Note to Mike Huckabee

By: Erick Erickson (Diary) | October 30th, 2009 at 10:17 AM |

RESIZE: AAA

Mike Huckabee is dancing around New York 23 and looks extremely silly. He won’t endorse in the race. It is very conspicuous.

I know, in fact, that he will not endorse because Club for Growth and Fred Thompson were there first and his ego couldn’t take it.

Sarah Huckabee dismissed the idea that Mike Huckabee had decided to stay out of the race because of any lingering tensions with Thompson or the Club for Growth, noting that he had thrown his early backing to Club for Growth favorite Marco Rubio in the hotly contested Florida GOP Senate primary.

“It’s absurd to say he doesn’t take sides,” Sarah Huckabee wrote in an e-mail. “He has taken a stand time after time for conservative issues. Sarah Huckabee dismissed the idea that Mike Huckabee had decided to stay out of the race because of any lingering tensions with Thompson or the Club for Growth, noting that he had thrown his early backing to Club for Growth favorite Marco Rubio in the hotly contested Florida GOP Senate primary.

“It’s absurd to say he doesn’t take sides,” Sarah Huckabee wrote in an e-mail. “He has taken a stand time after time for conservative issues. Where were all the conservatives when he was saying TARP was a bad idea?””

First, Club For Growth has not endorsed Marco Rubio, though I expect they’ll be bigger than Mike Huckabee and will endorse even though they weren’t first.

Second, the conservatives were saying the same thing on TARP by and large. It was, like in NY-23, the establishment that was pro-TARP and is now pro-Scozzafava.

Sitting on the sidelines in this race is not an option for Romney or Huckabee.

Neither is qualified as a leader of conservatives when they will not support Doug Hoffman. It is as simple as that. And we will remember in 2012.

Tags: Mike Huckabee, New York, NY-23

COMMENTS

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Marcus_Traianus

The stuff about Huck is just superfluous. Isn’t this his modus operandi anyway?
RedBeard

Sorry Huck, but you’re no leader.
antisocial

.
bmk2307

There you go again with the “I know for a fact” bit again. You have yet to say how you know for a fact, unless you count that incomprehensible tweet you sent out.

Nonetheless, you are absolutely, positively, 1000% sure of your reasoning, and then expect people to believe you without ANY supporting evidence. Now if you are so certain of your accusations, then I have little doubt that you would be ill prepared to show your evidence. But this article makes it the second piece in a row without a hint of evidence (unless you count hearsay).

You seem to be discrediting yourself with every successive article you write.
Richard Mullins

or are you just a lackey for Huckabee? Really, I want to know.
http://www.nighttwister.com NightTwister

Not.
Vegas_Rick

Leaders act. Squishes waffle. The Huckster is waffling. Again.
dsvet

Get ready to be assaulted. Thou shalt not doubt Erick.
RedBeard

Where was the first? We need to go back and parse it down to the last syllable. Must be thorough.
nessa
janis

match up quite well with the nastiness underlying Huck’s big old white toothed grin.
janis

As long as you are civil about it, no one will care. And no one will pay much attention to whatever you have to say about your doubts because Erick has built up his credibility by producing results.

You, on the other hand, have produced nothing.
antisocial

where do you see “I know for a fact”?

Here is the line “for a fact”:
I know, in fact, that he will not endorse because Club for Growth and Fred Thompson were there first and his ego couldn?t take it.
That implies a personal opinion.

And here is another one:
Sitting on the sidelines in this race is not an option for Romney or Huckabee.

What exactly do you think is discrediting?
harlan

I have “conservative” friends who say, “but he plays the bass. He’s a musician. He must be okay.”

As if there are no slippery musicians out there.

huck and newt…birds of a feather on this one.
penguin2

Not Erick. Every article he writes documents the content and context of his remarks. What may be ‘hearsay” to you isn’t the way information comes to Erick.

That said, I once liked Huck, but I stopped having respect for him when he stayed long past time in the primary. His lack of support for the Conservative candidate in NY-23, a unique race under unique circumstances, is on him, no one else.

We as conservatives are looking at all members of the party and their message, in every instance. We are no longer willing to give a pass. You might take a look at Huckabee from the standpoint, that he seems to be just another politician. No one is saying he can’t be that, just that we recognize one when we see one.
Granny_T

that Gov. Huckabee “had decided not to endorse Hoffman because he was directing the resources of his political action committee, Huck PAC, to Republican campaigns” ? Sarah?s explanation goes along with “Our Mission” posted under the “About” link at HuckPAC. Huckabee said during his interview with Cavuto that he agrees on the issues more with Huffman. The fact that he didn’t endorse Huffman’s RINO competitor speaks volumes.
antisocial

Don’t be unfair.
bmk2307

I disagree that it is an implied personal opinion. The line you took out of the article implies that it is indeed fact. He says he knows for a fact why Huckabee isn’t endorsing. On the other hand, he could say that “It is my opinion that…” but instead he says it is fact, without any corroborating evidence.
RedBeard

…even if it was the wrong one.
bmk2307

http://www.redstate.com/erick/2009/10/24/mike-huckabee-wont-endorse-hoffman-i-know-why/
RedBeard

…any comment similar to “I know why” now needs to be followed with a documented forensic trail of evidence?

I know why Erick wrote that.

And I know why you wrote what you did.

And I also know I have no need to defend those opinions in a court of law.
RJD

neither Romney or Huckabee should change their stance. It would look like their hand was forced. Their instincts did not lead them to support Hoffman, and that is more telling than if they did an about-face.

The line in the sand has been drawn.
antisocial

I have made my point and I know, in fact that you are trying to bat for Gov. Huckabee. Why don’t you instead ask Gov. Huckabee to come out openly? And don’t tell me anything about grandstanding. He is a chatterbox and he should stop hiding.
aesthete

Just like the phrase, “I could have sworn that I left my keys in my backpack” implies something other than that you would have made an oath to that statement, “I know for a fact” in common usage indicates that one is emphatically sure of a given point. Obviously, Erick could be wrong about Huck’s reasons (IMO, he is), but that doesn’t mean that he was trying to set up an airtight, unassailable case against Huck through that statement.
aesthete

IMO, Huck’s support of “conservative Republicans” through HuckPAC is just political (gaining support of pols and organizations within the party to secure the nomination), and not ideological in nature. That’s not to say that that’s necessarily wrong or evil, but it should be noted that not endorsing a candidate who can’t really help Huck personally through support or caucus votes fits Huck’s MO perfectly, and probably has nothing to do with the CfG.
Richard Mullins

by simply saying that he’s giving money from his PAC and not really endorsing Hoffman. That sort of stuff doesn’t sit well with me or any other person that calls them self conservative. You need to stand up for what you believe and not simply just give money. Staying the sidelines isn’t work so well. All of this proving that Huckabee is really a slick and evil politician bent on wanting more power.
aesthete

But definitely not good. Huck’s record and public persona just smell of Huey P Long Pt. II. Not that it matters for 2012 (I’m pretty sure Obama will win), but if the GOP picks Huckabee, I’m either voting third party, for myself, or for Goldwater/Reagan, and if it looks like the race will be close, I’ll hold my nose and pull the lever for Obama. As others have said, though, the Presidency isn’t as important as 2010, and if Huck is willing to help us there, then all power to him.
Duke

There’s still a lot of wannabe mainstream Republicans who are afraid of the big bucks in the pockets of the Rocky Repubs. What I dislike about the huckster is his ‘good ol boy, just one of the guys’ image building. He strikes me as the kind of Republican that would put a finger in the wind to see what’s selling to the public today and couch his manufactured opinion to the way the wind happens to be blowing.

He’s too close to a RINO to be the kind of guy we’ll need to take apart the federal government and roll back the socialist programs now being instituted. And this comes from a fellow bass player!
http://www.hakubi.us/ Neil Stevens
Vegas_Rick

Really? Please elaborate. The only message I get from his silence is cowardice.
Vegas_Rick

Huckabee’s record as Governor virtually assures that he wouldn’t have the political courage to roll back the Obama spending spree. He’s the last guy we need in the White House after the Obama disaster.
janis

but saying that he agrees more with Hoffman, is that he’s just another politician looking to cover his butt while trying to make some political capital at the same time. There’s nothing noble about it, nothing wise or principled about it.

What it is is typical of a man who’s all about what he can for himself, not for his country. And we have a surplus of those already. Huck’s just another one.
makemyday

to the Republican Party that:

We want the Republican Party to succeed.

We want the Republican Party to recognize Conservatives and their principles.

We want sitting Republicans to realize they are going to have to win us over and not expect our fidelity based upon them being Republicans.

We want Republican candidates to pass muster with our point of view.

We want Republicans to understand that the Conservatives are here and we WILL be heard!
antisocial

He did learn this from the Precedent.
aesthete

While Huck is rightly being lambasted for being politically two-faced on NY-23, and I certainly love getting a good swipe at the moron every now and again, Romney is also quite deserving of a smackdown. (I’d add that Ron Paul should given the smackdown for his failure to mobilize his supporters to help Hoffman in NY-23, but really, when is RP *not* deserving of a smackdown?)
Jim Tomasik
Anteater

1) There certainly is overlap between CfG, Fred endorsements and Huck endorsements. Huck endorsed CfG-backed Tom McClintock even though McClintock had endorsed Fred a year before. This suggests the “ego” argument is not completely accurate.

2) Chris Maiorana who is close to the Huck campaign is also denying that it has anything to do with CfG and Fred.

3) I believe it is Huckpac’s current policy to only endorse conservative Republicans. Of course Huck can give an unofficial seal of approval to Hoffman (as he has done), but it is wise to maintain at least some distinction (however subtle) in order to keep “third-partyism” in check. Remember, it may be possible to win the battle but lose the war. Regardless, Huck’s personal preference is Hoffman.

4) This post should be a note to both Huckabee and Romney, as they are the frontrunners (Huck as currently at 32% followed by Palin at 22% and Romney at 21%). At least Huckabee is openly praising Hoffman on television.

5) It would be interesting to see how many conservatives in total Huck has endorsed when compared to Palin, Romney, Pawlenty, etc. My guess is that he has endorsed more. One should look holistically at a person’s set of actions. For instance, Palin has not endorsed Rubio.
bhope

According to everyone on here, Huckabee is just a big-spending, liberal twit, so why do you give a rip about who he does and doesn’t support?
janis

And then he cannot move himself to endorse someone who really IS a conservative. It’s an indicator of who he really is.

By the way, do you agree with his behavior in this incident?
bhope

endorsed a lot of others who really ARE conservative such as Rubio. If there is proof (which I have not yet seen) that Huckabee indeed has not endorsed because of Fred Thompson and Club for Growth then I can say it is petty and stupid of him.

Romney advertises himself as a conservative. Where are all the posts here criticizing him?

I’m find with criticizing other Republicans. I do believe it can be constructive. However, it can be destructive when claims are made without any proof and when the same standard is not applied to other Republicans, like Romney.
aesthete

Truth be told, though, Huckabee is being attacked more than Romney because of his two-facedness in the race. He doesn’t support him, but finds him to be the most conservative candidate in the race, but doesn’t want his PAC associated with him, yet finds him the better option, etc. Romney has been pretty tight-lipped about Hoffman, and though that’s not awesome, it’s not as obvious as Huck’s attempt to have it both ways. In that sense, the standard is being applied consistently, as it also was with Pawlenty before he endorsed. I wouldn’t mind seeing a criticism of Romney, but Huck’s more relevant ATM.
janis

week. If Huckabee wished to help in electing Hoffman, he would have given his endorsement before now. As to Romney, there are not that many here who are fans of his, at least not for POTUS. SecTreas would be fine.

As is pointed out in aesthete’s post below, Romney hasn’t mentioned Hoffman, nor has he expressed, to my knowledge, any opinion at all about NY-23. No point in us firing at a non-target. But had he behaved as weasely as Huck, then he’d have gotten the same criticism. Unlike Huck, we are consistent.
bmk2307

Was I really all that uncivil? I didn’t call anyone names. I did not unjustly distort anyone’s record. And I did not come back with a personal attack against someone’s “big old white toothed grin.”

If you expect civility, then the same is expected of you.
bmk2307

That is the whole point of my post. If Erickson does indeed have sources and evidence which he claims to have, then I would like to see it so that I can make an honest assessment. But for now, all we have is a claim that one person says is corroborated by an unnamed source within the organization.

So I too want to know the truth. And if Erickson claims to know it, then why can he not come out openly?
janis

did all but call Erick Erickson a liar. No, no, no, no incivility there. If you will take some time to read comments from others, you will see that most are accepted here if they come in good faith and treat others with respect.

It’s like moving into a nice neighborhood where everyone takes care of their yards and makes an effort to stay on good terms for the health of the community they live in. And then you move in, sneer at the traditions and proven leaders in the community and then wonder why your behavior is criticized.
http://erickbrockway.wordpress.com/ Erick Brockway

Well put
janis

Erick Erickson has been proven right more times than I can list here. You, on the other hand, not so much. As to your assertion that all you want to do is, “…make an honest assessment”, then by all means do so with your own knowledge of who you think Huckabee is and how he operates.

But don’t tell any of us, particularly the editor here, that we owe you anything. We don’t.
bmk2307

That was not the intent, and I just wanted some answers. Perhaps I could have phrased it a bit differently, but the overall point would remain the same.

Again, I am sorry if it came off that way.
Aaron Gardner
janis

Keep up that kind of civility and you’ll do just fine here. Thank you.
Anteater

1) Of course Romney has mentioned Hoffman. He said that his non-endorsement of Dede should speak “volumes”.

2) Harmer’s special election is a couple days away too and only Huck has endorsed him, to my knowledge. Where are Palin, Pawlenty on this? We need to be consistent.
AceInTX

Like Mitt Romney?
AceInTX
redneck_hippie

“And we will remember in 2012.” Could not agree more. Personally, I have a speciallist of those relegated to political purgatory until I see actions befitting a true conservative. I accept no excuse for faillure to endorse Hoffman.
Flagstaff

I just can’t warm up to him. I suppose I have the same feelings that way that the folks who are cold to Mitt Romney have. I generally agree with what Erick has written here.

This line struck me, however.

“Neither is qualified as a leader of conservatives when they will not support Doug Hoffman.”

Are we a Republican supporting site, or a conservative supporting site? IMHO, we should support conservatives, and so should the Republican party. There really shouldn’t be a difference. When there is, on a case-by-case basis, we have to choose the conservative if the Republican is a RINO.

As a party, if we nominate a RINO for national office we are initiating our own defeat. Republicans ARE conservative on almost all issues. Fall too far off that wagon, and they should be “Hoffmaned” by the rest of us.

If Huckabee and Romney don’t recognize that, they are confused and deficient.
http://impudent.blognation.us/blog kyle8

His bad fiscal record, his obvious ambition, his obfuscation, and with me at least, an overwhelmingly smarmy “Elmer Gantry” type personality.
janis

Achance’s description of some Republican politicians “After you shake hands with them, I want to count my fingers.”
http://andrightlyso.com/ civil_truth
aesthete
http://www.hakubi.us/ Neil Stevens

if Anteater replies on a Huck post, then I’m sure Huck got hit in the eye with a correct, justifiable, and devastating attack.

Because that’s the only time Anteater ever posts around here.
aesthete

The perennial rallying cry of the Huckabee supporters

In all seriousness, I don’t know much about Harmer. Is he conservative, is he in danger of not winning the election, and has he already won the primary? IOW, is the situation similar to that of “”? Personally, I have no problem with the position, “all politicians are scum”, and with subsequently labelling Palin and Pawlenty with that epithet. Conversely, I have no problem saying that Huck could be right on a given issue: I’ve made no bones about where I stand with Huck, and there’s not really much that can change my opinion on him, even if he worked tirelessly for conservatives from here on out (which would be nice). However, I’d like to have details before I agree with Huck’s support of Harmer simply to be agreeable. Could you, or anyone who lives in Harmer’s district/state provide some info on him?
http://impudent.blognation.us/blog kyle8

Anteater might BE the Huckster.
aesthete

With Huck, I’d assume that he had already stolen my digits some way or other, and my mental efforts would go towards wondering how he made such detailed and functional replicas to replace the little guys.
aesthete

Whatwith his demonstrably longer record of doing the same.
BlackConservative

More like if Anteater says anything, you know right away that it’s a thought provoking comment about how great Mike Huckabee would be in elected office, former record notwithstanding. And thank God, because without anteater around, how would we know whether to support Huckabee or not.
http://www.nighttwister.com NightTwister

doesn’t really fly here.

And FYI, I wasn’t really referring to you being uncivil. My comment referred to people who find an excuse for everything and think their candidate is perfect. We’ve seen Romneybots, Huckabots, even Palinbots now….they’re all the same. Their American Idol candidate can do no wrong!
DavidS1787

and didn’t receive a reply! It really seem he would rather sit on the sideline ….
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/republican587/ Elizabeth Christian

N/T
AceInTX

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