Posted on 12/18/2007 6:53:25 PM PST by Mighty_Quinn
Everyone is missing this... Why is Huckabee gaining ground?
Answer--Harriet Miers.
The nomination of Miers confirmed a sneaking suspicion held by many Christians and social conservatives that many Republican politicians aren't really concerned about pro-life issues or about opposing the homosexual "rights" lobby. This wing of the party suspects that many GOP candidates only pay lip-service to these concerns to get social-conservative votes. The fear is this: when push comes to shove, politicians will distance themselves from these views and throw those who voted for them under the bus.
In this regard, the Harriet Miers fiasco was a HUGE blunder. Rightly or wrongly, the nomination sent a message that Bush (or the Bush administration) was out of touch with the concerns of those who had worked the phones and hit the pavement during the previous election.
Why are many rallying for Huckabee, a candidate who has numerous problems? It's because he's a known quantity. He may not be perfect on all the issues, e.g., immigration, the economy, etc. It's true that most social conservatives are also fiscal-conservatives--but at the end of the day fiscal issues are not what motivates this segment of the party! They volunteer to man the phones and hit the streets at local GOP headquarters because of their concern for the moral issues at stake, not because of the estate tax-- even though most of them would be against that too.
The Harriet Miers episode scared that segment of the party. Rightly or wrongly, it sent a message: the Bush administration isn't as concerned about social-conservatism as those who put in hours and hours during his campaign.
And recall that the concerns about Miers were later shown to be justified. But when Christians and social conservatives saw many people in the GOP defending the President's choice it simply confirmed the suspicion that others in the party were out of touch with them.
And who were the most vocal supporters of Miers?--check the record: Hugh Hewitt, Fred Barnes, even Jay Sekelow, Pat Robertson's partner! Now these men are hardly seen as reliable to this group. Robertson is having a very tough time rallying support among Christians for Guilliani!
And so when a Baptist minister is in the mix, he's going to end up surging--despite any other concerns about him, he's trustworthy.
In the past social conservatives could feel comfortable with people like Reagan or Bush despite their past records... I don't think that's the attitude in the aftermath of the Miers nomination.
That many in the party are expressing "concerns" about the electability of Huckabee due to his Christianity is only drawing more people to him! These people are confirming the concerns of this segment of the party--social-conservatism is for primaries, but after that, it goes to the back burner.
I don't think that's going to fly.
That no one has connected Miers with Huckabee's "surge" shows one thing: GOP pundits are out of touch with a major block of their constituents.
And it's getting worse. Let it not be that we see a third party candidate down the road. That would be a huge mistake for the party... but I think that's where this is going to go if things continue this way.
“It was just a matter of time before the Socialist Conservatives decided that the whole freedom thing wasnt going to work, and that they needed higher taxes and a bigger government to tell the little people what to do.”
*ding ding ding* hit the nail on the head.
He meant to trick the democrats. And, boy, did it work.
Yep, Bush was just looking for a candidate he thought he could get through without a fight. Miers had no record that the Democrats could attack. Little did Bush know that the fight would come from the GOP side when Miers conservative credentials did not stand up.
“Well, he didn’t mean for YOU to be tricked. I guess your being tricked was sort of like collateral damage. He meant to trick the democrats. And, boy, did it work.”
No, he just has 0 respect for his supporters and thought he could ramrod his idiot sycophant into the court without a fight.
There was no secret plan. We got a decent nominee because we revolted!
It was tearing apart the GOP.
Between that, amnesty, spending, and the growth of government in size and scope, those who favor small government have a lot of damage to repair.
Bush isn’t a Reagan - he isn’t even a Nixon!
Democrats neither supported or opposed Miers. They were happy to sit back and watch the nomination explode in Bush's face. And the Democrats gave it their all in opposing Alito. That was probably the most partisan vote on a Supreme Court nomination since Clarence Thomas.
Same reason there was a Ted Haggard "surge". There are a remarkable number of utter imbeciles out there.
Goodness. You’re anti-Christian on all the threads, aren’t you?
I totally agree with the reasoning behind the Huckabee surge. Folks are thinking they want their grandkids to have a chance in this messed up country and they’re willing to forego some conservative planks to ensure they have someone they feel is trustworthy and not just another career politican leading the way.
RE-ELECT NO ONE!
You are absolutely correct. The first time I saw Huckabee on one of the debates a few months back, I thought he was head and shoulders above the rest when it came to articulation and presentation. He just doesn't give the impression that he has to think about his answer, and what he thinks might be what people want to hear. He displayed a good and spontaneous sense of humor. He came across as extemely smooth, more so than any candidate since Clinton, perhaps he is even better than Clinton. With Clinton you always knew you were being b.s.'d. Huckabee doesn't have that earnestness and percievable deception that Clinton has. Huckabee is a good politician, and I am not at all surprised he is doing so well.
I have no idea who he is or what he represents, but I do know Giuliani, and like you would would prefer anybody else. You must be always right because you think like I do. :o)
Man of Peace Bob Dylan
Look out your window, baby, there’s a scene you’d like to catch,
The band is playing “Dixie,” a man got his hand outstretched.
Could be the Fuhrer
Could be the local priest.
You know sometimes
Satan comes as a man of peace.
He got a sweet gift of gab, he got a harmonious tongue,
He knows every song of love that ever has been sung.
Good intentions can be evil,
Both hands can be full of grease.
You know that sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace.
Well, first he’s in the background, then he’s in the front,
Both eyes are looking like they’re on a rabbit hunt.
Nobody can see through him,
No, not even the Chief of Police.
You know that sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace.
Well, he catch you when you’re hoping for a glimpse of the sun,
Catch you when your troubles feel like they weigh a ton.
He could be standing next to you,
The person that you’d notice least.
I hear that sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace.
Well, he can be fascinating, he can be dull,
He can ride down Niagara Falls in the barrels of your skull.
I can smell something cooking,
I can tell there’s going to be a feast.
You know that sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace.
He’s a great humanitarian, he’s a great philanthropist,
He knows just where to touch you, honey, and how you like to be kissed.
He’ll put both his arms around you,
You can feel the tender touch of the beast.
You know that sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace.
Well, the howling wolf will howl tonight, the king snake will crawl,
Trees that’ve stood for a thousand years suddenly will fall.
Wanna get married? Do it now,
Tomorrow all activity will cease.
You know that sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace.
Somewhere Mama’s weeping for her blue-eyed boy,
She’s holding them little white shoes and that little broken toy
And he’s following a star,
The same one them three men followed from the East.
I hear that sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace.
Interesting point—valid but likely that it only explains part of the Huckaboom. Similar and other reasons for Huckaboom in these:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1940652/posts?page=1
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1941516/posts?page=1
Nope. Pro-Christian. Anti-Huckabee. The man is an absolute fraud, and is using religion and clever quips to try to deflect legitimate criticism of his appalling record.
Another thing: notice how many of his past statements about illegals and those trying to stop illegal immigration sound very familiar to proponents of Marxist "Liberation Theology" in Latin America. I truly fear this man.
This has it exactly backwards. Miers might well have been perfectly fine on those issues. Her problem was that she was appallingly unqualified to do anything else that a Supreme Court Justice is supposed to do.
Those who supported the Miers nomination did not support her for her political positions. They supported her because they thought that the president's judgment in selecting the nominee should be respected.
In the end, the nomination set conservatives at each other's throats, over a nominee with an extremely light resume who had problems with simple English grammar. The nomination was a disaster for Republicans, a completely unnecessary disaster. For once it's true: Bush did it.
The fiaso said plenty about Bush's overall judgment, but nothing about his commitment to conservatism.
How so?
Two years ago he was for leaving abortion to the states. Within the last few months he has reversed that position and now wants a constitutional amendment. Then he bashes Thompson for having the same position Huckabee used to have.
Yeah, he jokes too much. Ask him a tough question. He tells a joke. That gets sort of old after awhile.
I followed the argument up to tis point--a monster non sequitur. The fact that Bush sold out with the Meiers nomination and the border security give-away in no way means that Huckabee is any less liable to sell out as well. I have absolutely no reason to think a Baptist minister is any more trustworthy than the corner pusher, and this article gives me none.
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