Arkansas Editorial Says Mike Huckabee Is Closest of all Candidates to Hillary Clinton

A recent editorial (Sept. 10, 07) entitled "Hillary vs. Huckabee?" in the Arkansas paper, The Leader, begins by saying:

"Mike Huckabee said on ABC’s 'This Week with George Stephanopoulos' that he would be the Republicans’ best candidate because his record contrasted the most sharply with hers. Our former governor might be the GOP’s best candidate against Sen. Clinton, at least among the present and forthcoming challengers, but his strength would be that he is closest to, not farthest from, Sen. Clinton on the issues and their records...

"Huckabee demanded wholesale and immediate school consolidation and abolished more than 50 of them in one swoop. He wanted more than 100 other school districts consolidated but the legislature balked. Does he dare boast about that?Taxes? Huckabee raised them considerably more in 10 years than Clinton did in 12. Clinton vetoed a 4-cent-a-gallon gasoline tax, and it passed over his veto." For rest of The Leader's article see this link: http://www.arkansasleader.com:80/2007/09/editorialshillary-vs-huckabee.html

The Leader's editorial reminds me of one of Arkansas's best known liberal writer John Brummett's article, February 1, 2000 in which he says the following:

"As it happens, Huckabee governs about as Clinton governed, and Boozman [Huckabee's appointee] directs the state Health Department about as Dr. Joycelyn Elders directed it, save the brutal and over-the-top rhetoric...The state's leading liberal Democratic journal (the only one), the weekly Arkansas Times at Little Rock, has in recent issues put Boozman on the cover and suggested it might have been wrong about him and put Huckabee on the cover as 'Arkansan of the Year' and extolled his Clintonesque moderation.

"His moderation is evident in that his most touted program is a form of liberal-lite. It is the expanded and modified Medicaid for kids in families of the working poor that he calls ARKids First. In another article Brummett had this to say " Mike Huckabee, despite his rhetoric and religious conservatism, has been more of a moderate progressive, like modern Democrats, at least in a broad historical context encompassing race and immigration and spending."

Quotes from other Arkansas articles that support the thesis that Mike Huckabee Is Closest of all Candidates to Hillary Clinton:

Huckabee's pro illegal alien agenda- unbelievable!

· See following link for n Arkansas newspaper articles that outline Huckabee's pro illegal alien agenda. One quote from the article will give you an idea: "Gov. Mike Huckabee said Thursday that a bill to deny state government benefits and voting rights to illegal immigrants is 'inflammatory... race-baiting and demagoguery.' He challenged the Christian values of its main sponsor." We don't believe that Hillary could do any better! http://www.wpaag.org/Huckabee%20pro%20illegal%20alien%20agenda%20-%20unbelievable.htm

Government Control

· As an example of Huckabee's idea of government control vs local control, he actually called for superintendents to be appointed by the State Department of Education, saying in his educational plan, A superintendent, who will have the authority to hire and fire principals and central office staff, will administer each district. The authority to hire and fire the superintendent will rest with the director of the state Department of Education, [whom Huckabee appoints]. Only Hillary Clinton could dream of such arrogance and power.

For this and other such outrageous government control ideas from Governor Huckabee's own paper on education , see this link: http://www.wpaag.org/Huckabee's%20Ed.%20Plan%20-2%20Parts.htm Also see this link with numerous examples of how Huckabee and his appointed Director of Arkansas Department of Education did a better job than Hillary in government takeover of the schools in Arkansas. http://www.wpaag.org/Simon%20Appointment%20Cause%20for%20Concern.htm

For rest of this article that discusses Huckabee actions on Health Care, ARKids first, article opposing prayer in schools, taxes,etc. see this link: http://www.wpaag.org/Huckabee%20-%20closest%20to%20Hillary%20of%20all%20candidates.htm or click on Monday below; or if sent here, just scroll down.