Mike Huckabee blogger conference call
I just got off a blogger conference call with Mike Huckabee and I would like to share the question I asked and the Governor’s response. This was my first conference call with the Governor and I openly admit, I was shaking like a leaf. There were several good questions, but I will have to limit myself to the one I asked and the one asked by Kevin Tracy. I was focused so much on listening for cue to ask a question, I didn’t take notes on the rest of them.
Kevin Tracy wanted Huckabee to clarify his position on school vouchers. He answered simply that he was for them, at the state level, but did not believe the federal government should mandate them. He also explained he did not push for them in Arkansas because the Christian education community did not want them and then be under mandates from the government. I invite you to visit Kevin’s blog and read Governor Huckabee’s answer for yourself. It destroyed one more weapon some people were using against him.
The question I asked was about Huckabee’s policy of vertical politics. He has stressed so much about getting out of the political stalemate our country has been in and I asked him what his important first steps would be to achieve that goal, once he is in the White House. He answered that his first action would be to go into the Oval office and get on his knees, praying for God’s guidance in the task ahead. He then said he believed he would need to start going to Congress and building relationships that would stop the partisan atmosphere. He also mentioned going to the American people, which is exactly what Ronald Reagan did when he was elected President.
More than ever, I am convinced Mike Huckabee knows what is needed to move this country back in the right direction and he knows the steps he will need to take to get the job accomplished. If you have any questions about Mike Huckabee, please visit his website and read the articles on how he stands on the issues. You will be pleasantly surprised.
That’s my take!
Larry
Larry,
Huckabee has an answer for everything, he’s as slick as Bill Clinton, maybe even better. Do some homework, the NEA is no friend of the Republican Party. But you’ll never listen. The more he talked in last nights debate the more he sounded like a Democrat. He raised taxes for the “childern” to fix the roads the “children” would be driving on – what? That sounds as familar as the S-CHIP debate that just took place in Congress. Conservatism isn’t easy. It requires faith in the American People, and self governance. It takes courage to lower taxes to encourage revenue, but you’ll never listen. I know he says he lowered taxes 94 times, but his gov’t grew by 500B by the time he left office. So since you want do your homework, read ….
http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/2008/01/09/DavidJSanders/344761.html
It is obvious who you are supporting and I hesitate to even try to refute your arguements because I know there isn’t a chance I will change your mind about Mike Huckabee. However, let me give it a shot.
I believe myself to be conservative, both socially and fiscally. I do not like taxes any more than any other conservative, but there are times when taxes are a necessary thing to have. If it were not for a small increase in our local sales tax, the small town where I live would not have the quality water supply we now have and would have to depend on a larger city to supply our water, at their discretion. That being said, I didn’t have a problem voting for that increase.
When you look at Huckabee’s record as Governor of Arkansas, it is clear he did raise some taxes, along with the taxes he cut. Some of those taxes were basically mandated by the Arkansas State Supreme Court to improve the funding of the Arkansas schools. Some of those taxes were approved by an 80% margin of the voters of Arkansas because they were tired of driving on roads that were falling apart. I believe Huckabee’s main “fault” (as I am sure you and others would say) is that he took his job seriously and governed the state, instead of doing the easy thing and just let things go on the way they had while Bill Clinton and Jim Guy Tucker were in office.
As for my homework, that has been done already and I see nothing to prevent me from supporting Mike Huckabee for President. I have read the link you provided and there is no new information in it that has not already been addressed by the Huckabee campaign. I realize you are supporting Fred Thompson, but I would urge you to not let him or anyone else define what kind of President Huckabee would be. Maybe you should do some homework of your own.
Larry, thank you for getting this question answered and posting it.
We liked it so much we featured it on the Huckabee Momentum weblog:
http://huckabeemomentum.com/newsroom/2008/01/setting-record-straight-on-school.htm
Andrew,
Actually, Kevin Tracy is the one who asked the question about school vouchers. I only posted what he asked and linked to his own article. Thanks for posting it on your site.
I like Huckabee because he answers questions honestly and holistically instead of just regurgitating Republican ideology. He thinks independently. I am a social conservative, fiscal moderate, and I’m very pro-defense/national security. I can’t stand greedy Republicans who only care about the bottom line and care about nothing else or no one else. I think they are very selfish. In that case, I’d rather spend time with a bleeding heart liberal. At least you can say they care about something outside of themselves.
I have to agree with Larry on the tax issue. Taxes are a neccessary. Huckabee was in a terrible position and did the best he could (may I remind you he had a democrate controlled house).
Yes, he raised some taxes: but he was required to by the Arkansas Court (are you suggesting he should have ignored them?) and also, so were taxes the people voted for (should he have ignored them?);
He raised taxes for needful things, did his best to keep spending semi under control, and reduced tax burdens when he could.
I have been a republican all my life and I can’t beleive what the party has come to . The focus has been put on the Economy,the war,health care, and a list of other things of the days worries. what about GOD if we would just humble are selves and get on are knees and ask GOD his word says he will heel are land.
Well what part don’t we understand?
all these other things will be added onto us when that happens.
This is all from GOD to get us back to where we need to be.
What this country needs is Pastor Mike Huckabee to lead us back
We all ready have a savior in Jesus.
Lets keep are eyes on the sun not on the woman or man
Some extreme conservatives have become so dogmatic about lower taxes that they have gone off the deep end.
They don’t think there is ANY legitimate reason to EVER raise taxes.
Never mind that Huckabee’s philosophy is completely consistent with a conservative, federalist approach.
Things like education and infrastructure are LEGITIMATE government functions at the state and local level. They are less legitimate at the federal level, and Huckabee recognizes that. He wants to lower federal taxes and revert control to the states and local governments to do what is best for themselves. He talks about how the 50 states are “experiments in democracy”… taking control away from them and centralizing it will mean we have that much less experimentation going on.
And I’m tired of this spending canard. Spending in Arkansas rose 47% over an 11-year period. That’s supposed to SHOCK us at how much Huckabee spent. However, they never give the big picture. Over that 11-year period, population grew about 15%, and wages per capita rose about 50%.
The knockout statistic is this: during that same 11-year period, spending across the 50 states rose by 98%. In other words, Huckabee raised spending HALF as slow as the average state! I don’t see how you could call him anything but a fiscal conservative, a good steward with the taxpayer’s money.
I meant to say, Huckabee raised spending HALF as fast… not HALF as slow.