Huckabee : Liberal or Conservative Governor?
Wow. There is quite a hot dispute going on over just how conservative Governor Mike Huckabee has been in his 10 1/2 year reign.
In this interesting article by Aaron Sadler, Huckabee declares himself and his administration like this, ""If they look at my record over 10-and-a-half years, when I walk out this door, there's never been a more conservative governor in the history of Arkansas."
The conservative Club for Growth looks at that same record and disagrees. They describe Huckabee as "a liberal" for the large increases in social programs and substantial growth in government that have occured on his watch.
Former State Senator Peggy Jeffries of Fort Smith agrees. She is quoted as saying, "This governor has had 10 years to plan and promote his agenda, and he has not only not chosen a conservative policy in most areas, but he demeans those who attempt to hold the line on the growth of government and the increase of taxes,". Like I said, WOW. Jeffries is a Republican who was actually the Party's state committeewoman until this June.
Sadler note that Michael Dougan, a former Arkansas State University history professor and author of the history book Arkansas Odyssey, said expanding government has been status quo for the governor.
"The only thing he has managed to cut in his years in office has been his weight," Dougan said.
The Governor takes a hit for pushing for a state-wide smoking ban, which some complain is government infringement on the personal property rights of individuals. The Governor's position is that the health of other individuals outweighs any property rights a business owner might have and justifies state intervention. He answers conservative critics of his support for a state minimum wage increase by saying that it diffused an even worse proposal from making it to the ballot in November.
What is my opinion? I remember how bad it was before Mike Huckabee got here, so compared to that we don't have much to complain about. Still, conservatives hoped for a higher standard than being a better Governor than Bill Clinton and Jim Guy Tucker. On the pro-life issue, the Governor has been if not great at least very good. On car tags and streamlining that process he actually was great. On everything else, Mike Huckabee's 10 1/2 have been a sad disapointment and a time of lost opportunities.
Now, what is your assessment?
In this interesting article by Aaron Sadler, Huckabee declares himself and his administration like this, ""If they look at my record over 10-and-a-half years, when I walk out this door, there's never been a more conservative governor in the history of Arkansas."
The conservative Club for Growth looks at that same record and disagrees. They describe Huckabee as "a liberal" for the large increases in social programs and substantial growth in government that have occured on his watch.
Former State Senator Peggy Jeffries of Fort Smith agrees. She is quoted as saying, "This governor has had 10 years to plan and promote his agenda, and he has not only not chosen a conservative policy in most areas, but he demeans those who attempt to hold the line on the growth of government and the increase of taxes,". Like I said, WOW. Jeffries is a Republican who was actually the Party's state committeewoman until this June.
Sadler note that Michael Dougan, a former Arkansas State University history professor and author of the history book Arkansas Odyssey, said expanding government has been status quo for the governor.
"The only thing he has managed to cut in his years in office has been his weight," Dougan said.
The Governor takes a hit for pushing for a state-wide smoking ban, which some complain is government infringement on the personal property rights of individuals. The Governor's position is that the health of other individuals outweighs any property rights a business owner might have and justifies state intervention. He answers conservative critics of his support for a state minimum wage increase by saying that it diffused an even worse proposal from making it to the ballot in November.
What is my opinion? I remember how bad it was before Mike Huckabee got here, so compared to that we don't have much to complain about. Still, conservatives hoped for a higher standard than being a better Governor than Bill Clinton and Jim Guy Tucker. On the pro-life issue, the Governor has been if not great at least very good. On car tags and streamlining that process he actually was great. On everything else, Mike Huckabee's 10 1/2 have been a sad disapointment and a time of lost opportunities.
Now, what is your assessment?
posted by Mark Moore (Moderator) at Thursday, April 13, 2006
13 Comments:
He's a socialist. Some say Huckabee is moderating/liberalizing himself to be more appealing to a national audience. I don't know whether that's true or not, but he was a big spending government control freak long before the whispers of presidential aspiration were common around the state.
I agree that a break from the Dem Clinton/Tucker era was worth swapping Dem socialists for a Republican socialist, but there has not been much else to be happy about over the last decade.
That talk about cutting off support for a ballot initiative is boloney, simply an excuse for weak-kneed Republicans who didn't want to go against the gov on this.
Why didn't they spend their political capital fighting the ballot initiative instead of defending a socialist vote? They'd rather risk making us angry rather than making the gov angry.
Arkansas continues to be a place of handicap for small business owners.
"Start your business in Arkansas! You and your customers can't smoke, and you have to pay your employees over a buck more per hour than in the surrounding states, but trust us, you'll like it here!"
Man, I bet the restaurant owners just across our borders all around are rubbing their palms together over this.
Huckabee is good. Some people don't seem to understand how politics works. On the minimum wage issue it was either the horrible horrible constitutional amendment or a one time raise. I think a minimum wage is stupid but it is a whole lot better than the alternative.
Huckabee has a strong stance on health reform. If you look at what health care entails in this country and state it is foresight to stem the decline of health and the growth of health costs.
If (if) second-hand smoke really does a lot of damage to folk's health then he is more than justified in his ban.
Huckabee is a great politician and I am proud to have him as my governor. The people who deride him are the same ones who think that compromise is immoral. Sometimes you have to acknowledge the fact that there is another side, and that side is actually more infuential than we are in this state.
It is not compromise that is bad, but its direction. They should be compromising with US to make government progressively smaller at a rate not as fast as we would like. Instead, we compromise with them to keep growing government not quite as fast as they would like.
Huck is a pro-life liberal.
Compromise on some things is definitely bad, but it's repackaged and called a virtue by the majority of spineless politicians who lack conviction (the TRUE virtue). There are so few who can stand their ground under the tremendous political pressure exerted by socialists like Huckabee.
"...socialists like Huckabee"
I am going on a real far, thin , flimsy limb and say you are going for Holt.
Wow, I have nothing else to say, except that I am surprised that people who say things like that also have the capabilities to operate a computer.
Why does every thread here have to turn into an attack on Holt?
Huck has hit on the perfect solution to conservative/liberal philosophies. Just call what you do conservative, regardless of what the truth is.
Everyone on here bashing Huckabee, I just want to know, did you vote for him?
No one's biting. What's the point in that question?
commuting the sentences of meth dealers...
http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/2006/04/14/News/335601.html
I have been looking for sites like this for a long time. Thank you! »
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