Mike Huckabee, Fred Thompson and the Gipper

DETROIT -- When you look at the list of Republican presidential candidates, Fred Thompson is closer to "endangered species" than he is to "top-tier threat." But Mike Huckabee got in a nice little shot at his rival anyway during a news conference here this afternoon.

After speaking to the Detroit Economic Club -- a powerful group of industrial and business leaders -- Huckabee met with reporters in a back room of the Masonic Temple, a grand building in the middle of one of Detroit's toughest neighborhoods.

In response to a question about what happens to the soul of the Republican Party if Huckabee's populism brings in working-class conservatives, Huckabee said, "The soul is once again recaptured as the soul of America. Our party ought to be the party of everybody." Of course, working-class conservatives -- the famous "Reagan Democrats" -- helped put Ronald Reagan in the White House.

Then Huckabee offered a little history, playing off Thompson's mention of Reagan ...

during the Thursday night debate from South Carolina.

"Fred Thompson supported Gerald Ford in 1976 and not Ronald Reagan," Huckabee said. "He supported Howard Baker in 1980 and not Ronald Reagan. I appreciate his recent conversion, but some of us were for Ronald Reagan back in the early days."

And, Huckabee said, Reagan was hardly the establishment candidate:

"He was anything but. He was the candidate that bothered a lot of the establishment Republicans, and they thought he was going to ruin the party. In fact, they thought he already had. Now, he's the icon of the party."

Unmentioned by Huckabee is that "establishment Republicans" aren't exactly Huckabee's demographic either.

It's been nearly 20 years since Reagan was in the White House, and the party is still fighting over who gets to wear his mantle.

-- Scott Martelle

Comments

[David, Oregon City]

Can John McCain pull conservatives together with his prior liberal voting record? No a chance!

Can Fred Thompson pull conservatives together with his prior record absent of designing and improving programs and systems that improved the every day lives of all Americans? No way!

Can Mitt Romney buy the White House? Maybe!

Avoid the elite media’s “Rush”, study Mike Huckabee’s real record, and support “Huck” early!

[Winghunter]

Somebody let the Huckster in on some very badly held secrets. We know Reagan was wrong to offer amnesty to illegals so, in spite of the overwhelming majority of all Americans, why does he insist on comtinuing to draw them here??

Reagan was in favor of the smallest government possible so, why is the Huckster threatening to build far beyond what it is now??

These and many more questions with the same obvious answers can be found here;
Candidate Research - Know Who You're Voting For ( The Easy Way )
http://sayanythingblog.com/readers/entry/candidate_research_know_who_youre_voting_for/

Mike Huckabee is no republican, let alone, a conservative and he's using the mask of his faith to pander votes...do not be fooled by this con artist.

[Paul Thompson]

By lifting up all the people...those on top of the economic scale will rise, also.

Huckabee is the best choice of all Americans to lead us, politically, morally, economically! Peace and Prosperity...that's his message.

Go Huck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[gao xia en]

These voters aren't voting for Huckabee, they're voting for Jesus (they think).

[David Anderson]

Mike Huckabee is the right man for America. He has everything going for him: relative youth and lots of energy (works 18 hour days), high intelligence (magna cum laude), truckloads of character (he doesn't shift positions with the wind), fabulous communication ability (like Ronald Reagan), a quick wit ("Jesus was way too smart to ever run for political office"), and a history of successful governing experience (re-elected as governor of Arkansas). He has taken the high road in the campaign while Flip Romney and Mumbles Thompson have tried to elevate themselves by demeaning everyone else. John McCain is a good man but he will be 72 years old. Rudy Giuliani is slipping and probably can't win the general election because of his ties to the current administration. Only Huckabee can beat the Democrats: they will not be able to paint him as a pawn of big business even though he is a true conservative.

[stlpatriot]

Comparing Huckabee with Ronald Reagan is like comparing Rosie O'Donnell and Margaret Thatcher...

Go to the link Winghunter left us, find out for yourselves, minus all the propaganda..

[Dan Campbell]

I love the momentum in which Mike Huckabee is going!

Mike Huckabee is for the people of America. I was only moderately interested in politics before I followed Mike. Now I know I am a Republican. Mike Huckabee is an icon for a new America.

Mike Huckabee is called an authentic conservative by everyone. I also like to call him an authentic human being.

I like Mike! And me and my family will drop Huckabee ballots in boxes across the Nation!

[Ronald W. Sprague]

I hear a lot of gaff about the comparisons of Mike Huckabee and other people
I.E. Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, etc. but the fact is that Mike Huckabee is nome of these, he is a unique individual in American politics that can trulely unite this country and give us back soveignty to the United States and let us (common people) get out from under the tyranny of multi-national corporations that are shipping our jobs out of this country, and perhaps we can say "WE THE PEOPLE".

[liz48]

I read today that John McCain was sending pictures of his wife adopting a baby to make the point that he supports adoption. I cannot understand how this speaks to the senator's position on abortion. As far as I know he has supported free choice for abortion. Am I wrong? Would appreciate a fact supported comment on this. Also, the senator's views on gay marriage. I have not heard these issues debated.

(The McCain photo is actually political defense. Since you bring it up, I'm going to write an item on it this weekend. Yes, the McCains do support adoptions. But in short, McCain's S. Carolina opponents in 2000 spread rumors that he had fathered an illegitimate black child. There was no time to explain back then that this dark-skinned youngster was actually fathered by someone in Bangladesh and the McCains adopted her from an orphanage of Mother Teresa's. Watch this space for a fuller explanation later.)

[EW Dedelow]

If either Huckabee or McCain are the Republican nominee, because of their liberalisms they won't stand a chance against either Democrat. Conservatives won’t support their liberal ideas and Democrats and the media will tear them apart for it.

[David]

Michigan & South Carolina,

America’s only choice for President is clear. Don’t be suckered in by the elite media’s propaganda. Tens of millions of dollars was donated by Wall Street to purchase the White House in this election. Some candidates are just too old or too liberal to win. Please remember, the rest of the country is waiting and depending on you (Michigan & South Carolina) to give us the opportunity to elect Huckabee and say no to big government, Wall Street, and the elite media. Those Americans who never had a set at the table, who don’t have the big money or a voice in this election are waiting to cast their vote for Mike Huckabee. Please provide America’s true conservatives the opportunity to vote with you and elect Mike Huckabee President. No more Presidents from Camelot!

[Lori P]

Mike Huckabee is as liberal a republican as they come when it comes to EVERYTHING other than social issues. He raised taxes by 500 million in AK to "help the children and fix the roads", he pardoned over 1000 convicted felons, lobbied aggressively for the addition of a Mexican consulate in Little Rock, at the taxpayers expense of course. This consulate served as a resource for illegal immigrants living in Arkansas, and some Huckabee opponents claim it drew additional illegal immigrants to the state. Mike Huckabee said that we should follow the "golden rule" when it comes to fighting terrorism... I'm sorry, but terrorists do not appreciate the golden rule.
We don't need a guy that will make the federal government even bigger. Mike Huckabee will definitely do that and makes us less safe in the War on terror in the process.
Do true conservatives really want this guy as President???
Thompson is the ONLY true conservative in the race both socially and economically with an 86% conservative rating (the highest of all the candidates) and consistent on right to life issues, lowering taxes and spending and strong on national defense.
I hope everyone will wake up and realize this before it's too late. We don't need a great Chuck Norris sidekick in the White House, we need a leader. We need Thompson.

[EDG]

He is surging at a very good time for his campaign if he did it during the states that were already leaning towards other candidates it would be hard to maintain momentum... waiting until now in what amounts to his kind of stomping grounds for a big push might just be political genius.

[Andrew Davis]

Winghunter, like Fred, is just taking cheap shots. Huckabee is not "threatening" to grow government far beyond what it is now.

Huckabee's philosophy on the federal government is a Jeffersonian, not Hamiltonian one. He wants to give back as much power to the states as possible (except on a few notable issues like abortion and smoking). He wants to enable governors like himself to do the best job they can for their own states.

One of the biggest and boldest ideas Huck is pushing is the FairTax. If ever there was a huge, nanny-statish, meddling-in-peoples-everyday-lives part of the government, it is the IRS-- and Huck wants to do away with it in one fell blow! Not everyone would win big under the FairTax, but the tax system will no longer be the tool of the bureaucrats to run our lives. And it will eliminate 300 BILLION dollars of wasted energy each year.

As for your bundle of links, WingHunter, it's more of the same one-dimensional, panicky attacks that Huckabee has for the most part answered and addressed. But the attackers don't seem to be interested in his answers nor in looking at the big picture. They are only interested in playing "gotcha" in a desperate attempt to get rid of this "liberal Jesus-freak ignoramus Democrat hick insurgent".

[Andrew Davis]

And, WingHunter, may I dare to say that your attacks are backfiring?

They may help cement the opinions of those who have already decided to close their mind to Huckabee.

But to those who truly still have their mind open, it is rather repulsive. I was one of those. I first wrote Huckabee off as a 2nd-tier candidate. During the "Huckaboom" I got interested and started reading more. Then, I got turned off to him by some of the attacks against him. Nevertheless, the attacks kept getting more and more shrill. I decided, "This man can't be as bad as all THAT." The very intensity of the attacks made me skeptical about them. After investigating more about Huckabee on my own, I discovered most of the attacks are false or misleading.

But more than that, the attacks pushed me to learn more about Huckabee. The more I was exposed to him, the more I liked him. At one point I had the Eureka moment when I realized that not only is this guy pretty solidly conservative, he is a great communicator, an inspiring person, a great campaigner, and a stereotype buster. He's truly a new force on the scene, and everyone who underestimates him is making a big mistake.

I realized, this is the guy who can finally get our message out to so many people who have their ears closed to other Republicans. He may use unconventional language for a Republican-- and this is what really freaks hardcore conservatives out. But he's talking a language many people understand. He will be the one to create the next big Republican coalition, unless the Republicans who feel threatened by it manage to assassinate him politically.

However, I don't see it happening. As I said, the more they attack, the more it backfires.

[Andy R]

"Huckabee, a Baptist minister, also met with about 100 pastors to help develop an evangelical network similar to the one that helped him defeat Romney in Iowa's leadoff caucuses."

Anyone observing political intervention by any tax-exempt 510 (c)(3) religious organization should write to

Linda E. Stiff
Acting Commissioner
Internal Revenue Service
1111 Constitution Ave NW
Washington, DC 20224

Please provide contact details for the organization and its officers and give details of its political activities, then ask that the IRS:

(1) Initiate tax inquiry proceedings with the organization under IRC section 7611 to determine whether its tax-exempt status should be revoked;

(2) Determine whether the organization and any of its managers should be assessed taxes under section 4955 based on the organization's political expenditures; and

(3) Notify the organization of its intention to seek an injunction, pursuant to IRC section 7409, if the organization's flagrant political campaign activities do not cease immediately.

[Dan Campbell]

It is time to do our part in helping Governor Huckabee get to the White House. Mike has inspired us, so we should bless him!

Lets give just $44 dollars more to help get our 44th President of the United States elected! I stated by making the first $44 dollar donation. He needs our help more than ever.

Please donate here at Governor Huckabee's website. Thanks and God Bless!:

https://www.mikehuckabee.com/?FuseAction=Contribute.Home&r=2591

Dan Campbell
Sgt., USMC

[Giant Robot]

Alert *** Alert *** Alert ***

McCain, Romney, Thompson, Guiliani, Paul = 2 years
Huckabee = Only 3 weeks

That's how long it would take you to save up for a brand new 60^ LCD / Plasma Flat Screen TV with reclining chair and large cup holder for your nice cold beverage if they were President.

Huckabee is the ONLY one willing to scrap the IRS red tape and switch to the Fair tax. The Fair tax allows you to keep 100% of your paycheck, not 70% you keep of it now. If you make say $75,000 year then your paycheck rises by $325 per week and in ONLY 3 weeks you can buy that awesome 60" LCD / Plasma TV to watch your favorite TV shows (Super Bowl, World Series, World Championship, Indianpolis 500, Olympics, etc...)

If you do not mind flushing an extra $325 every week down the toliet, then go ahead and vote for McCain, Romney, Thompson, Guiliani and Paul want to keep the current tax system. That gives them far less pressure to be try to run a lean government.

The Fair Tax can ONLY happen if you and your friends and family vote for Huckabee. He is the ONLY presidentail candidate commiting to this for the American people. Would you rather flush $325 every week down the toliet or would you rather save that up in ONLY 3 weeks and get that brand new 60" LCD / Plasma high definition TV with recliner and cup holder! :)

Vote for McCain, Romney, Thompson, Guiliani and Paul if you want to become Poorer.

VOTE FOR HUCKABEE if you want to become Richer!!!

[Alan]

Ronald Reagan said:
"Without God, there is no virtue, because there's no prompting of the conscience. Without God, we're mired in the material, that flat world that tells us only what the senses perceive. Without God, there is a coarsening of the society. And without God, democracy will not and cannot long endure. If we ever forget that we're one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under." -- Remarks at an Ecumenical Prayer Breakfast in Dallas, Texas, 23 August 1984 (President RONALD WILSON REAGAN)
Reagan was an effective president because he was an effective governor. Vote for a candidate that is balanced, both a staunch social and fiscal conservative with proven executive experience as governor TWICE. Governor MIKE HUCKABEE is the sensible choice.

[Preston]

I'm not voting for a pastor, I'm voting for the leader of the free world - and not an open border, tax-hiker who believes that his religion gives him the okay to raise my taxes for "the children". I'm sure Mr. Huckabee is a good man, but he'll be a nightmare on the illegal alien issue, taxes, and even national defense.

I know running for office is much about how well candidates "do TV" as how they articulate their message, but I'm yet to hear Mr. Huckabee explain why he raised taxes in Arkansas to the tune of $500 million, gave in-state tuition to illegal aliens, allowed the government of Mexico to open a consulate in Arkansas to allow them to litigate on behalf of illegals, and released more prisoners then the three previous governors combined. How about wanting to close Gitmo and bring enemy combatants/terrorists responsible for killing my comrades in arms to the US to enjoy our legal system? Imagine the nightmare of clogging our courts with ACLU lawyers defending these murderers?

Smooth talk and one-liners don't work with me. Explain yourself Governor.

Preston Thomas
US Air Force

[Megan]

While Huckabee spent HIS time as Governor raising their taxes of $500 million...Fred Thompson saved the US taxpayers over $2 BILLION in one year alone. Exactly "who" do you want deciding how to spend your money??