The Huckabee Problem

I'm an undecided voter, but Huckabee reminds me of used car salesman. Even his self-deprecating remarks seem feigned and contrived. You can tell he was a preacher. I've wanted to learn more about his views on specific issues, not how well he can entertain me. That's why this article was so revealing to me.
Thanks

Excellent article! I am a conservative Republican and I am not a Huckabee supporter, but it is appalling to see the leading conservative pundits - Limbaugh, Hannity, Will, Ingraham - treat Huckabee with such disdain and contempt. The war in Iraq is not a "conservative" war - Ron Paul is right on that one - and keeping Gitmo open is not a "conservative" issue. But these well-paid, aloof, arrogant commentators seem to think so. I am a McCain supporter, but I think Huckabee,and Paul have some good ideas.
Jim Knapp

As much as I hate to admit it, Fineman is correct. If the Rpublican Party is going to survive, it has to return to libertarian principles. Abortion is a grave evil, but it needs to be de-politicized. Lincoln, the first Republican president, knew how to finesse the issue of slavery until he was goven no other option. Libertarian principles as prqcticed by Goldwater and Reagan will allow the party to sideline the religious zealots.

As much as I hate to admit it, Fineman is right. The Republican party is in deep trouble if it does not dissociate from the religious zealots. Adhering to libertarian principles , as Goldwater and Reagan ihnstructed the party, would have avoided this. Abortion is a grave evil - but the government is powerless to stop determined women who want to kill their babies. The first Republican President had to finessse the parties views on slavery. . Drug use is harmful - but it;s a matter pf personal responsibility. If we return to libertarian principles we can sideline the evangelicals who want to make the government an arm of their religioud crusade.political views

Exactly, the republican strategy of the Rove school to feed the religious right red meat abortion, school prayer, creation ???science??? and the gay threat. Rove???s idea wasn???t new the Democrats have been doing it for years with the African American churches. Raise tons of money for negative advertising that reduces the turn out of moderates. Make the election about turning out the base. Make deals with the leaders like Jones, Falwell etc while giving a wink and node to the red meat issues but do little. Well guess what they want what they were promised. The social rights leaders can???t control the vote this time. Evangelicals really don???t care about the neocon agenda for war and cheap oil and they do not benefit from club for growth fiscal policies. Hucklebee address both the social concerns and the economic needs of the working class white segment of America. They are tired of being used and neither party traditionally offers them any real value for their support. It would be ironic if it wasn???t tragic.

Exactly, the republican strategy of the Rove school to feed the religious right red meat abortion, school prayer, creation ???science??? and the gay threat. Rove???s idea wasn???t new the Democrats have been doing it for years with the African American churches. Raise tons of money for negative advertising that reduces the turn out of moderates. Make the election about turning out the base. Make deals with the leaders like Jones, Falwell etc while giving a wink and node to the red meat issues but do little. Well guess what they want what they were promised. The social rights leaders can???t control the vote this time. Evangelicals really don???t care about the neocon agenda for war and cheap oil and they do not benefit from club for growth fiscal policies. Hucklebee address both the social concerns and the economic needs of the working class white segment of America. They are tired of being used and neither party traditionally offers them any real value for their support. It would be ironic if it wasn???t tragic.

The minute evangelical Christians imagine that they can take out the middleman and force a Baptist minister as the Republican nominee is the moment when the other 2/3 of the Bush voters start searching for an independent candidate. I am among many non-evangelical conservatives who will not show up to vote for an unqualified novice like Huckabee. By contrast, Fred Thompson is a very competent alternative with strong christian values, but he understands many conservatives and independents will never vote for a candidate who makes religion the centerpiece of his campaign.

The urgent task is to beat the recklessly irresponsible democrat's who want to wreck our economy with socialism, economic class warfare, and give the Middle East oilfields to radical Islam, while sending a message of political and military weakness to America's most determined enemies. Fred is the only qualified Republican who can unite all conservatives and responsible independents behind programs of peace through strength and prosperity through proven, conservative economic policies. Huckabee is a very dangerous distraction to our national interest. and he will spell the death nell of the Republican party if he is nominated.

The minute evangelical Christians imagine that they can take out the middleman and force a Baptist minister as the Republican nominee is the moment when the other 2/3 of the Bush voters start searching for an independent candidate. I am among many non-evangelical conservatives who will not show up to vote for an unqualified novice like Huckabee. By contrast, Fred Thompson is a very competent alternative with strong christian values, but he understands many conservatives and independents will never vote for a candidate who makes religion the centerpiece of his campaign.

The urgent task is to beat the recklessly irresponsible democrat's who want to wreck our economy with socialism, economic class warfare, and give the Middle East oilfields to radical Islam, while sending a message of political and military weakness to America's most determined enemies. Fred is the only qualified Republican who can unite all conservatives and responsible independents behind programs of peace through strength and prosperity through proven, conservative economic policies. Huckabee is a very dangerous distraction to our national interest. and he will spell the death nell of the Republican party if he is nominated.

I cant believe that a person as Howard Fineman won't recognize that evolution and creation are not mutually exclusive. On second thought, maybe he is and just wants to fan the flames of Christian ignorance. You know it was a Catholic priest that developed the theory of the "Big Bang". This is just one example of how Christian faith doesn't put an end to scientific curiosity.

I'm confused as to how Mr. Fineman can say in his article that Huckabee "does not believe in the science of evolution but does believe that the Bible is pretty close to literally true" and then go on to say, "and to them I say, let us turn to Paul's Letter to the Galatians, chapter six, verse seven, in which he writes: 'For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.'" So .. let me try to understand his logic. First, he says that Huckabee is wrong to believe the Bible in Genesis when it tells of Creation, and then he goes on to quote Galatians to prove Huckabee - and Genesis - is wrong? Just using ORDINARY logic and the human brain to reason things out, it seems to me that if he believes Galatians in the Bible enough to quote it as Truth, then he should believe ALL OF THE BIBLE as well. How can he throw out Genesis and count it as false, deciding in his own human "wisdom" that he knows better than God? Mr. Fineman, were you present during creation and do you know all the facts? How are you able to use Galatians like you know what you're talking about and slam Huckabee for believing in Genesis?? Here's a Bible quote for you, and reading it, you should shake in your boots Mr. Fineman: 2 Peter 2:1 "But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them???bringing swift destruction on themselves."

HUCKABEE HONESTY?
There are few life time occupations where STRETCHING THE TRUTH is the incentive, those being a power hungry politician and a high-paid preacher (evangelist). This is all that Huckabee has ever done. "He graduated magna *** laude from Ouachita Baptist University, completing his bachelor's degree in Religion in 2?? years before attending Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas where he dropped out after one year. He has two honorary doctoral degrees: a Doctor of Humane Letters, received from John Brown University in 1991, and a Doctor of Laws from Ouachita Baptist University in 1992.QUALIFIED TO LEAD THE FREE WORLD?

Mr. Fineman,

Thank you for working hard to expose as many details about the candidates as possible. Sometimes those aspects are available, but it is good that the lazy brains in this country receive some perspective on the issues. I am a Christian, but I can see through the pandering of candidates. Mr. Huckabee claimed first to have a degree in Theology. That turned out to be a lie. He now espouses a wide array of ideas that clearly show him to be a panderer. Part of this pandering has to do with his religion, which he claims is Christian. On that, only Mr. Huckabee knows if he is being sincere or not. However, his record as a public servant should be the only standard by which his candidacy is considered. He is interviewing for the most important job in this nation, and that job is not conducted from a religious pulpit. We have had enough with the current religious panderer in the White House to be electing another one. Mr. Huckabee is more blatantly using Christian mannerisms and symbols in his campaign. To all Christians reading this, the Lord said: ???by their fruits you shall know them.??? What are Mike Huckabee???s fruits? He is now calling for getting rid of the IRS, just as Ron Paul has been saying for decades. It is sad to see candidates change tunes and the people not catch them when they do. Mr. Fineman, thank you once again for a very interesting article. May the Lord bless everyone that reads this message.

Mr. Fineman,

Thank you for working hard to expose as many details about the candidates as possible. Sometimes those aspects are available, but it is good that the lazy brains in this country receive some perspective on the issues. I am a Christian, but I can see through the pandering of candidates. Mr. Huckabee claimed first to have a degree in Theology. That turned out to be a lie. He now espouses a wide array of ideas that clearly show him to be a panderer. Part of this pandering has to do with his religion, which he claims is Christian. On that, only Mr. Huckabee knows if he is being sincere or not. However, his record as a public servant should be the only standard by which his candidacy is considered. He is interviewing for the most important job in this nation, and that job is not conducted from a religious pulpit. We have had enough with the current religious panderer in the White House to be electing another one. Mr. Huckabee is more blatantly using Christian mannerisms and symbols in his campaign. To all Christians reading this, the Lord said: ???by their fruits you shall know them.??? What are Mike Huckabee???s fruits? He is now calling for getting rid of the IRS, just as Ron Paul has been saying for decades. It is sad to see candidates change tunes and the people not catch them when they do. Mr. Fineman, thank you once again for a very interesting article. May the Lord bless everyone that reads this message.

ANOTHER GOP PROBLEM---THE MCCAIN WAY: ATTACK REPUBLICANS. 1. Defending His Amnesty Bill, Sen. McCain Lost His Temper And "Screamed, '---- ---!' At Texas Sen. John Cornyn" (R-TX). 'This is chickens---stuff,' McCain snapped at Cornyn.(Charles Hurt, New York Post, 5/19/07). 2. In 2000, Sen. McCain Ran An Attack Ad Comparing Then-Gov. George W. Bush To Bill Clinton. (McCain 2000, Campaign Ad, 2/9/00). 3. McCain Repeatedly Called Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM) An "-------", Causing A Fellow GOP Senator To Say, "I Didn't Want This Guy Anywhere Near A Trigger." "Why can't McCain win the votes of his own colleagues? 'I wouldn't call you an ------- unless you really were an -------.' A senator told Newsweek, 'I didn't want this guy (McCain) anywhere near a trigger.'" (Evan Thomas, ???Senator Hothead," Newsweek, 2/21/00). 4. Sen. McCain Had A Heated Exchange With Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) And Called Him A "------- ----." (Evan Thomas, Newsweek, 2/21/00). 5. In 1995, Sen. McCain Had A "Scuffle" With 92-Year-Old Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-SC) On The Senate Floor. "In January 1995, McCain???confronted Thurmond???A scuffle ensued." (Harry Jaffe, The Washingtonian, 2/97). 6. Sen. McCain Accused Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) Of The "Most Egregious Incident" Of Corruption He Had Seen In The Senate. (Amy Keller, Roll Call, 10/21/02). 7. Sen. McCain Attacked Christian Leaders And Republicans In A Blistering Speech During The 2000 Campaign. 8. Sen. McCain Attacked Vice President Cheney. MCCAIN: "The president???was very badly served by both the Vice President???" (Roger Simon, The Politico, 1/24/07). 9. Celebrating His First Senate Election In 1986, Sen. McCain Screamed At And Harassed A Young Republican Volunteer. McCain was???poking the chest of a young Republican volunteer who had set up a lectern that was too tall for the 5-foot-9 politician???(Kris Mayes, The Arizona Republic, 11/5/99). 10. Sen. McCain "Publicly Abused" Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL). "McCain often insults people and flies off the handle...many times McCain has called reporters 'liars' and 'idiots'.(Editorial, "There's Something About McCain," The Austin American-Statesman, 1/24/07).

Republicans have used the social moderates and conservatives for 30 years. Democrats have used blacks as their "slave class" in much the same way. When election time nears, they are told how bad the people on the other side are. "Those liberals want to take your guns" or "Whitey wants to keep the black man down". Finally the truth is coming out. Huckabee is a Republican who has moral values but, also believes in helping the less fortunate in society and the money Republicans hate him! On the Democratic side you have Obama who would change this country forever and what do the power brokers of the Democratic party say? "Get back on the plantation boy, you need to do our bidding and be more appreciative of what we give you and your kind". The truth is, fiscal conservatives want your children's money and social liberals want your childrens minds. The wealthy ruling class of this country need a peasant class and the social liberal hate groups want to re-make America into their own little perverted playground. Obama and Huckabee threaten their power so they must be stopped!

Huck-a-billy go back to Dogpatch you Jesus Freak!

If you Evangelicals don't get back in line Hillary Clinton will be your next President.

Another vile and dishonest attempt to paint Huckabee into a corner. The man won against a terrific onslaught by media and special interest groups. He was outspent by orders of magnitude. He put together a coalition of people who are tired of outsiders and home-cooking. Now the media elites are trying to explain it away. It won't work.

Well put Howard. The GOP has created its own fundametalist monster and now it has to live with it.