United Liberty

While visiting with Judge Andrew Napolitano on Freedom Watch this past weekend, Mike Huckabee, a potential GOP candidate for president in 2012, took issue with libertarians and free marketers over his record, saying, “If a libertarian thinks he’s a better Republican and calls people like me a RINO or a liberal, I have a real problem with that.”

Here is the segment:

While many are fans of Huckabee because of his support of the “Fair Tax,” there is little question that he is a fiscal liberal. During his tenure as Governor of Arkansas, Huckabee gave residents of the state a net tax hike of over $505 million to finance his big government agenda. His record on taxes is worse than Bill Clinton.

Most of Huckabee’s backers play down his support of cap-and-trade, his failing grades on fiscal policy from the Cato Institute or his support of increased federal spending for social programs. Jonah Goldberg’s description of Huckabee as a “right-wing progressive” is entirely accurate, whether you want to admit it or not.

As John Adams once said, “Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.” The fact is that Mike Huckabee has a record supporting higher taxes, increased spending and more government involvement in the lives of individuals. You may like the guy, but he is a not a limited government conservative and he is certainly not representative of the tea party movement.

H/T: The Liberty Papers