On the least-bad Republican front, I figure someone should argue for Huckabee on this one. Sure, he's got that whole Christian Right issue, which disconcerts me plenty. But on several policy fronts, he's light years ahead of the rest of the GOP candidates. For one, he's got the energy independence thing going for him, as well as the acknowledgment of climate change and the need to curb emissions, all of which I delved into last night.
On immigration, he's steered clear of the anti-immigrant rhetoric coming out of many of the other candidates. While he advocates tighter border security and has said he wouldn't grant "amnesty," he's also well aware of the difference between sensible immigration policy and the racist, nationalist streak in his party. He acknowledges the very real employment needs here in the U.S., and wants to see a system in place that will help meet those needs and create an efficient, effective means for legalization of those already here. And he's opposed efforts to deny state benefits to illegal aliens, calling them un-Christian and un-American. "I don't understand how a practicing Christian can turn his back on a child from this or any other state," he said.
In the education realm, as governor he supported massive increases in public school investments. He's even into arts and music education, which should warm some liberal hearts. He also signed legislation to provide insurance to children from families who don’t qualify for Medicaid but can't afford private insurance.
