Until recently, I liked Huckabee the best of the Republican contenders. I've seen him interviewed at considerable length on the PBS News Hour, Meet the Press, and Charlie Rose.
Huckabee comes across as the most direct and likeable of all the primary candidates, and when interviewed he seems to have a very take-charge common-sense approach to things, while also having Washington-outsider appeal. Kind of an electable "Mr Smith Goes to Washington".
I agree wholeheartedly.
But it's amazing how, even after hearing someone detail their views for that length of time, there can be so many little secrets can come to the surface afterward.
Usually those little secrets only come about when a candidate starts surging in the polls. Not that those assertions sometimes aern't without merit mind you. It's just that they only seem to come up and matter once they start doing well.
The first thing that made him lose appeal for me was his answer to a debate question on immigration, where he didn't want to take away government benefits for the children of illegals. He's way to sympathetic to illegals, to the point that I think he'd do virtually nothing about this vital issue.
The EVIL bastartd!!!!
You do realize that "the children of illegals" is another word for AMERICAN CITIZENS, right? Now the question is, do you hate the Constitution and the fact that it states that this is so or do hate the fact that Huckabee answered the question without the usual vitriol and pandering to xenophobes? To me, it's sort of like that use of military force question that Ron Paul answered honestly and legally acurate while the rest of the field were talking about how tough and unilateral they were.
Yeah, you can "talk tough" and all, but ultimately, it don't mean shit since the law says your rhetoric don't mean shit. It was honest and compassionate. Plus & +. Richard Riordan the former Republican mayor of Los Angeles answered a similar question in almost the exact way. He said, "My god, these are human beings!" Of course Republicans in California HATED that. After all the name of the game is dehuminazation. Once they're dehumanized, you can be as heartless and cruel as you'd like. kick them in the gutter, after all they're nothing. Even if they do happen to by default be US citizens. "he's way to sympathetic to illegals". man... you are so full of bile....
The second major flaw was aired on Friday's 20/20 program on ABC, where he had lobbied to let a convicted murderer out on parole, and even leveraged the parole board to comply with his wishes. Then the parolee went out and raped/killed two more women. Along the same lines as Michael Dukakis letting Willie Horton out on furlough to kill again, this is very misdirected compassion, and speaks volumes about his capacity for bad judgement.
No doubt, the parents of the girls will be featured prominently in commercials between now and caucus day in Iowa.
Again, this story existed well before this week. And funny how ABC News, pretty much FOX lite for a few years now, decided to 'expose" this right as Giuliani is going down in flames and Huckabee is ascending. It matters not too much to me seeing as if you cripple these 2 choices, the only choice you have left is the Mormon that the evangelicals won't touch. Still, it's manipulation disguised as expose.
At this point it looks like Huckabee is leading in Iowa, and in New Hampshire as well. But a lot can happen in the next few weeks. I think Huckabee's star is fading.
He isn't a "rock star" anyways so his electability was always in doubt. Still, I like the guy for all the reasons you stated in your 1st paragraph. He isn't an asshole and he's honest and compassionate for the most part, pandering to homophobes notwhistanding.
The evangelicals like him though and if he can pick up the quickly eroding Giuliani voters, it'll probably elevate Romney and further splinter the GOP base and thus it's better for the Democratic front runner in the general election.
