Fiscal record
Huckabee has been criticized for his fiscal record as governor. He increased state spending 65.3 percent from 1996 to 2004. He has also supported numerous tax hikes, prompting some conservative critics to accuse him of being a liberal in disguise.[25] The Cato Institute, a libertarian non-profit public policy research foundation,[26] gave him an F grade for spending and tax policy in 2006, and an overall grade of D for his governorship.[27]
Handling of the Wayne Dumond case
Huckabee has also come under criticism for his handling of the case of Wayne Dumond, a convicted rapist who was released during Huckabee's governorship and who subsequently sexually assaulted and murdered a woman in Missouri following his release.[29] Dumond's case had attracted national attention in the mid 1990s from critics of President Bill Clinton who felt the former Arkansas Governor had been too harsh with Dumond because Dumond's victim was a distant Clinton relative. Even before taking office, Huckabee met with Dumond's wife and privately announced his intention that Dumond be set free, stating his unhappiness with the way Clinton had handled the case (Dumond had been attacked and castrated by the local sheriff prior to his arrest for the rape).[30] On September 20, 1996, Huckabee publicly announced his intention of commuting Dumond's sentence. There was strong opposition to Huckabee's plan, leaving Huckabee in a difficult situation politically.[29] On October 31, 1996, Huckabee met privately with the parole board to talk about the Dumond case. Some members of the board have since stated that they were pressured to re-examine and vote in favor of Dumond's parole. On January 16, 1997, Dumond was granted parole, just five months after he had been rejected. Huckabee released a statement saying, "In light of the action of the board, my original intent to commute the sentence to time served is no longer relevant."[29] Huckabee has denied influencing the parole board in any way, but acknowledges some responsibility for signing Dumond's parole.[31] His full disclosure of the incident is described in his book From Hope to Higher Ground. At the opening of Huckabee's Des Moines headquarters in Iowa, a protester costumed as a prisoner carried a sign that read "Felons for Huckabee".[32]
[edit] Creation of Gift Registry
In November 2006, both Huckabee and his wife drew criticism for creating wedding registries in the amount of over $6000 at both the Target and Dillard's web sites, in conjunction with a housewarming party to celebrate a new house they had purchased in Little Rock. The Arkansas Times, which first reported the story, noted that wedding gifts represent one of the exceptions to a $100 cap on gifts to political leaders under Arkansas law.[34] Huckabee claimed that the registries were intended only for those who were invited to the event, that he was not involved in organizing the event, and that they were classified as wedding registries only because those sites did not have separate categories for housewarming parties.[35][36]
Wow, supporting the release of a Rapist and Murderer and going to commute his sentance. Boy this is someone I was as President.
Rapists and Pedophiles for Huckabee!
