The American Spectator

The criticisms of Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee as a spendthrift tax-raiser when governing the state of Arkansas have been met with a few “yes, buts” that have not been very persuasive.

The Club for Growth, known for its small-government, low-tax principles, has led the expose of Huckabee’s fiscal apostasy, highlighting the many tax increases he helped enact during his gubernatorial tenure from 1996 to 2007. Others have followed suit as he has gained traction among the GOP candidates, especially with evangelical Christian voters. Huckabee’s momentum has pushed him into the lead in the Iowa Poll and near the top in others.

The evidence for the former Baptist minister’s tax raising ways is indisputable. The Arkansas Journal uncovered a video of him discussing a broad menu of levies that he would welcome to help increase revenues. The New York Times reported Sunday that while some taxes were cut during his term, “on balance, tax increases outweighed the tax cuts by some $500 million, and many of the cuts that Mr. Huckabee heralds owe little to his efforts.”

p>Still, some have come to his defense, including the Times itself: br> /p>

While taxes did rise in the 10 years that Mr. Huckabee was governor, the portrayal of him as a wild-eyed spendthrift is hardly apt. For the most part, Mr. Huckabee’s tax initiatives had wide bipartisan support, with the small number of Republicans in the overwhelmingly Democratic state legislature voting for the tax increases and many maintaining that the state was better for them.

In addition, when Mr. Huckabee left office last January, he had turned a $200 million budget shortfall into an $844 million surplus….

“He got bipartisan support on all the tax increases,” said State Senator Kim Hendren, a veteran Republican and member of the legislative budget committee.

br> If the best case you can make against charges that you are not a “wild-eyed spendthrift” is that others in your party joined in the taxation celebration, then you’re in real trouble. Only the Times could swallow that logic. But still, they tried harder, citing Hendren: br>

“Huckabee didn’t say ‘I just want to raise taxes to start programs.’ He has a liberal heart for young people, for the disabled and for improving Arkansas’ lot in education, and he is pretty good at working across party lines.”

br> That sounds in line with the