One More Reason Not To Heart Huckabee: Huckabee Forces Attack El Rushbo

Here's the links: Mike Huckabee: The anti-Limbaugh candidate

Huckabee Forces Attack El Rushbo

Huckabee's Rollins Trashes Rush Instead of Debating Conservatism

Identity Politics and the Hucksters – We've seen this phenomenon before with Perot.

My thoughts:

The Republican party is being hurt by the self-centered grab for power by men who have no business running for the Republican nomination. Giuliani, Romney, McCain, and even Ron Paul, shouldn't be running and they're dividing the party by doing so. It may be good for the party to debate its core principles and sort of find its way back from the moderate policies of both Bush presidencies, but not at the expense of losing an election when we're so close to having a Supreme Court with a strict constructionalist majority.

Huckabee is a problem for the Republican party. He's using his Christian identity to grab votes, and it's apparently working, but at the expense of the Republican party and the conservative base.

I'm hoping Huckabee's poll numbers don't reflect his actual standing among voters and that he turns out to be the new Howard Dean.

Liberals are salivating at the idea of Huckabee as the GOP nominee, because Huckabee is loathsome to their base and he'll bring their base o the polls in the same way Hillary will bring the Republican base to the polls. They also love the fact that he's going to be an easy target. Republicans are already queasy from Huckabee's use of religion for political gain.

Success for Huckabee now will only help Rudy Giuliani or possibly John McCain. That's why FOX News (which is clearly pro-Giuliani – to the point of ignoring Fred Thompson in much of their coverage of the primaries, especially on The O'Reilly Factor) is building up Huckabee's candidacy. If Huckabee can knock out Thompson (the only electable, consistent conservative running, and the apparent favorite in the blogosphere and on the internet) and/or hurt Romney, then Giuiani and McCain (who are currently tanking in the polls) have a chance to come back, because Huckabee can't carry states without a big evangelical base, many sensible conservatives won't like his betrayal of conservative principles, and many conservatives will eventually realize Huckabee is not the best nominee to go up against the Democrats in the general election.

Huckabee is not a good candidate for conservatives, because he's not a conservative. As Ann Coulter pointed out, he's running as an evangelical candidate, but he isn't even a consistent evangelical. His positions on Supreme Court decisions are bad for social conservatives. His positions on taxes and big government are bad for fiscal conservatives. His positions on immigration, foreign policy, and executive pardons are bad for all conservatives. Mike Huckabee is essentially a pro-life liberal.

As Rush Limbaugh asked on his program:

"If we can choose a candidate who is pro-life and anti-same-sex marriage and good on national security, illegal immigration, taxes, and spending, why shouldn't we choose that candidate? Why do we have to choose somebody who's trying to get a redefinition of conservatism to comport to his views? By the way, this is not just about Huckabee. This has been my lament from the moment this campaign began, if you recall."

I'm hoping conservatives in Iowa who support Huckabee or Romney realize Fred Thompson is best for conservatism and the pro-life movement.

Otherwise, Republicans may well have to deal with Giuliani as the nominee, which will seriously divide the Republican party.

I'm baffled as to why Huckabee, whose own brand of "compassionate conservatism" will produce the same kind of fiscal policies that caused George W. Bush to fall out of favor with many conservatives is suddenly okay for Mike Huckabee.

That's why I don't heart Huckabee.

Any thoughts?

Comments

[joanne]

What about the liberal fall-out do to Catholic and Christian liberals who are firmly pro-life and pro-marriage? (I'm one of those, although I have gained respect for many conservative policies since I changed parties.)
These are people who don't particularly care about the purity of conservative principles, but will not associate with the Democratic party as is, thus they will vote Republican even if they don't switch parties. Do you think that's where much of the Catholic support for Huckabee comes from?
I'm not sure about Huckabee because he was accepted on an impulse, and on the basis of his personality as well as his pro-life stance. His strongly charismatic personality may not lead us toward a prudent vote, I fear.
I would feel better if critiques of Huckabee weren't almost entirely coming from Anne Coulter, for whom I have very little respect. Some of her past public comments have been vile and embarrassing.

[Aaron]

Huckabee is doing everything possible to make sure that mainline Protestant, and Catholic Republicans, who make up 60% - 70% of the party, don't vote for him. His "magnificent Christmas" is directed at evangelical Christians. They could care less about Catholics, other Protestants, Mormons, etc.

He is using religion as a weapon.

[johnny b]

I am interested in what Anne Coulter has said that has been wrong. I know there are people that don't like HOW she said something but up to this point I have heard her on a lot of topics and she has been right on. Just wondering.

[jh]

The "HUckabee" forces did not attack Rush. This has been one of the most sorry things I ahve seen. SOem blogger for the Atlantic says someone that likes MIke in DC and is an "Ally" whatever that means is aked what he thing of Rush. That little unnmaed source in a blurb is a attack and caused Rush to do what he did yesterday? Thankfuuly someone at the COrner tracked this down. One wonders why Rush did not call Little Rock before unloading. Give me a break.

HEre is what happened
http://opinionatedcatholic.blogspot.com/2007/12/huckabee-supporters-need-to-thank-bryon.html

Thankfully Bryon YOrk even though not a HUckabee supporter tracks down real info

[Dan Hunter]

As things stand now, who will defend the lives of every single innocent unborn human baby more,Mike Huckabee or Fred Thompson?
Since abortion is the more important of the two inherent evils that America must eradicate, the other being homosexual unions, the answer to the above question means that we should chose that candidate who will do everything in his power to eliminate the murder of millions of little children.
This is without a shadow of a doubt a one issue election.
After all is said and done if we do not allow babies to be born than nothing else matters because there will be no human to to glorify God Almighty.
Gloria in Excelsis Deo!

[joanne]

Johnny B,
Almost everything that comes out of Ann's mouth is arrogant and rude. I should not have said that I don't respect her, but I don't respect her TONE and her repulsive remarks. She is the most unchristian speaker and writer I have ever heard or read.
Everything she mouths boils down to "I am of superior intelligence and morals, and if you want to be worthy of life, imitate me."
Ugh! Gag. It is certain that no liberals will swim to a saner shore if she is guarding the banks. And yet she is applauded for being continually obnoxious.

[Jimbo]

Thomistic,

You've lost your mind. Why exactly does Romney have "no business" running for the nomination of the party? Absurd.

Ah, when exactly did that perfect republican run for the nomination? Reagan? You wouldn't have said that 30 years ago. Bush, Sr.? Bush, Jr.?

Please. I guess unless he's perfect in every single way he shouldn't run...and we shouldn't, I guess, vote for him.

This is the problem with the Party Perfection people--no one is good enough.

President Bush is most to blame for hurting the Republican party, as well as many congressmen of the last decade, who stopped following the limited government rhetoric that was the soul of conservativism for so long and instead began to spend and expand government more than ever before.
Giuliani would not have so much suppport among Republicans (and his support is waning) if it weren't for FOX news and Sean Hannity. Why not blame them too? They could have torn apart Giuliani, McCain and Romney as non-conservatives if they wished, but instead they paste them all over the television as if they're the only choices.
Rather than discuss issues, we watch as the pundits discuss who donated to whom, who is ahead in the polls, who "looks" presidential...whether or not Huckabee or a Huckabee staffer "attacked" Rush.
The Republican Party needs to solidify its stances on core issues. The direction of the party will be decided this winter during primary season, just as the Dems will determine the direction of their party. After the primaries, the scattered remnants of each side will determine how much they will support that new direction. And sink or swim, the party will rebuild itself.
Finally, Rep or Dem win next fall, will much really change? God will still be in His Heaven. Prayer is more important than votes.

[Jeffrey]

The above was posted by me. Whoops.

[johnny b]

Thanks joanne. Good point.