RUSH: You can love your guy. Just don't call him conservative.
Identity Politics and the Hucksters
I think you are exactly right, as quoted above.
I'd been puzzled these last few days as to why Huckabee was virtually ignoring Rush Limbaugh's criticism of him. By me, Rush is a very prominent conservative and I'd think all candidates would get concerned by any criticism by Rush.
Yet Huckabee, over and over, played the country boy, golly gee, dumbbell. Just this morning I overheard Huck saying he still doesn't know what Rush's issues are with him!
Huckabee knows full well what Rush takes exception to. It started with a member of Huck's staff, allegedly, calling Rush Limbaugh a DC Insider, that he was naught but an entertainer, that he just repeated the GOP talking points. Rush took exception to this, natch because it doesn't describe Rush at all. So the Huck campaign lied like a rug and said it wasn't them.
They sent the aw-shucks Huckster out and all he kept doing was pleading ignorance.
Welp, now I know why. Because that fake description of Rush was EXACTLY what the Huck campaign wanted Huck's base to hear.
Which brings me back to what you said and how I agree with you because there's just no other way a GOP candidate could survive the criticism Rush was throwing at Huck the last couple of days. Because Huck's voters don't listen to Rush, they simply must not.
If I'm wrong, and thus you yon commenter, than Rush HAS lost his touch because he's been going after Huck with both barrels. Which Huck, and McCain who's also been under attack by Rush, both deserve.
Huckabee is more William Jennings Bryant than he is Ronald Reagan (or Rush Limbaugh).
Thus, the Huckabee base is limited and probably can't achieve a majority in the GOP. However, populism is directly opposed to conservatism when it comes to the issues of a.) governmental power and influence and b.) class warfare.
Consequently, it's a minority that can do some damage.