More Compassionate Conservatism?: Why We Cannot "Heart" Huckabee

We have often said that we like former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee. He is a very affable man, and he would probably be an okay guy to grab a beer with. But when it comes to the presidency, we must say, without ambiguity, that we want him nowhere near the White House. There are a host of reasons why, and we will touch on the major ones right here. The most recent issue to pop up are his statements concerning the quarantine of AIDS infected individuals when he was running for the Senate in 1992. The statement simply reeks of idiocy; he insinuates that AIDS patients pass off their disease through casual contact. These are the sorts of gaffes that can bury a prospective candidate, yet he still continues to surge. We believe that is due to voters not really examining this man's record. He is no conservative, and if voters believe that he is, they are only fooling themselves.

Exhibit A -- Taxes

In 2003 Mike Huckabee stood on the floor of the Arkansas state legislature -- the House to be exact -- and was talking about taxes. On the issues of an increase in the tobacco taxes, on an income tax surcharge, and a possible sales tax increase, Mike Huckabee stated, on the record, that he would "have no problem" with any of those. In fact, he assured both Houses of the legislature he would welcome those taxes. The reason for this was a budget shortfall that he neglects to elaborate on. But the point is that conservatives don't call for tax hikes. They cut taxes. Democrats, especially liberal Democrats, believe the only way to increase revenues are tax increases. Such a concept is anathema to conservatives because we understand what tax cuts do. they improve revenue streams by giving more money back to the working class thus enabling them to buy more. With that, tax revenues flow in from a variety of sources without the unneeded increase. Mike Huckabee didn't get the point then, and we doubt he gets it now.

Exhibit B -- Clemencies

Conservatives stand for law and order. We always have. You do the crime, you do the time. But Mike Huckabee's record on such things is appalling. First, there is the infamous case of Wayne DuMond, a convicted rapist. Then Governor Huckabee lobbied the Arkansas Parole Board to grant Mr. DuMond parole because he felt that Mr. DuMond did not receive a fair trial; that there were mitigating circumstances that led to a lengthy incarceration. this is not for him to decide. That is for Mr. DuMond's lawyers, through the proper appeals process, to prove to a judge. Mr. DuMond was released, and went on to commit not only another rape, but a cold-blooded murder, as well. Additionally, in his time as governor, Mr. Huckabee granted more clemencies -- including a dozen convicted murderers -- than all of the six neighboring states to Arkansas. Between Louisiana, Mississsippi, Missouri, Oklahoma. Tennessee, and Texas there were 624 clemencies granted. For Mike Huckabee, he topped that with 703 of his own. With a record like this, all we can expect from him are pardons on par with Bill Clinton.

Exhibit C -- Immigration

Numerous groups, including NumbersUSA, have called him a disaster on this issue. They're right. Nearly every time there was an enforcement measure proposed, he sided with illegal aliens rather than the rule of law. He gave tuition breaks to illegals -- a fact he spins and denies, but that FactCheck.org exposed. He claims they had to earn awards to be eligible, but the facts don't support that spin. Truth be told, the facts show that he earnestly pushed for in-state tuition breaks for illegal aliens in Arkansas. Even when he tried to initially answer the questions about immigration, he stated for voters that he is "not the man" people want if they're looking for enforcement. He's a compassionate conservative in the mold of the current president, and anti-amnesty groups are deathly afraid that Mr. Huckabee might win the presidency. (Not a chance, but their fears are well-founded.) As governor, he forced taxpayers to pick up the tab for illegal aliens welching on their health care costs -- be it emergency or non-emergency care -- and when called on it, he chastised critics. Like a Democrat, he occasionally places the "children" card to scold detractors into silence. He has gone as far as to make veiled accusations that people are racist because they're frustrated and don't understand the plight of illegal aliens. In fact, we are frustrated, but it's not at the illegals. It's at the government for dropping the ball time and again, and if Mr. Huckabee does win (again, fat chance) we can expect to see a plan similar to that which was defeated earlier this year.

Exhibit D -- The war

This is, by far, one of his weakest points. When the recent, faulty, National Intelligence Estimate was released earlier this month, he was confronted by a reporter and asked if he had read it. The answer was no, and his excuse was that he had had a long day; twenty hours up, and a number of campaign appearances. No excuse for the man who wants to be president. The president does not get a day off from such things. Furthermore, he accused the president of sitting on a "four year old" report, which is bogus. The NIE was compiled over the last year, and it directly contradicted the one from 2005. Additionally, this man had stood in favor of keeping the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay open back in 2005, but has flip-flopped on the issue, and now calls for it's closure. Why? For the same reason Democrats keep calling for it's closure -- it is a blemish on the integrity and image of the United States. When pressed for a solution to where the detainees would go, Mr. Huckabee has offered up Fort Leavenworth as an alternative site. This idea is patently absurd as they would be able to challenge their detention in our courts; a point that the president and Congress agreed was wrong when they were denied habeas corpus rights under the Military Commission Act of 2006. While he may hype the fact he is in favor of continuing the prosecution of the war on terror, what lurks beneath the surface betrays his inability to grasp the war, and it's overall gravity.

These are just some of the major problems Mike Huckabee has. We can also add that when it comes to his faith, he is the one hyping his Christian image; practically running the meme that he is the only true Christian conservative running. This doesn't play well for the intellectually honest pundits among us that see such statements as veiled swipes at Mitt Romney for his Mormon faith. He is soft on illegal immigration, a disaster for fiscal responsibility, weak on law and order issues, and clueless about the war. Sure, he's a minister. Sure he's a moral guy, we guess. But other than that, what does he have to offer the country. What is his vision for the future of this nation for at least the next four years? The answer to both of those questions is likely to elicit howls of protest from Mike Huckabee supporters, but the answer is virtually true nonetheless. He will give us four more years of compassionate conservatism, i.e., four more years of what we've been dealing with for the past seven years. Big government conservatism isn't the answer. In fact, it's an oxymoron to true conservatives who believe in a fiscally responsible and prosperous nation. It's anathema to us who believe in the rule of law, and that our immigration policies should be stronger and more particular about those who come here. His view is a bane to conservatives who believe that winning this war, and prosecuting those responsible for the numerous attacks perpetrated on our country and her interests abroad. Mike Huckabee may be a nice guy to chat with, but he is no conservative. Not in our book, and not in many other's books either.