Club for Growth Releases Updated Huckabee White Paper

Patrick J. Toomey,President, Club for Growth>: The Club for Growth released an updated white paper on former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. The Club for Growth originally released the Huckabee white paper on January 29, 2007, the first in its presidential white paper series. As the presidential race developed over the past ten months, many readers have expressed comments and questions, and new information about Governor Huckabee’s record has come to light. In order to ensure that the presidential white papers continue to be thorough and relevant, the Club for Growth decided to issue an updated account of Mike Huckabee’s economic record.

“Over the pas ten months, Governor Huckabee’s embrace of his liberal economic record as governor and his populist, protectionist rhetoric on the campaign trail has only confirmed the Club for Growth’s original assessment,” said Club for Growth President Pat Toomey. “Huckabee himself admits that he is a ‘different kind of Republican,’ a code word for more government involvement, less personal freedom, and greater dependence on government bureaucrats.”

“Huckabee is proud of his tax hikes, his spending increases, and his regulatory expansions as governor, and he has not indicated that he would govern any differently as president. Nominating Mike Huckabee for president or vice-president would constitute an abject rejection of the free-market, limited-government, economic conservatism that has been the unifying theme of the Republican Party for decades.” [To Read the Report] Recommend reading in detail the updated footnote comments comparing documents, documents & comments! One example: "While Huckabee repeatedly claims that 80% of Arkansas voters approved the gas and diesel fuel tax increases that he backed,[24] the frequency of his repetition of this claim does not make it true. In fact, the claim is false. The Arkansas Legislature passed two bills in March of 1999 to pay for transportation projects, a gas and fuel tax hike, not subject to voter approval, and a bond issue that was contingent on voter approval.[25] Huckabee signed the gas and diesel fuel tax increases into law on April 1, 1999; the tax hikes began taking effect that day.[26] Voters approved the bond issue, but this referendum did not include the gas and fuel tax increases [27] and did not take place until June 15, 1999. [28] Importantly, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette made this clear when it wrote, "the tax increases [signed by Huckabee] will stay whether voters approve the bond issue or not."[29]" Additional Club for Growth Reports are published for John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson and Ron Paul.

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Tags: Club for Growth, Economics, Election 2008, fiscal, Mike Huckabee, Patrick Toomey, presidential candidates To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!