Posted on 12/10/2007 6:00:57 AM PST by dano1
Mike Huckabee was an obscure Arkansas governor three years ago when he invited a dozen pundits to lunch at a Capitol Hill eatery.
"That was when I began to form the impression this was a guy with real communications skills and real potential," says CNBC correspondent John Harwood. "He plainly had real gifts for talking about policy in a very human way."
The courtship paid dividends. When the latest man from Hope launched his presidential bid, he was depicted as a funny, charming, guitar-playing preacher who had miraculously shed 110 pounds -- and who would need divine intervention to win the Republican nomination. Hard-news stories, meanwhile, treated him like an asterisk.
"I got obliterated in news coverage," Huckabee says. "The frustrating thing was, a lot of people weren't even aware that I was running." Reporters, he says, "were basing everything on 'how much money have you got?' I couldn't wave a big checkbook in their face."
But, he says in an interview volunteered by his campaign, "I got feature coverage from columnists who felt someone like me ought to get attention."
Now that Huckabee has surged to a 22-point lead in Iowa (as reported in today's Newsweek cover story, "Holy Huckabee") and second place among Republicans nationally, journalists are suddenly fascinated by the man--and chasing every negative story around. Huckabee, in turn, hasn't exactly been elusive during the process.
Last Monday, a day after appearing on ABC's "This Week," Huckabee was on CBS's "The Early Show," the "CBS Evening News" and "Nightline." He was featured on the front pages of USA Today and the New York Times (twice) last week, and bounced from "Today" to "Hardball" to "The Situation Room" to "Morning Joe."
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
He’s more a media creation than anyone else.
When Huckabee fall off the pier that 1200lb anchor he is carrying, it ought to take him to the bottom real quick.
After 6 months of trashing our candidates as sinners and threatening 3rd party runs, no-shows on election day, or voting for Hillary, a vice-free pro-life activist has emerged.
This is what we asked for, so why all the angst?
It's coming today in his old "Take back the country for Christ" piece. Although I agree with many of his positions and comments on society and what is wrong with it, his methods, actions and governor and past history almost singularly make him a non-starter for most of America in the general election - both liberals and conservatives.
Most politicians are. Look at Hillary? If she hadn't been married to Bill, the media wouldn't even know her name.
To me it would be refreshing to have a President who supports life, borders, language, and culture. Our culture features Christianity and belief in God. Having a President who will push back at the seditious ACLU and its attempt to remove God from our culture would indeed be wonderful. Having a President who strongly supports the Boy Scouts and pushes back at the vermin who would destroy them, or make it difficult for the scouts to continue their clean cut, American way. I am not surprised that so many people are ready to support someone who actually supports our country.
The Democrats’ favorite Republican. I’m skeptical.
I’m ready to support someone who supports our country, too. Too bad Huckabee’s not the guy. A governor who promoted drivers’ licenses for illegals and objected to requiring proof of citizenship in order to vote cannot by any stretch of the imagination be said to “support our country.”
Charm does not a wartime President make.
“so why all the angst?”
If it wasn’t for being pro-life he could easily run on the Democrat ticket.
Hah! This bears repeating. The angst of course is coming from those who did NOT participate in the "6 months of trashing our candidates as sinners and threatening 3rd party runs, no-shows on election day, or voting for Hillary" as well as those who don't see him as a Saint.
You got that right.
Mrs. Clinton is then a better choice for “a wartime President make.”?
I do not disagree with you. Huckabee may not be the guy. But it was plain refreshing for him to note that this country is ready for someone who will support our Christian roots. He clearly thinks he is that guy, but he may not be that guy.
Hey, at least he's not considered the Anti-Christ by anyone here at FR.
Question: did he lose that weight through self control and a good weight loss program or as the result of a scalpel?
Hardly, Democrats don’t support overhauling the IRS. It’s one of their tools for war on the middle class. Huckabee is a leading proponent of the Fair-Tax plan which most concervatives support.
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