How Huckabee’s Anonymity Helped Him Rise

Mormon Mitt Romney may have only one wife, but he’s aborted quite a few liberal trysts. Self-explanatory non-profit Republican Majority for Choice released a commercial this weekend which recaps Romney’s questionable commitment to Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that legally sanctions accessible abortions. The 30-second slot opens with Romney circa 1994, when he said “I believe that abortions should be safe and legal.” The viewer’s then taken on a roller coaster ride through Romney’s 2001, 2002 and 2007 flip-flops. That ride ends with a plea for Romney to flop back to pro-choice and stay there. It’s really quite extraordinary.

Romney’s pro-choice politics also sprouted during Wednesday’s CNN/YouTube debates when competitor Fred Thompson spent some of his advertorial time to feature Romney’s aforementioned 1994 persona. The footage forced a red-faced Romney to offer some explanatory spin,

If people in this country are looking for someone who’s never made a mistake on a policy issue and is not willing to admit they’re ever wrong, why then they’re going to have to find somebody else, because on abortion I was wrong. I’m proud to be pro-life, and I’m not going to be apologizing for people for becoming pro-life.

Later in the debate, when asked if he’d sign a Congressional bill overturning Roe v. Wade, Romney said he’d be “happy” to sign, but thinks it’s an issue best left to the states. Because, like a good Republican, Romney believes in the states’ right to choose. Too bad Romney doesn’t have as much federalist respect when it come to gay marriage. Though he once spoke out for state-by-state legislation, Romney currently supports a constitutional amendment defining marriage as one man and one woman.

Looking over Romney and Giuliani’s records, I’m awestruck by all the double-talk and alleged deception. Southern Baptist preacher man Mike Huckabee seems above reproach compared to them. Yes, things look good for Huckabee, but you election hounds know that can and will change. Now that he’s got Romney and Giuliani on the run, there’s no doubt we’re going to hear new details about Huckabee’s heavy past. He has already come under a bit of fire for his $500 million in tax increases during his time as Arkansas’ governor. Anti-tax group The Club For Growth has even dubbed Huckabee “Tax Hike Mike,” according to a December 2nd New York Times article.

Mitt Romney, meanwhile, has taken swipes at Huckabee’s immigration policy and derided him as a “life-long politician”. How long until someone resurrects Huckabee’s previous statements on abortion, like this one to Right Wing News:

It would please me because I think Roe v. Wade is based on a real stretch of Constitutional application — that somehow there is a greater privacy issue in the abortion concern — than there is a human life issue — and that the federal government should be making that decision as opposed to states making that decision. So, I’ve never felt that it was a legitimate manner in which to address this and, first of all, it should be left to the states, the 10th Amendment, but secondly, to somehow believe that the taking of an innocent, unborn human life is about privacy and not about that unborn life is ludicrous.

That federalist position, by the way, contradicts his most recent platform.

Yes, anonymity and consistency have helped Mike Huckabee, but his steady rise may end all that.

[Image via New Hampshire Public Radio]