Mike Huckabee Presidential Campaign, 2008 - Controversies and Criticism

Controversies and Criticism

Huckabee has stated that being criticized is a good sign for him because it means that he is a viable candidate. Huckabee says of the political attacks, "Suddenly, I seem to be in the cross hairs of every predator who is out there," Huckabee said. "As a hunter, I know that a good hunter never aims his gun at a dead carcass. You only point it at something you want to put on the wall as a trophy."

Huckabee asked a New York Times Magazine reporter, "Don't Mormons believe that Jesus and the Devil are brothers," saying that he didn't know a lot about the LDS Church. A spokeswoman for the church says that this statement is more often used as a smear against Mormons. Some feel that his statement was an attack on Mitt Romney, who is a Mormon.

On Hillary Clinton, Huckabee said, ""There's nothing funny about Hillary Clinton being president. Let me tell you why. If she's president, taxes go up, healthcare becomes the domain of the government, spending goes out of control, our military loses its morale, and I'm not sure we'll have the courage and the will and the resolve to fight the greatest threat this country's ever faced in Islamofascism."

Huckabee has criticized Fred Thompson on his stance on abortion and gay marriage. Thompson has stated that such issues should be left to the states to decide. Thompson returned the criticism by criticizing Huckabee on immigration and taxes.

Mitt Romney criticized Huckabee on immigration by stating, "Giving a better deal to the children of illegal aliens than we give to US citizens from surrounding states is simply not fair and not right." Huckabee responded, "I guess Mitt Romney would rather keep people out of college so they can keep working on his lawn, since he had illegals there." Previously, Huckabee had criticized Romney for claiming to have been a hunter.

The Club for Growth criticized Huckabee in November 2007 over inconsistencies in how Huckabee represents his tax record, specifically regarding the 1999 gas and diesel fuel tax hikes. The 1999 gas and fuel tax hikes were never on the ballot in Arkansas, but Huckabee has told reporters that “the fuel tax was a vote of the people—eighty percent of the people voted to improve roads” However, FactCheck.org, after looking at the nuances of the issue in detail, states "Huckabee seems to be describing the plan he wanted rather than the plan he actually supported," which was a compromise plan arrived at after much political wrangling.

Huckabee's son, David Huckabee, has also posed a small controversy with his arrest for carrying a weapon in a prohibited place after a Glock pistol was found in his briefcase while going through a security checkpoint at the Little Rock National Airport. David Huckabee, who pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge, said that he forgot to take the gun out of his bag before going to the airport. After the events took place, Mike Huckabee, a strong right to bear arms candidate said "I love my son but what he did was irresponsible, but not intentional. The right to carry a firearm has to be balanced with an equal responsibility to not make foolish errors like forgetting about it being in one's briefcase. ...I make no excuses for him and would expect him to accept whatever penalties are given. It is the court's responsibility to properly consequence him for a foolish act but his family's responsibility to love him and temper our disappointment with our support."

Some critics, including Romney, have accused Huckabee of using his religion background for political advantage. A Romney campaign staff member pointed out that similar ads in Iowa and New Hampshire are different in that the New Hampshire ad did not include the term "Christian Leader" in the spot, while an ad in Iowa did. Alice Stewart, a spokeswomen of the Huckabee campaign later said there was no intention to downplay religion in New Hampshire, noting the ads "were simply different spots running in different markets, which is typical in presidential campaigns."

Huckabee received further criticism in early January 2008 when, having previously agreed to try to work with unions if elected, he then proceeded to cross a WGA Writer's Strike picket line in order to appear on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.