Huckabee: Democrats Too Dependent on Unions

Former Arkansas governor on AFL-CIO's threat to Democrats

NEIL CAVUTO, HOST OF “YOUR WORLD”: Well, Democrats are on notice right now. The head of the nation’s biggest labor group is threatening to pull support.

You don’t believe him? Well, listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD TRUMKA, PRESIDENT, AFL-CIO: Ask Blanche Lincoln.

(LAUGHTER) CAVUTO: OK. That was a reference to the Arkansas Democratic senator who lost Democratic support and ended up getting, well, defeated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Mike Huckabee with me now.

What do you make of that, that, all of a sudden, it’s going to be a tension convention between Democrats and unions?

MIKE HUCKABEE (R), FORMER ARKANSAS GOVERNOR: Well, where are they going to go? Who are they go back -- this is really to me a false trump.

And here’s the reason, because they put all their eggs in one basket. Now the only political support and power they have is with the Democratic Party. I for years talked to labor people and I said the fact that you are so predictable means that you are irrelevant, because if people didn’t know who you would support, they would have to try to make some inroads to help you. But they know where you’re going to be. So the Democrats take you for granted and the Republicans ignore you, because you’re not going to help a Republican.

CAVUTO: Well, isn’t he more or less threatening, as he has in the past, intraparty candidates -- in other words, we’ll put up a challenger to you?

HUCKABEE: Sort of like the conservative version of Club for Growth, where the Club for Growth goes after conservatives.

CAVUTO: Right. Right. Right. Right. Everyone has a litmus test.

(CROSSTALK) CAVUTO: But that litmus test thing...

(CROSSTALK)

HUCKABEE: And, frankly, what he does then is divides the left, just like the Club for Growth divides the right, and that ends up electing the one you like least, which is foolish political tactic, I think.

But I didn’t think it was all that smart for Club for Growth to go and attack all the Republicans, when they ought to be attacking the other side. The worst Republican is still most likely better than a Democrat who’s going to vote with Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi on Obamacare and raising taxes and creating whole new reams of legislation that eat the life out of a business person.

CAVUTO: But you say they’re not going to go anywhere else. What damage could they inflict in the meantime?

HUCKABEE: Well, what they could do is to cause some incumbent Democrats to lose their seats. He mentioned Blanche Lincoln. She’s from my home state. I know Senator Lincoln very well. Actually, she was a pretty moderate senator.

She was defeated by Congressman John Boozman in a state that never elects Republicans to statewide office, except on rare occasions. And she was defeated by 20 points. She barely won her primary because the unions went against her so dramatically.

But here’s the question. Are the unions better off with John Boozman? The Republicans sure are. We love him. But are the unions better off with a very conservative Republican than they would have been with Blanche?

CAVUTO: So, this goes back in their face, you’re saying.

HUCKABEE: It really does. So, it’s the classic "cut off your nose to spite your face" kind of movement on their part. I hope they continue. I hope they do this because it means that Republicans will get 60 senators and we will have a veto- proof House. Nothing would make me happier.

CAVUTO: All right. Well, nothing makes me unhappier than knowing you are going to still going to be here at Fox with your show.

HUCKABEE: Well, thanks. I’m so glad that...

(CROSSTALK)

CAVUTO: Because we thought we could kind of move up in the rankings here. That’s not going to happen.

(LAUGHTER)

CAVUTO: But congratulations.

HUCKABEE: Thank you, Neil.

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