From The Moderate Voice
Mike Huckabee has sent out an email to his supporters with his opinions about the bailout, and it is very clear why he was never an option for the business wing of the Republican party: he lays into the Paulson bailout plan like a socialist
Frankly, I’m disappointed and disgusted with my own Republican party as I watch them attempt to strong-arm a bailout of some of America’s biggest corporations by asking the taxpayers to suck up the staggering results of the hubris, greed, and arrogance of those who sought to make a quick buck by throwing the dice. They lost, but want the rest of us to cover their bets so they won’t be effected in their lavish lifestyles as they figure out how to spend their tens of millions and in some cases, hundreds of millions in bonuses and compensation which was their reward for not only sinking their companies, but basically doing the same to the entire American economy.
The idea of a government bailout in which we’d entrust $700 billion to one man without Congressional oversight or accountability is absurd. My party or not, that is insanity and I believe unconstitutional.
Attempts by Democrats and Republicans to blame each other is nonsense. They are both guilty and ought to own up and admit it. They all lived off big campaign contributions and the swill of the lobbyists who strong armed them into permission to steal.
Ok, so what does this all mean? Huckabee's base, the social conservatives, is clearly pissed off with the Paulson proposal, which means it is even more dead in the water than it was before. It also means that any plan that is coming out of the GOP has to address some of these issues, otherwise those voters might stay away from the Republican party come election day.
I would like to see his reaction though on both the Dodd and McCain plans, and if he tows the party line on that as well. The Dodd plan addresses most of his comments around protecting the tax payer and the small business owner compared to giving it all away to the fat cats, where the McCain plan is basically the same as the Paulson plan, except the $700 billion is given away in tax cuts and further regulation rather than a direct hand out.
I think Huckabee could go far if he started his own party, styled on European Christian-Democrat parties. Clearly religious, slightly right-of-center economically, but not overtly in the pocket of big business. There is a market for that at the moment, and it might be a rather big market.