Posted on 05/05/2008 2:41:02 PM PDT by pissant
John McCain may be the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, but a struggle to determine who will carry the conservative mantle into the future rages just below the surface of his success. The contestants’ faces will look familiar: former Govs. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts and Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, also-rans from the 2008 GOP primary scrum.
During the nominating race, obloquy was understandable. The other Republican candidates personally liked working-class son Huckabee, and they seemed to resent the wealthy and handsome Romney. And because they were both attempting to establish themselves as the conservative alternative to McCain, it’s not surprising that they sometimes clashed over turf.
What’s more, by staying in the race when McCain began to surge, Huckabee arguably split the conservative vote in states like South Carolina, presumably siphoning off votes from Romney and handing the nomination to the Arizona senator. (Huckabee would argue it was Romney who siphoned off his votes.)
While this environment was ripe for a Romney/Huckabee feud during the campaign, the stakes are just as high now, as both see the 71-year-old McCain — who still faces a tough general election — as merely keeping the seat warm for them. Based on their performance in the primary campaign, each believes he has earned the right to be the conservative heir apparent. Romney chose the symbolically significant Conservative Political Action Conference as his venue to graciously withdraw from the race. Meanwhile, Huckabee, a former Baptist preacher, is similarly charismatic, and he can point to the fact that he outlasted the other Republican candidates, save Texas Rep. Ron Paul.
One front in this political war is being waged over the vice presidency. It’s hard to deny the second slot can be a road to the White House. While neither Romney nor Huckabee may get the nod, the veep “race” provides a unique opportunity for both candidates to continue “campaigning.” This, of course, means they can stay in the limelight — and also continue building lists of supporters and possible donors.
While both Romney and Huckabee have legitimate claims as the conservative heir apparent, they also both have problems to expiate, and both appear to be attempting to nullify their weaknesses.
In the face of “flip-flop” allegations, Romney continues to buttress his conservative — and especially anti-abortion — credentials. Last year, he received an award from the Massachusetts Citizens for Life. On May 8, the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty will honor him with its Canterbury Medal.
While Huckabee’s social conservative bona fides are strong, he was attacked by fiscal conservatives for raising taxes as governor. During the nominating race, he attempted to minimize this by championing the Fair Tax. But this has also likely influenced the direction of his “post-campaign” campaign. For example, while many conservatives hoped Huckabee would found a group to fill the void that has been left by the once powerful, but now moribund, Christian Coalition, he instead launched “Huck PAC.” Huck PAC’s website lists its mission as supporting “Republican candidates who are passionate advocates for tax reform, a strong national defense, real border security, life, the family, less government and individual liberty.” While this is all consistent with conservative thought, one might expect Huckabee to put social issues at the forefront. Instead, he appears to be highlighting his fiscal positions.
If one doubts the validity of the Romney/Huckabee battle, consider what has occurred in just the last month among proxies for the former presidential hopefuls. (Note: It is unclear whether these actions bore the candidate’s imprimatur.)
The opening salvo was fired by the Government Is Not God PAC, an organization composed largely of Huckabee supporters. On April 4, the group announced publicly it would run newspaper advertisements aimed at discouraging McCain from picking Romney as his VP. “Gov. Romney got no traction during the primaries simply because his recent ‘conversion’ to conservative and pro-life principles is not credible,” the ad said.On April 23, Romney supporters officially launched a website, MittforVeep.com.
That same night, Huckabee garnered 11 percent of the vote in the Pennsylvania GOP primary election, though balloting was a mere technicality. And the very next day, Huckabee supporters launched their own website, Huck4America.com.
Taking a presumed swipe at Romney, Huck4America.com included a message to McCain: “There are rumors that you are considering a choice that would be more moderate on these core issues. Candidates that are, for example, not necessarily pro-life. ... It is important to have a vice president whose record has been consistently pro-life, not coming to the party simply to run for national office.” Later that day, one of the Arkansas Times’ blogs reported McCain staffers were angry over a “Promote Mike Huckabee rally at the Capital Hotel less than a week before McCain’s visit to Arkansas.”
And if anyone doubts Huckabee’s penchant for self-promotion, the former governor also recently announced he was writing a book about his failed presidential campaign.
But the VP race is only one facet of the ongoing Romney/Huckabee grudge match. Each aims to establish himself as the leader of the conservative movement to set himself up for future presidential bids, as Ronald Reagan did after narrowly losing the 1976 Republican nomination to President Gerald Ford. Republicans have a penchant for nominating candidates who have run before — twice before, in some cases (Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bob Dole and Richard Nixon).
Romney, 61, and Huckabee, 52, are both in the prime of their political lives. Both came essentially out of nowhere to run highly respectable campaigns. Barring some seismic shift, it is conceivable these two will once again face off, be it in 2012 or in 2016.
Let me go out on a limb—neither.
I second that!
None of the above.
No conservative mantle carriers mentioned.
I will not forget that Romney had the decency to pull out of South Carolina to give Fred Thompson a shot whereas the Judas Goat Huckabee continued to snipe only at Romney even after McCain was the clear front runner.
I couldn’t agree more. Neither of them give any indication of being conservative or even understanding what conservatism is. Why do we settle for those who need to “remake” themselves? We’ll never get steak if we keep settling for chicken!
This goes for McCain as well. None of the three are conservatives.
This author is an IDIOT- He doesn’t speak for me (though he might for those that are first loyal to the Republican P).
Neither one is a Conservative, and I won’t follow either!!
Neithe one but if I had to choose it would be Romney. The huckster needs to move to Guyana and take his cult with him.
I have an idea, why don’t we have a debate? ;-)
Exactly
I love when liberals try to make suggestions for the GOP VP.
Just as they have for this election, I suspect some in the party will continue down the McCain path, and push the Arnold Ammendment so that they would have a heavyweight for 2012. Not that agree, but I think they’ll try.
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