Huckabee's Critics Growing Louder

Anti-Tax Group, Hispanic Activists Speaking Out Against Republican Hopeful

(CBS/AP)  Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee's surging campaign is facing increased attacks from a conservative anti-tax group this week, as well as criticism from Hispanic activists in his home state of Arkansas, who say they feel betrayed by the former governor.

Helped by a major GOP donor who bankrolled ads that questioned Democrat John Kerry's war record during the 2004 campaign, the Club for Growth is spending $175,000 to continue running ads in Iowa that highlight tax increases adopted in Arkansas when Huckabee was governor. During the past three weeks, the group has spent $550,000 to criticize Huckabee's economic policies.

According to Federal Election Commission records, ClubForGrowth.net received $200,000 this month from Bob Perry, a Houston homebuilder who in 2004 pumped nearly $4.5 million into the Swift Boat Veterans For Truth to pay for unsubstantiated ads that questioned Kerry's Vietnam service.

Perry contributed $2,300, the maximum allowed, to Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who is Huckabee's top rival in Iowa. Romney has been running his own ads against Huckabee, criticizing his record on immigration and taxes.

Perry has donated to the Club for Growth in the past, including $150,000 during the 2006 election cycle, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.

Another major donor is Jackson T. "Steve" Stephens Jr., a Little Rock, Ark., businessman and member of the Club for Growth's board of directors. Stephens is a longtime critic of Huckabee who once considered running against him for governor. He has donated $200,000 to the group, including $100,000 this month.

"Most Iowans have figured out this is a Washington special interest that's attacking the governor," Huckabee campaign manager Chip Saltsman said. "It's one or two people with a lot of money."

On CBS' The Early Show, Huckabee said the positive tone of his campaign presents a welcome contrast with the message of his opponents.

"I've got a lot of Washington special interest groups attacking me," Huckabee said. "But we've ran a positive campaign because I think American voters are looking for not someone who can disable the opponents but somebody who can lead the country. I'm betting the farm on the fact they want a president who can lead forward, not just attack from the side."

Stephens owns ExOxEmis Inc., a biomedical business that produces enzyme-based therapeutic drugs. Like Perry, Stephens has contributed large sums to the Club for Growth in the past.

Club for Growth spokeswoman Nachama Soloveichik said Stephens' presence on the board and his contributions are not driving the campaign against Huckabee.

"He is on our board and is a voice as much as any other member," she said. "If you look at Huckabee's record, on economic issues, he's is the worst Republican in this race."

Huckabee is also taking heat from Hispanic activists who viewed him as a voice of moderation on illegal immigration, but now say they've been taken aback by the hard-line stance he's adopted as a presidential candidate.

While governor, Huckabee gained favor with Hispanic leaders by denouncing a high-profile federal immigration raid and suggesting some anti-illegal immigration measures were driven by racism. He advocated making children of illegal immigrants eligible for college scholarships.

Huckabee's Republican presidential rivals have tried to make an issue of the scholarship plan, portraying him as soft on illegal immigration, an important issue for many GOP voters.

Huckabee responded this month by unveiling a plan to seal the Mexican border, hire more agents to patrol it and make illegal immigrants go home before they could apply to return to this country.

He's also touted the support for his candidacy of the founder of the Minuteman Project, an anti-illegal immigration group whose volunteers watch the Mexican border.

Though he still defends the scholarship provision, Huckabee's new tone bothers Hispanic leaders like Carlos Cervantes, the Arkansas director of the League of United Latin American Citizens.

"He's trying to be tougher on immigration than we've ever seen him before," Cervantes said. "That's kind of worrisome now. He was willing to work with the communities. I don't see that he's willing to work with us now."

In 2005, Huckabee tried to make children of illegal immigrants eligible for scholarships and in-state college tuition.

Joyce Elliott, the former state representative who sponsored the scholarship measure, said she originally had wanted to offer just in-state tuition, but Huckabee's office asked her to add the scholarship provision.

"The notion I got from him is that he believed it was the right thing to do," said Elliott, a Democrat from Little Rock.

The measure ultimately failed in the Legislature that year and has now become a favorite talking point for Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson, GOP rivals who want to paint Huckabee as soft on illegal immigration.

Huckabee, who left office in January 2007 after 10 years as governor, said in a debate last month: "In all due respect, we are a better country than to punish children for what their parents did. We're a better country than that."

It's that kind of rhetoric that Hispanic activists praised when Huckabee was in office. The same year Huckabee backed the scholarship provision, he criticized the federal government for a raid on an Arkadelphia poultry plant.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agents arrested 119 illegal workers in the raid at a Petit Jean poultry plant, sending 107 out of the country either voluntarily or through deportation.

Huckabee also opposed a GOP lawmaker's efforts in 2005 to require proof of legal status when applying for state services that aren't federally mandated and proof of citizenship when registering to vote. Huckabee derided the bill as un-American and un-Christian, saying the sponsor - former state Sen. Jim Holt - drank a different "Jesus juice."

Holt has traveled to Iowa to campaign against the former governor on a trip paid for by Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul.

Former LULAC President Hector Flores said he's troubled by Huckabee's more recent stance on immigration, which he considers a reversal.

"I think he's getting bad advice," Flores said. "I don't know who he's listening to. That's not the progressive attitude that I sensed and observed two years ago in Arkansas from Governor Huckabee."

Huckabee's Hispanic supporters say there's been no change in his position and that despite his moderate tone, the former governor never called for amnesty for illegal immigrants.

"I don't think he ever said we need to give somebody a free ticket," said Ephrain Valdez, who was appointed by Huckabee to the Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission. "He's socially moderate, but he's also practical. Practicality needs to be the emphasis there."

[forthepeopl1]

to club for growth, i guess this is what you like better, right!! traiters.
this is what you will get with missery hillary as PRESIDENT. she were the same traiter coat as bush/cheney

at all has to do with saudi''''s and the king with the help of bush/cheneny.9-11 was all bush/cheney/and the oil countrys


The U.S. military has returned 10 Saudi detainees from the Guantanamo Bay prison to their home country, a Pentagon spokesman said Friday.

The transfer cuts the number of men now held at the isolated U.S. Naval station in southeast Cuba to about 275, a decline of nearly a third in the last year.

About 136 of the 759 people detained at Guantanamo since 2002 have been Saudi, the second-largest group after Afghans. The vast majority have been repatriated - despite the fact that more than 90 percent are still considered a terrorist threat.

The U.S. agreed to return the men with the understanding that Saudi Arabia will mitigate that risk, partly through a state program to reintegrate former detainees into civilian life, said Navy Cmdr. Jeffrey Gordon, a Defense Department spokesman.

Their detention has been a source of strain with Riyadh, a close U.S. ally.

[dharris69]

I see all the crackpots are playing on their mothers computer again.

Mitt has been caught in so many lies already. Oh, "I''ve been a hunter all my life"... "well, I went a couple of times". "My father marched with Martin Luther King"... "well he was with him in spirit anyway".

Rudy, "I''m the savior of 911". Business as usual huh, Rudy? No real issues to deal with. Just get me to the White House. Hey Rudy, I hear there''s lot''s of women in DC. Maybe you could get married again. I forget, how many times were you married? I lost count.

Ron Paul? Please...

Mike Huckabee. My Man! Has anyone caught him in a lie yet? I doubt you will either. He increased taxes in Arkansas, but the voters approved those tax increases. He''s my kind of guy. Honest, straight forward, easy going, personable, a great speaker. He has integrity... something lacking in the other candidates. He supports the Fair Tax... he had me at Fair. One of the best platforms in the race. He''s got my vote. I regret that I can only vote for him but once. Mike, give me the Fair Tax and I''ll cut your grass for ya and you can charge me the 23% tax! Wanna bring real prosperity back to the U.S.? Hey, guess what would happen if ten trillion dollars that are hiding in off-shore tax shelters would suddenly be able to come back into the economy.

[merlgrey]

anyone hoping that huckabee will be a fresh change should read into this politico piece about whom he is starting to align himself with foreign policywise... these people are central to laying the groundwork for the last 20 yrs or more for reorganizing our placement in the middle east. cfr''s, neos, super wealthy elites... etc... of course they would love the opportunity to stay on course. they likely will with any of the ''media'' darling top tier candidates from either party regardless.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1207/7602.html

ronpaul2008

[earthling56-2009]

Huckabee is far from being an honest candidate, he is a veritable montage of exaggerations, half truths, and opportunistic rhetoric. He is in my opinion the epitomy of the sleazy pandering Elmer Gantryish style of politician this country I had hoped, had learned their lesson about. But apparently not, he has his supporters mesmerized with his folksy facade of one liners, and simplistic down home tripe. God help this country if that man becomes the next POTUS, he will make Richard Nixon look like Abraham Lincoln. You broke it Mr. Huckabee by entering the race, now don''t deny knocking everything on the shelf over by blaming special interest groups who are out to get you. Time to " buy it" as you so simplisticly and smugly put it during GOP debate.

[quetzal666]

He who votes decides nothing; he who counts the votes decides everything." - Joseph Stalin

[hwy71so]

Aw, come on people, you can''t tell me you don''t see the hypocracy of someone spending half a million dollars to accuse someone else of financial irresponsibility?

550,000 for crying out loud!!!

[im4honesty]

THIS IS FUNNY!! The lying extreme right wing-nuts are eating their young. You go guys!! Swiftboat him!

[mitt4prez]

HUCKABEE FROM THE TALIBAN WING OF THE GOP. NO THANKS.

read more.....
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/23/AR2007122302071.html

Ron Paul is great on most things, except protecting our country from Islamic terrorists. He seems to be in the Blame America first camp.

Mitt Romney holds most of the same views as to smaller government, lower taxes and other domestic issues as Ron Paul, BUT Mitt Romney also understands the jihadist threat and their plans to spread sharia law throughout the world. The best defense is a good offense and people like Romney, Rudy and McCain will defend us and keep us safe. I am not so sure about Ron Paul. His views makes sense in the 19th century, not not post 9/11 when everything has changed.

[mitt4prez]

From race42008.com:
Which Candidate%u2026.
Spoke at a mega-church today of a pastor who has accused Catholics of plotting with Hitler to kill Jews, and claims that the Pope is the anti-Christ?

You guessed it. Mike Huckabee.

%u201CMost readers will be shocked by the clear record of history linking Adolf Hitler and the Roman Catholic Church in a conspiracy to exterminate the Jews.%u201D %u2014 Pastor John Hagee, who hosted Mike Huckabee at his mega-church today.

Flashback: In late July, the Brownback camp asked the Huckabee camp to stop an anti-Catholic whisper campaign being waged by a key Huckabee pastor. The Brownback campaign attempted to solve the issue without making it into a media circus, which it became after an unresponsive Huckabee campaign.


--- HUCK DISSES MORMONS AND CATHOLICS. WHAT A HATER. WHAT A DIVIDER NOT A UNITER.

[mitt4prez]

Huck is a charlatan and a phony. His positive campaign? Who''s he kidding? Does he mean the campaign where he''s trying to divide people based on religion? The one where he joked about DEAD birds as being his opponents? The one where he made insensitive remarks about suicide? He reminds me of the Wizard of Oz and now the curtain has been pulled back to see that Huck is not really a conservative at all. He really is a pro-life liberal. His policies mirror those of Hillary Clinton not Ronald Reagan. If we want Hillary we''ll vote for her, not HUck.

Plus, he''s clueless on foreign policy -- he''d be as dangerous and reckless as Jimmy Carter was. A NOOB in dangerous times is not what we need right now.

CHUCK THE HUCK.

[colonieny]

I think we have just 4 excellent candidates.
The media seems to want to prop up this nice preaher man- who also hunts birds- Hucklebee, as he would certainly be an easy media target - as a GOMER PILE ? - with less experience in Washington. The media would rather have him run than any other Republican. He would be badly tarnished come Nov "vot''in day."
The Rockefeller Republicans would not back him, and that would be that !

ONLY 4 are qualified- in my mind-- to lead us --
Mitt would make a terrific President, as would Rudy. Both are smart, tough and will do the right things to keep the country safe and free. Mitt has written in Foreign Affairs that he would make us truly energy independent from For. Oil, and I believe him. Rudy would do the same I am sure, and use our power like Reagan to project goodness and toughness, but don''t cross us.
Biden is smart and is experienced as is Dodd. They would be tough too. The media should give them a more serious consideration.

It is too bad that we are not talking about the real issues.

[colonieny]

Who would be worse than CARTER ?

( I hold that just as Clinton was our first "Black President" - because of his tempterment and atittutes, so too Carter -- without doubt-- was our first FEMALE PRESIDENT ! His emotions based foreign policy is very much the genesis of our problems today. )

Having said that, who would be worse than "her" - naturally- EDWARDS. His idea of "if only the world like us.." they would not attack us... is so...so... well illogical that it makes me wonder if all Presidential candidates need a chromosomal test to sort out the true XY from the XXs.

[hwy71so]

Who is Mitch?

Anyway, who could be a worse leader than Carter was in time of crisis?

[colonieny]

In these serious times of WAR with ISLAMIC FASCISM, WE NEED serious leaders, like RUDY OR MITCH, OR DODD OR BIDEN TO LEAD, AND PROTECT US.
I get the feeling that the big media has built this guy up as a very easy target come November to defeat. Is that good for the country ?

[apaul1029]

I came across this article from 1975 on a conservative Governor that was bucking the establishment leadership and pudits. This is from the Nashua, New Hampshire Telegraph. The attacks against Huckabee have been almost word for word. I guess if Reagan is the "tax and spender" then I would rather have them then the other "true conservatives" like the others in this race.

Our Opinion
Nashua Telegraph 11/25/1975

...While Ronald Reagan was governor of California the state budget soared from $4.6 billion to $10.2 billion %u2014 a more than 100 per cent increase.

While Ronald Reagan was governor of California the state sales tax was increased from 4 per cent to 6 per cent, the corporate income tax was increased from 5.5 per cent to 9 per cent, and the top personal income tax was increased from 7 per cent to 11 per cent.

While Ronald Reagan was governor of California the number of state employees increased by 5.7 per cent. This is the mart who promises to cut armies of employees off the federal payroll, who promises to balance the budget, who promises to begin paying off the national debt and who, to top his program of conservative delights, promises to cut taxes to boot.

Some people may be charmed by Ronald Reagan''s pitch; some people may even be persuaded, but the difference between promises and performance, between the Reagan rhetoric and the Reagan record is a difference that should be made plain to the voters of New Hampshire and the rest of the nation.

[dutchman57-2009]

Huckabee is still a huckster. He is a closest liberal and a Christian apostate. Ron Paul is the only sane choice for president.

[rowdytexan2]

Posted by denn034 at 08:00 PM : Dec 27, 2007

Just a question, but have your taxes gone DOWN any these last 7 years while the republicans have owned our government?

You know, I''m just hornswaggled, but in my adult life, I can count on one hand the times that I''ve even gotten a small refund, and I don''t EVER remember a tax of mine being CUT! It has not mattered on whit whether it was a democrat or a republican administration in power...my taxes have ALWAYS gone UP!

This fascination that the republicans do not raise taxes is a total farce. Now, I will admit that they''ve re-arranged the tax base to benefit the rich, yes. They''ve done a tremendously bang up job for them. But for people whose WORKING earnings are less than $200,000 the republicans have been a total write off for NOT raising taxes. It''s a myth that I''ve always considered to be HOGWARSH!

[denn034]

Tax Hike Mike should be opposed. Don''t get me wrong, I like his strong conservative values but, any Republican that raises taxes doesn''t deserve to call themselves Republicans.

[likeitis5050]

Thank you for your response and please accept my apology. Although I did confirm that this man is not necessairly a democrat I don''''t think that the Clinton campaign is behind this. But, that doesn''''t mean that I am positive. Politics is such a dirty business. Glad I''''m a retired teacher.


Posted by Element51

What a refreshing post. Someone who actually did some research and came back to admit wrong! You have earned a star!!!

But don''t feel too bad. There are millions out there who do not know how the Clintons do business and how dirty their politics really are, and have been for decades!!! Those who claim to adore her do not know her style of leadership. She''s a dirty one.

[hwy71so]

"During the past three weeks, the group has spent $550,000 to criticize Huckabee''s economic policies."

Does anyone else see the humor in this?