I have to say that the Club for Growth's $85k attack ad buy this week (ironically, masked as "call Mike Huckabee and tell him . . ." ads) seems a bit out of whack. Real Clear Politics - News - Mid Term Elections - Elections 2008 - Opinion - Commentary - TIME. I am familiar with Club for Growth's work--heck, I'm a "member," and I generally support the values of the Club for Growth and I certainly support the idea of working to help a good candidate emerge from a primary.
Likewise, I won't deny that a couple of Huckabee's decisions to condone or advance tax increases while governor of Arkansas aren't easy to defend. By saying that, I'm not conceding that any defense amounts to shilling; I'm just saying that a Conservative voter has a right to ask why Huckabee failed to categorically oppose tax increases. I think he has a legitimate explanation.
But I'm more interested in Club for Growth's explanation for going jugular via a massive media buy against an admittedly second-tier candidate more than six months prior to the election (and one week prior to the Ames Straw Poll). If Huckabee is so bad on taxes and spending (economic issues) then surely the other front runners are as suspect . . . Rudy? Romney? McCain? These guys don't have comparable economic blemishes? Then--as top-tier-types, wouldn't they be more suitable for attack? If the answer is that they're not competing in the Ames Straw Poll, then it appears that Huckabee is being targeted in favor of some other second-tier candidate, no?
Hello world!
7 years ago
5 comments:
They want to flex their muscles without ruining their relationship with the future nominee of the party.
Don't get me wrong, I'd love for Huckabee to be your nominee, as I think he's probably the best candidate in the field (or maybe nicest...yeah, thats probably it), but he is the embodiment of the ideals of "Compassionate Conservatives" and the Club for Growth hates anything that smacks of compassion, because that might lead to (gasp!) Government intervention in the problems facing Americans.
I can see your point about him being a safe target (in that he isn't going to be the eventual nominee) but I have a hard time believing they would unnecessarily (a) spend all that money, or (b) risk alienating those in the GOP who support him (or at the least like him).
That being said, my view of the Club for Growth is different than yours--based on your comment, so that certainly has an impact on our interpretation of what they're doing.
And regarding your comment on his Compassionate Conservatism; I think he is probably less an embodiment of it than Dubya, despite how Dubya is portrayed in the MSM. But you may be right. Huckabee certainly comes across as more compassionate and nicer, but that is just style I'd say.
The "Club for Growth" attack is nothing more than a personal vendetta against Mike Huckabee from Jackson T. Stephens Jr. who sits on the board of directors of the "Club for Growth."
After Gov. Huckabee assumed the governorship, Stephens asked his father, owner of Stephens Inc., an Investment Banking firm in Arkansas, to ask Gov. Huckabee to step aside in 1998 to give Junior something to do--Huckabee refused. Junior has been after Huckabee ever since, bankrolling pet projects of a tabloid in Arkansas as long as it's editor writes plenty of hit pieces against Huckabee and files numerous ethics complaints against the former governor.
What else do you do when you inherit millions and the little people won't move out of the way for you to become governor of a state--you make their little lives miserable.
This poster is so far from the truth it is laughable.
What "poster" are you talking about? My "Barry Bonds -- Natural Hero" poster? Take a hike, "Anonymous."
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