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Huckabee's Rise Why it happened, what it means.
The Weekly Standard ^ | December 4, 2007 | Dean Barnett

Posted on 12/04/2007 5:09:12 PM PST by Clintonfatigued

DON'T NORMALLY watch Lou Dobbs. I sometimes briefly peek in on his show's festivities, and that's enough to get a sense of things. Immigrants are bad. Illegal immigrants are really bad. Free trade is bad. Outsourcing is really bad. His is a timeless populist message pitting the little American guy against leviathan-like forces like Chinese factory workers and Mexican lettuce pickers. Sadly, the American people have bought his message in whole. NAFTA has become an ugly stepchild for even Hillary Clinton. And the Republicans talk a lot about the need to beat those damn Chinese.

At the end of his show before last Wednesday's Republican debate, Dobbs released the results of that evening's poll: Would the candidates sound a populist message? Some 80 percent of the respondents said no. Dobbs hoped they were wrong.

Therein lies the biggest reason why Mike Huckabee has caught on so dramatically. Huckabee is a populist, and unlike all the populists we've seen in the past 15 years (Ross Perot, Al Gore, John Edwards), he's a credible one. What's more, he's so likable that his populism doesn't have the ominous overtones of Lou Dobb's nightly demagoguery.

HERE'S WHAT I wrote on May 3 about Mike Huckabee after the first Republican debate:

"I look at this guy and wonder where he ever got the notion that he should be president. His presence on the stage bothered me. Does this guy have anything interesting or original to say? Has he ever?" First off, mea culpa. Mea maxima culpa. I underestimated Huckabee. He's the best politician in the land. He connects with people in a scary way. He exudes decency. He doesn't fumble over answers. He prepares well, but he also ad-libs brilliantly.

(Excerpt) Read more at weeklystandard.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2008; aliens; dobbs; freetrade; huckabee; huckster; hucksterbee; loudobbs
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To: Travis McGee
So you believe that Huckabee’s present stance on illegal immigration is a fraud? That he is indeed an open border, let them come as they please, no restraint, candidate and that his send um home, build the fence, prosecute um stance as found on his website is a ruse?
21 posted on 12/04/2007 6:12:39 PM PST by topfile
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To: Clintonfatigued

Huckster is from Arkansas. Enough said.


22 posted on 12/04/2007 6:24:05 PM PST by HighlyOpinionated (http://auntiecoosa.blogspot.com -- read, learn, blog, or get out of my way.)
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To: SkyPilot

Knock if off with the spamming of those images or face suspension!


23 posted on 12/04/2007 6:24:43 PM PST by Admin Moderator
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To: Clintonfatigued

what does it mean? it means the Rockefellers have a *lot* of money, and a *lot* of influence, and now have two horses in this race, one male and one female.


24 posted on 12/04/2007 6:34:04 PM PST by chilepepper (The map is not the territory -- Alfred Korzybski)
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To: E. Cartman
Thompson and Hunter are the real conservatives (Tancredo's a Johnny one-note), Giuliani's an emotional favorite, Romney's the Manchurian Republican and Huckabee's just downright scary.

Huckabee scares me more than Ron Paul -- I'm not exaggerating. That he's doing so well in the polls is terrifying.

25 posted on 12/04/2007 6:40:33 PM PST by BfloGuy (It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker, that we can expect . . .)
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To: Clintonfatigued
Now, the shoe's on the other foot. With Huckabee ascending, there's a chance that other wings of the Republican party will have to settle for a nominee who's not altogether satisfactory. Personally, I don't much like the populism shtick. I've seen no indication that Huckabee has a mastery of our perilous geopolitical situation. I would also be more comfortable with a candidate whose résumé isn't inferior to Bill Clinton's. A big chunk of the party will support Huckabee only because he's preferable to the Democratic candidate. That's not a recipe for a smashing turnout, and not indicative of an altogether healthy party.

Huckabee: the enigma. This is a guy who I don't have much common ground with at all. He's pro-life, and I am with him there. Strangely, he's also pro immigrant, which I find refreshing because I don't fear them nor buy into the "bad for America" demagoguery. I think that he would appoint good Justices for the SC but I would be concerned about their ability to decide cases that involve commerce.

So, there's nothing left for me to do if he becomes the nominee other than to hold my nose tightly. If he's the guy, he's the last line of defense in the path of future legislation passed by a run-away and Democrat controlled congress. Yes, I'll be holding the nose tightly.

26 posted on 12/04/2007 7:00:55 PM PST by LowCountryJoe (I'm a Paleo-liberal: I believe in freedom; am socially independent and a borderline fiscal anarchist)
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To: Clintonfatigued
Huckabee's Rise Why it happened, we weren't buying into Ron Paul what it means not much.

Huckster stands for Government deciding health issues, higher taxes and amnesty for illegals. He will not get the nomination.

27 posted on 12/04/2007 7:01:12 PM PST by infidel29 (Voting for Paul? Might as well make it Ru Paul, he's got better legs.)
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To: Admin Moderator

Thanks. I was dithering about whether that was just a poor attempt to be funny or constituted an attack on someone’s religion.


28 posted on 12/04/2007 7:04:41 PM PST by patriciaruth (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1562436/posts)
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To: topfile

Fred Thompson should meet your needs as well as those of fiscal conservatives. He’s the best consensus candidate we’ve got.


29 posted on 12/04/2007 7:06:16 PM PST by RockinRight (Rumors of Fred Thompson's death have been greatly exaggerated.)
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To: RockinRight

I Agree! Here is a great ad and it is the truth!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VP8dBeywqQM


30 posted on 12/04/2007 7:11:04 PM PST by seekthetruth
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To: topfile
Fiscal conservatives always get dumped on. No one seems to want to limit government intrusion into some area area of economics that was previously reserved to the individual. Economic liberty is out and rank populism is in.

Do you fiscal conservatives feel the same?

No, we feel worse but yet cling to every bit of optimistic news that can be scrounged from a society that embraces the negative.

31 posted on 12/04/2007 7:12:17 PM PST by LowCountryJoe (I'm a Paleo-liberal: I believe in freedom; am socially independent and a borderline fiscal anarchist)
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To: Strategerist
Free trade is a pillar of convservatism.

Ever read what Karl Marx said about free trade?

32 posted on 12/04/2007 7:24:26 PM PST by central_va
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To: RockinRight
Sure I agree, But Fred is having a tough time getting traction. Feuding with Dobson certainly didn’t help.
33 posted on 12/04/2007 7:35:07 PM PST by topfile
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To: topfile

Dobson jumped the gun and said something he shouldn’t have, and Fred felt insulted.

I don’t think either of them meant it but it happened.


34 posted on 12/04/2007 7:36:58 PM PST by RockinRight (Rumors of Fred Thompson's death have been greatly exaggerated.)
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To: Clintonfatigued

Huck can raise money from the last untapped resource this election year, the religious right. The MSM knows this, and is boosting him to grab that cash, which they know will be spent on them.


35 posted on 12/04/2007 7:37:04 PM PST by hunter112 (Hillary Clinton - America’s Ex-Wife®)
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To: infidel29
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
36 posted on 12/04/2007 7:39:25 PM PST by Eric Blair 2084 (Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms shouldn't be a federal agency...it should be a convenience store.)
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To: RockinRight
I was watching that and if you review the tapes, you’ll see someone in the middle the cheering Fred and Dobson on......Hannity!
37 posted on 12/04/2007 7:40:26 PM PST by topfile
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To: Clintonfatigued
"Meet The Huckster"

Murdered woman’s mother: I’ll do whatever it takes to help defeat Huckabee

Huckabee: Let’s Close Gitmo Because the World Doesn’t Like It

Huckabee 'Misleading and Incorrect' on Tax Record

Huckabee, the False Conservative

38 posted on 12/04/2007 7:40:58 PM PST by Lancey Howard
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To: topfile

Hannity the Rudybot.


39 posted on 12/04/2007 7:41:10 PM PST by RockinRight (Rumors of Fred Thompson's death have been greatly exaggerated.)
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To: topfile

I just watched the youtube video.

The fact is, Dobson is one of those guys that’s so fixated on the social aspect of conservatism, that he fails to acknowledge the Constitutional boundaries that we have to adhere to. Or, SHOULD adhere to.


40 posted on 12/04/2007 7:46:12 PM PST by RockinRight (Rumors of Fred Thompson's death have been greatly exaggerated.)
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