an old article in the doc's office -- here's the link:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/74469I can actually see how someone could say that about Huckabee if one is thinking in terms of stereotype and tradition. He's raised taxes; his support of social services and concerns seems out of sink with the traditional "pull yourself up by the bootstraps" repugs; the news portrayed him as soft because of the many pardons and clemencies he granted to Arkansas criminals; and, gasp, he's 'tolerant' on immigration. My Republican spouse even made note about something Huckabee said in the NH debates about oil (I'll try to pinpoint the exact comment Huckabee made -- it had something to do with not allowing OPEC to set the price of oil) was not a 'conventional' Republican stance and sounded more like what a Democrat's would say. (I won't go into detail about the conversation that ensued. Eh-emmm...)
:shrug:
From the link:
~snip~
Likewise, when some GOP activists branded him "Tax Hike Mike," Huckabee fired back, labeling them "Shiite Republicans." Huckabee is adamant that the party's fervent belief in the wisdom of tax cuts is not just economically misguided but morally wrong. Tax cuts for the rich, he writes in his most recent book, "From Hope to Higher Ground," "makes a false and callous assumption that the poorest people in our nation—with inadequate salaries, lack of nutritious food, substandard housing and nonexistent or underfunded health care—can somehow afford to patiently wait while someone else's wealth eventually splashes onto them."
Huckabee also finds himself struggling to explain his views on illegal immigration. He says he's in favor of a border fence and opposes driver's licenses for undocumented workers. But he has been attacked for a bill he unsuccessfully pushed that would have allowed illegal immigrants to apply for in-state tuition at Arkansas colleges. At the CNN-YouTube debate in Florida last month, Huckabee made an emotional plea for tolerance: "In all due respect, we are a better country than to punish children for what their parents did. We're a better country than that."
Another problem for Huckabee could be questions about the many pardons and clemencies he granted to Arkansas criminals. Some law-and-order Republicans have said Huckabee let his desire to be forgiving get in the way of his judgment as governor.
~snip~