A YouTube video from 2003 is being circulated on the Internet. This video contains excerpts taken out of context from a speech when then-Governor Mike Huckabee opened a special legislative session on May 5, 2003.
The full video of that speech can be seen right here.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
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8 comments:
What difference does it make? Huckabee's a liar.
http://arkjournal.com/2007/11/huckabee-caught-lying-carl-cameron-on.html
http://arkjournal.com/2007/11/correction-huckabee-defenders-lying.html
He's a tax and spend liberal.
It's quite obvious that he's FAR from a "tax and spend liberal". He's a leader that is facing an oncoming fiscal crisis, and is telling the Legislature that he will support efforts to avert that crisis. He specifically says that the method is less important than accomplishing the goal, and names a few possibilities that already had public support.
Then again, I suppose you could spin anything to say what you wanted it to say.
I think it's very telling that this little snippet of video, taken completely out of context, is the only real attack you people have been able to muster.
You blog looks nice. Keep up the good work. Thanks for posting the entire speech.
stahlgrau330,
I guess it doesn't really matter what proof you get that Huckabee's a liberal since you don't seem to care that he's also a liar.
I've heard democrats give the same speech. If you'd read the letter by the Arkansas House Minority Leader, you'd see that the budget shortfall was a result of an economic downturn, which was turned around by President Bush's TAX CUTS, which he was advocating a few blocks away at the very moment that "conservative" Mike Huckabee was advocating TAX HIKES. You'd also see that there was a plan for cutting wasteful spending that Huck ignored in favor of tax hikes.
As for this being the best we've got, you ain't seen nothin' yet.
Could the blog owner explain to me how the "excerpts taken out of context"? I watched the video and it isn't obvious to me what information in this video contradicts the video posted by arkjournal.
I agree with the previous commenter, where is the speech taken out of context?
I just listened to the full speech and I'm curious to know where Huckabee was taken out of context or where this speech is in regards to a "Supreme Court order that we had to fund education at a higher level" as was suggested by Huckabee.
Huckabee said in the first few minutes fo the speech, "The issue of education we've determined to let that wait until the fall when the adequacy report is returned to us...Somethings can be put off, but the issue that brings us back to the capital on this day cannot wait any longer. The urgency of passing budgets for the various state agencies is critical. But just as critical is passing a revenue stream that will fund those budgets and provide an adequate level of service particularly in medicaid as well as in the department of corrections."
He then talked about the devastating tornoadoes that hit many people. He then said many hundreds of thousands will be affected by the failure to provide a budget and adequate revenue stream to meet that budget. He cited widespread agreement on the issue that needed to be addressed and then said,
He then said, "The big question may end up being the method of getting that revenue."
He then said there was no more room to cut and that if further cuts were made Arkansas would be "amputating limbs."
He was very clear that this was for general revenue not education or a "one time problem" like the catastrophe that just hit them, but a "systemic problem" of permanent funding for Medicaid and corrections.
He then turns to the issue of which revenue stream to meet the needs before them. And then he goes on record to ask for various tax increases to create that revenue stream which is the portion that is cited by the Arkansas Journal saying he'll "happily sign" a bill to meet their target of $100 million. Expressing his "profound thanks" for creating the revenue stream.
He concludes by listing a whole host of people that will benefit from the increased revenue.
The quote was not taken out of context, but clearly shows that this was for general revenue, not the result of a Supreme Court ruling which he said early on was put off until the fall when the report was complete.
It was clear to me that Huckabee was trying to find ways to fund the Medicaid program, AS MANDATED BY LAW. So, it was not his choice to raise taxes, but only to find a way to do it.
As he said, the budget had already been trimmed by $380 million, and there was no place else it could be cut. So, he had to get the revenue somewhere, and he was open to ideas of where to come up with it.
The clip taken out of context, is just that part where he asks for ideas of what goods they chose to put a higher tax on.
The important fact that he was merely complying with a federal mandate was left out.
It would be nice if more people actually looked at the evidence absolving Huckabee instead of doing Google searches for "dirt", where they find sites that are no more informed than the searchers are. Hopefully some people will get the hint.
BTW, I was just reading a piece in Newsweek by factcheck.org about how Romney was trying to muddy up the waters. I guess he thinks we aren't as smart as he is...
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