Mike Huckabee is not a true conservative. He is the worst choice for the Republican nomination.

I will split this case into two parts, to address the two main claims of the resolution: 1. On the contention that "Mike Huckabee is not a true conservative.": Words are in constant flux in any living language, including the English language. What a word means today does not necessarily reflect what that word meant 50 years ago, or what it will mean 50 years in the future. This is especially true in political terminology. For a long time in America, the words "conservative" and "liberal" have been used to describe the basic perceived separation between the two sides in the political arena. And often we see, such as in this resolution, a claim that someone who professes to be one of these things does not, in fact, fit into that category. And by the definition of "conservative" that existed 50 or even 30 years ago, the claim made in this resolution would be true. "Conservative" was a term that primarily described a person who was for small government, low taxes, and non-intervention in foreign affairs; and, as the Pro side pointed out, Huckabee has not shown a very strong record in this regard. But we must take into account what the word "conservative" means *now* above what it meant *in the past*. Since about the 1970s, the socially and religiously conservative elements of conservatism and the Republican party have essentially taken them over. The Bush administration, and the Republican Congress that we had from 1994 to 2006, are not traditional conservatives whatsoever. What they are is a bunch of social and religious conservatives running around calling opposition to abortion and stem-cell research and gay marriage "conservative", while completely abandoning and even contradicting what "conservative" values originally were (small government, low taxes, non-intervention). Our government is bigger than it has ever been, and this growth has taken place under a "conservative" administration and a "conservative" Congress. Unfortunately, the long and well-established habit of associating social conservatives with the Republican party and conservatives in general has completely changed what it means to be "conservative". The modern definition of what it means to be a "true conservative", as this resolution says, is being socially and religiously conservative, and professing belief in the ideals of old conservatives while, in truth, completely abandoning them. And I'm sure my opponent would agree that that is exactly what Mike Huckabee is and has done. In short, though he may not fit what it used to mean to be conservative, Mike Huckabee is a perfect example of the modern definition of conservatives, and thus the first part of this resolution falls. 2. On the contention that "He is the worst choice for the Republican nomination.": In order for a candidate to be a good choice for a party, I would say that that candidate ought to exemplify where that party currently stands on the political spectrum, and agree with a majority of the opinions of the party. In order for a candidate to not only be bad but in fact be "the worst" candidate, he or she would have to do worse than ANY other candidate in the race in being a "good" candidate for the party. Now let's examine Mike Huckabee in light of some of the major stances of the current Republican party (views taken straight off of Huckabee's website): -Is he for the War in Iraq? YES -Does he believe the War on Terror is necessary, and ought to continue? YES -Does he believe the Mexican border ought to be secured? YES -Is he against universal health care? YES -Does he support a person's right to freely bear arms? YES -Does he have strong moral convictions, in line with conservative Christianity? YES -Is he pro-life? YES -Is he against gay marriage? YES Let's compare this to the views of another Republican candidate, Rudy Giuliani: -Is he for the War in Iraq? YES -Does he believe the War on Terror is necessary, and ought to continue? YES -Does he believe the Mexican border ought to be secured? YES -Is he against universal health care? YES -Does he support a person's right to freely bear arms? YES -Does he have strong moral convictions, in line with conservative Christianity? KINDA SORTA -Is he pro-life? PERHAPS -Is he against gay marriage? ANSWER UNCERTAIN; ASK LATER So it is rather clear here that there is at least one other candidate in the race for the Republican nomination that fares worse than Huckabee does in the litmus test of Republicanism. Therefore, he cannot be said to be "the worst candidate", and the second part of the resolution falls along with the first.