Once considered a long short for the GOP nomination, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee is gaining in the polls and becoming the darling of political conservatives.
Michael Dale Huckabee was born in 1955 in Hope, Arkansas – the hometown of former President Bill Clinton. He graduated from Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas before going on to Southwestern Baptist Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. Huckabee was a church pastor before entering politics. He served as president of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention for three years.
In 1992, Huckabee ran for a US Senate seat in Arkansas and lost. A year later he ran for Lieutenant Governor in a special election and won. He was re-elected in 1994. In 1996, Huckabee again entered the state’s US Senate race but withdrew to become governor when sitting Governor Jim Guy Tucker resigned as a result of the Whitewater scandal. Huckabee was Governor of Arkansas until January of 2007.
Abortion and Stem Cell Research
Huckabee is perhaps the strongest pro-life candidate in the GOP race for the presidential nomination. He favors the repeal of Roe v. Wade, the US Supreme Court ruling that made abortion legal. While other candidates who object to abortion leave room for an exception to save the life of the mother, Huckabee would work to outlaw all abortion under any circumstance. He opposes stem cell research that involves the use of human embryos.
Education
Huckabee favors a tax credit or tuition voucher program that would allow parents to help pay for private school – even if those schools are religious. He says that ending school prayer was a step in the moral decay of America. That said, Huckabee’s own children attend public schools. One his website he says that “While there is value in the No Child Left Behind law's effort to set high standards, states must be allowed to develop their own benchmarks.”
Health Care
Huckabee opposes government run universal health care. He sees a need to shift the emphasis of American health care to more preventative medicine and the promotion of health.
Immigration
Huckabee supported a bill as governor that would have made undocumented immigrant eligible for financial aid and in-state tuition in Arkansas. He has called the idea of denying government benefits to undocumented immigrants “un-Christian.” But he also opposes amnesty for undocumented immigrants.
Taxes and Social Security
As governor, Huckabee has a mixed record on taxes. He increased Arkansas state spending dramatically during his time in office and is accused of raising taxes five times. Huckabee’s campaign argues that during this time he increased the standard deduction in Arkansas, reduces state capital gains tax, doubled the child tax credit in Arkansas, eliminated the state marriage penalty, and that much of the increased spending during his administration was court ordered. Huckabee signed a pledge not to raise federal taxes if elected. He has voiced support for the “Fair Tax” proposal in Congress, a bill that would replace income tax with a 23% federal sales tax. He also supports the idea of a presidential line-item veto to control spending.
Gay Marriage
Huckabee signed legislation making same sex marriage illegal in Arkansas. He also opposes civil unions. He has stated that marriage is between one man and one woman, for life.
The Iraq War
Huckabee supports the Bush Administration’s efforts in Iraq and sees the Iraq War as part of the War on Terror. He says that establishing a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq is “a mistake.”
Conclusion
Hucakbee is among the most interesting candidates running for president. He is a Southern Baptist minister who plays electric bass in a blues band that has opened for the likes of Willie Nelson and Grand Funk Railroad. He appeals to many in the Religious Right because of his religious stance on abortion. He attracts tax reform advocates because of his support for the “Fair Tax” proposal. He concerns fiscal conservatives in the GOP because of his tax record in Arkansas.
Huckabee’s biggest weakness may be organization. He has performed poorly as a fundraiser, compared to other candidates. He lacks the political machinery and staff of the more developed campaigns. If he does well in early primaries, it is unclear that he will be able to take advantage of that momentum in later primaries.
Mike Huckabee's Official Site: www.mikehuckabee.com
