Cross posted at the Partisan Report
In his book, which was released this week, chronicles the events of the campaign as well as his thoughts, feelings and opinions on it and his former rivals. In fact, his opinions are a little too forthcoming to some and many are saying he is settling old scores, or is attempting an early campaign against possible challengers. He flatly states that many of those that ran are partly to blame for the GOP’s lack of success in ‘06, ‘08 to include the presidential election. That, of course, means John McCain. During the course of the interview with CNN, Huckabee said that he would have ran a different campaign than McCain did and (lightly) criticized the Senator for suspending his campaign only to support a $700 billion dollar bailout that most in the GOP abhorred.
Here are a few excerpts from the CNN interview
On Romney: “I didn’t dislike him,” Huckabee told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer in an interview on The Situation Room. “It was a matter of [Romney] taking positions on issues that he had never taken before and at the same time, he was bashing people like me who had been consistent in our own views.”
[On Romney shifting positions once he became a candidate] “His record was anything but conservative until he changed the light bulbs in his chandelier in time to run for president.”
Huckabee also takes issue with Romney for not giving a congratulatory call to him after winning the Iowa caucus.
On Fred Thompson: “Fred Thompson never did grasp the dynamics of the race or the country, and his amazingly lackluster campaign reflected just how disconnected he was with the people, despite the anticipation and expectation that greeted his candidacy.”
Huckabee said this book was not a hit job on anyone but was trying to “tell it in the narrative of the campaign. This book says if we’re going to try to hit the reset button on the Republican Party, move forward, bring us back together and really become a majority party again…we’d better change things.”
One can only imagine had Fred Thompson dropped out before South Carolina (he received 16% of the vote) Huckabee would have more than likely carried South Carolina with the wind at his back heading into Florida. Good money is on Huckabee running again in 2012. This time, he will hardly be cash-strapped and with low national name recognition. Two things that plagued him tremendously during the primaries.
Is Huckabee grinding his ax or just being brutally honest about the GOP?
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I still believe that the GOP does not need Huckabee, we already tried the compassionate conservative approach and it was a dismal failure.
I just do not see how Huckabee appeals to mainsteam America.
Although he is amicable and more pleasant than McCain, his policies and religious views are too much to stomach.
I like Huckabee as a person. He also demonstrates some pragmatism when it comes to the economy. However there is just something missing with him that is needed for the Presidency. He is definitely Senate material though.
Arkady, don't dismiss the need the Conservatives to organize within communities and take on tough social issues like education, healthcare, and poverty. I have always hated the term "compassionate Conservative" because it implies that the ideal is hardened and never was about the common man or woman.
Anyone who understands Conservatism knows that the idea of charity is the cornerstone of its purist form. Look at a guy like Jindal for the new type of Conservatism I am talking about.
Huckabee was my last choice in the Republican primary. From what I am hearing about his book, I think my gut was right.
I am of the opinion that social issues should generally be addressed at the local and possibly the state level. Salt Lake City just isn't going to agree with San Francisco on some issues, and neither should be forced to conform to the others way of thinking. The Feds shouldn't meddle - I don't think they have the Constitutional authority.
At the Federal level, I am all about fiscal conservatism first.
1. The limits on Congress in the constitution do list social programs as somethign Congress can't enact. Therefore, such programs are constitutional.
2. Social issues such as what? Aren't you for the unversality of the Bill of Rights? If states can just legislate anything they want, then the constitution itself is worthless. We already went over this with the 14th amendment.
Voting against gay marriage is anti-American to the core, because it tramps all over the intended universality of the Bill of Rights.