Tag Team: Huckabee, Nature Boy Ric Flair headline GOP fundraiser
KINGS MOUNTAIN - Following the 1992 presidential election, some Republicans probably wondered if anything good could come from Arkansas.
Then came Mike Huckabee, a conservative Ouachita Baptist University grad who spent years as the state's governor before announcing his run for the nation's top executive office.
Though he eventually lost out in the 2008 GOP primary to Sen. John McCain, Huckabee enjoyed early success by taking Super Tuesday's first contest in West Virginia.
It's clear the 53-year-old politico still has his share of support as an estimated 400 people packed the H. Lawrence Patrick Senior Life and Conference Center early Thursday at a GOP district fundraiser.
Huckabee, who once teamed with Hollywood's own Chuck "Cordell Walker" Norris for promos during his presi-dential campaign, joined flamboyant grappling legend Ric Flair at the event.
Flair supported Huckabee's presidential campaign last year and made several appearances on his behalf in North and South Carolina. Known best as "The Nature Boy," Flair is regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, having entertained fans since his pro debut in 1972.
Looking to the future, Huckabee said Republicans could re-establish their place in government by returning to conservative roots.
"The reason that Republicans got in trouble was because they quit acting like Republicans," he said. "The nonsense that Republicans need to move to the left and be more moderate, is nonsense. We win when we act like we believe in something, and then get elected, and do it when we get there."
Huckabee spoke on Cleveland County's 15-percent unemployment rate, stating the needs of consumer confidence and more sanity in the way money - and tax dollars - is spent.
"The reason that so many people are hurting is because if you add a tax and regulatory burden from the govern-ment and then an economic situation where small business operators can't get enough credit ... it's a recipe for disaster," he said.
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