"Then again, it’s debatable whether Clement has accomplished very much. In Congress, he was known for a high level of constituent service—helping old ladies get their Social Security checks and providing other assistance dealing with federal agencies—but not much else. According to Lamar Alexander during their 2002 Senate campaign, Clement was the primary sponsor of only 64 bills in his 15 years in The House. Of those, only five became law, and four of those were to name October “Country Music Month.”"Ouch.
"In only 4 years the US has ousted one of the world's most brutal dictators ever and helped replace his regime with a democratically elected government- Doing this without the backing of one political party, without liberal Hollywood, with numerous security leaks, with interfering politicians, and with a hostile antiwar press that continually misfires with bogus news stories. Not bad!"
"The area where Huckabee has encountered the most flak from conservatives is taxes. In the week before the straw poll, the Club for Growth spent nearly $100,000 to run ads portraying him as a profligate taxer and spender. “There once was a governor from Hope, Arkansas, who raised taxes like there was no tomorrow,” the ad began. “Who is that liberal tax-and-spend Arkansas governor? Bill Clinton? No. It’s Mike Huckabee.” Specifically, the Club for Growth hit Huckabee for, among other things: supporting taxes on Internet sales and access; signing sales-tax increases on gas, cigarettes, and nursing homes; opposing repeal of the sales tax on food and medicine; and allowing a 17 percent sales-tax increase to become law. “All of those allegations have pretty much been debunked, repeatedly,” Huckabee tells me. For example, “I have always staunchly opposed any tax on Internet access. I am adamantly opposed, always have been. For them to say anything otherwise is an outright lie.” As for the Internet sales tax, Huckabee argues that he supported proposals — also supported by other Republican governors — to let states collect sales taxes on goods sold on the Net by out-of-state vendors. “It’s simply a way to create a level playing field for taxes for Internet merchants as well as Main Street merchants,” Huckabee says. “It wasn’t a new tax at all.”York goes on to describe Huckabee's seal of approval from Grover Norquist, head of Americans for Tax Reform, and from FAIR tax supporters. Read it for yourself . . .
On the gas tax, Huckabee points out that Arkansas’ interstate highways were in terrible shape — among the worst in the nation. In 1999, the legislature approved an increase in the gas and diesel taxes, and Huckabee, who believed the increase was a good idea, signed the measure. Along with the gas tax, there was a $575 million bond issue for further improvements, which was put to a statewide vote in June 1999 and passed by a landslide, 80 percent to 20 percent. “I would argue that we did rather well on that.”
On the grocery tax, Huckabee stresses that he “philosophically” supported its repeal, but he felt that in the money squeeze that beset Arkansas in 2001–02 the state couldn’t afford it. “It was not that I philosophically opposed [repeal], because I have always philosophically supported it,” Huckabee tells me. “The only thing they’re going to hit me for is that I opposed it in the 2002 election, because I knew that we had already made deep [budget] cuts, and if you cut the grocery tax, there was no way to make it up.”
The biggest tax increase during Huckabee’s tenure was the sales-tax increase, which went to education, and it began not with Huckabee but with the Arkansas supreme court. In 2002, the court ruled that the state’s system of funding its schools was unconstitutional and ordered the state government to come up with ways to spend more money on education and distribute it more equitably among the state’s school districts.
Huckabee had to do something. And with a heavily Democratic legislature, it was a sure bet that more money was going to be raised and spent on schools. So along with a tax increase, Huckabee attempted to fix Arkansas’ amazingly chaotic school-district system. The state has 75 counties, and at the time it had 310 school districts, each a separate fiefdom with its own budget and bosses. Some school districts had as few as 100 students in K–12. Huckabee wanted to consolidate districts so that each would have a minimum of 1,500 students. He lost that fight, with the legislature choosing to make the minimum size 350 students. Still, that meant the consolidation of the smallest districts, with significant savings for the state. Even so, when the bill got to Huckabee’s desk, he declined to sign it, knowing that it would become law anyway. “I thought that we were not pushing for the level of efficiency that we should have,” he says.
So what does his record add up to? Well, the charges have not, as Huckabee claims, been pretty much debunked. Some of them are true. But Huckabee also cut taxes on several occasions, and he argues that, in contrast to the senators who want to be president, he was the man in charge who had to make hard decisions. “Unlike the federal government, governors don’t get to print money,” Huckabee tells me. Besides that, a number of his actions were undeniably popular with most Arkansans, with Huckabee working to meet the state’s needs while hewing to conservative principles."
Dean is truly a rich, Vanderbilt imported, chablis sipping, Country Clubbing, Private Schooling, Volvo driving, Massachusetts liberal and the African American’s in Nashville know that he is hard pressed to relate to their plight in life.I'm a Republican, but I can only hope that I'm never on the other/wrong side of a campaign than Crisp.
"'My station was intimidated by the administration and its foot soldiers at FOX News.' That is CNN's Christiane Amanpour explaining why the major television networks failed to accurately inform the public in the lead-up to the Iraq war, choosing instead to follow FOX's lead."
Obama suggested that presidential candidates who have been governors have an advantage over those who have been in the Senate, which he described as "paralyzed" and "designed for you to take bad votes."And he also singled out Mike Huckabee for "faint praise":
"A governor is more likely to set the terms of the debate," he said. "They can give a speech, they can say, 'This is my initiative, this is my proposal. I won't sign it unless I agree with it.' Dealing with senators, you end up, you know, having to actually vote on stuff that has no relevance whatsoever but can be used later on to attack you."
"Asked if he admired any of the Republican candidates, Obama offered faint praise: 'Yeah, I think some of these folks are decent people.' Obama cited only former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee by name. Then he criticized the GOP field for 'outbidding each other' while arguing that the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, should be expanded rather than closed."In an awkward (IMHO) exchange (at least it ought to be awkward for peacenik Democrats):
Noting that Obama has been criticized for lacking experience, Stewart asked, "Have you thought about running a smaller country first?"
Obama smiled and said, "You know, what I did think about though was invading a smaller country ..." He suggested the island nation of Grenada.
"I thought the release of this report would distract officers serving their country on the front lines of a global conflict," Hayden said. "It will, at a minimum, consume time and attention revisiting ground that is already well plowed."It is laughable to assert that this information (assigning any blame to Tenet--it doesn't fit the Bushitler template) is "well plowed" ground to anyone other than talk radio listeners. But Hayden would be right vis a vis "distractions" if Bush had decided to fire Tenet, a Clinton administration holdover . . . we almost definitely would have needed "congressional oversight" into his decision to replace him.
"A well-known national blogger filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission Monday against Fred Thompson, alleging the former Tennessee Senator has violated the “letter and spirit” of election law “for his own political benefit.”"I guess we can assume earnest Lane Hudson (who filed the complaint) missed the news last year about Hillary:
Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is raising money like a presidential candidate even though she's only running against poorly funded Senate opponents.Tell me about "the spirit of the law."
The New York lawmaker, a potential 2008 presidential candidate, raised more than $6 million in the first three months of the year, according to papers filed Thursday with the Federal Election Commission.
The $2 million-a-month fundraising pace gave her $19.7 million cash on hand at the end of March for her Senate re-election.
"It's mind-blowing. She is raising money at a presidential level," said Doug Muzzio, a professor at Baruch College in New York.
The two main challengers to Clinton's bid for a second term each reported less than $500,000 as they vie for the Republican nomination.
"But only Buchanan enjoyed significant electoral success combining economic populism with cultural conservatism. The problem for Huckabee is that a conservative alternative to the GOP front-runners will need support from both the economic and social right. And fiscal conservatives aren't fond of men from Hope who accuse tax-cutters of greed."While I think Antle correctly characterizes Huckabee's message, I think he overstates the significance--in practical terms, of Huckabee's rhetoric.
"Buoyed by his surprise second-place finish in the Iowa Republican straw poll, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee is plotting an even bigger coup against Mitt Romney in the first presidential primary, in New Hampshire. His inspiration for the audacious plot comes from two unlikely people: Pat Buchanan and Bill Clinton."You should read the article, but I personally don't think that Rudy/Mitt/Fred are comparable to Paul Tsongas (Clinton's major opponent in 1992), or that Huckabee inspires rebellion like a Pat Buchanan (HW's opponent in the same year), or that Huckabee has the same squishy appeal that John McCain has (W's opponent in 2000). I guess time will tell . . . meanwhile, Charles at Evangelicals for Mitt concludes that such speculation reflects Huckabee's new status as the media's favorite candidate.
"But some of the more subtle efforts of Romney's long-running campaign in the Palmetto State are paying dividends. [Mark White, senior pastor at Christian Assembly of God church in Greenville] first met with Romney and his wife, Ann, in December with about 10 other Upstate pastors - an event orchestrated by evangelical activist Dee Benedict of Greenville, who has since been added to Romney's payroll. White is now a member of Romney's National Faith and Values Steering Committee. 'It was very personal. They were very real,' White said of that first meeting. 'Dee did the same with some of the other guys, like John McCain, but we struggled with his convenient approach to things.'"(emphasis added). To be clear, I will have little trouble backing Mitt Romney if he wins the GOP nomination, but this Romney supporter's observation about John McCain was kind of ironic given Romney's recent, Conservative (arguably "convenient") evolutions on a variety of issues.
"RICHMOND, Aug. 15 -- Virginia Tech will offer the families of the 32 students and faculty members slain by Seung Hui Cho a one-time payment of $180,000 from a fund created to receive private donations in the weeks after the April 16 massacre, the administrator of the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund said Wednesday. The administrator, Kenneth R. Feinberg of Bethesda, said the university plans to distribute the entire $7.1 million fund to the families of those killed and to the 27 people wounded in Norris Hall."
"MERRIMACK, N.H. - Republican presidential candidate Sam Brownback on Tuesday criticized President Bush and two GOP rivals, saying the presidency isn’t a foreign policy classroom.I'm not sure I've ever heard someone (a U.S. Senator running for president) come right out and say that, but surely they're always thinking it. The problem is how categorical it is, which may point to Brownback's ability or inability to be statesmanlike.
Brownback’s criticism that governors often do not have the foreign policy experience necessary to be president was aimed primarily at rivals Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee, both former governors. But in the process, he also took a jab at the man they all seek to replace, former Texas Gov. George W. Bush."
Rove has served as a mentor to several Republican strategists whose careers have a long way to go. Some have already made a name for themselves. Scott Howell, who once worked for Rove's direct-marketing firm in Texas, achieved a certain measure of infamy late in the 2006 campaign with an ad targeting Democrat Harold Ford Jr., who was running for a Senate seat in Tennessee. Critics said it played on racial fears about white women and black men, but it may have played a role in tipping that race toward Republican Bob Corker.Apparently, the Ford/playboy/swinger ad will replace the "infamous" Willie Horton Ad as "Exhibit One" of cover (shoot, Overt!) Republican Racism.
"Whatever the case, it's hard to overstate the significance of Huckabee's performance here."I encourage you to read it for some details (and Liberal's perspective) that I haven't seen reported anywhere else.
"And we trust these same Republican activists to run the Iowa caucus, where they'll pick the man who could be the next president?"
"Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee had said his campaign’s future depended on a strong showing in Ames. He finished in second place, with 2,587 votes or 18.1 percent. Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas placed third with 2,192 votes, 15.3 percent after campaigning aggressively to be the choice of the Iowa GOP’s influential social conservatives. “Obviously this was an incredible day and victory for us,” Huckabee said. “What happened for us today was stunning.” Huckabee said he and his campaign staff had been saying they had momentum and it proved true. “We overperformed,” he said. “The bigger story is we did it with not a dime of paid advertising.” He said he hopes all the people who promised they’d get behind him “if he got traction” will now step forward."Huckabee's comment about spending for the event is interesting, because if you look at the vote totals, campaigns who don't spend money on the event and don't show up at the event don't get any votes (to speak of) at the event.
Here's an excerpt from an Iowa report:"While the results have no direct effect on the selection of delegates to the Republicans' national nominating convention next year in Minneapolis, a poor showing can spell the end of the campaign trail for lesser-known, lower-tier contenders while a decent showing can help a candidate remain viable for another day. In 1999, when the last straw poll was held, 235 chartered buses traveled to Ames, more than 23,000 Republicans voted and nine members of the 10-candidate field showed up. The presidential campaigns of former Tennessee Gov. Lamar Alexander, former Vice President Dan Quayle and future North Carolina Sen. Elizabeth Dole ended shortly afterward as George W. Bush, then the governor of Texas, easily won the contest with 31 percent of the vote to billionaire Steve Forbes' nearly 21 percent. But the dynamics of this year's straw poll have created questions about the real political value of a top finish and what it means in the larger sphere of an unsettled Republican field."Fortunately for the second (or third) tier candidates, some of the "front-runners" have chosen not to participate, thus providing an opportunity for some to emerge as viable top-tier candidates.
"The pro-life purpose is not to judge or punish women in crisis situations -- but to preserve life, extend compassion, and provide emotional, spiritual, and physical support."Of course, this statement seems incredible to someone who favors abortion on demand, but that blind spot is what is giving NIRH so much confidence.
Mr. Deace now devotes almost daily parts of his show to attacking Mr. Romney’s shifts on abortion and other issues, including gay rights. “If he has had a sincere conversion on life, no one would be happier than me,” Mr. Deace told listeners Wednesday as he urged them to be wary. “But what is the source of his conviction?”"All that being said, I have to admit that Romney showed his political mettle during last week's debate when he announced, ""I get tired of people that are holier-than-thou because they've been prolife longer than I have."
"I've often wondered what tactic(s) global warming alarmists would resort to when the data showed that perhaps the earth isn't warming as much as they'd like. Today, I got my answer.Read the rest at his site.Natural weather variations have offset the effects of global warming for the past couple of years and will continue to keep temperatures flat through 2008, a study released Thursday said."
"I am convinced that the great global warming hoax will sooner or later implode under the weight of its own idiocy, as a recent story in the UK Times attests. It's titled 'Walking to the shops 'damages planet more than going by car.'' That by itself flies in the face of everything we've been told by global warming alarmists."You need to go over there and read the whole post.
Democrats have criticized President Bush’s call to spread liberty abroad as naive overreach, but it is positively hardheaded compared with the Democrats’ campaign to spread U.S. constitutional rights to foreigners suspected of terrorist ties. Those rights are meant for people living under and accepting our government, and bestowing them on foreign enemies of the United States only hampers our ability to fight the war they have forced on us.
Those terrorist suspects in Pakistan have no privacy rights we are bound to respect.
"DES MOINES -- Going into Sunday's Republican presidential debate, most of the Iowans noshing on English muffins in the sun room of the neon-bedecked Drake Diner had never heard of Mike Huckabee, or knew very little about the ex-preacher and former governor of Arkansas.Read the rest of the article here ("They like Mike" - Mike Allen - Politico.com)
But by the debate’s end, they knew a lot more — and liked what they saw."
Huckabee had recruited Madison Murphy, Jackson T. Stephens Jr. and Jim Walton a number of years ago to bankroll his Next Step foundation to work for education reform. Over time, it became clear that Huckabee's aim was more about the governor's political advancement than the sweeping reform the barons had envisioned.Follow the dots, indeed . . . and connect the money.
Anyway, along the way, another important issue came up. At a Mansion meeting brokered by Jay Dickey, Huckabee met with Stephens, heir to part of the Stephens Inc. fortune. Stephens, who had toyed with the idea of running for governor, was backing an initiative to remove all the sales tax on groceries. Huckabee promised him he would not be actively involved in the issue. Then he reneged. He came out -- commendably -- against the ruinous proposal. If we had to guess, we'd put DFA boss Richard Weiss at the top of the list of suspects who helped convince Huckabee that his weight was needed in opposition to a government-crippling idea. The initiative failed by a huge margin. Stephens never forgave Huckabee for breaking his word. Stephens is a major supporter of the Club for Growth. Follow the dots.
"With the rape of the treasury via the unneeded Iraq war, plus the unnecessary tax cuts for the wealthiest 1%, our treasury is depleted, while our infrastructure crumbles. When we DO replace W, if he hasn't declared a dictatorship by then, we will have to overhaul our tax structure in order to rebuild the infrastructure that has been crumbling since 2001."I would have encouraged you to fight the urge to capitalize on this event, LWC . . . it's a skill (resisting) that'll come in handy after Hillary's in office.
"So, maybe, just maybe, we have our priorities wrong. Perhaps cheapening the vote by requiring little more than an active pulse (Chicago famously waives this rule) has turned it into something many people don’t value. Maybe the emphasis on getting more people to vote has dumbed down our democracy by pushing participation onto people uninterested in such things. Maybe our society would be healthier if politicians aimed higher than the lowest common denominator. Maybe the people who don’t know the first thing about how our system works aren’t the folks who should be driving our politics, just as people who don’t know how to drive shouldn’t have a driver’s license."While I disagree with the suggestion that a voters' test would be a good idea, I certainly question whether we are a better democracy simply for proverbially dragging a voter--no matter how ignorant or disinterested s/he is, to the polls.
"The proposed legislation would break the country into four areas, which would take turns having the first set of primaries. Iowa and New Hampshire would remain as the nation's first caucus and first primary."An omnibus bill (?) or wholesale way of addressing the "creeping primary schedule" issue might motivate all states to come on board with the plan.
"Brownback wants apologyI certainly understand Brownback taking offense, but anyone who is paying attention (vs. someone who is trying to make political hay of the situation?) would know that Huckabee has already attempted to make amends.
WASHINGTON -- Republican presidential hopeful Sam Brownback said rival Mike Huckabee should apologize for a supporter's 'prejudiced whisper campaign' against Brownback for being Catholic."
