Posted on 05/09/2012 5:50:59 PM PDT by Clintonfatigued
The conventional wisdom about Mitt Romneys vice-presidential short list, according to a handful of Romney insiders, may be wrong. Instead of picking a straitlaced Midwestern senator such as Ohios Rob Portman, or an outspoken northeastern Republican governor such as Chris Christie, there is a chance Romney will tap an evangelical from the South.
And the name on the lips of Romney friends and supporters isnt a rising southern senator or a current Dixie governor. He has been out of office for five years, resides on a beach in the Florida panhandle, and hosts a television show.
In other words, Mike Huckabee, the bass-guitar-playing former governor.
Yes, according to several sources close to the Romney campaign, who insisted on anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the vice-presidential search, the 56-year-old Arkansan may be included in the veep mix.
To many Republicans, a ticket with a Mormon bishop and a Baptist preacher isnt far-fetched. In a way, its almost a dream ticket, says Ed Rollins, the chairman of Huckabees 2008 presidential campaign. Hes substantive and knows domestic policy, and his personality wouldnt overshadow Romneys.
For now, it isnt clear whether Huckabee is going to be vetted, or that hes anywhere near Romneys short list. But he is, at the very least, being discussed. As one Romney ally puts it, tapping Huckabee would energize tea-party conservatives, evangelicals, and related voters who soured on Romney during the GOP primaries. Hes also not a sweat-inducing pick, since he was vetted by the Beltway press during his presidential run four years ago.
(Excerpt) Read more at nationalreview.com ...
Ah, wait! Since we’re not going to vote for the Bishop, what do we care?! Understand what I be sayin, grrrrl?
Arghh! No! No!
At least the dog looks good.
Please!!! One suckass phony Rino on the ticket is quite enough already, thank you.
“It figgers Romney would think Huck would appeal to the right.”
Yup. The Bishop’s ‘cheesy grits’ must be repeating on him.
“GAAAHHH! Please, NO! Why choose such a loser?”
Me Too. He’s not even a real Conservative, they think southerners are stupid, Romney can’t win without the South and they think all the southerners will get all enthusiastic because of Huck and have huge turnout helping Romney carry some of the states obama carried last time. I want a CONSERVATIVE ticket, President and Vice President. I’ve lived in and worked in the South all my life and I want a Conservative, if they happen to be southern that’s a bonus. The greatest insult I’ve suffered in my life was from an Indiana brother-in-law who thought I would vote for Carter because he was a southerner.
The Romneybots’ blood pressure would spray out their ears.
Hey, if not Huckabee, why not dredge up Trent Lott? He's like sort of a Republican, and he could like sort of deliver the south.
I think Huckabee could well compliment Romney—about his hair, his persistence, his beautiful wife, etc. But Huckabee just wouldn’t *complement* Romney on the ticket. : )
That's about as exciting as a rice-cake and a glass of water.
Not THIS TEA Party voter. Lord save us from these imbeciles.
HUCKABEE?
Gag me with a spork. A spork jammed into a whole, uncooked russet potato.
No Theocrats wanted...No Indian fake conservatives.
NO. just no.
Good grief, who comes up with this crap.
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was glad Huckabee stopped Romney from winning last election and wish Huckabee would have won over McCain or Romney. Except for the fact that McCain gave us a wise choice with Sarah Palin. I would prefer Huckabee now over Romney. But for VP, Rubio or Col. West would be the best pick.
If a Romney victory makes too many people relax it's pointless in the long run. Just like it's pointless if we accept another term of Obama, and his obviously unconstitutional actions that don't require a Judges decision to be seen for what they are. There are some real debatable Constitutional arguments about many issues, but there are just as many that are obvious to everyone, including those who disagree with them and are trying to bypass them. Elections aren't going to get us much further when we are always on the defensive over things like Obamacare that weren't even a problem a few years ago when everyone could see exactly where we were headed.
I don't know how much an ideal Conservative President who was willing to do anything to restore the Constitution could do at this point. Romney will take us in the wrong direction at a slower speed than Obama, but if Obama can make things come to a conclusion in a shorter period of time then let him. Everything shows we are headed for the end of our unity as a nation regardless of who we elect on a federal level, and I would rather that end just come sooner than later, because later isn't that far off.
States are the only answer when it comes to saving themselves, and taking back the Constitutional rights that have been stolen from them. They have to stand up in absolute defiance to the federal government on certain issues, and while this isn't the same times as our first civil war, I see it as an end to our United States. The best outcome would be a loosely United 50 States with a small federal government sat up for the obvious reasons needed, and solely intended for, but does anyone seriously see that happening? It's time for a new Union of States ready to see a Constitution based on our original written and respected, because it's too far gone to save a nation that doesn't even want to be saved by a large portion of it's people. A simple thing like a much broader education of the people on our Constitution and political system might have been able to save us at a much earlier point, but not now. The only ones who know anything about our Constitution anymore are those self taught out of personal interest to uphold it, or those interested in finding ways around it. The average person we always encourage to vote don't know a damn thing about it, and they don't care to know.
Iowa conservative activists and others in 2011 showed pretty consistently that they still liked Huckabee and wished he was a candidate. Many of those people eventually became Santorum supporters. It would be a mistake to dismiss the potential power of a Huckabee candidacy — at the very minimum I think this is a trial balloon, and it's a whole lot better than some of what we've been hearing of Romney's plans to “move to the middle.” If he's going to move, I'd much rather see him move toward Southern populism of the old evangelical model than move toward east coast secular liberalism.
I have no way of knowing if Huckabee is being seriously considered by Romney. Unfortunately, the things I don't like about Huckabee are quite possibly the things Romney likes the most, so I don't think we can dismiss this option. Personally, since I believe Romney will lose this fall, I'd rather not see Huckabee get drawn into a losing ticket — but that's just me.
While Huckabee is going to draw criticism from economic conservatives if selected as vice president, Huckabee’s core support comes from the Christian conservative movement. That's the main group which is organized well enough to torpedo Romney's election, and therefore poses the greatest threat to Romney. He also comes with some significant advantages in the more “populist” wings of former Democratic Party voters who have gravitated into the Republican camp in the South and the industrial states. Attacks against Huckabee as a so-called “Christian socialist” could effectively blunt the attacks on Romney as a corporate raider who doesn't understand the working poor.
Those of us who believe executive experience is important also should not minimize the potential effects of having two former governors on the ticket (Romney and Huckabee) compared to two former senators (Obama and Biden).
I hope Huckabee doesn't get offered the vice presidency, and if offered I hope he doesn't take it (though we'll never know for sure if he turns it down). I'd much rather see Huckabee run in 2016 without the baggage of a 2012 defeat.
On the other hand, at least this trial balloon shows Romney is beginning to take conservative concerns seriously.
Two wrongs don’t make a right. That’s what I always say.
I just threw up a little in my mouth.
Huckster is the Southern-fried Willard. An EPIC FAIL ticket if there ever was one.
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