Calling for the nation “to be America again," former Gov. Mike Huckabee, R-Ark., tried to rally conservatives at the Republican Party of Florida’s (RPOF) Sunshine Summit in Orlando on Friday, as he continues his second bid for the White House.
Having moved to the Florida Panhandle after his 2008 presidential bid, Huckabee insisted he was ready to take on former U.S. Sec. of State Hillary Clinton in 2016. Huckabee pointed to his record in Arkansas and noted he had beaten the Clinton political machine.
Huckabee pointed to “corruption”in Washington, D.C. and said he would change it. “We must stop that which is killing this great county,” Huckabee said, insisting politics was hurting the nation.
The former Arkansas governor called for major tax reform, getting rid of the federal income tax and replacing it with the Fair Tax.
“We scrap it all together, implement the Fair Tax,” Huckabee said about the income tax, insisting the Fair Tax would lead to more business investment and help manufacturing.
Turning to foreign policy, Huckabee called for military action against “radical Islamic jihadists” committing terrorism.
“We have to take the fight to the people who want to kill us because there’s nothing to negotiate,” Huckabee said.
Huckabee also praised Israel, comparing it to America at the founding of the country in the eighteenth century.
The former Arkansas governor called for a “firm, moral foundation" and waded into social issues. Huckabee called for America “to repent” over legalized abortion.
“I don’t see how God can bless a nation that can be as savage as that,” Huckabee said about abortion.
Turning to immigration, Huckabee said he backed securing the border, including having the secretary of Homeland Security based in Laredo, Texas, insisting immigration problems can be solved in a year.
Huckabee called out Disney for replacing American workers with Indian workers and said business profits should not drive immigration policy. “Let’s not have an immigration policy that displaces Americans,” Huckabee said.
Turning to entitlements, Huckabee said 4 percent annual economic growth would ensure benefits would not be cut and he defended Social Security’s role.
“Social Security is not a welfare program, it is not an entitlement," Huckabee insisted “Government should keep its hands off of it."
The former Arkansas governor also called for more accountability and reform at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Huckabee was included in the first three debates with the top tier candidates but, in the fourth round of debates held earlier this week, the former Arkansas governor took part in the undercard debate.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
