Limbaugh Goes after Huckabee
UPDATED with audio
A while ago an unnamed Huckabee aide in DC criticized conservative talk radio show host Rush Limbaugh. Obviously, no one expects him to stay quiet after such criticism so, those who can, listened to his show today. Since I’m not in the US I can’t listen to it live, but - luckily - Jim Geraghty was good enough to liveblog the show for NRO.
Limbaugh didn’t disappoint us:
“I’ve never called him a Huckster, I’ve called his fans Hucksters.”
Rush points out Rollins ran the Christie Todd Whitman campaign, calling him the “DC-Manhattan Axis campaign manager.”
“Stop with this Clintonian spin.”
“McCain’s starting to look better to than this guy, and that’s saying something.”
“The Huckabee campaign is trying to dumb down conservatism in order to get it to conform with his record.”
That last one is quite witty actually. And the ones about McCain and Clinton: that’s like the ultimate insult from Limbaugh’s perspective.
Meanwhile, I can’t help but wonder how this is going to play out in the next couple of weeks and months. If Huckabee wins the nomination, how can he unite the party? And, if he doesn’t win the nomination, won’t his supporters feel that the Republican Party wants their votes, but not their voices / candidates?
If so, will they rally behind the person who does win the nomination? You can’t blame them if they won’t.
UPDATE: Here is the audio (via Hot Air):
Another one:
Indeed I do believe that Huckabee is sly, calculating and power-hungry. Seems to me he is sort of Clintonesce and will do or say almost anything to get elected - remember that controversial commercial where he planted that cross conveniently to indentify his Christian credentials? Huckabee is the only Candidate to run an anti-Mormon sort of Christian Campaign that plays to far Right wing base sensitivities and fears. This appeal to indentity politics is cowardly on his part. It is really an attempt to hide his multitude of political sins i.e his appaling liberal record on taxes, immigration, crime etc etc.
But where’s Rush on real SPENDING cuts? We need both tax cuts AND spending cuts. None of the candidates, except Ron Paul have a record of voting consistently against big government. Rush is entertaining but he’s not saving my kid’s future! The deficit is raising at a rate of $1 million per minute, and we’re only looking at who will reduce taxes. We need someone to have the kahuunas to veto EVERY spending bill for ANYTHING not expressly authorized by the constitution. It will be VETO HELL for the Democrats and, I am sad to say, for most of the Republicans in congress who give more attention to lobbyists than to the future of our children here in America. My first time commenting on the site. Let’s see how free this site is. If you post, thank you.
I have for a long time been an El Rushmo loyal listener, but today I heard Rush say that Huckabee appeals to the voter because he was a Baptist minister but doesn’t espouse the issues, and that Huckabee is not a Conservative.
I have seen Huckabee on several TV talk shows discussing the issues and even done some exploratory time on Huckabee during his ten years as governor of Arkansas, it appears tht Governor has done much to improve the state.
I have always been under the impression that Rush did much backgroud on a subject before discussing it.
I find that this is not the case.
Either Rush didn’t do his homework because his ego has been bruised or he is part of the elite coservatism tied in to big business intrests, as was claimed.
Rush I want you to make a statement that you was just blowing smoke or you have just lost the admiration of one loyal listener.
[Huckabee's] appeal to indentity politics is cowardly on his part
As someone pointed out elsewhere, Rush is playing "identity politics" here, too. He says, "I’m a conservative and I’m not ashamed to admit it." So the ultimate irony is, Rush attacking people for voting as "Christians," while saying he can’t support Huckabee ‘cuz Huckabee isn’t "conservative" enough.
If Huckabee wins the nomination, how can he unite the party?
Will Huckabee unite the Republican party? Haha, no. The Republican party is practially on life support. The factions in the Republican party have been radicalized by Bush and now each coalition is in near-perfect disagreement. Huckabee’s supporters despise Giuliani’s secular social stances, and Ron Paul’s supporters are still in shock that the Republican party has become the party of Bush.
Then again, the Democrats are weak around the edges too, with a fault-line developing between the "progressive" and the "hawkish" camp. So you will see politicians on both sides reaching out to the disaffected… Don’t get me wrong, most of the people will continue to play the party team, but I think there are more people than usual who are willing to cross party lines and this will shake up how both parties approach gathering support in the next few years.
Libertarian,
I’m not a Rush fan but I don’t think that’s a valid criticism. There’s nothing wrong on the face of it, with Republicans wanting a conservative candidate. That actually should be somewhat of a litmus test, it’s a conservative party and it’s only natural that the party should want to make sure that their candidate is ‘conservative’ enough.
Insisting on someone who is ‘Christian’ enough, while I’m not 100% opposed to that (because if that’s what conservative voters want, the party should pragmatically embrace it as long as it doesn’t dilute other planks in the platform, and there’s no reason that it should have to do so), isn’t the same thing at all so I see no irony in Rush decrying the one thing while he engages in the other.
So, right now, what does Republican or conservative mean? That is the ultimate question, and to Huckabee supporters, the answer is "Christian."
If you asked me, a lifelong registered Republican, I’d say that a Republican candidate needs to be a strict federalist and fiscal conservative. I don’t go to church & I think religious politics is completely incompatible with liberty, and I think our foreign policy is extravagant and dangerous. If you ask Rudy’s supporters, you would probably hear something about the war on terror and "beating the Democrats."
Rush is just calling Huckabee out because they aren’t in the same coalition. This is the division I’m talking about, and these sub-identities are growing within the conservative party.
Its to the point where each coalitions’ platform planks are completely inconsistent, incompatible, and irreconcilable.
I disagree, or at least I think it shouldn’t be so.
Conservatism has many roots, and the Republican party was always able to represent conervatism in many forms, not just ’small government’. The philosophies that guide conservatism can either relate to keeping a check on government (which would describe your brand of government), to keep it out of people’s lives in the economic and social venues, as much as possible, or they can relate to traditionalism which seeks to protect the structures and traditions of society from rapid change. The latter of course is why some people see Christianity as a conservative ‘plank’. Those who value this part of the philosophy need not be for ‘big government’, although they’d undoubtedly embrace some things that a libertarian conservative would not. That’s where the compromises need to come in.
Whoever this anonymous "Huckabee ally" was who spouted the lib talking points against Rush sure got a lot of mileage out of this. He wasn’t on the Huckabee campaign — Marc Ambinder has admitted that much.
This really smells like a dirty trick by another candidate or someone who just hates Huck. I mean think about it: what could be gained by attacking Rush? Nothing.
It sure was a nice slimy Christmas present for Huckabee.
Rush and Mike Huckabee are like ships ramming each other at night in the middle of a full fog. I do not like Huckabee (and McCain for that matter), because they are the wrong people for the job of President. Guiliani and Romney are better. There is nonetheless a case to be made for Huckabee’s proposals. He is forced, like Nixon, to deal with the legacy of the previous two administrations (16 years by 20 January 2009) of Big Government Conservatism championed by George Bush and Bill Clinton. This legacy cannot simply be wished away. It entails policies that may seem to Rush as un-conservative. First, the border with Mexico NEEDS to be as open as possible, because it is precisely then that a case can be made for a returning flow of migration. Second, Iran MUST be talked with, because that is simply the cheapest and quickest way to begin the process of re-integrating it in the community of law-abiding nations. We have friends whose internal records are far worse then Iran’s (Turkey and Saudi Arabia, to name a couple). Finally, unless the savings rate is brought up (which would alleviate the need for the proposed taxes), the government simply must, for now, curtail consumption — we are about to enter a deep financial crisis, and the government will need to intervene.
Bottom line: Conservatism has never been about the elimination of the government, but rather it has been about its careful and limited use, especially in circumstances that threaten the whole national community, and Rush simply does not understand this.
BTW, I find Huckabee to be unacceptable, because of his excessive use of faith and because he has used the Mormon card against Romney. I am not LDS and have no interest in the faith, but Romney should be criticized for his policies not for his religious beliefs.
Jack: I can agree with your comment to a very large degree. Well said.
Hey guys do you think Mike Huckabee from Hope, Arkansas resembles Gomer Pile from Mayberry ?. Do you think they might be related somehow through some distant inbred Cousin or something?