Posted on 12/14/2007 11:43:07 AM PST by Yomin Postelnik
Why Huckabee is the Best General Election Candidate and What Makes Him the Ideal Candidate to Win
By Yomin Postelnik
An increasing number of pundits, both conservative and liberal but all heavily entrenched in Washington or Medialand disconnect, are making assessments about the candidates. As usual, they are wrong and a party that listens to them will gain their approval at the expense of the votes of the nation.
Pundits today generally take into account small anecdotal tidbits of history that best suit their own personal biases. No analysis is given to the overall race, the candidates, or to electoral history and how it relates to the changed field of today.
The fact is that there’s one simple formula to fielding a candidate. Look at the key issues of the day and couple that with genuine leadership abilities.
For the first part of this equation, every election season is different. In 2000 the public clamored for morality and the candidate best representing moral values and who came across as most genuine had the advantage. In 2004 national security loomed largest. In 1992 the public looked for economic change after being hammered with bad economic news, even if it didn’t translate into daily life. When economic woes did affect people on an everyday basis, those elections, 1976 and 1980, resulted in change (of course, in both of those elections change in leadership persona factored greatly too).
So what does this mean for today? In short, based on analysis and current voting concerns, for the GOP it’s Huckabee or bust.
As to the second part of the equation, while issues may, the glamour for a genuine candidate never does. The public consistently wants authenticity. Sure, they’ve elected inauthentic candidates once in a while, but only after being sold on their perceived realism and usually come to regret buying the inauthentic package. This factor too makes nominating Huckabee the best political move the GOP can make.
In this election cycle, partly due to the theatrics that have been its hallmark since its untimely and all too early inception, people are dazzled, enthralled, over-enthralled and then bored to death, but through it all they have more trouble relating to candidates than ever before. Simply put, this cycle is the first 12 months premature baby to survive outside of the womb and it’s got more than a few defects which are now all too apparent.
The top tier seems superficial and superficial is tiresome. This cycle, fortunately, it’s also become loathsome. In other words, electing “the most electable candidate,” meaning the one TV pundits say is most electable, is nothing short of a recipe for disaster.
Huckabee has shown the exact opposite, an ability to connect with voters over and over again. That’s how his campaign from nowhere was launched into first place. His support grew stronger after every debate, with people first asking “Why isn’t he in the top tier?” and later realizing that he is in fact the most trustworthy, likeable and broadly appealing.
All of the arguments the punditry use against him were the same type of arguments made that Reagan was a sure loser in 1980. We know how that turned out. In Huckabee’s case the “weaknesses” they attribute to him are actually strengths. He zeroes in on issues that bother the average person and proposes new ideas that are just what the average voter wants. It’s those qualities that translate into the average voter voting for him.
To date Governor Huckabee has proposed education changes that, unlike the Democrats, don’t seek to politicize the process by fighting achievements already made and unlike other Republican candidates, are solid and well thought out. The fact is that enhanced arts education is shown in study after study to develop civic awareness and dramatically reduce truancy and juvenile crime. Society would benefit in many ways, most noticeably fiscally, in the reduction in crime that these programs always show.
Governor Huckabee also realizes that the prison system is too harsh and needs reform. The current system not only makes career criminals out of non-violent offenders (as they’re exposed to harder and more violent crime) but is also a breeding ground for Islamic extremism, which recruits dejected inmates serving long sentences. As I’ve pointed out in previous posts, even prison owners stand to benefit by turning many facilities into short labor assignment places where non-violent inmates would be contracted out for hard backbreaking labor, then sent home at night, a stronger deterrent without the climate that leads to hopelessness, which in turn leads to violent and dangerous crimes.
As far as those who challenge his fiscal conservatism go, contrary to popular belief, Huckabee does have a fiscally conservative record. If you listen to his issues, he wants more effective spending, not more spending. Unlike many other candidates, he personally supported the line item veto and the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts.
Most importantly, fiscal conservatives will trust him to keep his promises because based on his record, he does keep promises. Social conservatives are less convinced that the socially liberal candidates will keep theirs. So yes, contrary to other pundits, Gov. Huckabee is far better positioned to keep the Reagan coalition of social and fiscal conservatives alive.
As for a campaign slogan, he’s got one, “I like Mike.” Something like that already worked form someone else who many talking heads once discounted because of his last name.
Lastly, it needs to be pointed out that in the general election, many solely fiscal conservatives will be voting Democrat or third party based on how they perceive the economy. Democrats are counting on this and will make this the issue. Nominating a primarily fiscal-only conservative plays into this game. Nominating a candidate who will follow conservative fiscal policies but who will relate to voters primarily for his bold societal ideas and genuine conservative moral values is the only answer to this as well. (Anecdotally, this is also why the GOP will probably lose Ohio but gain Pennsylvania this time, but that’s for another article.
Capt.,
Thanks for the thoughtful response. This column by Michael Reagan is worth a read
http://newsmax.com/reagan/romney_huckabee/2007/12/13/56858.html
Geez, where have I heard that before?
Whats going to happen is , if he's still on top by the end of February, 80 % of the Party members are going to find somebody else to back and STOP this huckster.
Nope. Just your emotion.
Go sell crazy somewhere else, we’re all filled up here.
You do realize that wasn’t the point of the article, right?
Mike Huckabee = “Jimmah Clinton”
Where was the ‘analysis’ part? Did you forget to paste it in? If so, can you do that, what you have here looks like opinion and emotion, not analysis.
Interesting to read your view on this, too.
The Huckster’s short comings on number of issues conservatives care about, such as the border, taxes, security, and freedom from oppressive government, run the risk of “disenfranchisement” (man, I hate that word!) from people like me (sorry, but I don’t like nanny state no matter who is in control of it).
In the meantime, the left will be playing the “he’ll be peering into your bedroom” card, aimed at moderates, as well as other fear mongering.
The Huckster will be a disaster!
We need someone who can do what Reagan did and Bush did in the 2000 debates (and last two ‘04 debates). Connect with the people in a way that relates to them. The fact they were non-lawyers isn’t an end in itself, but is maybe part of the reason they took an approach of being a straight shooter and hitting people’s real concerns. Huckabee comes off equally credible in this regard.
http://www.FiscalConservativeswillvotefortheUnAmericanDemocratPartyor3rdparty.com
No emotion involved in deciding this. Please see the parts about effective general election strategy, 90% of the post.
The fact that 90% of the post dealt with general election strategy - winning over voters.
Thank you very much!
I appreciate it.
You really feel you have to ask that?
LOL!
Effective general election strategy has little to do with the merits of one single individual. You’ve given emotional opinions on why you believe Huckabee should be nominated. You’ve given no substantive reasons why.
Huckabee and WJ Clinton are two peas in a pod. I reject them both.
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