Is Mike Huckabee really a conservative who believes in small government?

Mike Huckabee seems a bit confused. In a recent speech, he discussed the future of the Republican party, and he had this to say:

“One of the things that concerns me is that in the United States there is real talk of maybe we need to have this big tent and accommodate every view,” Huckabee said. “That will kill the conservative movement.”

I’m not sure if Mike Huckabee realizes it or not, but the United States only has two major parties. When you have only two parties, you should have a “big tent” to accomodate a broad cross section of the country. If not, your party will get decimated in elections. Of course, if Mike Huckabee really believes in having total agreement on a wide variety of social and fiscal issues, it might lead the GOP to become a powerhouse…among second tier parties. That’s right, it will probably be able to dominate the Libertarian, Green, and Socialist parties in elections. Sure, the Democratic Party will continue to pick up seats at a rapid pace, but at least the dwindling membership of the GOP will be homogenous and won’t have to put up with dissenting voices. You know, those pesky people who contribute to a lively debate.

What I don’t quite understand is the inconsistency displayed by “conservatives” like Mike Huckabee. Here’s an example:

“There are some things I believe true, genuine conservatives believe are essential to the liberty of each individual, and those are not negotiable,” he added.

Mike Huckabee talks a good game. He throws the word “liberty” around and pretends to be conservative, but his claim is hollow. Many people would characterize me as a moderate, yet I consider myself a conservative. People like Mike Huckabee claim to favor small government, less spending, lower taxes, and state’s rights, which I agree with, but then they contradict themselves on social issues. They want to work through the government to make abortions illegal, tell people who they can or can’t marry, and throw people in jail for victimless crimes, such as marijuana possession. Basically, they are creating more government rules, which are then used to interfere with the individual’s right to make a personal decision. How can you reconcile that with being a small-government, liberty-loving conservative? In my opinion, you can’t.

Many people are confused by the idea of a conservative who truly values liberty and individual rights. What happens is that there is a disconnect between wanting liberty and respecting others personal decisions. Just because I don’t agree with a behavior doesn’t mean it should be made illegal. There’s no reason why we can’t all have have our own set of morals and acceptable behaviors, yet live in a society where a wide range of lifestyles and behaviors are allowed. If you don’t agree with this, then you probably don’t value individual liberty as much as you thought.