Huckabee Faces The Spotlight's Harsh Glare

Now A Front-Runner, Former Underdog GOP Candidate Is Facing Attacks On Multiple Fronts

(CBS)  Gov. Mike Huckabee's surprise rise has put a big bull's eye on his back.

A TV ad from the Club For Growth says, "Listen to Mike Huckabee, when he was Arkansas governor." It then shows video of Huckabee saying, "There's a lot of support for a tax at the wholesale level for tobacco."

Mitt Romney and Ron Paul have recruited Arkansas state legislators to slam his record on taxes.

"Can I tell you what we used to call him in the legislature?" one of them told CBS News correspondent Nancy Cordes. "We used to call him our pro-life, pro-gun liberal."

In his 10 years as governor, Huckabee raised the sales tax, the gas tax, the cigarette tax and a tax on nursing home care.

Supporters say Huckabee helped move their state into the 21st century, and that those tax revenues went to fix roads and schools that were among the worst in the nation.

He's also being attacked on immigration. Opponents say the 52-year-old Baptist minister has done a 180.

An ad from opponent Mitt Romney says, "Mike Huckabee supported in-state tuition benefits for illegal immigrants."

Until this year he supported the president's plan to fine, rather than deport, many illegal aliens. Harsher plans, he said, were "driven by racism or nativism."

But now, he has a tough new plan of his own, calling for a fence across the border. A new campaign ad calls for "no to amnesty" not once, but twice.

And then there are the ethics questions. The expensive gifts he accepted while in office, the five fines for ethics violations, the wedding registries set up in the first couple's name when they left the governor's mansion.

"Many Arkansans do seem to share a conventional wisdom that maybe the governor had an overdeveloped sense of entitlement," said Janine Harris of the University of Arkansas political science department.

Huckabee says "giftgate" is old news and overblown. "It's Arkansas politics," he said. "Welcome to my world."

Huckabee has a new campaign chairman today. It's a familiar name -- Ed Rollins, who led that landslide victory by Ronald Reagan back in 1984.

[neocon04]

What about the scandal that Huckabee believes in creationism -- and therefore is ignorant of at least 250 years of scientific endeavor? That should be good for at least a mini-scandal.


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Posted by AgentG1967 at 01:58 AM : Dec 16, 2007


Since when is it a scandal to believe in God? As far as your science endeaver''s...there is no science fact but science therory and has more holes in it then a bad science faction movie.

[antoniof123]

The Republicans have no one even their own are starting to see that it is a lost cause.

The only thing the GOP has is that they hate the Clinton''s.

But wait they hate Bill and Hillary because those years were so great for America. Makes sense the only the the GOP does lately is divide America.

GOP many of us who can think left the Republican party you lost us how many more are you going to lose.

[satxfreedom]

www.TaxHikeMike.org

[AgentGGG]

What about the scandal that Huckabee believes in creationism -- and therefore is ignorant of at least 250 years of scientific endeavor? That should be good for at least a mini-scandal.

[kim9876]

You''ve got to wonder what anyone sees in governors from Arkansas. Oh wait, he''s Baptist. Guess that makes the rest of us lebensunwertes leben.

[tessies101]

Okay media we are bored with Huck, go on to the next one you will be glorifying.

[lnardozi]

Huckabee never finished the seminary, so I can KINDA believe him when he said he didn''t know about Romney''s religion. Of course, comparative religion is a sort of low level class, but give him the credit for not being studious and drop it. He DOES believe in creationism, so at least he was awake PART of the time. I wonder how he does on other religions stuff. I know he got his Baptist girl friend Diane O''Connell a government job even though she had no experience. Cost Arkansas 1.6 million, so I guess he fails at not lying. Let''s see, he stole $60,000 out of the taxpayer fund so I guess he missed that class about not stealing. He tried to pay himself as a consultant in his own Senatorial election, so he missed that class on not cheating too. He opened a wedding registry at Target and Dillard''s while he was governor so his grateful subjects could buy him presents when he and his wife renewed their vows. Hm - guess he missed that class about not coveting his neighbor''s possessions too. Wait - maybe there''s a simpler explanation. Maybe the Huckster thinks YOU''RE stupid. After all, he DOES support the FairTax, which doesn''t tax corporations AT ALL, and millionaires and up at the same rate as someone who is near poverty level - i.e. less than 5%. Here''s the thing - religious people really ARE religious. Who among them wants any truck with THIS devil?

[lnardozi]

Wait - maybe there''s a simpler explanation. Maybe the Huckster thinks YOU''RE stupid. After all, he DOES support the FairTax, which doesn''t tax corporations AT ALL, and millionaires and up at the same rate as someone who is near poverty level - i.e. less than 5%. Here''s the thing - religious people really ARE religious. Who among them wants any truck with THIS devil?

[bornfree123-2009]

NEW RON PAUL 2008 POSTER MUST SEE AND PASS ALONG!
www.acmwallet.com/ronpaul

[Drive_Me_Crazy]

THE ULTIMATE HUCKABEE REALITY CHECK (PART I)
THE SOCIALIST LIBERAL CONSERVATIVE NEOCON

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhCuwamYi1o

[swilsondo]

WANNABEE NEEDS TO QUIT PLAYING THE VICTIM CARD!!!
I''m sick of it, he attacks people behind there backs in a very very SLY WAY!! He''s tells people to quit picking on him b/c he''s trying to unite not divide, and to run a positive campaign. WELL SORRY GO RUN HOME TO YOUR MOMMY AND CRY!! The others want people to know your dirty laundry list. Which is big by the way!! Quit playing to victim card!! This is politics we want a president not somebody with out a backbone!
OH BY THE WAY HE JUST BASHED ROMNEY THE OTHER DAY!!

WHAT DO YOU BLOGGERS THINK IS WANNABEE PLAYING THE VICTIM CARD!!!

[wasatch01-2009]

Huckabee better get more scrutiny..he has ton of political baggage. Huckabee gave out over 1000 commutations and pardons. He rose over $500 million in taxes. He also supported college tuition breaks for illegal immigrants. All of this while Governor of Arkansas. Trust me, though he %u201Csounds good%u201D with his witty one-liners and lip service to stir the emotions%u2026Huckabee is not the guy for the GOP.

[swilsondo]

NEW NICK NAME FOR HUCKABEE!!!! HUCKABEE(WANNABEE)

BLOGGERS PLEASE REFER TO HIM AS THIS THANKS!!

[wheezel3]

Huckabee h8tr and proud of it, btw.

[wheezel3]

Huckleberry Huckabee has eyes like those of a dead eel, no offense to eels. He is channeling Richard Nixon. He has also called for "wives to graciously submit" to their husbands -- I guess he got sick of having to pay call-girls triple the usual charge to submit to him. Show me a Southern Baptist and I''ll show you a pervert. He''s a sickening person and it is appalling but not surprising that he is the darling of the stupid religinoids who are taking over our culture. Don''t worry about the Mexicans pouring in; the real danger is the fundamentalists, who cannot think, yet desire to control YOU.

[gkc99]

Last guy in public life who had Huckabee''s maniacal eyes?

JIM JONES!

[mcvet]

Posted by stonebog1 at 06:46 AM : Dec 15, 2007
+ report abuse

Skipped the Med''s again I see! ROFLMAO

[sgtrds]

GiantRobot2

Lars? Lars is that you? LOL!

[lanefiller1]

Anyone interested in what Huckabee is really like face to face should try this funny (but it actually happened) column:
http://goupstate.us/index.php/lanefiller/2007/11/02/title_14

[wisen1]

Huckabee claims to have a degree in theology. He doesn''t. This man is a liar.