Posted on 12/10/2007 5:46:54 PM PST by dano1
The most surprising conversations running through Republican circles this week are all about Mike Huckabee. As one veteran strategist put it in an e-mail message Monday morning, "I -- and I would suggest damn few others -- never anticipated you even asking [about Huckabee] this late in 2007."
Huckabee's rise is real, the result of months of dissatisfaction on the right with the rest of the Republican field. His success in Iowa, where he has dislodged Mitt Romney atop the polls, and in other early states, represents what another strategist calls "the revenge of the social conservative" wing of the party.
"It's the night before the prom," this strategist said, "and they've been sitting by the phone for a year, waiting for a date." Huckabee has come calling and they are responding.
Huckabee's rise is real for a second reason. He fills another vacuum in the Republican field -- which is that of a strong, southern conservative candidate. In 2005 and 2006, that role was to be filled by Bill Frist, the former Senate majority leader from Tennessee, or former Virginia senator George Allen. Fred Thompson thought he would be that candidate, and for several months last summer he was -- until he entered the race.
Thompson's campaign has fizzled from lack of energy, lack of a clear message and lack of visibility. It is no accident that Huckabee's rise has come at Thompson's expense, but to succeed, strategists say, Huckabee cannot allow Thompson back into the competition anywhere.
The big question is not whether Huckabee is real but whether he can make it all the way to the nomination. Will he ultimately prove to be a skillful spoiler, or a candidate with broad enough appeal to unify a party that is badly fractured?
(Excerpt) Read more at blog.washingtonpost.com ...
Huckabee has been written up favorably, spoken highly of, or endorsed by:
The Nation
salon.com
NYT
Washington Post
MSNBC
Newsweek
Time
Boston Globe
NH NEA
Chris Matthews
I’m surely missing some, but you get the idea. These folks hate conservatives, but they can’t say enough good things about Mike.
What’s wrong with this picture?
Going further back, I think there was a boomlet for Jesse Jackson in 1988, but don't know the numbers.
Your omission of Reagan, a two term hero, is obvious and your point is ridiculous. Both Reagan and Nixon had landslides, Nixon in the middle of a war. Plus whether you like the current Bush he has won two terms. I happen to have a number of his pictures in this house. Further, G H W Bush was a great president who disassembled the Soviet Union and won the first Gulf War. Johnson not running had little to do with Nixon’s initial victory. I’d take every republican candidate over Clinton, Carter, McGovern, Dukakis, Kerry - any day.
But I’ll bet I can put together a list of things Huckabee hasn’t done. Let’s see.....
-I’ll bet he’s never spearheaded a federal law to ration political speech.
[In the name of limiting big-money special interests being able to “buy” political influence w/ huge contributions.]
-I’ll bet he’s never conspired with leftist democrats to block a plan to get conservative judicial nominees through the senate.
[The democrats were going to filibuster to prevent the confirmation of Alito, McCain’s compromise (along w/ 13 other Senators) enabled the confirmation to come to a vote – that’s all. It was a selfless act of bipartisanship that he takes heat on b/c he broke w/ party lines, but it was the right thing to do (and prevented a misuse of power on both sides).]
-I’ll bet he didn’t spout Democrat talking points in opposing Bush’s tax cuts as “tax cuts for the rich.”
[He didn’t like the tax cuts (because spending wasn’t controlled also); neither did the democrats – they probably got their talking points from him!]
-I’ll bet he never waged a personal vendetta against the nation’s Secretary of Defense in wartime.
[So he didn’t agree w/ Rumsfeld’s strategy – McCain isn’t going to “sit down & shut up”, especially when it involves something as crucial (& personal) as the lives of our military people. Thank goodness he spoke up – turns out he was right all along!]
-I’ll bet he never sanctimoniously criticized the CIA for “waterboarding,” even though top CIA officials have said it was instrumental in getting Al Queda bigwigs to spill information. (INSERT SECOND OBLIGATORY NOD TO MCCAIN’S MILITARY SERVICE HERE)
[Our interrogators have said we don’t need to waterboard – I want a Prez who protects America’s reputation - and denouncing torture is the only way to protect OUR guys should they become prisoners.]
-I’ll bet he never talked with JOHN FREAKING KERRY about being his running mate in 2004.
[Just humoring him! If someone wanted to talk to you about being their running mate, wouldn’t you at least listen to what they had to say?]
-I’ll bet he never tried to push an amnesty bill for illgal aliens through the U.S. Senate over the objection of almost every one of his GOP Senate colleagues.
[That’s a bad rap – that bill also addressed BORDER SECURITY – who else is even trying to address the illegal alien issue – To touch that political “hot potato” in an election year just shows that he will lay down his own political aspirations & self-preservation in the cause of doing what is right for our country.]
** In fact, every point you tried to make involves McCain either trying to cooperate across party lines to do the “work” of Government, putting his own self-interest aside, or speaking out for what is the RIGHT thing to do!
Nope. The Huckster never did all that. Then again, he hasn’t been around as long as McCain - though he does have the same uncanny knack of getting adoring MSM coverage while pretending to be a conservative.
[That’s right - he hasn’t been around as long as McCain. There you go!]
[Hey, a little MSM coverage wouldn’t be bad – that will come in handy for a National Campaign!]
Gee, a sitting President decides not to run, and ‘it has little to do’. Novel notion.
By and large, as I so plainly said and you were unable to understand, if it wasn’t for Democrats, the Republicans, save Reagan, would not of been elected. Lastly, I don't 'take' anyone, not even Reagan. They work for me. I, and all citizens are superior to any elected official.
[In the name of limiting big-money special interests being able to “buy” political influence w/ huge contributions.]
Otherwise known as “The First Amendment.” And oddly enough, McCain never fought to include UNION $ along with corporate $. Neither did Teddy Kennedy. With friends like these.....
-I’ll bet he’s never conspired with leftist democrats to block a plan to get conservative judicial nominees through the senate.
[The democrats were going to filibuster to prevent the confirmation of Alito, McCain’s compromise (along w/ 13 other Senators) enabled the confirmation to come to a vote – that’s all. It was a selfless act of bipartisanship that he takes heat on b/c he broke w/ party lines, but it was the right thing to do (and prevented a misuse of power on both sides).]
Every time McCain stabs conservatives in the back, he does it in the name of “bipartisanship,” which in McCainSpeak means “that which makes the New York Times say nice things about me.” With conservatives like these....
-I’ll bet he didn’t spout Democrat talking points in opposing Bush’s tax cuts as “tax cuts for the rich.”
[He didn’t like the tax cuts (because spending wasn’t controlled also); neither did the democrats – they probably got their talking points from him!]
The Democrats didn’t need McCain to provide them with Marxist class-warfare talking points. They DID need his cover, though, which true to form, he gladly provided them. With “Republicans” like these....
-I’ll bet he never waged a personal vendetta against the nation’s Secretary of Defense in wartime.
[So he didn’t agree w/ Rumsfeld’s strategy – McCain isn’t going to “sit down & shut up”, especially when it involves something as crucial (& personal) as the lives of our military people. Thank goodness he spoke up – turns out he was right all along!]
Maybe, but he could have done it in private. But not McCain. Not when there’s a microphone to blather into, a conservative he can knife in the back, and a willing mainstream media to prop him up. “SEE...EVEN JOHN MCCAIN SAYS REPUBLICANS ARE EEEEEEVIL.” How often are conservatives supposed to watch this play before getting the idea that he isn’t one of us? With allies like these....
-I’ll bet he never sanctimoniously criticized the CIA for “waterboarding,” even though top CIA officials have said it was instrumental in getting Al Queda bigwigs to spill information. (INSERT SECOND OBLIGATORY NOD TO MCCAIN’S MILITARY SERVICE HERE)
[Our interrogators have said we don’t need to waterboard – I want a Prez who protects America’s reputation - and denouncing torture is the only way to protect OUR guys should they become prisoners.]
You have GOT to be kidding. You SERIOUSLY think that Abdul El Rakeem Muhammad Azzzhol is going to think twice about beheading an American captive because we stop waterboarding. You SERIOUSLY think that terrorists regard ANY constraints on how they treat Americans they capture? I can’t believe people are naive enough to make this argument. No matter WHAT we do, they’re going to do what they want. You think these guys have lawyers overseeing their interrogations?
Oh, and you must have missed that story about abu Zubaida, the Al Queda leader we captured shortly after 9/11. The CIA guy has come out and said that:
1) We waterboarded him;
2) It broke him; and
3) As a result, several terrorist plots were broken up and lives doubtless saved.
McCain is wrong, wrong, wrong on this, as he is about most things. I really don’t think he’s stupid enough to believe that if we’re just nice to them, they’ll be nice to us. He’s pretty stupid, but he’s even more so an opportunist - so I’ll bet on opportunism as his motivation. With “hawks” like these....
-I’ll bet he never talked with JOHN FREAKING KERRY about being his running mate in 2004.
[Just humoring him! If someone wanted to talk to you about being their running mate, wouldn’t you at least listen to what they had to say?]
If John Kerry asked me to be his running mate, I’d hang up the phone on him, which is the same thing any respectable CONSERVATIVE Republican would do. With “Republicans” like these.....
-I’ll bet he never tried to push an amnesty bill for illgal aliens through the U.S. Senate over the objection of almost every one of his GOP Senate colleagues.
[That’s a bad rap – that bill also addressed BORDER SECURITY – who else is even trying to address the illegal alien issue – To touch that political “hot potato” in an election year just shows that he will lay down his own political aspirations & self-preservation in the cause of doing what is right for our country.]
Actually it show that he’s an inside-the-beltway, career politician elitist with a tin ear. All the RINOS were utterly shocked by the blowback to shamnesty. Guys like Fred Barnes are still in a state of shock. They STILL don’t get it. Americans want one thing: the border secured. If illegals want to become citizens, they can get in line in BACK of the millions of people from all over the world playing by the rules and waiting their turn. With “populists” like these....
** In fact, every point you tried to make involves McCain either trying to cooperate across party lines to do the “work” of Government, putting his own self-interest aside, or speaking out for what is the RIGHT thing to do!
Every point I made involved McCain stabbing Republicans and conservatives in the back to court favor with leftists and the mainstream media. They demonstrate that he’s a RINO, a snake, a fraud, and a megalomaniac. With “statesmen” like these....
Nope. The Huckster never did all that. Then again, he hasn’t been around as long as McCain - though he does have the same uncanny knack of getting adoring MSM coverage while pretending to be a conservative.
[That’s right - he hasn’t been around as long as McCain. There you go!]
They can both kiss my right-wing posterior. If either gets the nomination, I’ll be holding my nose with both hands, two clothespins, and a vise as I cast my vote.
Hank
I think Huckabee strikes a chord with voters that the other candidates don’t. He’s quick with words, but not slick. He has a story of overcoming his weight. He is folksy, down-home, and a former governor. He is from the south, which also endears him to voters.
Mitt is just too slick, Fred is too old and slow talking, Hunter just looks like a big-government insider, while Guiliani and McCain scare off social conservatives. Huckabee is not in the place he is because of positions, but because his story, personality, and looks are what voters expect in a president. The next president probably will be a governor because of the extremely low ratings of Congress.
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