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?

[tommix2]

Maybe you’re right, but you’re the only one who took her comment that way.Yes, I guess I was mistaken. The Cajun thinks so too.

[onyx]

YES! I heard Rush say that. It would be a dream come true to have him smack the snooty WH press corps (corpse) around everyday.

[onyx]

LOL. And you’re the guy to do exactly that!

[BigSkyFreeper]

Huck the Schmuck is dead-in-the-water for 2012. Everyone has seen through this supposed GOPer who is really just Clinton Lite.

The GOP in Arkansas didn't even endorse Huckleberry Dingbat back in 2008.  They know him better than anyone else.

[onyx]

Your point? Frum is establishment. Sarah Palin is not. Frum is part of the “Stop Sarah Palin” group of ‘insiders’ or “sissies too afraid to face her in person.”

[BigSkyFreeper]

Frum is scum. He left the Bush White House and immediately trashed his former boss. He’s a opportunistic slimeball like Scott McClellan. Say what you want about President George W. Bush, but trashing your boss like that to sell books is rather low in my opinion.

[onyx]

The GOP in Arkansas didn't even endorse Huckleberry Dingbat back in 2008. They know him better than anyone else.

Oh, that's funny! LOL.

[onyx]

You’re always very kind and sweet. You could still be right.

[onyx]

Ditto. Those two states always have the first two primaries and I don’t see how they’re representative of the GOP.

[BigSkyFreeper]

Ditto. Those two states always have the first two primaries and I don’t see how they’re representative of the GOP.

They're not.  Huckaboob was expected to win Iowa given it's close proximity to Arkansas. McCain won New Hampshire because he practically lived there mainly because his campaign was strapped for cash and left for dead.

[BigSkyFreeper]

And the only reason Romney won anything was because those states held primaries right around the same time Romney made that speech on his faith after everyone in the media along with Huckaboob attacked his faith. Huckaboob is a slimeball and a dirt bag.

[onyx]

Huckaboob swooped into Iowa to upset Romney by garnering the Christian pro-life vote and McCain promised he would win NH which he did, (by practically living there). This time, Romney thinks he will win NH, but he lives in La Jolla, CA now, not MA, so, how’s that movey-changey going to work for him?

[onyx]

Yes, Huckaboob is a slimebag.

[garandgal]

Assault? You haven't seen anything until you've been here, in Iowa. It's already started...the Huck brigade (the cabal that is allowed three hours daily of airtime on our major talk radio station, WHO) has already started trashing her.

On Friday, they played a clip of her speaking with Geraldine Ferraro on election night, where she was lamenting that some "Neanderthals" wanted to focus on looks, or looked askance at women who might want to do important work when their children are young.

A three hour discussion ensued...complete with a Pastor who "explained" that God designed women to be under the "headship" of men for their own good and emotional well-being. I kid you not.

She is obviously a social conservative, so I hope that her team understands that she needs to appeal to the fiscal and populist wings of the party. For even if she memorizes a copy of "Bible Buzzword Bingo" she will be rejected by the lunatic fringe because she wears a skirt.

[who knows what evil?]

People that vote for Huckabee just because he is a Baptist are no different than people that vote for Obama based on his skin color.

[FreedomPoster]

Wow, is that so!?

That is just incredibly damning.

[NavVet]

If Frum is endorsing him, he’s in trouble.

[McGavin999]

I don’t see how they’re representative of the GOP.

Both used to be but both states have been invaded with flaming liberals, they no longer represent the country.

[BigSkyFreeper]

Romney will probably get points for being persuasive on an economic agenda. He’ll get dinged on everything else. No one wants a single issue candidate. The economy is the most important thing on every voters mind, along with too much government control. Romney can’t criticize ObamaCare because he’s already foisted that upon the people of MA. He may win NH, but doesn’t guarantee he would win the nomination.

[SF_Redux]

I really don’t understand the thinking of alot of posters here, the govt machine is worn out, broken, and USED PARTS is not going to fix it

trash what is left since Nov 2 and get NEW PARTS

some are still promoting the same establishment of well trained subversives that only look out for themselves