So yeah, we've been touting all the news that going in Huckabee's favor . . .
Of course we're not rooting, but it's hard not to admire an underfunded underdog campaign no matter what your persuasion.
Still, to be fair, here's an AP article that highlights the case against Huckabee:
1) SOFT ON TAXES, AND CRIME? . . . He hiked millions of dollars in taxes for highways and paroled a rapist that later killed a woman right here in Missouri.
2) ROMNEY'S IOWA ORGANIZATION . . . Is Better. Huckabee has so far relied on a full-time team of 2 in Iowa. But Iowa is all about organization, and the one thing Romney's money will buy him there is people to help organize his supporters on caucus night. Huckabee still needs to catch up there or Romney will best him.
3) CAN HE GO THE DISTANCE? Like it or not, people still talk about Huckabee as a "great V.P." He'll need to WIN Iowa to change that. But in the next month, he'll probably need his poll numbers to improve nationally and at least in South Carolina to prove he's more than a one-state-wonder.
4 comments:
As a person who increasingly doesn't have a "dog in this fight", I believe Huckabee, Romney, and Rudy all have fairly substantial cases against them.
Huckabee's largest weakness writ large with the conservative base will be his track record on illegal immigration. While advocating for the border fence and against amnesty, he advocated for in-state tuition breaks to children of illegals. Dave mentioned the tax issue- Huckabee evidently raised taxes more than Bill Clinton did as governor. And the pardon issue makes him vulnerable to a "Willie Horton" type ad.
Romney's wrinkles are well known: he has had a foxhole conversion on key social issues like abortion. As well, he appears like he wants it both ways on just about every issue. This really came to the forefront in the You Tube debate. Romney looks like he has strong convictions on both sides of just about every issue.
Rudy's flaws are better known than even Romney's: pro-choice, pro-gay right, pro-gun control. Bernie Kerik, making the NYPD into a taxi service for his mistress, etc.
The thing is unless McCain stuns the world in New Hampshire or Thompson pulls himself off of life support, one of these three men will win the GOP nomination. So the question is, who is the least flawed as a candidate?
Huckabee also refused to allow funding for an abortion for a mentally handicapped girl who was raped by her stepfather. He seems to be siding with the rapists a little too often for my taste.
There never was a pardon, it was a commutation of sentence. And it wasn't made by Gov. Huckabee, it was given by Gov. Tucker before Huckabee took office.
You might want to check out the facts on this one and issue a correction.
Matthew, according to the AP, Huckabee paroled the man. So I've made the change accordingly. Thanks for pointing that out.
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