Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee spoke to a packed Salomon 101 Thursday night about his experience as a presidential candidate, the importance of improving health care and the implementation of tax reform.
Students seemed both entranced by his message and pleased by his willingness to crack jokes. Huckabee received a standing ovation at the end of his talk.
Huckabee served ten-and-a-half years as governor. He then ran for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, winning eight states before ceding the nomination to Sen. John McCain.
Huckabee said he remained relatively unknown throughout the majority of his campaign. "I didn't realize how obscure I was until I tried running for president," he said.
He expressed dissatisfaction with the importance of campaigns on the outcome of the presidential election. "The pursuit of it has become more about the process than policy," he said.
He said in the Republican primary debates, which he called "a bad game show," he was not asked about important issues such as education reform.
Huckabee said that education was "a real problem," citing that one out of three children in America was dropping out of school. Broadening the education curriculum is essential to keeping kids in school, he said. Removing music and art education, he added, is "the dumbest thing we've done."
He also talked about problems in the health care system which he called a "disease care system." Preventative care, or helping people stop overeating, under-exercising and smoking, could decrease health care costs, he said.
Huckabee advocated a tax system that would replace all federal income taxes with a retail tax on consumption. This system would also eliminate the IRS.
"We have a tax system that makes it almost impossible for Americans to compete," he said. He said the current tax system penalizes work, investment, risktaking, entrepreneurial activity and savings.
He also said that federal debt was an embarrassment.
"My generation has spent it, and left you with the bill."
Huckabee's speech was punctuated by self-deprecating commentary.
When a cell phone went off in the room, Huckabee said, "That's probably John McCain asking would I go ahead and be on the ticket with him after all."
"I'm busy at Brown University," he quipped.
During the question-and-answer session after the debate, Huckabee addressed some contentious issues.
When asked about the importance of the vote from those who are socially liberal but fiscally conservative, Huckabee set out a defense of social conservatism. He drew a direct correlation between personal behavior and the cost of governments.
"The best thing that each of us could do individually is live a life that doesn't have to be governed so much," he said.
A student asked if he thought presidential hopefuls Barack Obama or John McCain had a better health care system.
Huckabee replied that he didn't think either has a great health care plan, saying that the system was outdated because leaving the responsibility for health care to employers doesn't make as much sense today as it did when a person stayed at one job for his or her entire career. He promoted a system that would travel with people as they switched jobs and force insurance companies to support preventive health measures.
Later, a student asked if Huckabee would sign her bracelet, and he said he would do it right then. "I have a pen, if you don't," he said.
Jonah Fisher '12 said the feeling in the room was of "a comfortable, intellectually honest and warm environment."
"He showed the humanity of the other side in a way we often ignore, because it's convenient to demonize Republicans and conservatives," Zohar Atkins '10 said.
"I appreciated Mike Huckabee's not having won the primary for the pure fact that we get to enjoy an honest voice that doesn't have to campaign but can express the idealist worldview that is so silenced by the commodification of the presidency," Atkins added.
Nat Rosenzweig '10 said he saw similarities between Huckabee's message and Obama's.
"I think he and Obama share that power to touch humans, in that they have the sincere desire to understand all political issues on a deeply human level."
