Mark My Words - commentary on news, politics, religion, philosophy, science and social issues

In two debates before the New Hampshire primary Mike Huckabee has joked and tried to use his aww shucks personality presentation to sway voters. Unfortunately it's also been used to avoid giving straight answers and in some cases answer deceptively, to put it politely.

I covered a few matters in the first New Hampshire debate here.

Now, for the Fox News debate tonight.

Despite being asked three times, about whether or not he had a net raise in taxes in Arkansas, Mike Huckabee would not answer the question. Indeed, when he finally did on the FOURTH asking, it was not really an answer but deception and deflection. Video here at HotAir. As Mark Levin notes:

Huckabee, after three ducks, now suggests that he raised taxes because of a court order. Now, all those taxes weren't raised because of a court order.
This is important because we are now hearing how tax cuts are not a big issue anymore, yet Huckabee and McCain clearly think they are troubling issues for them with Republican voters because they refuse to be honest about their big-tax records. We shouldn't discount this.

I would like to add that the court order was about improving funding for education, it did not say it must be done by raising taxes or by leaving the state with a net tax increase. Let's also consider another thing Huckabee had to say about raising taxes in tonight's debate.

"It's not about the politics of saying, 'I never raised a tax,' it's about making government work." (source)

Huckabee and his supporters have made much of his finally signing the no tax pledge, now that he's running for President. But why should we trust him when he says something like that? Even George Bush Sr. went back on his no new taxes pledge. In Mike Huckabee we have a history of raising taxes and expanding government. He's proud of expanding government and has suggested other ways of doing so federally and he won't straight up answer or defend his raising taxes except by deception. It should be painfully obvious that he will not reject his taxing past and any pledge now is worthless.

Huckabee also "misremembered" his reason for closing Guantanamo. He now says it isn't about world opinion.

“The fact is, I don’t care what the rest of the world thinks. I care what America thinks. And it’s become a divisive issue. I went to Guantanamo, I visited it. Quite frankly, I visited every prison in my state. I know a little bit about the difference between what we operate and what we were operating at Guantanamo. It wasn’t that it wasn’t too bad. The truth is, it was too darn good,” he said. “So it’s a matter of believing that we ought to have policy that brings this country together and not tears it apart. I don’t think where we keep these people is as important as it is that we keep them and we don’t let them go.” (source)

Sorry spinmeister, your mention of bowing down to world opinion over Guantanamo is on video. See that here.

MIKE HUCKABEE: I’ve been to Guantanamo, I was there, I guess it’s been about a year and a half ago. I think the problem with Guantanamo is not in that its facilities are inadequate. It’s the symbol that it represents. It’s clearly become a symbol to the rest of the world as a place that has become problematic for us as a nation. I was quite frankly impressed with the quality of the facilities and even the attention to care that was given to the detainees, but that aside, it doesn’t alter that Guantanamo to the rest of the world is a symbol that is not in our best interests to continue pursuing.

I could no doubt go on with a few more examples but this should be enough, for now.

The scary thing about Mike Huckabee is that no matter what he said and did in the past, and no matter how differently he's acting and speaking now, he can do all of it as if he has never changed his principles and do it with complete sincerity. When it comes to avoiding straight answers and being deceptive he's better than even Bill Clinton. Is this a characteristic that will make for a winning Republican candidate?

Previous posts:

Mike Huckabee - you have a shifty mentality
Mike Huckabee and foreign policy
Mike Huckabee thinks you're stupid
Mike Huckabee - illegal immigration flip flopper?
Huckabee - what kind of preacher is this?
Mike Huckabee - a twofer
Huckabee - Christian leader?
The taming of a shrewd
Evangelicals - short term thinkers?
It's a good thing I'm registered as an independent
Why I don't heart Huckabee

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Filed under: Politics

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