Monday, December 10, 2007
A troubling sign
As the contributors here know, I've been defending Huckabee on the Dumond case because, well, his actions were defensible. The commutation of Dumond's sentence were made by Lt. Gov. Tucker under the administration of Gov. Clinton. The parole board and parole process which actually set Dumond free during the tenure of Gov. Huckabee is not under the control of the Governor, and he has little say in the process. The fact that Gov. Huckabee apparently was comfortable with Dumond being set free was not cogent to the facts of the case.
Then there was the issue of the quantity of pardons Huckabee made. That too, was readily defensible. Given that the state criminal justice system jailed tens, if not hundreds of thousands of people during the 10 years Huck was governor there (there were nearly 14K prisoners in AK on 12/31/06), there were probably 1000 cases in which a reasonable request for clemency or pardon could be made. All that was required was assuming that the Governor was being more diligent than previous administrations in rooting out such cases, and acting accordingly.
But now we have a horse of a different color. From Drudge, I caught the link to this story of another pardon:
If this case is representative of the pardons Huck was making, and the facts have not been twisted in this account, it will be a bridge too far for me. The author of the column quoted above doesn't hide the fact that he thinks the pardons were a result of Huckabee having sympathy on those who professed a religiously-motivated change of heart in prison, but I specifically excluded those quotes because they are mere speculation on the part of the author, without any statements from Huckabee backing them up.
One thing's for sure: if Huck's stock-in-trade in AK was not explaining his decisions, particularly to the families of the victims, that won't cut in a Presidential election. He's going to have to explain why he vacated the decisions of duly appointed juries and judges.
Then there was the issue of the quantity of pardons Huckabee made. That too, was readily defensible. Given that the state criminal justice system jailed tens, if not hundreds of thousands of people during the 10 years Huck was governor there (there were nearly 14K prisoners in AK on 12/31/06), there were probably 1000 cases in which a reasonable request for clemency or pardon could be made. All that was required was assuming that the Governor was being more diligent than previous administrations in rooting out such cases, and acting accordingly.
But now we have a horse of a different color. From Drudge, I caught the link to this story of another pardon:
Gov. Huckabee probably never read the confession of a demented killer named Glen Green before he made the monster eligible for parole. Green's confession
is so depraved, its sadistic details so scary that no sane, responsible adult would consider him for parole. If the governor didn't read the confession, he is guilty of dereliction of duty. But if he read the confession and still considers Green deserving of parole, he's certainly unfit to hold office. Who would free a madman who beat an 18-year-old woman with Chinese martial-arts sticks, raped her as she barely clung to life, ran over her with his car, then dumped her in the bayou, her hand reaching up, as if begging for mercy? We're publishing the gruesome picture of Green's victim on the front page because we believe her hand is reaching up to demand justice. In usual fashion, Huckabee's office didn't even contact the victim's family about the clemency.
Although he's required to by the Constitution, the governor, as is his custom, won't say why he granted clemency to this crazed killer (over the unanimous objections of the Post-Prison Transfer Board)...
...Green, a 22-year-old sergeant, kidnapped Helen Lynette Spencer on Little Rock Air Force Base, where he beat and kicked her as he tried to rape her in a secluded area. She broke loose and ran toward the barracks' parking lot, where he caught up with her and beat her with a pair of nunchucks. He then stuffed her into the trunk of his car and left her there while he cleaned up. Several hours later, he drove down Graham Road, past Loop Road and stopped near a bridge in Lonoke County. Green told investigators he put her body in the front seat and raped her because her body was still warm. He dragged Spencer out of his vehicle and put her in front of the car and ran over her several times, going back and forth. He then collected himself long enough to dump her body in Twin Prairie Bayou...
...As he grants clemency to scores of violent criminals, Huckabee's motives are the subject of speculation: Why, people are asking, is he doing it? After studying the record for several weeks, all one can say is that his actions perhaps reflect a combination of arrogance and avarice and ignorance. While his fellow governors keep electing him to top positions in their little club, he has alienated Arkansans of both parties. They're shocked at not only the amazing number of clemencies but also at the way he ignores the suffering of the victims' families, who are always the last to know when their loved one's killer is up for parole.
If this case is representative of the pardons Huck was making, and the facts have not been twisted in this account, it will be a bridge too far for me. The author of the column quoted above doesn't hide the fact that he thinks the pardons were a result of Huckabee having sympathy on those who professed a religiously-motivated change of heart in prison, but I specifically excluded those quotes because they are mere speculation on the part of the author, without any statements from Huckabee backing them up.
One thing's for sure: if Huck's stock-in-trade in AK was not explaining his decisions, particularly to the families of the victims, that won't cut in a Presidential election. He's going to have to explain why he vacated the decisions of duly appointed juries and judges.
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8 comments:
I think this is going to be the issue that sinks Huck, especially if Rudy runs with it. It's something tangible that will stick in people's minds. The last thing the Repubs need is someone who is perceived as soft on crime, b/c then we can't say the same about the Dems. It neutralizes a key issue for us in the general election, especially as it relates to GWOT. If Huck's opponents can find even 2 or 3 stories that are similar, or where the pardoned criminal had a repeat offense, it will be excessively damaging.
Not to mention, the timing is quite bad for Huck. Just as his #s are ballooning, and the primaries are around the corner, he will be hit with these stories by his opponents and the MSM (who certainly don't want another SoCon and will do everything in their power to prevent his nomination). I think it is possible he could drop 5 or more points as a result of these stories, if his opponents press the issue. He needs to have a crisp and ready answer.
BTW, MSM already starting to run with the Huck stories Fredo mentioned earlier, about AIDS and homosexuals.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/12/10/huckabee.aids/index.html
Here's another potential problem for Huckabee:
[A new Mitt Romney ad in Iowa attacking Huckabee] says that Mr. Huckabee, as governor of Arkansas, supported in-state tuition benefits for illegal immigrants and taxpayer-financed scholarships for illegal immigrants.
That's old news, it's come up in the debates. "Asked and answered", in L&O parlance.
I disagree with Huckabee on the issue, but his point is "don't punish kids for the sins of the parents."
At the same time, he's out there trying to get the border fence built, make illegals in the country repatriate before getting in line, and get local law enforcement involved in immigration enforcement (ending sanctuary cities).
I'll take it.
It might be old news but I don't think it will be easily washed away, especially since that exact issue came up under Mitt's tenure as Gov of MA and he shot it down. I don't want ANY of my tax $ going to fund illegals in any way. Period. They come here to find work to send money home to their families. Well, in that case, they can use that money for their kids' education instead.
Here's another possible problem for Huck: a recent poll suggesting he'd get slaughtered in general election. Of course, these must be taken with a grain of salt, since as still the least well-known candidate he is going to be at a disadvantage in such polls until his name is more widely known.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/12/10/poll.head.to.head/index.html
And this from Drudge, indicating Huckabee is the Dems dream opponent:
http://drudgereport.com/flashhu.htm
I think it goes back to the thread from a few days ago, that Huckabee is going to be typecast and if he wants to have any chance in the general election he needs to move beyond SoCons and start showing some bona fides on fiscal policy, GWOT, etc. To some extent he is apparently already aware of this, having dropped the mantra "Christian Leader" from his ads in favor of "Proven Leader".
Huckabee is definitely not the Dems dream candidate. That would have to be Fred, who is lackluster and easily pigeonholed as Bush Redux.
In head-to-head matchups, Huck is already outperforming Rudy (and trailing only McCain) in one of the most key swing states, OH. Along with FL, OH is the most crucial GOP "must have" in the general.
Additionally, as things stand, Huck is leading in Arkansas against Hill, while Rudy trails. AR is no OH, PA, MI, or FL, but we can't afford to give states away either.
In the national numbers, Huck is within the MOE of Hill and Obama, according to Rasmussen, and of course, he's been moving up drastically.
Things aren't static, and given current trend lines, it's pretty clear that Rudy's favorables have been declining for months and his support is much nearer its ceiling than Huck's.