GOP Convention: From Rivals To Allies

September 3, 2008, 11:15pm

ST. PAUL — The three leading Republican rivals to John McCain during the GOP presidential primary all took the stage here tonight to publicly and eagerly throw their support behind the Arizona senator.

For much of the race, McCain was considered an underdog to two of those men, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. The third, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, stayed in the race against McCain the longest after scoring a handful of surprise victories in the primary himself.

Here are excerpts and video clips of their speeches at the convention:

Giuliani

This is not a personal attack, it’s a statement of fact: Barack Obama has never led anything. Nothing. Nada. The choice in this election comes down to substance over style. John has been tested. Barack Obama has not.

Tough times require strong leadership, and this is no time for on the job training. It’s about who can answer that crisis call — yes, Hillary, at 3:00 in the morning. Well, no one can look at John McCain and say that he is not ready to be commander-in-chief.

So, our opponents want to reframe the debate. They would have you believe that this election is about “change versus more of the same.” But that’s really a false choice. Because “change” is not a destination, just as “hope” is not a strategy.

Romney

Did you hear any Democrats talk last week about the threat from radical, violent jihad? Republicans believe that there is good and evil in the world. Ronald Reagan called out the Evil Empire. George Bush labeled the terror-sponsor states the Axis of Evil.

And at Saddleback, after Barak Obama dodged and ducked every direct question, John McCain hit the nail on the head: radical violent Islam is evil, and he will defeat it!

Republicans prefer straight talk to politically correct talk!

Huckabee

John McCain doesn’t want the kind of change that allows the government to reach deeper into your paycheck and pick your doctor, your child’s school, or even the kind of car you drive or how much you inflate the tires.

He doesn’t want to change the very definition of marriage from what it has always meant throughout recorded human history. It is not above John McCain’s pay grade to grasp the simple fact that human life begins at conception, and he is committed to protecting it.

Maybe the most dangerous threat of an Obama presidency is that he would continue to give madmen the benefit of the doubt. If he’s wrong just once, we will pay a heavy price. John McCain will follow the fanatics to their caves in Pakistan or to the gates of hell. What Obama wants to do is give them a place setting at the table.

Categories: New York, Arkansas, Massachusetts, Producer's Picks, Politics, Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, Republican Convention

She calls New York home now, but Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton first made her mark in the political world as the first lady of Arkansas. The Natural State is among those holding primaries Tuesday, and Clinton is on the air there now to remind Arkansans that she is one of them.

Following the lead of Democratic rival Barack Obama, Clinton also has a fan from the Kennedy clan, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., in two different ads.

Categories: Arkansas, Politics, Hillary Clinton, AdWatch

Parole Controversy Still Haunts Huckabee

January 11, 2008, 8:08pm

As Mike Huckabee soared to the top of some Republican primary polls in Iowa late last year, controversies surrounding his tenure as a former Arkansas governor began to surface. One of the most explosive involved Huckabee’s role in the parole of convicted rapist Wayne Dumond, who later raped and killed Carol Sue Shields.

Lois Davidson, the mother of Shields, was featured in an online video that blamed Huckabee for her daughter’s murder. As reported by Wired, that video (watch it below) made its debut on television last night in a Fox News-sponsored debate among the GOP candidates.

Categories: Arkansas, Producer's Picks, Politics, Mike Huckabee, Crime

At least that’s what folks at The Club For Growth see as the most important legacy of Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas — and they want to make sure Michigan voters know it before they cast any ballots. Here’s the club’s latest anti-Huckabee advertisement airing in Michigan:

Categories: Arkansas, Politics, Taxes, AdWatch, Mike Huckabee

AdWatch: The Surge Begets The Attack

December 7, 2007, 8:36pm

Mike Huckabee was but a blip in the Republican presidential polls a few short weeks ago, but now he is riding high in first place in Iowa, home to the first presidential caucus.

The bad news is that his unexpected rush up the charts has made Huckabee a bigger target, and The Club For Growth is more than happy to take expensive shots at him. Starting Monday, the club will begin airing television advertisements nationwide to criticize a candidate the group has dubbed “Tax Hike Mike.” The initial pricetag for the ads will be $175,000.

“Mike Huckabee is telling folks that he cut taxes 94 times, but the truth is, Huckabee’s tax increases far surpassed his tax cuts, and taxpayers deserve to know the truth,” said club President Pat Toomey said in a release. “The purpose of this ad is to educate taxpayers so they can ask Mike Huckabee why he supported all those tax increases.”

The ad features a clip of Huckabee endorsing calls for any one of a number of tax hikes while he was governor of Arkansas.

Categories: Arkansas, Producer's Picks, Taxes, AdWatch, Mike Huckabee

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