Huckabee…A Dark Horse?
October 25, 2007
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Mike Huckabee, the affable, always smiling, witty nice guy - former Governor of Arkansas is starting to surprise some that write about politics and those that have been closely following the goings on with the Presidential first and second tier candidates currently on the campaign trail.
NewsMax.com has a brief article this morning discussing Mr. Huckabee.
Huckabee Shows Amazing Strength
Most of the attention in the GOP presidential race has been focused on front-runners Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney, but Mike Huckabee has risen to the top of the second-tier candidates and now has what one political observer calls “the potential to surprise” in New Hampshire.
Huckabee’s success is making waves because he has spent little on advertising, has limited campaign resources, and was a relatively unknown name before entering the presidential race.
Now, Sen. Sam Brownback’s recent withdrawal from the Republican race has given Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, “a clearer path to court religious voters,” columnist Scot Lehigh notes in the Boston Globe. But Huckabee seems to appeal beyond religious voters.
Political guru Dick Morris tells Newsmax that Huckabee “represents a new phenomenon in politics, a genuinely spiritual and creative person who wants to find new ways to inject a spiritual perspective into policy.”
Morris notes that while Huckabee is “pro life and anti-gay marriage and all the rest” that appeals to GOP social voters, he can’t easily be put in a box.
“He wants to expand the purview of a spiritual influence on policy to other spheres,” Morris said. “For example, rehabilitation of prisoners, opposing childhood obesity, conserving the planet God gave us, teaching the arts in schools to enhance our divine creativity. He is a unique candidate with an appeal that transcends normal political boundaries and is catching on. And, in a world of bought-and-paid-for politics, he has little money but lots of popularity.”
Does Huckabee have a chance to make a decent showing in any of the upcoming primaries? Some political insiders say “yes!” Read more below and don’t be surprised to see and hear more from Mike Huckabee!
Huckabee’s is beginning to show.
Last weekend, Huckabee finished a close second in the values voter online straw poll conducted during the Family Research Council’s conference in Washington, D.C. But among the 952 people who actually attended the conference, Huckabee won in a landslide, garnering 51 percent of the votes, while Romney got just 10 percent and Giuliani, 6 percent.
A recent Rasmussen poll had Huckabee tied for second with Fred Thompson in Iowa, not far behind Romney.
And Huckabee last week got a boost from a favorable column by David Brooks, The New York Times’ influential conservative.
The former Arkansas governor is “down to earth and likable; he’s also an engaging speaker, both smart and funny,” Lehigh writes. “To my eye, both he and Ron Paul, the Texas congressman, have the potential to surprise in the Granite State.”
Chris Cillizza of The Washington Post has also come to admire Huckabee. In his “The Fix” blog, he writes: “Watch him in a debate or travel with him to a series of stump speeches and you see a candidate with real star potential.”
But while voters “may like Huckabee more than they like the rest of the field,” Cillizza notes, “they still don’t seem to think he can win.”
On that front, Ed Failor Jr., a prominent Iowa GOP activist who has not committed to any Republican candidate, told Cillizza: “If all the people who I talk to who say ‘I’d be for Huckabee if I thought he could win’ would actually be for him, he could win Iowa.”
Huckabee believes the U.S. should persevere in Iraq and supports a tax on consumption rather than income — the so-called Fair Tax. “It’s a big idea, and one that will come under scrutiny if his candidacy grows,” Lehigh said, concluding: “In a field where the leading candidates have thus far proved unpalatable or unconvincing to the Republican base, Huckabee is a true believer, a committed, consistent conservative. Now that he’s outrun his second-tier rivals, don’t be surprised to see his candidacy take off.”
Popularity: 13% [?]
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4 Responses to “Huckabee…A Dark Horse?”
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Mike Huckabee is an adroit public speaker; he communicates his message in life-like, cogent terms, with compelling examples like the story he told (at the Ames Straw Poll) of what his then-11-yo daughter entered into the “Comments” section of a Visitors Book after visiting the Yad Vashem holocaust museum: “Why didn’t somebody do something?” Very effective.
Huckabee is all about calling his listeners to “do something,” to awaken them to their own empowerment, and summon them to action in order that “Main Street,” and not “Wall Street,” will prevail in guarding the values and beliefs upon which the Republic was founded.
Huckabee puts his listeners at ease, and reassures them, articulating clear concepts in a natural, easy style (no doubt something well-cultivated as a pastor). He’s not angry or demanding, like a Ron Paul, nor is he as “rigidly-scripted” as Romney, and his large brown eyes peer through a humble demeanor, drawing a striking contrast to a somewhat mechanical-squinty Brownback. One can easily imagine sitting comfortably with this man over a cup of coffee at the Main Street Cafe.
Most importantly, Huckabee convinces many that he is ONE with the FairTax grassroots movement ( http://snipr.com/fthuckabeeonirs ). While many - like Romney, and others, who are invested in the current income tax system - seek to demagog ( http://snipurl.com/taxpanelrebutted ) the well-researched FairTax plan, its acceptance in the professional / academic community ( http://snipurl.com/econsopenletter ) continues to grow. Renown economist Laurence Kotlikoff believes that failure to enact the FairTax - choosing instead to try to “flatten” what he deems to be a non-flattenable income tax system - will eventuate into an irrevocable economic meltdown ( http://snipurl.com/meltdowninprogress ) because of the hidden aspects of the current system that make political accountability impossible.
Romney’s recent WEAK response to FairTax questioning on “This Week with Geo. Stephanopoulos ( http://snipurl.com/stephanopoulosdebate )” drew a sharp contrast between Huckabee and all other presidential front-runners who will not embrace it. Huckabee understands that what’s wrong with the income tax can’t be fixed with “a tap of the hammer, nor a twist of the screwdriver.” That his opponents cling to the destructive Tax Code, the IRS, preserving political power of granting tax favors at continued cost to - and misery of - American families, invigorates his campaign’s raison d’etre.
Of the FairTax, Huckabee asserts that it’s…
• SIMPLE, easy to understand
• EFFICIENT, inexpensive to comply with and doesn’t cause less-than-optimal business decisions for tax minimization purposes
• FAIR, FLAT, and FAMILY FRIENDLY, loophole-free, and everyone pays their share
• LOW TAX RATE is achieved by broad base with no exclusions
• PREDICTABLE, doesn’t change, so financial planning is possible
• UNINTRUSIVE, doesn’t intrude into our personal affairs or limit our liberty
• VISIBLE, not hidden from the public in tax-inflated prices or otherwise
• PRODUCTIVE, rewards - rather than penalizes - work and productivity
A detailed benefits analysis of the plan (from The FairTax Book) explains Huckabee’s ardent advocacy:
For INDIVIDUALS:
• No more tax on income - make as much as you wish
• You receive your full paycheck - no more deductions
• You pay the tax when you buy “at retail” - not “used”
• No more double taxation (e.g. like on current Capital Gains)
• Reduction of “pre-FairTaxed” retail prices by 20%-30%
• Adding back 29.9% FairTax maintains current price levels
• FairTax would constitute 23% portion of new prices
• Every household receives a monthly check, or “pre-bate”
• “Prebate” is “advance tax payback” for monthly consumption to poverty level
• FairTax’s “prebate” ensures progressivity, poverty protection
• Finally, citizens are knowledgeable of what their tax IS
• Elimination of “parasitic” Income Tax industry
• NO MORE IRS. NO MORE FILING OF TAX RETURNS by individuals
• Those possessing illicit forms of income will ALSO pay the FairTax
• Households have more disposable income to purchase goods
• Savings is bolstered with reduction of interest rates
For BUSINESSES:
• Corporate income and payroll taxes revoked under FairTax
• Business compensated for collecting tax at “cash register”
• No more tax-related lawyers, lobbyists on company payrolls
• No more embedded (hidden) income/payroll taxes in prices
• Reduced costs. Competition - not tax policy - drives prices
• Off-shore “tax haven” headquarters can now return to U.S
• No more “favors” from politicians at expense of taxpayers
• Resources go to R&D and study of competition - not taxes
• Marketplace distortions eliminated for fair competition
• US exports increase their share of foreign markets
For THE COUNTRY:
• 7% - 13% economic growth projected in the first year of the FairTax
• Jobs return to the U.S.
• Foreign corporations “set up shop” in the U.S.
• Tax system trends are corrected to “enlarge the pie”
• Larger economic “pie,” means thinner tax rate “slices”
• Initial 23% portion of price is pressured downward as “pie” increases
• No more “closed door” tax deals by politicians and business
• FairTax sets new global standard. Other countries will follow
While passionately supporting FairTax, Huckabee understands that, if elected President, Congress will have to present the bill for his signature. His call to action goes beyond his candidacy, Main Street will have to demand ( http://snipr.com/scrapthecode ) that their legislators deliver the bill.
Ian, thank you for one of the best comments that we have ever received at http://www.libnot.com.
I personally have been disappointed in some of the leading candidates for the Republican side, but will not say anything further than (since endorsing anyone at this stage of the game is not prudent)Huckabee is affable, bright, smart as a whip and conservative. We wish him well!
Thanks again, Ian, please visit again soon.
[...] marriage and all the rest that appeals to GOP social voters, he cant easily be put source: HuckabeeA Dark Horse?, LibNOT - A Conservative Website With Continually Updated Videos, News, and [...]
Just to put some icing on the cake, here’s what Kotlikoff et al say we can expect in a FairTax America:
Prices AFTER FairTax would look SIMILAR to prices BEFORE FairTax - NOT 30% HIGHER - as opponents contend; competition would see to it. The FairTax rate on new items would be 29.9% (on the new, reduced cost of items because business isn’t taxed under FairTax - thus lowering retail prices by 20% to 30%), or 23% of the “tax inclusive” price tag - this is the way INCOME TAX is figured (parts of the total dollar).
The effective tax rate percentages, that different income groups would pay under a FairTax consumption tax, are calculated by crediting the monthly “prebate” (rebate of tax on necessities) against all likely monthly spending of citizen families (1 member, and greater based on figures established by the Dept. of HHS - a single person receiving ~$200/mo. A family of four receiving ~$500, in addition to family earners receiving their WHOLE paycheck). Prof.’s Kotlikoff and Rapson (10/06) have concluded,
(From study: http://snipurl.com/kotcomparetaxrates ) “…the FairTax imposes much lower average taxes on working-age households than does the current system. The FairTax broadens the tax base from what is now primarily a system of labor income taxation to a system that taxes, albeit indirectly, both labor income and existing wealth. By including existing wealth in the effective tax base, much of which is owned by rich and middle-class elderly households, the FairTax is able to tax labor income at a lower effective rate and, thereby, lower the average lifetime tax rates facing working-age Americans.
“Consider, as an example, a single household age 30 earning $50,000. The household’s average tax rate under the current system is 21.1 percent. It’s 13.5 percent under the FairTax. Since the FairTax would preserve the purchasing power of Social Security benefits and also provide a tax rebate, older low-income workers who will live primarily or exclusively on Social Security would be better off. As an example, the average remaining lifetime tax rate for an age 60 married couple with $20,000 of earnings falls from its current value of 7.2 percent to -11.0 percent under the FairTax. As another example, compare the current 24.0 percent remaining lifetime average tax rate of a married age 45 couple with $100,000 in earnings to the 14.7 percent rate that arises under the FairTax.”
Further,
(From study: http://snipurl.com/kotftmacromicro ) “…once one moves to generations postdating the baby boomers there are positive welfare gains for all income groups in each cohort. Under a 23 percent FairTax policy, the poorest members of the generation born in 1990 enjoy a 13.5 percent welfare gain. Their middle-class and rich contemporaries experience 5 and 2 percent welfare gains, respectively. The welfare gains are largest for future generations. Take the cohort born in 2030. The poorest members of this cohort enjoy a huge 26 percent improvement in their well-being. For middle class members of this birth group, there’s a 12 percent welfare gain. And for the richest members of the group, the gain is 5 percent.”
At the end of the 18th Century, America proclaimed its independence from the tax slavery of Britain, and codified our soverignty, self-rule and liberty, as citizens, in the Constitution and Bill of Rights. In 1913, the wealthy elite conspired with politicians to persuade an elitist president (a former president of Princeton University) to buy into a scheme to again make us slaves by signing the Federal Reserve and the Income Tax acts. The Fed would print money, at interest, and the income tax would ultimately be the vehicle to ensure its payment. It would be the bankers who would pat themselves on the back.
President Wilson would later say, “I am a most unhappy man. I have unwittingly ruined my country. A great industrial nation is now controlled by a system of credit. We are no longer a government of free opinion, no longer a government by conviction and the vote of the majority, but a government by the opinion and duress of a small group of dominant men.”
The FairTax movement - and our individual participation in it - is the best hope of changing our “citizen-slave/victim psychology” and restoring our power as “We, The People,” freeholders engaged in free-enterprise. Our “slavemasters” will tell you, “The FairTax is going nowhere.” They do not believe we’re capable of removing the shackles they placed upon us from birth.
Well, we’re scrapping the tax code ( http://snipr.com/scrapthecode ) and intend to see to it that government is paid the way America’s working men and women are paid - when, and because, something is sold.
We’re accomplishing this, by:
• Becoming a recurring donor member of FairTax.org ( http://snipr.com/becomeamember )
• Setting up an automatic, recurring donation to Mike Huckabee’s organization ( http://snipurl.com/give2huckbymail ) through our Bill Pay services, and by
• Informing, and influencing, our family and friends, on and off the Web.
Together, we’re on the way to making April 15th just another pretty Spring day.
(Permission is granted to reproduce any of my posts, in whole or part. - Ian)