It’s no secret to anyone who frequents this blog that I’m supporting Mike Huckabee for President. It’s also no secret to anyone who listens to talk radio that there are virtually no conservative talk show hosts who do. On the contrary, many of them are openly trying to derail his candidacy. I stopped listening to Mark Levin on my evening commute for that very reason. Every time I turned on his show, it seemed like a non-stop barrage about bad Mike Huckabee and John McCain are for the Republican Party. From what I’ve heard, Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity are hardly any better, although I haven’t been listening to them much lately either.
Are these relentless attacks on Huckabee having the desired effect? Not for at least one other erstwhile listener. I discovered this comment posted on a Reuters article about Huckabee gaining on Giuliani in the California race (posted by d_sh9456 on December 20, 2007, 7:32 PM):
“For the first time I have moved away from the conservative ‘Dark Side’ and now support Mike Huckabee for President. Just too many power hungry conservative Talk Show Hosts supporting the Wall Street Power Brokers and their candidates. Mike Huckabee has single handedly moved the election system into the light for all true conservatives and Americans by removing the ‘For Sale’ sign from Washington DC.”
I’m old enough to remember 20 years ago when Rush Limbaugh first went national. The immediate appeal of his show was not that he was telling people how to think, but rather that he was articulating the same perspective that so many of us already held but had never heard anyone voice before in the national media. We listened to him because he was one of us. The media elites eventually realized they could make a bundle of money by replicating his formula, and scores of Rush Limbaugh wannabes hit the airwaves.
Now fast forward to 2008. Along comes a presidential candidate who isn’t driven by focus groups or forced into the cookie-cutter Madison Avenue mold of what a presidential candidate should be like. The elites aren’t supporting him because he refuses to kowtow to them. He offers a tax proposal that would reward productivity but rob them of their precious tax shelters. His faith is not just a prop to gain the evangelical vote; he really believes. He cares more for the people on Main Street than the people on Wall Street. In short, Mike Huckabee speaks to so many of us because, like Rush two decades earlier, he’s saying what we believe at a time when everyone else is telling us that what we believe doesn’t matter.
I suspect that many, if not most, of the conservative talk show hosts will continue to attack Mike Huckabee until he either drops out of the race or surprises them all and wins the nomination. But the unintended consequence may be this: How many of us will still be listening?
He cares more for the people on Main Street than the people on Wall Street.
There in lies the problem. It’s not the job of the president to care about the people on the street, the economy is. I’ve not heard so much bashing of Huck, as I have just basic distrust. Which is where I am. I’m just afraid he’s closer to a lib at heart than a conservative.
His faith is not just a prop to gain the evangelical vote; he really believes.
And here lies the roots of the mistrust. I believe firmly in the separation clause, (as wrote by the founders). I’m afraid from some of his pardons while govenor, and other things, that while liberal might be to strong a word, fear that he might be compassionate beyond the role of government might be his downfall among many. It is for me.
On Sirus radio by the way, on the Patriot channel, you will find more support amoung many hosts.
And speaking of Mark Levin, can you believe that they took Mike Savage off the air, I hear he is late night now.
Excuse some of the spelling. I’m at work and have a sticky keyboard.
It’s not the job of the president to care about the people on the street, the economy is.
Perhaps “care about” is too sentimental a phrase. How about “look out for”? The Fair Tax looks out for everyone involved in the economy (from the worker to the small business owner to the largest corporation) by not penalizing productivity. The worker isn’t penalized for working a 60-hour week or two jobs. The small business owner isn’t penalized by having to pass on the cost of taxes on to the consumer, making his goods or services less competitive with foreign sweat shops. And the large corporation isn’t penalized by having to move their operations offshore in order to avoid those same taxes.
The reason big business isn’t as enthusiastic about the Fair Tax is because they’ve already spent time, effort, and money into setting up tax shelters offshore and getting legislators to write exemptions into the tax code. But in the long run, the Fair Tax will benefit everyone; the worker will have more take home pay, the small businessman will be able to keep up with overseas competitors, and corporations will be able to move their operations back to the USA, which will decrease transportation costs and provide infrastructure that can’t be nationalized by the next foreign dictator who comes along.
In addition, by taxing consumption drug dealers, prostitutes, pimps, and anyone who works “under the table” will wind up paying taxes every time they buy something other than the necessities of life. The only other people who will lose out are the accountants and tax lawyers, and I’ve never had much sympathy for any of them.
I believe firmly in the separation clause, (as wrote by the founders).
There is no “separation clause” – There’s an Establishment Clause (“Congress shall pass no law respecting an establishment of religion”) and a Free Exercise Clause (“or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”). Huckabee doesn’t want to make the Southern Baptist Church the established church of the U.S. He does want people to be able to exercise their own religion (or no religion, if they so choose). In this sense, he’s an originalist.
By the same token, the Founding Fathers understood the centrality of religion in maintaining the morality of the nation. In his Farewell Address, George Washington said, “Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason, and experience both forbids us to expect that National morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.” And he wasn’t the only one – here’s a pretty good synopsis of this influence on the Founding Fathers:
http://www.lawandliberty.org/founders.htm
Perhaps “care about” is too sentimental a phrase. How about “look out for”?
I love the idea of the flat tax especially if the states are also forced to go that way. I would love to see the looks on peoples faces when they by some $20.00 item at walmart, And see $20.00 in taxes. Aall the stuff we pay anyway that is just hidden. But I was speaking of a fear of supporting welfare and other giveaways. I should have been more clear.
There is no “separation clause”
You got me there. I of course know that, remember the David Barton vid we watched?
But point was the same as above, I fear he will be to caring for those who choose not to work. And again, I think Christian ideals got in his way with the pardons of some really vicious felons in Ark.
But I was speaking of a fear of supporting welfare and other giveaways … I fear he will be to caring for those who choose not to work.
“Since he became Governor in July 1996, welfare rolls have declined by nearly half, and last year [2004] the state’s economy grew 4.4%, beating the national average of 4.2%.”
Source: TIME Magazine, “America’s 5 Best Governors”, 11/13/05
Here’s the link:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1129494,00.html
Much of the tax increases in Arkansas during Huckabee’s tenure were for roads (went from the worst to the most improved)and education (went from 49th to 8th in the nation). I consider fixing potholes and educating kids to be legitimate functions of the government.
No Doubt about the roads. I frenquently drove I-40 from Maryland to here. Ark was for most of that time truely horrendous as far as the roads. Then suddenly they were very good. Definetly a good job there.
I’ll never understand the thinking of the American lemmings. It’s sports for four years, then decisions based on nothing but what the MSM pumps out to a generally politically uneducated, and uncaring public. Few that vote have the slightest idea of what the three branches of government do (my expeariance from talking to people at work). They only know what the fourth unofficial branch of government, and the real power says. The MSM that primarily is setting up a Hillary victory. It is fustrating.
http://youdecide08.foxnews.com/2008/01/20/south-carolina-republican-exit-poll-results/
I’m supporting Huckabee and am also mystified by the turn taken by the Christian conservative’s best friends in the right wing media. Turns out they’re false friends who sell us trinkets until a candidate who promises to advance our agenda comes along and they cut him off at the knees. Trying to do what I can to help the Huckabee effort I’ve made a cartoon for the occasion. Considering your article you may. Thank you.
http://mysite.verizon.net/vze243f3/outoforder/
I’ve predicted this myself in another post. The MSM is setting Hillary up for a win, it’s what they want.
I like Huckabee as a man but fear he would be to much like a liberal if elected. It would be moral liberalism unlike the immoral liberalism from the left. I think Most would agree Romney has done more flip flopping than even Kerry or Clinton. McCain, while I have great respect for him and what he went through in Vietnam, I feel he’s unpredictable and probably not quite right.
I think the press has him figured as the best bet to lose against Hillary. Trouble for the press is the obamma issue. They can’t attack him like the do the right because of their own PC garbage. They want Hillary but being unable to say anything bad about a black makes him a huge thorn in their sides.
And by the way the cartoon is great. I becomee more and more aangered my seelf at the number of book’s being pushed, plus signing up to bee a Medhead or get the Rush newsletter or whatever, all of course at an extra cost. It does indeed make the content of the entire show questionable.