Thread: Gomer Huckabee Picks Up Minuteman Founder Endorsement

Let's spread the word not to give a dime to Gilchrist's organization for making such a poor, uniformed endorsement. And to be honest, I always thought that he was a little weird.

There is no reason to give money to Gilchrist for anything. He doesn't organize protests or rallies or anything at the border. He's retired and he already has money. He's definitely not one of the movements best speakers either. He's just a guy that was in the right place at the right time.

Maybe a promise of a government position - if Huckabee gets elected?

Someone is scratching somebody's back somewhere. Strange bedfellows. Huckleberry is NOT of Presidential caliber.

Hmmmmm, wonder if Gilchrist has been smoking that old "whackey tobackey" smuggled thru the Mexican border every day.

I agree...something stinks in this endorsment.

The saying is "everyone has a price". I guess Huckabuck found Gilchrist's. I'm betting on the political appointment.

Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee tried to bolster his credentials on the immigration issue Tuesday by announcing an endorsement from Jim Gilchrist, the outspoken co-founder of the border control group, the Minuteman Project.

Since 2004, Gilchrist has drawn attention to lax border enforcement by mobilizing patrols of average citizens to monitor the U.S.-Mexico frontier.

Gilchrist said he was inspired by another Republican presidential candidate, Rep. Tom Tancredo, but decided to endorse Huckabee because of his newly-released "Secure America Plan," which calls for illegal immigrants to return to their home countries before they get in line and apply to return.

"It was a plan myself that I easily could have written," Gilchrist told reporters at a hotel in Council Bluffs, Iowa, where Huckabee retreated after overnight ice storms forced him to cancel a full day of barnstorming.

While Huckabee is known for his folksy, less-than-fiery speaking style, Gilchrist calls the current situation an "illegal alien invasion" and has had more than his share of controversy. In 2006, protesters at Columbia University stormed the stage to disrupt his scheduled speech, accusing him of being a racist - a charge Gilchrist denies.

Huckabee admitted that he also questioned Gilchrist's tactics when he first heard about the Minuteman patrols on the borders.

"Frankly, Jim, I've got to tell you, there were times, when I probably in the early days of the Minutemen, thought, what are these guys doing?" Huckabee said during the press conference. "And I confess I owe you an apology for even questioning why in the world you guys would do it."

Huckabee said he since has realized that "the federal government has simply failed to secure our borders" and enact wide-ranging immigration reforms.

"I think all of us want a policy that would mean people who do come to this country come through the front door, and not the back door," Huckabee said.

Gilchrist made no apologies for not using "politically correct" terminology to describe the "tough love" enforcement and immigration limits he thinks the country needs.

His endorsement comes at a time when Huckabee, once relegated to the bottom tier of the polls, has surged into a lead in Iowa.

That has brought extra scrutiny from the press and a spate of attacks from fellow candidates, including a new television advertisement from former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney questioning Huckabee's past support for in-state college tuition breaks to the children of illegal immigrants.

Huckabee defended his record as governor, saying he does not believe children should be punished for the sins of their parents.

The endorsement drew an angry response from Tancredo's national chair, Bay Buchanan.

"Sadly, Jim Gilchrist has not done his homework," Buchanan said. "He has endorsed a candidate, Mike Huckabee, who is as pro-amnesty and pro-illegal immigrant as is (Arizona Sen.) John McCain. As recently as this year, Mike Huckabee has reaffirmed his support for a pathway to citizenship and in-state tuition for illegal immigrants."

After struggling to gain traction all year, Huckabee has become a last-month phenomenon in the run-up to the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses, leaping ahead of rivals like Romney, McCain, former Sen. Fred Thompson and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani in the battle for the first-caucus state.


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That's a poor decision on Gilchrist's part. Why wouldn't he endorse Tancredo, Hunter, or Paul...especially Tancredo, because I think that they've been to the border together. Doesn't make much sense to me.

Ostrich

I think a case of advanced Alzheimer's has set in with Gilchrist.
This is like Elliot Ness endorsing Al Capone.

I just sent Gilchrist an e-mail, you'll NEVER get another donation and take my dam name off your mailing list.