Huckabee: Why I support Vander Plaats
Mike Huckabee, the presidential candidate Iowa Republicans picked at the caucus winner just 18 months ago, came to Arnolds Park to endorse the 2010 gubernatorial candidacy of Bob Vander Plaats of Sioux City. Journal correspondent Russ Oeschlin produced this sidebar:
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said Wednesday he is supporting Sioux Cityan Bob Vander Plaats for Iowa governor before the race has even begun, “as a matter of friendship and loyalty.”
Huckabee, who won last year’s Iowa Republican presidential caucus, spoke to some 300 members of the Iowa Association of Business and Industry Wednesday afternoon. “It isn’t as much about politics,” he added, “though I think he’s very qualified.”
“As I have said to several other people, having been a governor for ten and a half years, I think I know what the qualities would be in a good one. But I also came to truly build a genuinely deep relationship with him and his family and with a lot of other people in the state. So when people are looking at this and trying to figure out ‘what’s Huckabee’s real thing for being here,’ I’ll tell you I am deeply grateful for people in this state who for nothing that it could do for them got behind me and helped me” during the last presidential campaign.
Huckabee played down any risk to his early endorsement. He said he was unconcerned about what would happen to his political chances should he run for office again if someone else became governor.
“So be it,” he said. “First of all, if people begrudge me because I am loyal to a friend, then they need to begrudge me — because to me there are things that are more important than political consequences. And if I am always sitting around saying ‘how is this going to affect me,’ that’s what’s wrong with politics today.
“People are always making it about themselves. So I’ve had so many people say ‘what if.’ So what. That’s the way it works. Bob stood behind me when there was nothing in it for him. Bob had some offers to make some real solid big money with some other candidates. But he didn’t. Instead he helped me. It showed me a lot about his character. Because he believed in what I stood for, and I believe in what he stands for. I don’t think it hurts to stand with a guy like Bob Vander Plaats. But if it does, then let it hurt.”
Tags: bob vander plaats, iowa governor, mike huckabee, politics
June 11th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
THIS is one of the MANY reasons Mike Huckabee will be the next president of the US. We need someone of his caliber, integrity and strength to take charge of this country and put us back on the right track. I have followed him closely since fall of 2007, and am certain that we have “the real deal” in Huck. This country couldn’t do any better….
June 12th, 2009 at 6:53 am
The biggest problem I hear about BVP is that his supporters never mention his strength in handling Iowa’s debt and out-of-control spending. Republicans and many Democrats will rally around the candidate advocating reversing the trend of our current governor, Debt Culver. But I don’t hear that at all from the BVP crowd.
Oh, and it’s not surprising that Huckabee didn’t mention this. As governor, he spent boatloads of money. Is BVP cut from the same cloth?
June 14th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
[...] neck out in a primary which may lead to opposition from his party if he runs for president in 2012, but he was quick to point out that wondering what is in it for yourself is what is wrong with politics today. First of all, if [...]