In looking at the latest polls, analyzing the various articles written and speaking with people who are involved with the various campaigns, I’m having an extremely hard time understanding why Mike Huckabee is still in this race.
Yes, he won Iowa, congratulations. However, beyond his early miracle in Iowa, his performance hasn’t been anything spectacular. Furthermore, this “Huckaboom” that everyone is referring to, his fundraising numbers don’t seem to reflect any phenomenon that Huckabee loyalists claim is occurring.
But again, why is he in this race?
At this point, his motives for being in the race seem to be nothing more than self-fulfilling, or another notch in his political bedpost.
Somehow, Huckabee has been able to pull a veil over his true, not-so-conservative record, and play hard on his “I’m an Evangelical so you better vote for me” mantra.
His record, in comparison with the records of John McCain and Mitt Romney makes him look like nothing more than a governor who was able to stay in office and might have been a good contender, possibly champion of celebrity-fit-club.
To those conservative in the United States who can look beyond Huckabee’s creative wordplay and sympathetic candor are usually able to see through him about 30 seconds into any speech he is giving.
Huckabee has bragged about his record in Arkansas time and time again, bragging how they have the best roads out of any country. Congratulations.
But what else? Instead of just listening to what Huckabee is saying, I think its important that people take the perspective of those who know what a true conservative is and have proven this through years of service to the conservative movement. One example would be someone like Dick Armey, who recently wrote:
Mike Huckabee abandoned conservative governance long ago. As governor of Arkansas from 1996-2007, his record on economic issues was long and dismal. He raised the sales tax and passed a tax on gasoline, increasing the state’s overall average tax burden by almost 50 percent. Spending shot up more than 65 percent under his leadership. In the current campaign, he supports expensive, restrictive energy legislation, a misguided new national sales tax, and nanny-state notions like a federal smoking ban.
This is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Mike Huckabee and his difficulty sticking true to conservative values.
Mike Huckabee is not a candidate who should be running for President when the GOP is already severely fractured. He should be running, yes, but not for President.
If Huckabee were elected, be prepared to have a President who will cave in to the Democrat majority that will surely be solidified after the 2008 election. He did this in Arkansas, and people shouldn’t questions whether or not he will act like this again; he will.
Huckabee likes people to like him, even if that means compromising the values that he was elected to represent, as shown in this video:
While Huckabee seems to be willing to accept anything that will please the majority, I somehow don’t think I’ll ever be able to accept Huckabee as a serious candidate.
Now, instead of being the voice of the Evangelicals and representing the little guy, Mike Huckabee has morphed into the Ralph Nader of old.
Huckabee, get out of the race. Let Romney and McCain fight this one out.
While they differ on the issues, they have the leadership qualities that would be necessary in showing the American people that the GOP can be rebuilt, based on the solid principles they will set forward when they are in office.
Huckabee, again, get out now. Hell, to make sure you got your moneys worth, register at Target again (like you did when you left the Governors office) and I’m sure the American people will reward you immensely for all that you have done. If you’re looking for a VP bid, playing the spoiler is not the way to do it.
