Recently I was debating Chuck Muth on Mike Huckabee and the Club for Growth. A commenter wrote:
I know conservatives in Arkansas who declare Huck raised their taxes to the tune of $500 million net during his 10 years as governor…What a RINO.
Now, we’ve responded to the substance of these allegations earlier, but the issue of Arkansasan Conservatives against Huckabee is something else. Certainly, there’s something else. The 2008 campaign illustrated that in 10 1/2 years of Governor, Huckabee made some enemies. But are conservatives set against him?
If we did, we’d expect a situation like in John McCain’s Arizona where a majority of his state’s Republicans voted for another candidates and Massachusetts were only 51% chose Romney. In Arkansas, with Huckabee’s campaign declared dead by the mainstream press, he won 61% of the vote. An exit poll showed 89% of Arkansas Republican Primary voters had a favorable opinion of Mike Huckabee. What about conservatives? Huckabee won the votes of 62% of Conservative voters and 66% of Very Conservative voters.
Huckabee may have even won a higher percentage of the vote had his campaign been viewed as more viable. Does this mean that all criticism of Huckabee from Arkansasans is wrong? No, what it does mean is that while anti-Huckabee Arkansasans may have valid points. They’re a minority within not only the Arkansas Republican Party and the Arkansas Conservative movement. Perhaps, we should seriously examine what these conservatives think and why if you’re going to use Arkansas as a measuring stick.
One Woman War
Speaking of the Club for Growth. Someone in the Conservative blogosphere has to be dedicated to relentlessly going after Governor Bobby Jindal (R-LA). Given the broad-based efforts he’s made at government reform, school choice, and tax cuts, as well as standing up for gun owners, it’d seem to be tough to find someone. Thank goodness for Nachama Soloveichik who continues her “War With Bobby Jindal: A One Woman Show” on the official Club for Growth blog.
This time at issue, RIght-Center bloggers pick their favorite elected Republican and the winner…Bobby Jindal. Nachama is not happy about this, declaring:
There is no way Bobby Jindal is more awesome than Tom Coburn or Jim DeMint. In fact, I challenge you to name, off the top of your head, one courageous act of principle/leadership demonstrated by Jindal during his three years in Congress.
Actually, the vote wasn’t for “most courageous” but favorite. Given that Jindal served only 1 1/2 terms of Congress and that during that length of time, most folks are just getting their bearings in Congress, there’s not a whole lot to say other than Jindal’s 98% anti-pork voting record on the Club for Growth anti-pork Repork card which the Club seems to want to treat like Galactica 1980 and declare it doesn’t exist.
However, what has given Jindal the edge is that he’s a Governor who is getting conservative things accomplished. Coburn and DeMint are great guys but they are Senators whose biggest accomplishment has to been to block harmful stuff. It’s much appreciated, but accomplishment beats blocking.
