You could almost feel sorry for Mike Huckabee. Many days, he sounds more like an Arkansas Democrat than a typical national Republican. But he made his bed. And today he got tucked into it completely.

Speaking at the Conservative PAC cattle show in Washington, he made the no-tax-increase pledge demanded by Grover Norquist. Earlier, he’d demurred, wanting  to leave a llittle wiggle room for the unexpected — like a war, say. But because of criticism from the Club for Growth and others in the noisy base that dominates Republican primary politics, he was forced to cave.

Advertisement

He also went after Rudy Giuliani, currently running strong, on abortion. Giuliani gets lead attention on NY Times blog.

UPDATE: The Club for Growth praised Huckabee’s pledge. But President Pat Toomey sounded as if that didn’t necessarily square things.  “We certainly appreciate Governor Huckabee’s conversion,” Mr. Toomey continued, “but we believe a candidate’s record in public office is often more indicative of his philosophy than his pledges on the campaign trail.”

Advertisement

Help to Keep Great Journalism Alive in Arkansas

Join the fight for truth and become a subscriber of the Arkansas Times. We've been battling powerful forces for 50 years through our tough, determined, and feisty journalism. With over 63,000 Facebook followers, 58,000 Twitter followers, 35,000 Arkansas blog followers, and 70,000 daily email blasts, our readers value great journalism. But we need your help to do even more. By subscribing and supporting our efforts, you'll not only have access to all of our articles, but you'll also be helping us hire more writers to expand our coverage. Together, we can continue to hold the powerful accountable and bring important stories to light. Subscribe now or donate for as little as $1 and be a part of the Arkansas Times community.

Previous article The money report Next article You’re walking on the fightin’ side …