Huckabee: The Coalition Splitter
January 8th, 2008 by Peter SudermanResponding to my earlier post on the GOP coalition, Daniel Larison writes:
If Huckabee’s Cato grade was a D, Romney’s was a C, yet we are gamely told by those who endorse Romney that he is much better as an economic conservative than Huckabee, when the truth is that, by the high standards of Cato and CfG, both are woefully lacking. The difference is that Romney is a corporate Republican and will be quite glad to work in the interests of corporations, while Huckabee manifestly is not. That makes Romney more reliable, even if it does not make him any more conservative on economics and fiscal policy (and could conceivably make him less so if he pushes something akin to the Medicare Part D boondoggle on the country).
I don’t want to speak too much for other organizations, but here at FreedomWorks, we’ve been fairly clear in our disappointment with some of Romney’s policies, especially his Massachusetts health care plan. I think a Romney nomination would signal a serious amount of give in the GOP on on health care in specific and domestic spending programs in general — something that worries me quite a bit.
But the larger point to be made is that, at the bare minimum, no other candidate is explicitly running as a coalition splitter, and no other candidate with serious potential to get the nomination is so explicitly and blatantly writing off a wing of the party. Other candidates have contrary positions on a number of issues, but they’ve all signaled a willingness not to press those issues against any segment of the party’s base. Huckabee, however, is rallying around his Wall Street/Main Street dichotomy, hoping to turn one faction against the other — something that’s very dangerous for conservatives.
January 8th, 2008 at 8:39 pm
And that is why all types of conservatives can rally around Fred Thompson. Thompson’s record and rhetoric shows that overall he has been socially conservative, economically conservative, and a foreign affairs conservative. Does he have a few mistakes? Yes. Who doesn’t, aren’t we all human? But OVERALL Fred Thompson truly is the consistent conservative on social, security, and prosperity issues.
Go to http://www.fred08.com to learn about Fred Thompson’s commitments and conservative policies, and sign up to be a Friend of Fred too!
January 11th, 2008 at 10:25 am
Your opinion on the social conservatives splitting from the big business fiscal conservative Republicans is he exact reason Mike Huckabee is doing so well. The conservative fiscal wing has never understood the social conservative wing. They have always believed we wore our moral views on our sleeve and not in our heart. The true social conservative believes whole heartedly that a candidates and a party’s stand on abortion, homosexuality stem cell research, etc. is the backbone of fiscal issues. If we waiver on any of the social issues what we do fiscally does not matter because our nation will crumble from within as we are seeing witnessed around us. The “party” does not get it that social conservatives are not involved in politics to see the Republican Party win but to see America win. The only reason the Democratic party lost the social conservatives was after they abandoned the prolife plank in their party. That is the MOST important issue and is why if the party promotes a Guiliani or McCain tiicket social conservatives will stay home and the Dems will win. Fred Thompson was appealing before he got in the race but is so ho, hum as a candidate I can’t even imagine him tackling the day to day demands of the oval office. When I heard Mike speak for the first time I came away with the sense for the first time in a long time that we finally had a candidate that could respectfully beat any Dem put up against him. He represents American ideals not just Republican ideals. But that was before he has gotten absolutely beat up in the conservative media because they care more about their pocket books than winninig an election. There are a few who see the diamond he really is and is starting to give him some positive comments, i.e. Bill Crystal, Michael Medved. The polarization between the two parties is what America is sick because everyone wants to be an American first and a party affiliate second. No I know why nothing gets done in Washington because even conservative people like yourself Mr. Armey when you were in Washington and I supported your ideals voted and supported policies that protected your monetary interests rather than American. Mike’s response last night to governing a state is entirely different than being in congress. You have to put the policies passed at the federal level to work in the state. Obviously many thought he did a great job or he wouldn’t have gotten re-elected by such a large majority. I hope all of the fiscal conservatives of the party see that the American people can not be told what to do. That we are smart, intelligent Evangelical Christians, not just willing to follow and led where we are told to go Evangelical Christians. Maybe the Republicans will finally respect the majority for who we are. If the fiscal conservative wing would listen more and talk less they would see that Mike is a very uniting voice to the party and not a divisive one as you sugges.
January 12th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
What and when was the “prolife plank” in the Democratic Party? The problem with this baloney “coalition” is that social conservatives and fiscal conservatives don’t always agree on which part of “conservatism” is more important. A lot of fiscal conservatives could care less about the social issues that the Bible thumpers care about…they just care about their wallets and have duped you guys into using your votes to get their way for too long.
The Dems started losing waaay more national elections after the civil rights movement gained vistories. Then, all the racist “Dixiecrats” when over the GOP, which has also used their hatred and bigotry to get more votes to increase the wallets of the fiscally conservative…mostly at the cost of most of the South’s own interests. It’s been a sad thing to watch all these years…
I agree that the Dems will absolutely cream Mike Huckabee, but the GOP doesn’t have much hope of winning later this year no matter what IMO…the jig is up. Bill Crystal has been wrong on just about everything that he has said in the last decade…
January 12th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
Oh yea, and get ready for *real* health care reform “fiscal conservative”-wing of the GOP…it’s coming, and it’s going to help out the businesses that you relish oh-so-much in the long-run…