitt is a flip-flopper on abortion. Look at his record!! He campaigned as pro-choice, but when the first piece of legislation passed his desk as gov, he couldn't sign it, and everything done since then has been pro-life. A flip flopper has one position, flips to another, and then flips back (ala Hillary and NY drivers' licenses for illegals; she flip flopped in under 2 minutes). Mitt changed his stance on abortion. Hasn't changed since. Done deal!!!



Wait. Huckabee supporters are claiming that Mike Huckabee's actions match his words. WRONG. Mike's record on taxes, crime, immigration, small business is as bad as or worse than Bill Clinton’s record.

AND now TODAY Mike pulls out a whole new script. He grabs the most regressive tax scheme in the race. It would hammer consumption and it would replace the IRS with the HuckRS. THIS is an incongruence.

It makes sense that Huck’s rise is a result of LOCAL media. They are pushing a load of nonsense. Huck’s record is awful, and he is the least qualified of all the candidates. He got hammered on Wallace. Instead, he says he knew about avian flue and AIDS was comparable concern. Good leadership. Just say you were wrong Huck!




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