Huckabee: I've Got The "Right" Experience
Political Players: GOP Candidate From Hope, Arkansas, Says He Can Win
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Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AR) (AP)
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CBSNews.com: One of the realities of American politics is that money often means electoral success. How can you sustain a winning presidential campaign having raised only about one-fifth as much as Ron Paul last quarter?
Mike Huckabee: Well, the same way that we have stayed on the ground when people thought we had to raise 20, and 30, and 50 million dollars to be where we are today. The reality is that I am ahead of candidates right now in national polls who have raised $60 million. So, I think it is not so much about how little we have raised, but how well we have done with what we have.
More importantly, we have seen just an explosion of fundraising in the last two weeks. We have had to upgrade our web server three times in a six day period. We have hired extra people just to open mail and answer phones. So, we are where we need to be at this point. And that is a good foundation.
CBSNews.com: One of the criticisms of your campaign is that maybe you did not spend the time before you began running to travel around the country and to build a network of fundraisers.
Mike Huckabee: Well, I was busy being governor. And I told the people of Arkansas that I would give them my attention, and serve in that capacity until the day I left office. And that is exactly what I did. And for that I am not the least bit sorry.
They had elected me to do a job, and I fulfilled it, just like I would as president, if elected to do that job. It did put me behind the fundraising curve and the organizational curve. But we made up the ground. And now we are in a position where these other guys, who had been out there, burning a lot of money, now probably wish they were where I am in terms of at least gaining the ground.
CBSNews.com: At least according to one poll out this week, you are in second place in Iowa. What is the scenario for you after Iowa? Is your plan to try to win there, and then ride that momentum into other states?
Mike Huckabee: Well, we certainly believe that doing well in Iowa moves us forward in New Hampshire, where we are also working hard. In addition to that, we’re working hard in South Carolina. These three early primary states provide the sling shot to move forward.
We’ve acted to perform in these states. When we do, then we are in the game. And we think we are now. There is going to be a sorting out. It is what typically happens in these early three states. Some folks make it and others just do not get past them. We plan to get past them.
CBSNews.com: A lot of the criticism of you--on policy grounds--has come from the economic right. They say that you raised taxes in Arkansas, that you are for universal health care and higher spending. Is it absolutely impermissible for a Republican candidate for office, even if he compensates with other tax cuts, to have ever raised a tax?
Mike Huckabee: Well, the criticisms sort of ignore the nuance of being a governor. I balanced the budget every year I was in office for ten and a half years, which, by law, I have to do--to operate within the money we have.
But we had Supreme Court orders that told us we had to spend more money on education. And when we have burning issues, like a crumbling infrastructure of roads and bridges that I've inherited and I take it to the people and get an 80 percent vote for a highway program, I think that shows good management, not lack of fiscal restraint.
So, it is really one of those things that when people look at the record of even though I was in a very overwhelmingly Democrat state, going against those headwinds we still got tax cuts.
We were still able to hold the line on spending. And if you talk to the legislators that actually served with me for a considerable period of time, I think you are going to find that they felt like it was a very conservative management.
CBSNews.com: You have called the Club for Growth, which is a major economic conservative group and one of your biggest critics, the "Club for Greed." Do you think that the people who run the Club for Growth care more about themselves than the country?
Mike Huckabee: I am not going to judge their motives, because I do not know what they are. I just know that their tactics are, frankly, despicable. They take money that we do not know where it comes from, and then they use the anonymous money to take hits out on candidates that, frankly, would be a whole lot better for them than Hillary Clinton.
Why they do that is something they will have to explain. But I think the dishonesty about the issues, and how they distort and misuse them, is very troubling. And they have to answer for that.
CBSNews.com: On health care, you have said that the Democrats are for a government plan, the Republicans put too much faith in private insurance companies, and you trust the individual. What parts of the major Democrats’ plans are run by the government?
Mike Huckabee: Well, they still put a focus on the government being involved in the operation and the details. And I think for many people that is a kind of a frightening thought that we would have yet more government intervention. People know that the government's taking Social Security into bankruptcy.
The government cannot keep up with the cost of Medicare and Medicaid, and the reimbursement rates certainly make it harder and harder for doctors to get paid even their costs. The thought that government would add another layer of control I think is very troubling to many people.
By Brian Goldsmith
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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See all 164 CommentsYou seem like a good guy, but your timing couldn''t be worse. We''re all burned out on the "guy from the south" routine after 8 years of George Bush, Trent Lott, and the "good''ol kln boys from the south" garbage. The only southerns that have a chance are Clinton and Edwards. That''s because they don''t exude the "hum ding shing ding lou" "ya''all come back now ya here" thing. We want a professional not Jed Clampit. Sorry.
If Huckabee starts to really gain traction in the polls, some other candidate will definitely bring this up.
The CFR has hijacked the foreign policy of both parties and their main goal is to destroy American soveriengty and our constitution leading to the formation of a North American Union with Canada and Mexico.
Dr. Ron Paul is NOT a member of the CFR and he is the only anti-war and pro-liberty candidate running for president.
ronpaul2008.com
So keep it coming, Mike. You may just win over this old broad yet!
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Posted by blancadebree
No thanks Blanca I want my preacher''s at church and not running the country - Bush showed me what a conservative, christian base party can do........get them the heck out of office!
Posted by USProphet
Unfortunately for us, most Americans are not very intelligent.
Boy are you right about that. People will jump on me for this but its the truth. Very few cultures (and no country of equal or greater population) are as oblivious to the rest of the world as Americans. Americans are often extremely naive. Most of them can''t find Iraq or Afghanistan on a map and some can''t even find the USA on a map. There is also a significant number who cheer for the USA as if it was a football team "Go USA! YEAA! Go USA!" Most people of this type consider themselves to be Republicans. I admit most people on these forums are probably not like that, as they actually have the intelligence to debate issues. But there are a few for sure. This naiveness is partially due geography admittedly - we have 2 countries on our borders, but we need to work on this because it is causing problems.
Now some good things about America. Our people are in everyday life very friendly in comparison to other cultures. Our hospitality is great. We have one of the most diverse cultures in the world. Our country offers a good quality of life for those who work hard (or are lucky).
In closing I will say that most people in general are not that intelligent, regardless of the country.
If people don''t know their rights, they won''t even notice when they are taken away.
"I''m just a man from a small town called Hope"
and based on previous years, liberals should swoon.
LOL
"I''m just a man from a small town called Hope"
and based on previous years, liberals should swoon.
LOL
Besides, our soldiers'' honor is in tact, except for a handful at Abu Ghraib. Huckabee says his Mama told him to ''buy it if you brake it''. Well, my Mama told me that just because some fool jumps off a bridge, I didn''t have to jump off behind them.
Huckabee''s campaign will end in New Hampshire, where Ron Paul''s will emerge.
The generals estimate that we will be in Iraq for the next 50 years. Just wanted to give you something to think about in case you think Huckabee is selling you a bill of goods. Also Ron Paul hasn''t got a chance in hell of going anyway but back home. Maybe he and Kucinich can catch a UFO.
- James Madison
"Those that give give up essential liberties for temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."
- Benjamin Franklin
"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
- Abraham Lincoln
"We have nothing to fear but fear itself, and those who would exploit our fear for power and their own personal, selfish, cynical gain."
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
"Peace is not the absence of conflict. It is the ability to handle conflict through peaceful means."
- Ronald Reagan
"Those who expect to reap the blessing of freedom must...undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
- Thomas Paine
"Liberty, when it takes root, is a plant of rapid growth."
- George Washington
"Commerce with all nations. Alliances with none."
- Thomas Jefferson
"Wars are poor chisels for carving-out peaceful tomorrows."
- Martin Luther King Jr.
"Ron Paul does''nt represent your Father''s style of political thought. He represents your Founding Fathers''."
- Me
It gets even worse when the rapist then goes out and rapes again and then murders his victim. Very scary judge of character and I can''t find anyone who disagrees with the facts of this case
http://www.arktimes.com/Articles/ArticleViewer.aspx?ArticleID=154e1aad-fd18-4efd-8d80-b5dab8559419
just google:
mike huckabee Wayne Dumond
The man is so backwards he believes the Adam and Eve fairytale. How did that serpent get around before God made him crawl on his belly?
- James Madison
"Those that give give up essential liberties for temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."
- Benjamin Franklin
"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
- Abraham Lincoln
"We have nothing to fear but fear itself, and those who would exploit our fear for power and their own personal, selfish, cynical gain."
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
"Peace is not the absence of conflict. It is the ability to handle conflict through peaceful means."
- Ronald Reagan
"Those who expect to reap the blessing of freedom must...undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
- Thomas Paine
"Liberty, when it takes root, is a plant of rapid growth."
- George Washington
"Commerce with all nations. Alliances with none."
- Thomas Jefferson
"Wars are poor chisels for carving-out peaceful tomorrows."
- Martin Luther King Jr.
"Ron Paul does''nt represent your Father''s school of political thought. He represents your Founding Fathers."
"I''''m just a man from a small town called Hope"
and based on previous years, liberals should swoon.
LOL
"I''''m just a man from a small town called Hope"
and based on previous years, liberals should swoon.
LOL
When is CBS going to follow up on the President of the United States being a deserter? They silenced Dan Rather after he was set up by Neoconscum operatives, but the story was never finished.
Let''s hear how Bushit didn''t report for service while still in uniform. I hear Leavenworth is not a nice place, but Bushit belongs there.
running for president being verbally attacked.
It''s called equal rights and equal TREATMENT.
Get used to it...welcome to politics.
And she''s not disclosing documents until AFTER the election??? Conveeeenient
What does she have to hide??
Can you imagine the outcry from the NeoCommies if a Republican did that!!!
xoxoxo
running for president being verbally attacked.
It''s called equal rights and equal TREATMENT.
Get used to it...welcome to politics.
And she''s not disclosing documents until AFTER the election??? Conveeeenient
What does she have to hide??
Can you imagine the outcry from the NeoCommies if a Republican did that!!!
xoxoxo
- James Madison
"Those that give give up essential liberties for temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."
- Benjamin Franklin
"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
- Abraham Lincoln
"We have nothing to fear but fear itself, and those who would exploit our fear for power and their own personal, selfish, cynical gain."
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
"Peace is not the absence of conflict. It is the ability to handle conflict through peaceful means."
- Ronald Reagan
"Those who expect to reap the blessing of freedom must...undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
- Thomas Paine
"Liberty, when it takes root, is a plant of rapid growth."
- George Washington
"Commerce with all nations. Alliances with none."
- Thomas Jefferson
"Wars are poor chisels for carving-out peaceful tomorrows."
- Martin Luther King Jr.
"Ron Paul doesn''t represent your Father''s school of political thought. He represents your Founding Fathers."
- Me
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See all 164 Comments