Posted on 01/04/2015 1:00:59 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
There was a time when I thought that Mike Huckabee had a chance to win over enough “somewhat conservative” voters that, when added to his pre-existing base among conservative white evangelicals, would give him a good chance to win the 2016 Republican nomination. I don’t think that chance exists anymore (if it ever did). He hasn’t done any of the maneuvering he would need to do in order to expand his base of support. Thirteen months is not a long time and he has shown no inclination to make the moves he would need to make in order to expand his base. If he does run, I don’t see how his ceiling is higher than a strong second.
But hey, a strong second place finish would refresh his brand and strengthen his position as a powerbroker within the right. Not so fast. This isn’t going to be like 2008. Huckabee is probably the most likeable candidate in the field, but he isn’t going to sneak up on anyone this time. He enters with higher name recognition, but also with a target on his back.
No, I don’t mean from the Republican establishment. I mean from the candidates who will look to run as populist alternatives to the Republican establishment candidates. I don’t see any path for a Republican populist that does not include a very large share of the conservative evangelical vote. If Huckabee dominates among conservative evangelicals, there is no room for a Ted Cruz or a Rick Santorum and much less room for Rand Paul to improve on his father’s 2012 performance. In order for these alternative candidates to have a chance, they would have to break apart Huckabee as a viable candidate (Rand Paul has already started). If they can’t do that, they don’t have anything. Those are the incentives.
Huckabee can probably gain stature if he ends up the last man standing against the Republican establishment. But to get that far, he will have to survive being gang-tackled by the other anti-establishment candidates.
Huckabee is a joke. Sorry if I offend anyone.
All the so-called pure conservatives will draw support from each other in sufficient numbers that another moderate will walk up the middle.
Well if Jeb, Mitty, and NJFatboy all pile in, there will be plenty of dilution of RINO voters too.
We may see a wild and wooly season.
1. I don’t think that chance (to win the nomination) exists anymore.
2. If Huckabee dominates among conservative evangelicals, there is no room for a Ted Cruz or a Rick Santorum and much less room for Rand Paul to improve on his father’s 2012 performance.
I think both points are correct. I'm betting Huckabee thinks so too.
So what's up? It could be that just the hint of the possibility of Bush-Huckabee would do it. Bush is not going to put Ted Cruz away without some help from the right. Huckabee is a natural for that job. He can rob primary votes from Cruz which will help Bush and then pull out at the right time and endorse Bush III.
I hope I'm wrong.
Why would you be wrong.
We have seen this scam before.
Load the primary with A LOT of fake conservatives to split the conservative
vote.
And another RINO slips in. Same old Rove and GOPe playbook.
Huckster will run only to stop Cruz in SC. Too many dumb evangelicals, about as naive as Ned Flanders.
That was his job in 2008.
You are not offending,
And while I’m sure Mr. Huckabees heart is in the right place and he is a nice guy , he has zero chance.
Of the nomination or actually winning.
Bob Dole boring just isn’t gonna cut it again.
I think Huckabee is a real option. If he loses, so be it, but it won’t be for the reason advanced in this article.
A R candidate does NOT have to go RINO or D-light to win, especially not in the upcoming race. More and more people realize we need at least a period of an antidote to help cure the harms inflicted on America these past several years.
The R ticket will attract more people than normal in 2016 provided only that it is headed up by a recognizable antidote candidate.... I consider Huckabee to be one of several such people and I, for one, would certainly consider voting for him if he wins the nomination. (Meanwhile, of course, we can all keep campaigning for our personal favorite picks to get the nomination....)
The best thing I can say about Huckster is that he would be 14.7 times better than obummer.
Correct, Jeb Bush benefits in Iowa and SC with Huckabee.
Ask him about the pardon of Maurice Clemons (who went to murder four police at a Tacoma area coffee shop in 2009)
http://www.foxnews.com/story/2009/12/02/man-who-killed-4-washington-police-officers-shot-dead/
Goldman: During the Republican primary debates, audience members booed a question from an active serviceman who was gay and shouted, “Let him die,” about a hypothetical gravely ill patient without insurance. Is this different from the party that you know and love?
Huckabee: Very much. It’s one of the reasons that I did not think this was a good time to run. The atmosphere was so toxic that it would not be an atmosphere in which I would breathe well. There is almost a hyperorthodoxy that is gripping the party that you have to go out and prove that you can be tougher, meaner, more hard-line than anybody else on the stage. It may lead to effective campaigning if the goal is to be the most ideological puritan on the platform, but the ultimate goal is more of what I’d call a true Reagan model. Not the Reagan model that has been invoked — but Ronald Reagan who understood that governing is an art.
Huckabee blasts immigrant bill as ‘race-baiting’
BY DAVID HAMMER ASSOCIATED PRESS
Posted on Friday, January 28, 2005
Gov. Mike Huckabee said Thursday that a bill to deny state government benefits and voting rights to illegal immigrants is “inflammatory... race-baiting and demagoguery.”He challenged the Christian values of its main sponsor.
The governor said the bill “inflames those who are racist and bigots and makes them think there’s a real problem. But there’s not.”
Sens. Jim Holt of Springdale and Denny Altes of Fort Smith, whose Northwest Arkansas region includes the state’s fastest growing Hispanic population, filed the measure, Senate Bill 206.
Huckabee, a Baptist minister and a Republican like Holt and Altes, said Arkansans should be welcoming hardworking immigrants of all races.
Huck could lose if he is for illegal-immigration.
I did not know that report.
Thanks for the info.
Rand Paul On Shutdown: "Even Though It Appeared I Was Participating In It, It Was A Dumb Idea"I said throughout the whole battle that shutting down the government was a dumb idea. Even though it did appear as if I was participating in it, I said it was a dumb idea. And the reason I voted for it, though, is that it's a conundrum. Here's the conundrum. We have a $17 trillion debt and people at home tell me you can't give the president a blank check. We just can't keep raising the debt ceiling without conditions. So unconditionally raising the debt ceiling, nobody at home wants me to vote for that and I can't vote for that. But the conundrum is if I don't we do approach these deadlines. So there is an impasse. In 2011, though, we had this impasse and the president did negotiate. We got the sequester. If we were to extend the sequester from discretionary spending to all the entitlements we would actually fix our problem within a few years.[Posted on 11/19/2013 12:16:51 PM by Third Person]
Rand Paul: Time for GOP to soften war stance...by softening its edge on some volatile social issues and altering its image as the party always seemingly "eager to go to war... We do need to expand the party and grow the party and that does mean that we don't always all agree on every issue" ... the party needs to become more welcoming to individuals who disagree with basic Republican doctrine on emotional social issues such as gay marriage... "We're going to have to be a little hands off on some of these issues ... and get people into the party," Paul said.[Posted on 01/31/2013 5:08:50 PM PST by xzins]
Rand Paul's immigration speech...The Republican Party must embrace more legal immigration.[Posted on 03/19/2013 7:04:07 AM PDT by Perdogg]
Unfortunately, like many of the major debates in Washington, immigration has become a stalemate-where both sides are imprisoned by their own rhetoric or attachment to sacred cows that prevent the possibility of a balanced solution.
Immigration Reform will not occur until Conservative Republicans, like myself, become part of the solution. I am here today to begin that conversation.
Let's start that conversation by acknowledging we aren't going to deport 12 million illegal immigrants.
If you wish to work, if you wish to live and work in America, then we will find a place for you...
This is where prudence, compassion and thrift all point us toward the same goal: bringing these workers out of the shadows and into being taxpaying members of society.
Imagine 12 million people who are already here coming out of the shadows to become new taxpayers.12 million more people assimilating into society. 12 million more people being productive contributors.
Rand Paul calls on conservatives to embrace immigration reformLatinos, should be a natural constituency for the party, Paul argued, but "Republicans have pushed them away with harsh rhetoric over immigration." ...he would create a bipartisan panel to determine how many visas should be granted for workers already in the United States and those who might follow... [and the buried lead] "Imagine 12 million people who are already here coming out of the shadows to become new taxpayers...[Posted on 04/21/2013 1:52:42 PM PDT by SoConPubbie]
[but he's not in favor of amnesty, snicker, definition of is is]
Rand Slams Congress for Funding Egypt's Generals: 'How Does Your Conscience Feel Now?'Sen. Rand Paul is hammering his fellow senators for keeping billions in financial aid flowing to Egypt's military -- even as Cairo's security forces massacre anti-government activists. [by "anti-government activists" is meant church-burning Christian-murdering jihadists][Posted on 08/15/2013 5:44:10 PM PDT by Hoodat]
I can tell you this, I like Huckabee and Cruz. But if Cruz supporters unfairly attack Huckabee, I will not ever support Cruz. Period. Huckabee has more class than to do that to Cruz. Does Cruz play an honest game when it comes to competition? We shall see. I do not vote for dishonest people or people who attract dishonest people. I’m tired of the political thug game. Just let the candidates run by stating their positions honestly. If we are to have ANY chance at all, we have to stop the strategic games of lies and slander. In the end everyone loses. Frankly in that case we deserve to lose.
Start presenting the merits of your candidate. Win people that way. This is starting to remind me of the Pat Buchanan supporters who made me loathe their candidate just because of their hideous ways.
Huckabee is the socialist from Arkansas and he is for amnesty for illegals. look up his record . this cretin is no conservative . he doesn’t have American values of small government . He loves big government. acts religious but is a false prophet.
proof huckabee is the socialist from Arkansas
http://topconservativenews.com/2007/10/conservative-huckabee/
No more hucksters!
I felt HucksterOrgy was a fraud, but I didn’t have proof. Thank you for that.
Huck sticking it to Romney by not quitting gave us McCain which in turn gave us Hussein.
FHuck
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