Huckabee chides Clinton, Obama in Vinton stop

VINTON - GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee said Republicans are not terrorists for seeking to defund Planned Parenthood, while attacking Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton during a campaign stop here at a Pizza Ranch on Monday.

Huckabee criticized former Secretary of State Clinton, who said last week GOP candidates had 'extreme views” on women, as would be expected among terrorists.

'She was saying that the fact we think we should defund Planned Parenthood and stop the scourge of abortion across the country, (that) we are terrorists,” Huckabee said. 'Let me explain for Hillary, when you cut people's heads off, that's terrorism. When you try to keep little baby's heads from being cut off and their body parts from being sold, that is not terrorism.”

'Why do we have a culture where you can make outrageous statements and get away with it?” the former Arkansas governor said.

While Huckabee was on the offensive with Clinton, he was playing nice with his Republican rivals, during the stop on a two-day visit to Iowa.

The pressure is on for the 17 major candidates seeking the GOP nomination to draw distinctions between each other, but Huckabee said he will not do so by trashing his opponents.

'Today, you did not hear me say anything unkind about any of them because, frankly, we are all trying out to be quarterback of the team,” Huckabee said. 'I think I can do the job, quite frankly better than anyone else, but I don't want to earn this job by breaking the legs of all the other people trying out.”

Those comments received the only applause at the event, which attracted about 20 people and about as many journalists.

Huckabee did chide President Barack Obama, who was in Alaska on Monday to change Mount McKinley's name to Denali: 'What's next? Is he going to rename Mount Rushmore Mount Obama? There're no limits. The only thing more frustrating than that he thinks he can go and rename national monuments and treasures, is that Republicans in Washington don't lift a hand to stop it.”

Huckabee also touched on his plans to reform the tax system with a fair tax, which is a consumer-based tax. His plan would eliminate the Internal Revenue Service and help curb illegal immigration by eliminating financial incentives, he said.

Huckabee told reporters after the event he believes his campaign is gaining momentum. He said he has more campaign chairmen hired than his rivals, and he has organizations in all 99 Iowa counties.

Sharon Stiegelmeyer, 72, of Vinton, said she was impressed by Huckabee's honesty and was glad he didn't insert religion into his comments. She said she still is leaning toward supporting Trump, whom she credited for not being 'politically correct.”

Sean Taylor, 49, of Center Point, said Huckabee has edged to the top tier of his list, which also includes Carson and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, but he still is undecided.

'I respect a candidate who can articulate why he should be president, and he did a very good job of that,” Taylor said.