ABC "Good Morning America" - Transcript

Interview

MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Good morning, Governor Huckabee. Boy, the better you do, the bigger the target you've become. Some of your old adversaries in Arkansas are stepping out. Now, Betsy Hagen of the Eagle Forum saying about you, "he was pro-life and pro-gun, but otherwise a liberal, just like Bill Clinton. He would charm you, but don't be surprised if he takes a completely different turn in office." Phyllis Schlafly, "he destroyed the conservative movement in Arkansas and left the Republican Party in shambles."

What do you say to that?

MR. HUCKABEE: There are probably over a hundred Republican elected officials and appointed people who are ready to counter that argument. So, sure, you can always find somebody that I made mad. You know, George, when you're governor 10 ½ years, as I used to say, you got to wake up every day and make ten new friends, because you're going to lose seven by something you said or did.

MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: How about more generally? It seems like the conservative Christian movement this year is having a hard time finding a candidate. And I was struck by the fact that right now at least, Mayor Giuliani is the most popular candidate among white evangelicals, and he's got a plurality of the Christian conservative vote. How do you explain that, given his pro-choice, pro-gay rights positions; he's had three marriages, how do you explain that? And what do you do about it?

MR. HUCKABEE: Well, I don't know that I can explain it, except that there's a lot of anxiety about the prospect of Hillary becoming president. But what they sometimes forget is, is that nobody knows her better than me, and nobody has successfully run against the Clinton political machine in Arkansas as I did, not once, twice, three times, but four times, and won.

MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: What's the one-line case against Hillary?

MR. HUCKABEE: Well, I think that people know if Hillary is president, there's going to be a different focus on more taxes, more government, more intrusion into the lives of people in terms of government having more control than the private sector, and that brings some anxiety. There's also the concern that she's not going to be that strong on the Islamo-facist movement that we face as an enemy, and I think there's just that sense of anxiety.

MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: You look among white evangelical Protestants, last year, 80 percent said they would vote for President Bush. This time only 60 percent say they're open to the Republicans. The same thing for Catholics, white main-line Protestants. What is going on inside the Christian movement? You're a former minister.

MR. HUCKABEE: Well, some of it, George, is that there is some maturing and a seasoning within the evangelical world. Many of us, including me, believe that we've got to address the issues that affect the poor. We can't just be, we're for sanctity of life and we're traditional marriage. We also have to be conservationists, and be good stewards of the Earth. We have to deal with issues like poverty, and AIDS. And if we don't deal with those issues we're really not even being true to our own Christian calling. I think that's part of what's kind of happening in the movement.

MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: How do you take it to the next step? How do you close the deal with Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani?

MR. HUCKABEE: Well, obviously, I'm doing something right. And I think it shows that people are beginning to pay attention to the message. And in the last six days we've raised more money online than we raised in the first six months of the entire campaign. So, it's beginning to catch just at the right time, as I had hoped and prayed it would.

MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: I know you had a big concert on Saturday night. Who's the one rock star you would just love to jam with before the end of this campaign?

MR. HUCKABEE: You know, at some point, I want to be on stage with Keith Richards, and just, you know, turn it loose. I think it would be pretty incredible to be on stage with somebody who has lasted, you know, longer than the entire rock era. I think that'd be pretty slick.

MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, I don't if it'll help your campaign, but it sounds like it'll be a lot of fun. Governor, thanks very much for joining us this morning.

MR. HUCKABEE: My pleasure, George.

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