Huckabee's dirt.

[Warren Stupidity]

While the media is involved in a general love fest with Mike Huckabee, it seems they are ignoring his rather dubious reign as governor in Arkansas. Specifically, they just can't seem to bring up the Wedding Register Affair. It seems that while preparing to vacate the governor's residence (and after a failed attempt to take the furnishings of that residence with them) the Huckabees set up a wedding registry for themselves at Dillards and Targets.

Gov. Mike Huckabee and his wife, Janet, apparently are registered for home furnishing gifts at Target and Dillard’s department stores as they prepare to leave the Governor’s Mansion and move into a house (below) they recently purchased in North Little Rock.

...

Arkansas law prohibits public officials from receiving gifts worth more than $100, unless the office-holder can prove that the gift came via a relationship “independent of his or her official status.” To ascertain the nature of the relationship, the Arkansas Ethics Commission may examine “such factors as when the relationship began (i.e., before or after the public servant obtained his or her office or position), the prior history of gift giving between the individuals, whether the gift was given in connection with a holiday or other special occasion, and whether the same gift was given to other public servants.”

http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/arkansasblog/2006/11/huckabees_registered_for_gifts.aspx


This report set off a bit of a shit storm down in Arkansas:

Gov. Mike Huckabee on Tuesday ripped news reporters for writing about gift registries in his and his wife's names for a housewarming party for their recently purchased halfmillion-dollar home in North Little Rock.

The registries are on the Internet at Target and Dillard's Web sites under "weddings."It's the "Janet Huckabee and Michael Huckabee's Club Wedd Registry"at Target and "Welcome to the wedding registry of: Janet Huckabee and Michael Huckabee"at Dillard's.

The governor accused news media of being "tools"for Arkansas Times Editor Max Brantley, who runs a blog that discussed the registries and who has been a longtime critic of Huckabee.

http://www.nwanews.com/adg/News/173040/

And eventually did make it to the national news:


LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Gov. Mike Huckabee on Tuesday angrily defended a gift registry that was set up to help furnish his new home, and said the registry was put together by his wife's friends for a housewarming party.

"My wife has friends; she has lifelong friends. They wanted to do something for her," the Arkansas Republican told reporters after speaking at an event in downtown Little Rock. "It has nothing to do with who she is, other than she's their friend."

Huckabee has been mentioned as a possible candidate for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination and has made trips to several important primary states.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/14/AR2006111400724.html

Odd though, haven't heard a peep out of the False Noise Machine while the national press corpse is having its love affair with Mike. I Heart Huckabee indeed.

That said - Media Matters (NPR Sunday Morning) did give a brief heads up on this issue this morning. 30 seconds is better than nothing.

[Doremus]

1. Tacky, tacky, tacky.

But if that's all they got on the guy, it's pretty underwhelming.

Hell, Rudy got the taxpayers to furnish his love nest.

[zabet]

2. The same idiots

that fell for dumbya's
'aww shucks' schtick, have
the potential to be vote
for Hucksterbee.

[OHdem10]

3. Right now Huckabee is their tool to help GUilliani.

If Huckabee can overtake Romney, this weakens Romney for
NH. Hopefully, then Rudy comes in 3rd. They can breathlessly
cheer Rudy for coming up from behind(3rd Place) cheer him
on to NH, hopefully he makes abetter showing there--then
on to SC where he has a much better chance for a win then
Fla, then run the tables. Voila Rudy is candidate and Huckabee
can be VP MAKING Rudy more palatable to the RR.

I am not convinced this will happen. I am waiting to see hwo
the Power Brokers come down in the meantime.

[PATRICK]

4. That's it?

In that party? He should be canonized(and will be). If this is the most they have then this guy is the "clean" candidate they might need.

Such accusations at this stage are meant to hit him because he is on the upsurge but vulnerable. After the sparring it will be faded into the memory hole deeper than Bush's AWOL heroics in Texas.

[TwilightGardener]

5. Google Wayne Dumond. Huck has WAY more dirt than this.

[Warren Stupidity]

6. That is just one of the many irregularities of St. Mike.

If I implied that that was it, I apologize.

[madrchsod]

7. target?

wow...even the french pronunciation can`t hide the fact it`s still target

[TwilightGardener]

11. Hucky told the general public that he and his wife liked Target gift cards.

He literally BEGGED the public to donate so that he and his wife could furnish their new 7000 sq foot home. Imagine if Edwards had done this.

[grasswire]

8. here ya go

http://www.freerepublic.com/w2ball/

[saracat]

9. Didn't Hillary do something similar when the Clinton's left the WH? It seems a friend set up

a gift registry for the Clinton's new house and Hillary knew nothing about it but there was a huge media storm AIR.

[Warren Stupidity]

17. In Huckabee's case there is specific Arkansas law that forbids it.

The Clinton's shamelss gift taking did not appear to run afoul of any relevant law. Huckabee's claim that it was a wedding registry was a transparent attempt to circumvent the law. It was in fact a guilty act, indicating awareness of the law.

[frazzled]

10. This is the same story they tried to pin on the Clintons when they left office

Must be an Arkansas thang ...

I thought it was bullshit when the media was trying to create a Hillary "registry" scandal ... so I'll have to be consistent and say this doesn't sound like much of a scandal to me at all. Especially given that the reputed registry was at Target.

They better get something better on him (I'm sure it must exist). .. because this is silly.

[TwilightGardener]

12. You aren't understanding the import of this--

he tried to take $70,000 worth of furniture from the mansion, claiming it was a personal gift to him from a rich guy, NOT the property of Arkansas. He wasn't allowed to. So he and his crafty wife (who has her own financial improprieties while running for Ark. Sec of State) set up a WEDDING registry. Why wedding, since they had been married for many years? To cynically get around laws that would allow them to accept gifts more than $100. At one point during his governorship, he demanded to be allowed to accept all level of gifts, from anybody. Huck and his wife are unethical, opportunistic grifters. Not to mention stealing from mansion funds for personal expenses, and inappropriate use of the state plane. He's another Rudy.

[frazzled]

14. That is exactly what they said the Clintons did ...

That they took things out of the White House, and that they had a "wedding-type" registry set up after they left to receive gifts to furnish their new house in New York. Don't you remember that big "scandal"? Don't you think it's odd it's the same scandal?

[TwilightGardener]

15. In Hucky's case, it's true. Maybe it's some sort of unethical Arkansas thing, I don't know.

But there's no denying that it happened. The Huckster family was greedy and graspy most of their time in office, and rather than deny it, they demanded that the laws be changed for them to accept even more graft.

[MADem]

13. Shhhhhhh....save this for LATER!!!! nt

[Historic NY]

16. What did they buy another double wide...........