Posted on 08/15/2007 4:36:29 PM PDT by BplusK
The more I think about Mike Huckabees stunning 18% showing at the Iowa straw poll the more Im persuaded that he could be the exciting, unifying conservative standard bearer the GOP base has been craving.
Forget about Fred Thompson--- his long delay in entering the race makes him look increasingly like the Mario Cuomo of the Republican Party. Remember when the New York Governor dithered endlessly about announcing his candidacy in 1992? At the time, he seemed to be trying out a new slogan: A Mind is a terrible thing . To make Up. As an actor, Fred Thompson might like to take a crack at playing Hamlet, but the indecision bit doesnt work well for a Presidential contender. Moreover, his wife Jeri (described by the New York Times as his much-younger trophy wife) has already won a reputation as a controversial dragon lady for firing and intimidating staff on his non-campaign. Her glamorous presence seems to re-enforce Thompsons Hollywood connections, and thats not a great thing for a Republican candidate.
Moreover, Thompsons campaign speeches so far have been distinctly underwhelming in their impact, showing none of the folksiness and force of his TV character Arthur Branch or his brief radio commentaries, for that matter.
I challenge any die hard Fred Heads to watch tape of Thompson addressing a live audience and then to contrast it with tape of Huckabee working a crowd or performing at one of the televised debates. Theres no comparison: Huckabee spontaneously deploys the warmth, humor, gift of gab, accessibility and kindness that we havent seen in a GOP Presidential contender since Reagan. He comes across as a regular guy who cares about other regular guys. He also possesses a rare ability to craft catchy phrases that connect with people. As he told audiences in Iowa, One of the things I think Ive brought to the process is unapologetically Im a conservative but Im not mad at anybody over it.
And its tough for anyone, from any faction in the party, to feel mad at Mike Huckabee.
Each of the other front-runners have managed to tick off some substantial segment of their fellow Republicans: McCain for his support of campaign finance restrictions and immigration reform, as well as his opposition to Bush tax cuts; Giuliani for his moderate positions on social issues like guns and abortion and his complicated and much-too-colorful personal life; Romney for his slick shifts in position on a range of issues and (unfairly) for his devout commitment to a controversial church. Its true that some militant secularists will feel uncomfortable with Huckabees fervent Christianity and his background as a highly successful Baptist pastor, but those who are put off by his genial brand of religiosity are probably unavailable as GOP voters in any event.
Aside from his likely ability to unify the party, two other factors argue for Huckabee as the strongest possible GOP standard bearer.
First, his distinctly blue-collar, proudly working class background will help to destroy the notion that Republicans are the party of Wall Street and the country club. Mitt Romney may be worth $250 million and is the son of a governor, John McCains the son (and grandson) of high ranking admirals, but Huckabees the first member of his family ever to graduate from high school. Obama and Romney boast degrees from Harvard, Hillary went to Wellesley and Yale, and McCain graduated (barely) from Annapolis, while Huckabee earned his degree (in two-and-a-half years) from Ouachita Baptist University. During reconstruction on the Arkansas governors mansion, the Huckabees (hes been married to his high school sweetheart for 33 years) lived proudly in a trailer to save the taxpayers money. And speaking of double-wides . his recent loss of 110 pounds (and completion of numerous grueling marathons) helps him connect with the American majority that fights the daily battle of the bulge. After freakishly fit contenders like the Skull-and-Bones duo Bush and Kerry, its refreshing to consider a candidate whos so much more like the rest of us. The old Democratic class warfare tactics simply wont work against Huckabeehis personal style and background make it impossible to associate him with some privileged elite.
The second big advantage of a Huckabee nomination involves his ability to suppress any third party vote on the right. A recent analysis by the Rasmussen polling operation suggests that in the likely event that Hillary becomes the Democratic candidate were in for another extremely close election. The American people have already largely made up their minds about Senator Clinton --- her name produces very few responses of undecided or dont know. Unless she commits some major gaffe after getting the nomination, her vote total wont fall below 45%, and stands little chance of rising above 50%. This means that the election like those of 92, 96, and 2000 will almost certainly produce a President with a popular vote minority, with fringe party candidates playing a decisive role. In 2000, Ralph Nader on the left drew nearly three times as many votes as Pat Buchanan on the right; without the Nader factor, Al Gore would have won a clear-cut victory no matter how the votes were counted. In 2008, there will definitely be more third and fourth party candidates former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney (or Nader again) on the left, and Alan Keyes or Minuteman Jim Gilchrist or, conceivably, Tom Tancredo on the right. If Rudy Giuliani became Republican standard bearer, an angry right-winger could draw 3% or more of the vote and easily tilt the election toward Hillary. With a Huckabee candidacy, on the other hand, a self-righteous anti-abortion, anti-immigration, anti-globalism fringe campaign becomes less powerful (and less necessary, for that matter). Those who worry that international conspirators are subverting American sovereignty as part of some CFR or Neo-Con conspiracy will feel far less fearful of Huckabee than of any other major candidate.
Finally, theres the current press infatuation with the former Arkansas governor a rare blessing for any conservative. They like Huckabee not only because hes charming and funny, but because the media love a good underdog story. An under-funded candidate who comes out of nowhere (and Hope, Arkansas is just about nowhere) to challenge the big boys makes a great, inspiring yarn and helps sell newspapers or win TV viewers. The other contenders have all done something (or many things) to alienate the press: Giuliani made enemies of most national media during his tough-guy years as Mayor of New York, McCain looked like he betrayed his cherished maverick status when he reached out to conservative Christians, Thompson has delayed and dilly-dallied much too long before entering the race and facing the press, while Mitt Romney has begun to earn a reputation for smiling evasiveness in confronting tough questions.
Of course, the current press infatuation with Huckabee (even from the New York Times) probably wont last, but the new Man from Hope needs to milk it while he can.
The big negatives the press will no doubt begin to attach to the surging Huckabee campaign involve the notion that hes just too religious (and doesnt believe in undirected, random Darwinism) and that hes got no experience in foreign policy. In response, Huckabees defenders might cite a prior Governor of Arkansas who also had no foreign policy background but became a popular two-term president, and a recent Governor of Texas who also entered the White House without a resume of meaningful diplomatic encounters.
Moreover, when it comes to holding elective office, Huckabee served the people of his state for thirteen years three years as Lieutenant Governor and ten as Governor giving him more experience as an elected public official than Giuliani, Romney, Thompson, Obama, Edwards, Hillary or George W. Bush. .
In other words, the arguments in behalf of a Huckabee candidacy remain potent and persuasive while those against his nomination seem easily deflected.
Does this summary of his flavor-of-the-week status amount to an endorsement?
Not exactly, since McCain, Giuliani and Romney also seem to me great and worthy contenders who deserve a chance to make their cases to the people.
But in one sense, Im ready for an enthusiastic commitment to take one step forward with Aw Shucks Huck: as far as Im concerned, the former Governor of Arkansas has already earned an endorsement as a first tier candidate for the Republican nomination for the Presidency. His inclusion among the elite survivors of the early winnowing process can only strengthen the campaign, the party and, ultimately, the country.
"WE"? What? You represent an anti-Huckebee tribe?
What do you mean we, paleface?
Huckabee is a good candidate, but doesn’t seem to resonate. I would like to see him go very far in this race so I can better judge his ability to keep the office in the Conservatory. (with a gun)!
The Clintons were just a pair of carpetbaggers who were using Arkansas for their political ambitions. They weren’t real Arkansans. Now they’re using New York. They’re not real New Yorkers either, but they fit in better up there.
This is what Mike Huckabee says about his views about immigration:
* My number one priority is to secure America’s border.
* We have to know who is coming into our country, where they are going, and why they are here. We need a fence along our border with Mexico, electronic in some places, and more highly-trained border agents.
* Those who are caught trying to enter illegally must be detained, processed, and deported.
* Illegal immigrants already living among us who commit crimes must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law and incarcerated or deported.
I opposed the amnesty bill that was defeated by the Senate in June. I support the $3 billion that Congress recently appropriated for border security. These funds will be used to train and deploy 23,000 more agents, add four drone airplanes, build 700 miles of fence and 300 miles of vehicle barriers, and erect 105 radar and camera towers. They will be used to end “catch and release” by providing money to “catch and detain” those caught entering illegally and to crack down on those who enter legally, but overstay their visas. These border security provisions will stem the tide of illegals, which is what we must do before we can turn the tide and deal with those who are already here. Before you fix the damage in your house caused by a leaking roof, you stop the leak, which is what this legislation will do.
My number one priority is to have a secure border. Right now, we have too many people entering the country illegally, and this must stop. We can’t turn the tide until we stem the tide. We need to know who is coming into our country, where they are going, and why they are here. We need to create a process to allow people to come here to do the jobs - plucking chickens, tarring roofs, picking fruits - that are going unfilled by our citizens. They must have a tamper-proof, scannable I. D. with a finger or retinal scan, so that their employers know they belong here.
Besides stopping terrorists, we must weed out those with a criminal background or a communicable disease. We have to build a fence along our border with Mexico, parts of which will be electronic. We need more well-trained border agents and cooperation agreements with local and state law enforcement officials, so that we have a clear and consistent approach by all jurisdictions.
Those who are caught trying to enter illegally must be detained, processed, and deported. Illegal immigrants who are already living among us and commit crimes must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law and incarcerated or deported.
From: http://www.mikehuckabee.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Issues.View&Issue_id=4
Don’t be rope-a-doped by a second man from Hope. You MUST read these articles BEFORE seriously considering the Huckster for federal office! You have been forewarned!!!
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1860330/posts?page=12
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1738804/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1749307/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1633675/posts?page=29
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/bloggers/1586835/posts?page=1
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1458160/posts?page=61
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1458443/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1458160/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1457156/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1457156/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1437980/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1435378/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1434273/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1427336/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1419878/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1409465/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1399962/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1359015/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1355671/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1346317/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1343940/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1331650/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1775570/posts?page=1
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1775652/posts
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