FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 11, 2007
CONTACT: Marisa McNee 917-733-2351

SHAME ON HUCKABEE: FEAR TRUMPS FAITH IN FLIP FLOP ON IMMIGRATION

Gov. Huckabee Calls for Mass Expulsion of 12 million within 120 Days

(Washington, DC) - Just a couple of weeks ago Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee had what appeared to be a shining moment of strength and leadership on the issue of immigration when he refused to take Mitt Romney's bait, instead declaring: "In all due respect, we are a better country than to punish children for what their parents did."

Well, we admit it, we were fooled. Two weeks ago it certainly seemed as though Governor Huckabee was going to do the right thing focusing on solutions and refraining from the immigration pile-on being waged by his competitors. Boy, were we wrong!

What a Difference a Week Makes

In a stunning reversal from the compassion and leadership he showed just over a week ago, Governor Huckabee has now released his 9-point Immigration Strategy, which among other things, calls for the 12 million undocumented immigrants in the country to leave within 120 days.

His new plan makes no mention of those children or being a "better country" anywhere in his demand for mass expulsion. Even more interesting is that despite his claim that he supports legal immigration - and is only interested in ending illegal immigration - Governor Huckabee openly admits he got his 9-point immigration plan in large part from the Center for Immigration Studies, a restrictionist group that wants to stop all immigration, legal and illegal.

Regardless of where you stand on the immigration issue, it is certainly an amazing turn of events that a candidate running for president - from any party - would advocate for the mass expulsion of 12 million people and 5 percent of America's workforce. And that at a time when a majority of Americans believe it is impractical , undesirable or un-American to do such a thing - Governor Huckabee is proposing such an idea and asking people to deport themselves. Perhaps even more amazing is that such a proposal could be taken seriously and that it would go virtually unnoticed by the national press for what it truly is: a reckless, desperate and irresponsible policy.

Huckabee Chooses Fear Over Faith

The Huckabee immigration flip-flop comes on the heels of national and early primary state polls that show him surging ahead of his competitors in Iowa - and climbing to second place nationally - coming out of the very CNN debate where he showed such promise and leadership on the immigration issue.

A Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll (11/30-12/03) shows Huckabee at 17 percent, just 6 percentage points behind the long-time frontrunner Rudy Giuliani. USA Today/Gallup (11/30-12/02) found similar results with Huckabee at 16 percent nationally. The new AP/Ipsos poll (12/03-12/05) shows Huckabee at 18 percent, up from 10 percent in an AP-Ipsos survey a month ago and 3 percent in July. And a new Rasmussen poll (12/02-12/05) has Huckabee leading the pack at 22 percent with Giuliani running a close second at 18 percent.

The recent polling coming out of Iowa - a state where immigration is a salient issue - is even more dramatic. The new Newsweek poll (12/05-12/06) released just yesterday shows Huckabee way out in front of his competitors in Iowa with a 22 percentage point lead over Mitt Romney.

Every single one of these polls was taken after Huckabee's compassionate plea for sanity on the immigration issue and before the release of his tough sounding 9-point plan on immigration. Huckabee had defied the "conventional wisdom" and showed true leadership and compassion on the immigration issue without suffering at the polls.

Earlier this year Governor Huckabee said the following in an interview with Real Clear Politics:

"The single most important issue is restoring America's faith in itself. This country is at its best when it's optimistic and resilient and when it sees that its greatest days are ahead of it, not behind it. We are at our worst when we tend to get filled with fear and anxiety. Fear is a motivator that will motivate people for the short term, but hope is what motivates people for the long termÉWe don't need to be thinking that way, and that requires leadership."

It's unfortunate that a politician with the potential to lead on this issue would buckle to the pressure of misguided short-term political gain over the long-term good of the country. Ironic that the polls seem to indicate he didnÕt have to. Governor Huckabee didn't have enough faith in his own leadership to follow his own advice about choosing optimism and resiliency over fear and anxiety.

Shame on you Governor Huckabee.