CHRISTIANS NEED TO BEWARE OF MIKE HUCKABEE

http://www.newswithviews.com/baldwin/baldwin411.htm

By Pastor Chuck Baldwin

November 2, 2007

NewsWithViews.com

With Christian conservatives trying to scramble to find a Republican

presidential candidate they can support, some of them seem to be

coalescing around former Arkansas governor, Mike Huckabee. Janet

Folger, especially, seems to be trumpeting his candidacy. But is Mike

Huckabee someone Christian conservatives should be supporting? Not

everyone thinks so.

Randy Minton, chairman of the Arkansas chapter of Phyllis Schlafly's

national Eagle Forum, said, "We called him a pro-life, pro-gun

liberal, when I was in the state legislature and he was governor."

Phyllis Schlafly herself was even more direct.

President and Founder of Eagle Forum, Phyllis Schlafly, said this

about Governor Huckabee: "He destroyed the conservative movement in

Arkansas, and left the Republican Party a shambles." She went on to

say, "Yet some of the same evangelicals who sold us on George W. Bush

as a 'compassionate conservative' are now trying to sell us on Mike

Huckabee."

Even one of Huckabee's strongest supporters within the Religious

Right, Pastor Rick Scarborough, head of Vision America, admitted,

"Mike has always sought the validation of elites." Of course, my

question for Rick Scarborough is, With an indictment such as that, how

can you continue to support Mike Huckabee?

According to an opinion piece written by John Fund in the Wall Street

Journal, "Paul Pressler, a former Texas judge who led the conservative

Southern Baptist revolt, told me, 'I know of no conservative he

[Huckabee] appointed while he headed the Arkansas Baptist

Convention.'"

Fund went on to say that "Mr. Huckabee's reluctance to surround

himself with conservatives was evident as governor, when he kept many

agency heads appointed by Bill Clinton."

Fund also said this about Huckabee: "'He's just like Bill Clinton in

that he practices management by news cycle,' a former top Huckabee

aide told me. 'As with Clinton there was no long-term planning, just

putting out fires on a daily basis. One thing I'll guarantee is that

won't lead to competent conservative governance.'"

Mike Huckabee is also terrible on immigration. According to Jim

Boulet, Jr., executive director of English First, "Rudy Giuliani spent

years defending the right of New York City to remain a sanctuary for

illegal aliens. Yet Giuliani was a veritable Lou Dobbs Jr. on illegal

immigration in comparison to Mike Huckabee."

Regarding Huckabee's stance on immigration, Mr. Minton said, "Until of

late, he has been an open-borders guy on immigration--amnesty, the

whole works. As governor, he wanted to give free college scholarships

to all illegals."

Minton's assertion is backed up by Daniel Larison at The American

Conservative. He said, "Like his fellow presidential candidate [who

recently dropped out of the race], Sen. Sam Brownback, Huckabee

regards it as his Christian duty to help subvert and liberalize U.S.

immigration laws. Together, they embrace the notion that fidelity to

the Gospel requires privileging the interests of non-citizens over

those of fellow citizens."

Ann Coulter agrees: "On illegal immigration, Huckabee makes George

Bush sound like Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO). Huckabee has compared

illegal aliens to slaves brought here in chains from Africa, saying,

'I think, frankly, the Lord is giving us a second chance to do better

than we did before.'

"Toward that end, when an Arkansas legislator introduced a bill that

would prevent illegal aliens from voting and receiving state benefits,

Huckabee denounced the bill, saying it would rile up 'those who are

racist and bigots.'

"He also made the insane point that companies such as Toyota would not

invest in Arkansas if the state didn't allow non-citizens to vote,

because it would 'send the message that, essentially, "If you don't

look like us, talk like us and speak like us, we don't want you."'

"Like all the (other) Democratic candidates for President, he supports

a federal law to ban smoking--unless you're an illegal alien smoking

at a Toyota plant."

A former state lawmaker, Minton also said, that Huckabee was not a

"fiscally conservative Republican." Rather, Huckabee was regarded as

just another liberal "tax and spender" in fiscal matters. This is in

direct opposition to Huckabee's boast of "90 tax cuts during his

tenure." And the facts seem to validate Minton, not Huckabee.

An Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration report showed a

"net tax increase of $505 million, a figure adjusted for inflation and

economic growth" on Huckabee's watch.

That Huckabee is a liberal "tax and spender" is also affirmed by Tom

Roeser. According to Roeser, "[Huckabee] hiked state spending 65.3%,

from 1996 to 2004. He supported five tax increases, leading the 'Club

for Growth' to call him a liberal in disguise . . ."

Roeser also points out that "The Cato Institute, a libertarian think

tank with heavy ties to the national GOP, gives him an F grade for

spending and taxes in 2006 and an overall grade of D in his

governorship. During his tenure, the number of state employees

increased over 20% and Arkansas' general obligation debt rose by

almost $1 billion."

Furthermore, according to the Washington Times, "Until recently, he

[Huckabee] had refused to sign the famous no-tax pledge offered to

candidates by Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform."

In spite of Huckabee's proven big-government, big-spending, and pro-

amnesty record, however, some Christian conservatives are falling for

his conservative rhetoric. It seems that all a Republican candidate

has to do is start talking "pro-life" and "pro-marriage" and he or she

will gain the support of certain Christian conservatives.

First it was Bob Jones, III endorsing the liberal former governor of

Massachusetts, Mitt Romney, and now it is Janet Folger endorsing the

liberal former governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee. Why any Christian

leader would want to support a man with such a dubious record truly

escapes me.

Christians need to beware of Mike Huckabee. He is not a conservative.

Even worse, he is not a constitutionalist. He is an opportunist,

however. This is demonstrated by the fact that many of his supporters

are openly posturing (with Huckabee's consent, obviously) for an

opportunity to run Huckabee as a potential Vice Presidential candidate

with either Giuliani or Romney at the top of the ticket.

Let me ask the reader something. How could a principled pro-life, pro-

Second Amendment, pro-Constitution conservative be willing to run on a

ticket with a liberal presidential candidate such as Rudy Giuliani or

Mitt Romney? That's right, he couldn't.

I say again, beware of Mike Huckabee!

P.S. I would like to invite everyone who lives within driving distance

of Pensacola, Florida to come hear the former Chief Justice of the

Alabama Supreme Court, Judge Roy Moore, "The Ten Commandments Judge,"

this Sunday, November 4, 2007 at Crossroad Baptist Church. The service

begins at 10am CST. In my opinion, Judge Roy Moore is one of America's

greatest Christian statesmen. He will be speaking live and in person

to the people of Crossroad Baptist Church this Sunday, November 4. The

church is located at 6800 Mobile Highway (US Highway 90), 1/2 mile

past the Fairgrounds in Northwest Pensacola.

As a point of reference, Pensacola is located in the western-most tip

of the State of Florida, about 50 miles East of Mobile, Alabama.

Pensacola is approximately a 5 hour drive from Atlanta; a 6 1/2 hour

drive from Orlando; a 3 hour drive from New Orleans; and a 7 hour

drive from Nashville.

© 2007 Chuck Baldwin - All Rights Reserved

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Chuck Baldwin is Founder-Pastor of Crossroads Baptist Church in

Pensacola, Florida. In 1985 the church was recognized by President

Ronald Reagan for its unusual growth and influence.

Dr. Baldwin is the host of a lively, hard-hitting syndicated radio

talk show on the Genesis Communications Network called, "Chuck Baldwin

Live" This is a daily, one hour long call-in show in which Dr. Baldwin

addresses current event topics from a conservative Christian point of

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