Christians Need To Beware Of Mike Huckabee

[Lord Xar]

Christians Need To Beware Of Mike Huckabee
By Chuck Baldwin
November 2, 2007


This column is archived at
http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/c200..._20071102.html


With Christian conservatives trying to scramble to find a Republican
presidential candidate they can support, some of them seem to be
coalescing around former Arkansas governor, Mike Huckabee. Janet
Folger, especially, seems to be trumpeting his candidacy. But is Mike
Huckabee someone Christian conservatives should be supporting? Not
everyone thinks so.

Randy Minton, chairman of the Arkansas chapter of Phyllis Schlafly's
national Eagle Forum, said, "We called him a pro-life, pro-gun
liberal, when I was in the state legislature and he was governor."
Phyllis Schlafly herself was even more direct.

President and Founder of Eagle Forum, Phyllis Schlafly, said this
about Governor Huckabee: "He destroyed the conservative movement in
Arkansas, and left the Republican Party a shambles." She went on to
say, "Yet some of the same evangelicals who sold us on George W. Bush
as a 'compassionate conservative' are now trying to sell us on Mike
Huckabee."

Even one of Huckabee's strongest supporters within the Religious
Right, Pastor Rick Scarborough, head of Vision America, admitted,
"Mike has always sought the validation of elites." Of course, my
question for Rick Scarborough is, With an indictment such as that, how
can you continue to support Mike Huckabee?

According to an opinion piece written by John Fund in the Wall Street
Journal, "Paul Pressler, a former Texas judge who led the conservative
Southern Baptist revolt, told me, 'I know of no conservative he
[Huckabee] appointed while he headed the Arkansas Baptist
Convention.'"

Fund went on to say that "Mr. Huckabee's reluctance to surround
himself with conservatives was evident as governor, when he kept many
agency heads appointed by Bill Clinton."

Fund also said this about Huckabee: "'He's just like Bill Clinton in
that he practices management by news cycle,' a former top Huckabee
aide told me. 'As with Clinton there was no long-term planning, just
putting out fires on a daily basis. One thing I'll guarantee is that
won't lead to competent conservative governance.'"

Mike Huckabee is also terrible on immigration. According to Jim
Boulet, Jr., executive director of English First, "Rudy Giuliani spent
years defending the right of New York City to remain a sanctuary for
illegal aliens. Yet Giuliani was a veritable Lou Dobbs Jr. on illegal
immigration in comparison to Mike Huckabee."

Regarding Huckabee's stance on immigration, Mr. Minton said, "Until of
late, he has been an open-borders guy on immigration--amnesty, the
whole works. As governor, he wanted to give free college scholarships
to all illegals."

Minton's assertion is backed up by Daniel Larison at The American
Conservative. He said, "Like his fellow presidential candidate [who
recently dropped out of the race], Sen. Sam Brownback, Huckabee
regards it as his Christian duty to help subvert and liberalize U.S.
immigration laws. Together, they embrace the notion that fidelity to
the Gospel requires privileging the interests of non-citizens over
those of fellow citizens."

Ann Coulter agrees: "On illegal immigration, Huckabee makes George
Bush sound like Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO). Huckabee has compared
illegal aliens to slaves brought here in chains from Africa, saying,
'I think, frankly, the Lord is giving us a second chance to do better
than we did before.'

"Toward that end, when an Arkansas legislator introduced a bill that
would prevent illegal aliens from voting and receiving state benefits,
Huckabee denounced the bill, saying it would rile up 'those who are
racist and bigots.'

"He also made the insane point that companies such as Toyota would not
invest in Arkansas if the state didn't allow non-citizens to vote,
because it would 'send the message that, essentially, "If you don't
look like us, talk like us and speak like us, we don't want you."'

"Like all the (other) Democratic candidates for President, he supports
a federal law to ban smoking--unless you're an illegal alien smoking
at a Toyota plant."

A former state lawmaker, Minton also said, that Huckabee was not a
"fiscally conservative Republican." Rather, Huckabee was regarded as
just another liberal "tax and spender" in fiscal matters. This is in
direct opposition to Huckabee's boast of "90 tax cuts during his
tenure." And the facts seem to validate Minton, not Huckabee.

An Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration report showed a
"net tax increase of $505 million, a figure adjusted for inflation and
economic growth" on Huckabee's watch.

That Huckabee is a liberal "tax and spender" is also affirmed by Tom
Roeser. According to Roeser, "[Huckabee] hiked state spending 65.3%,
from 1996 to 2004. He supported five tax increases, leading the 'Club
for Growth' to call him a liberal in disguise . . ."

Roeser also points out that "The Cato Institute, a libertarian think
tank with heavy ties to the national GOP, gives him an F grade for
spending and taxes in 2006 and an overall grade of D in his
governorship. During his tenure, the number of state employees
increased over 20% and Arkansas' general obligation debt rose by
almost $1 billion."

Furthermore, according to the Washington Times, "Until recently, he
[Huckabee] had refused to sign the famous no-tax pledge offered to
candidates by Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform."

In spite of Huckabee's proven big-government, big-spending, and
pro-amnesty record, however, some Christian conservatives are falling
for his conservative rhetoric. It seems that all a Republican
candidate has to do is start talking "pro-life" and "pro-marriage" and
he or she will gain the support of certain Christian conservatives.

First it was Bob Jones, III endorsing the liberal former governor of
Massachusetts, Mitt Romney, and now it is Janet Folger endorsing the
liberal former governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee. Why any Christian
leader would want to support a man with such a dubious record truly
escapes me.

Christians need to beware of Mike Huckabee. He is not a conservative.
Even worse, he is not a constitutionalist. He is an opportunist,
however. This is demonstrated by the fact that many of his supporters
are openly posturing (with Huckabee's consent, obviously) for an
opportunity to run Huckabee as a potential Vice Presidential candidate
with either Giuliani or Romney at the top of the ticket.

Let me ask the reader something. How could a principled pro-life,
pro-Second Amendment, pro-Constitution conservative be willing to run
on a ticket with a liberal presidential candidate such as Rudy
Giuliani or Mitt Romney? That's right, he couldn't.

I say again, beware of Mike Huckabee!

P.S. I would like to invite everyone who lives within driving distance
of Pensacola, Florida to come hear the former Chief Justice of the
Alabama Supreme Court, Judge Roy Moore, "The Ten Commandments Judge,"
this Sunday, November 4, 2007 at Crossroad Baptist Church. The service
begins at 10am CST. In my opinion, Judge Roy Moore is one of America's
greatest Christian statesmen. He will be speaking live and in person
to the people of Crossroad Baptist Church this Sunday, November 4. The
church is located at 6800 Mobile Highway (US Highway 90), 1/2 mile
past the Fairgrounds in Northwest Pensacola.

As a point of reference, Pensacola is located in the western-most tip
of the State of Florida, about 50 miles East of Mobile, Alabama.
Pensacola is approximately a 5 hour drive from Atlanta; a 6 1/2 hour
drive from Orlando; a 3 hour drive from New Orleans; and a 7 hour
drive from Nashville.

[Lord Xar]

btw.. do the followers of Hucklebee know all of this ^^^^^^^^^^^

[ItsTime]

they will if someone posts it on their forum...

btw.. do the followers of Hucklebee know all of this ^^^^^^^^^^^

[bbachtung]

Here's an even juicier run-down on Huckabee and immigration from his own mouth in 2005 (the most damaging quote is in the last paragraph, in which he says that immigrants -- legal and illegal -- are "subsidizing" the caller's parents' Social Security benefits):

Huckabee, callers go toe-to-toe on immigration
Thursday, Feb 3, 2005

By David Robinson
Arkansas News Bureau

LITTLE ROCK - Gov. Mike Huckabee got to speak directly Wednesday with Arkansans who don't like his positions on immigration.

One caller to the Ask the Governor radio program on the Arkansas Radio Network accused Huckabee of ignoring the law when it comes to illegal immigrants.

"Did you not take an oath to uphold the laws of this land?" asked Chris, a caller from Little Rock.

"Absolutely," Huckabee replied.

"OK, then why would you turn a blind eye to illegal immigrants invading our country and coming in and basically breaking our laws?' the caller asked.

Huckabee said that he wasn't, and that he believes illegal aliens who try to vote or try to apply for welfare benefits should be arrested.

"If they're caught as illegal aliens, I don't have any problem with sending them back," Huckabee said.

But the governor did not back down on his positions in support of certain benefits for the children of illegal aliens, such as allowing prenatal care for pregnant immigrants and his proposal to offer scholarships to undocumented children who graduate from an Arkansas high school.

He also criticized Senate Bill 206 by Sen. Jim Holt, R-Springdale, that would impose new restrictions on illegal immigrants in Arkansas. The governor's comments were in response to a caller who expressed concern about the bill's effect on plans for a Mexican consulate's office in Little Rock.

"I don't think that bill is going to pass," Huckabee said. "If it were to pass, it might have an impact but ... the impact would be greater than even the Mexican consulate."

He said the bill could hurt the state's ability to recruit industries based in countries outside the U.S., such as Toyota or Nestle, a Swiss company.

"If we send a message that essentially if you don't look like us, talk like us and speak like us we don't want you, it has tremendous economic repercussions," Huckabee said.

Huckabee also sought to dispel certain perceptions about the benefits that illegal immigrants are getting in Arkansas.

Huckabee repeated to several callers that illegal immigrants do not receive welfare benefits or food stamps or free health care. They do get free public education for their children, but that's required under the Arkansas Constitution, Huckabee said.

"And frankly I think we would want to make sure that their kids were getting an education because an educated society is a society that can work and do a job and do a better job and make money," Huckabee said.

As for allowing immigrants to receive free prenatal care, Huckabee said that's part of his pro-life sentiment as well as that of Amendment 65 of the state constitution, which says that Arkansas considers life to begin at conception.

"I believe that because it's a human life, then by our law and by our constitution even that unborn child is an Arkansas citizen because he or she is going to be born in this state," Huckabee said. "The prenatal care for the entire pregnancy costs less than one-third of what one day in the neonatal unit at Children's Hospital would cost if the child has complications at birth."

Despite the governor's lengthy defense on the hour-long show, some listeners apparently were not hearing or buying it.

"My parents have worked years to establish the Arkansas welfare program," said a caller identified as Rick in Little Rock, the last call to be aired. "I'm a little displeased with the idea of somebody in one day coming in and being able to benefit from all those years that my parents have paid taxes."

Huckabee replied, "One of the things I think I've tried to say today over and over, a person here illegally does not get welfare benefits."

"What benefits does he get that my parents or I have paid for for years and he's inheriting in one day?" the caller asked.

"He doesn't," Huckabee said. "They aren't getting it."

"If they become a citizen do they not get them?" the caller asked.

"Well, if they become a citizen they're a citizen just like your parents are," Huckabee said.

"They have not paid taxes for years just like my parents have," the caller said.

Huckabee replied that obtaining citizenship takes years.

"If they're living here and working here, they're paying income tax, they have to pay Social Security tax, they pay sales tax, they pay gasoline tax, they pay property tax, but they don't get any of the benefits of that." Huckabee said. "In essence, you're not paying for them, they're paying to subsidize your parent's Social Security and tax refund and they don't get those benefits."

http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/...ws/316813.html

[Lord Xar]

Can we get a dissemination of this info.

[bbachtung]

Here's another gem:

Huckabee defends societal cost of illegal aliens
Wednesday, Jul 7, 2004

By David Robinson
Arkansas News Bureau

LITTLE ROCK - Gov. Mike Huckabee on Tuesday defended illegal immigrants against a radio caller's criticism and sympathized with former convicts' inability to vote in Arkansas.

***

A caller named Travis from Pine Bluff told Huckabee that illegal immigration will sap America's taxpayers because of the services they require.

"That is ultimately going to be a tremendous problem," he said. "Most work, and work very hard, but still it floods our system."

Huckabee responded that people wrongly assume that illegal immigrants are the beneficiaries of costly government services.

"If they're illegal they're not about to show up at some public institution and say I'd like funds because when they do the I.D. check and find out they're illegal then they're in trouble," the governor said. "So these are not the people who are accessing welfare, food stamps because they're not eligible for them. They can't get them."

In addition, Huckabee said a study has shown that illegal immigrants are putting more money into the economy than they're taking out.

"They're purchasing things and paying sales tax," Huckabee said. "They're buying things. They're paying taxes but they're not getting the benefits of a taxpayer. Not Social Security, not food stamps, welfare, benefits from employers.

"The truth is the illegal aliens are costing themselves more by being illegal when the real goal ought to be to give people the opportunity to become legal, naturalized citizens of the United States."

Huckabee emphasized that he was not justifying illegal immigration.

***

http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/...ws/252305.html

[sedele]

they will if someone posts it on their forum...

So...did you post it?

[winston_blade]

So...did you post it?

Leave those guys alone. They don't post negative stuff from RP over here, so we shouldn't do it over there.

[crhoades]

Posted on Christian board I visit and used to be a moderator on.

[Pete]

Bam!!

I wonder if Chuck is talking about RP on his radio show?

[V-rod]

Leave those guys alone. They don't post negative stuff from RP over here, so we shouldn't do it over there.

What negative stuff can they talk about Congressman Paul?
"He is a strict follower of the constitution, what an idiot!" or like "He wants to let them Al Kay duh take over Iraq, thats not honorable!"

[slantedview]

Posted on Christian board I visit and used to be a moderator on.

That is a good idea. I probably wouldn't post it on any actual Huck forum though.

[slantedview]

What negative stuff can they talk about Congressman Paul?
"He is a strict follower of the constitution, what an idiot!" or like "He wants to let them Al Kay duh take over Iraq, thats not honorable!"

Usually all attaks against Ron Paul point to him being "crazy". Example:

He wants to end the war. That's crazy, we love wars.
He wants to end the IRS. That's crazy, we love the IRS.
He wants to downsize the govt. That's crazy, we love big government.
He wants to return to fiscal responsibility. That's crazy, we love being in debt.
He wants to restore civil liberties. That's crazy, we're safer without them.

etc...

[max]

Leave those guys alone. They don't post negative stuff from RP over here, so we shouldn't do it over there.

there is no negative stuff about RP...

those deluded people need us to educate them

[steph3n]

there is no negative stuff about RP...

those deluded people need us to educate them

I would not say that is true, even Dr Paul says "I have shortcomings, but the message doesn't"