How Huckabee Could Stop President Palin

Frum Forum ^ | November 22nd, 2010 at 10:22 am | David Frum

[onyx]

“A nightstick the size of a telephone pole and the muscle to wield it effortlessly.”

Mike Huckabee, who knows a thing or two about insurgent campaigns, sees the power of the Palin candidacy. Taegan Goddard links this morning to the Des Moines Register:

Mike Huckabee told the Des Moines Register that Sarah Palin would be a strong contender for president should she decide to run.

Said Huckabee: “No question, she will be a very, very strong presence and force, if she gets in. You know, she may run away with it. And that’s one of those things everyone needs to be prepared for.

Huckabee’s words are more than an observation. They are a warning. And they are a warning especially to be heeded because they come from the one politician who can probably do most to stop Palin, the candidate best positioned to win Iowa.

Huckabee himself is also persona non grata with party leaders, because of his repeated criticism of Wall Street and Wall Street minded GOP insiders.

But Huckabee is a very different cat from Sarah Palin. He’s smart and policy-minded. And while he expresses a strong social conservative message, he does not play the politics of division, disparagement, and resentment in which Palin specializes.

In the days of party conventions, the answer to the Palin problem would have been obvious: party leaders would assemble and force the mutually mistrustful Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee onto the same ticket.

In modern times, the game is played differently, but the structure of the situation remains the same: an early Huckabee pact with a candidate acceptable to Republican donors (if not Romney, then Tim Pawlenty or even Jeb Bush) would command enough clout to push Palin off the stage.

If not, all bets are off. As I think about it, that’s one of the big problems with the candidacies of a Thune, a Daniels or a Barbour: They will need Huckabee as much or more than Romney does.

Yet Huckabee is also a re-elected governor, plus he won the second largest haul of delegates last time. Why should he defer to any of the lower-polling governors? And who will make him?

“A nightstick the size of a telephone pole and the muscle to wield it effortlessly.”

Mike Huckabee, who knows a thing or two about insurgent campaigns, sees the power of the Palin candidacy. Taegan Goddard links this morning to the Des Moines Register:

Mike Huckabee told the Des Moines Register that Sarah Palin would be a strong contender for president should she decide to run.

Said Huckabee: “No question, she will be a very, very strong presence and force, if she gets in. You know, she may run away with it. And that’s one of those things everyone needs to be prepared for.

Huckabee’s words are more than an observation. They are a warning. And they are a warning especially to be heeded because they come from the one politician who can probably do most to stop Palin, the candidate best positioned to win Iowa.

Huckabee himself is also persona non grata with party leaders, because of his repeated criticism of Wall Street and Wall Street minded GOP insiders.

But Huckabee is a very different cat from Sarah Palin. He’s smart and policy-minded. And while he expresses a strong social conservative message, he does not play the politics of division, disparagement, and resentment in which Palin specializes.

In the days of party conventions, the answer to the Palin problem would have been obvious: party leaders would assemble and force the mutually mistrustful Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee onto the same ticket.

In modern times, the game is played differently, but the structure of the situation remains the same: an early Huckabee pact with a candidate acceptable to Republican donors (if not Romney, then Tim Pawlenty or even Jeb Bush) would command enough clout to push Palin off the stage.

If not, all bets are off. As I think about it, that’s one of the big problems with the candidacies of a Thune, a Daniels or a Barbour: They will need Huckabee as much or more than Romney does.

Yet Huckabee is also a re-elected governor, plus he won the second largest haul of delegates last time. Why should he defer to any of the lower-polling governors? And who will make him?

“A nightstick the size of a telephone pole and the muscle to wield it effortlessly.”

Mike Huckabee, who knows a thing or two about insurgent campaigns, sees the power of the Palin candidacy. Taegan Goddard links this morning to the Des Moines Register:

Mike Huckabee told the Des Moines Register that Sarah Palin would be a strong contender for president should she decide to run.

Said Huckabee: “No question, she will be a very, very strong presence and force, if she gets in. You know, she may run away with it. And that’s one of those things everyone needs to be prepared for.

Huckabee’s words are more than an observation. They are a warning. And they are a warning especially to be heeded because they come from the one politician who can probably do most to stop Palin, the candidate best positioned to win Iowa.

Huckabee himself is also persona non grata with party leaders, because of his repeated criticism of Wall Street and Wall Street minded GOP insiders.

But Huckabee is a very different cat from Sarah Palin. He’s smart and policy-minded. And while he expresses a strong social conservative message, he does not play the politics of division, disparagement, and resentment in which Palin specializes.

In the days of party conventions, the answer to the Palin problem would have been obvious: party leaders would assemble and force the mutually mistrustful Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee onto the same ticket.

In modern times, the game is played differently, but the structure of the situation remains the same: an early Huckabee pact with a candidate acceptable to Republican donors (if not Romney, then Tim Pawlenty or even Jeb Bush) would command enough clout to push Palin off the stage.

If not, all bets are off. As I think about it, that’s one of the big problems with the candidacies of a Thune, a Daniels or a Barbour: They will need Huckabee as much or more than Romney does.

Yet Huckabee is also a re-elected governor, plus he won the second largest haul of delegates last time. Why should he defer to any of the lower-polling governors? And who will make him?

[onyx]

Huckabee is running and he will do anything it takes to try to stop Sarah Palin, including joining forces with Willard Mitt Romney or other acceptable establishment candidate and maybe even a TEA Party acceptable candidate.

Just tonight on Greta's, Huckabee said, he would be happy if 50 million people would each send his campaign $10.

[onyx]

"May we always be happy and our enemies know it."

SARAH PALIN'S PING LIST

[sourcery]

The publishing of this article only makes sense if Palin is the presumptive nominee.

[onyx]

Frum refers to her as “President Palin”......LOL.

[lonestar]

The publishing of this article only makes sense if Palin is the presumptive nominee.

Why is Sarah the subject of most articles published?

[upsdriver]

Winning Iowa is way overrated.

[South40]

Reload, never retreat.

[The Cajun]

Think it’s time to post the Christmas picture of the Huckster and his family in front the governors mansion to counter Frum’s article.....A picture is worth a 1000 words in this case ;^)

[taxtruth]

Gomer Pyle doesn’t stand a chance.

[onyx]

Rhetorical of course!
David Frum is part of the “Stop Sarah Palin” movement.
He’s very worried. So’s Huckaboob.

[onyx]

Yes, but not if Sarah wins Iowa!!

[onyx]

That’s right. Reload, never retreat. She’s got a good aim, too.

[marron]

he does not play the politics of division, disparagement, and resentment in which Palin specializes.

Why doesn't Frum write "How Huckabee could stop Obama"?

The thing with all the Romneyiacs, and the McCainiacs, and the Hucklers, is that the first thing they think about when they think 2012 is how to stop Palin. All Palin thinks about is how to stop Obama. Focus your war on Obama and your rivalry with your fellow Repubs will take care of itself. Focus all your bile on your fellow Repubs, focus your bile on Repubs who are too busy fighting Obama to fight back against you, and you've told me what you think is really important. And it isn't America.

Frum long ago gave up whatever credibility he had. The funny thing is, though, he is useful as a marker. Like the disgraceful McCainiacs who have spent all their ammo going after Palin even while they were supposedly working for her, anyone who accepts his support, anyone who hires the McCain crew, has just betrayed himself too.

Its funny to see Frum talking about "division, disparagement, and resentment in which Palin specializes" when in fact that is exactly what she doesn't do, and it is exactly what he does do.

[JaneNC]

He said tonight he couldn;t raise money.

He will not run He is squishy on immigration.

[onyx]

Think it’s time to post the Christmas picture of the Huckster and his family in front the governors mansion to counter Frum’s article.....A picture is worth a 1000 words in this case ;^)

[toddausauras]

It’s an interesting little read actually, in terms of reminding us that Huckabee as a political candidate has some very big national strengths. Personally I think Sarah can beat him but things will have to go her way (duh, like all successful political runs). The media may choose Huck over Mitt who knows.

[trappedincanuckistan]

David Frum’s mother was a government propagandist on television and radio here in Canada (CBC).

David Frum: You establishment types don’t have as firm a

grasp as you think. Do you think Mitt or Huckleberry

brought that tidal wave to the polls a month ago? Better

start looking for a job at the NYT or WAPO soon!

[The Cajun]

There we go.

Nuff said ;^)

[Outlaw Woman]

That picture nauseates me....Please make it go away

[sargon]

Huckabee has some baggage related to a felon who he helped release, and who later committed another heinous crime.

Should he run and/or receive the GOP nomination, he will be hammered with this episode (quite effectively I believe) in the same way which Dukakis was...