Huckabee's end
Tuesday March 4, 2008
Categories: Republicans
A few minutes ago, Mike Huckabee formally withdrew from the Republican race and endorsed John McCain. Good for him. He got blown out in Texas tonight -- exit polling showed that more Texas Evangelicals voted for McCain than for Huck....
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About Crunchy Con
Rod Dreher is an editorial columnist for the Dallas Morning News, and author of "Crunchy Cons" (Crown Forum), a nonfiction book about conservatives, most of them religious, whose faith and political convictions sometimes put them at odds with mainstream conservatives. The views expressed in this blog are his own.
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Go fishing, and continue to lay off the Twinkies.
A speaking circuit to energize young conservatives would be best. He's not the intellectual think-tank guy, but the country is in need of voices that are for something rather than against.
Daytime talk-show host
I'd have to quibble on a few points: "He outlasted the mighty, multimillion-dollar Mitt Romney campaign..."
Huckabee still has less delegates than Romney! Just because he stuck around in the race longer after it was clear he had no mathematical chance to win is the only reason he "outlasted" Romney. I wouldn't give credit to him for delusional belief in winning the nomination.
As for what's next for Huckabee, Senate Chaplain would be the most appropriate.
I wish Huckabee would lead a campaign of public diplomacy to reach out to the people of Iran.
The Iranian government is incredibly unpopular with its people, and a genuine democratic revolution--similar to those in Eastern Europe in the 1980's--would change the world.
McCain seems almost eager to start a war, and that's frightening.
May God bless Mike Huckabee. He ran a great campaign. I hope he runs again in 2012 (like Reagan did in 1980).
I'd like to see him as an evangelical leader along the lines of James Dobson. He's shown he has principles and he'd be, I think, a lot less likely to back candidates simply out of political expediency than, say, the late Jerry Falwell or Pat Robertson.
I'm sick of Harvard grads leading this country. I supported Huckabee on what he is, as much as where he came from. I'll send him money TOMORROW to help him in whatever path he takes. He should have stood more firm on the children of illegal aliens NOT being held responsible for what their parents did. He should have changed his position on school vouchers (all schools were once run by Churches), BUT, still continued to stand strong on education as the key to making a person well-rounded. But pleeeeaaaasssseeeee, the Harvard grad thing is sickening. He went far on a wing and a prayer. He was the best person we had running for the president.
Rod, so many people are bobbleheads to the media and also, their lefty teachers.
After seeing the crazed frenzied lemmings following the junior senator from Illinois, I think of his teen-something followers as Bamahead dolls. He moves . . . and jick a jick a jick a jick a jick a jick a jick uh!
The real "hope" for America was Mike Huckabee, but CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC, HBO and of course, the holy Oracle of Leftist promiscuity Hollywood Elites, bumped the table for the Liberal and jick a jick a jick a jick jick uh, went the supporters of the democrat from the home of corrupt politicians galore.
How fast America went to Sodom.
Donny,
"I'm sick of Harvard grads leading this country."
Bush wasn't a "Harvard grad" [ed. note: LAFF!!!, he was a C student (and proud of it too, apparently) at Yale.
Anonymous,
"A speaking circuit to energize young conservatives would be best."
The likes of Hucklebee would be more likely to scare them off, not "energize them".
"He's not the intellectual think-tank guy"
Say not so!
"but the country is in need of voices that are for something rather than against."
Hucklebee was very much against treating all citizens equally before the law, and would happily have altered the Constitution to ensure some never would be. He said so, and in a very mean-spirited fashion.
Huckabee may not be a purist "Crunchy Con," but his biggest accomplishment may have been to convince people that "compassionate conservative" may not be the oxymoron George W. Bush made it into.
re: GWB not being a Harvard grad
For the record, in addition to his BA from Yale, GWB also has an MBA from Harvard.
I think he should come back to Little Rock and file to run against Mark Pryor for his Senate seat in the fall-- filing deadline is next Monday-- though I doubt he will. Two campaigns in a year is asking a lot. That said, even though I supported Huckabee for President, I thought he should have been running against Pryor in the first place.
Huckabee would make a great successor to Dobson. All he has to do is write a book advocating child beating and get upset about a cartoon, then become a cartoon himself.
Of course Dobson has the advantage in that he was born a cartoon.
I like the idea of speaking to and energizing young conservatives... he has, after all, done that very thing himself... done very big political things at a very young age and has certainly made an impact, not only on Arkansas, but now, on the country.
I wonder what will happen with the Pryor Senate race. That would be risky; if he lost, that would be a loss that would be difficult to recover from (in my opinion). I'd imagine that he's tired too. He needs to re-group and really think about the future, what he wants to do, what can be done from this point on. Perhaps McCain appoints him as something (Sec of Education, given Huck's record on that in Arkansas)? I'd love to see him as Veep... but it doesn't look like McCain's leaning that way.
It'll be interesting to see what happens, regardless.
Any word on what Ron Paul's doing with the race? Is he still running, now that he didn't even show well in his own state?
Huckabee needs to do develop his credentials on polcies that appeal beyond his evangelical base. I came to Huckabee for his views on the environment, poverty, working class issues (tax, healthcare, small business red-tape), and solid cultural conservative values. He was a candidate unlike any other Republican. Whether it’s speaking, writing, being a political pundit, or starting a think-tank his course should be plotted for a run in 2012.
I'm hoping he'll enter the Lion's Den of talk radio.
It'd be a nice change to have a plesant conservative in my speakers.
I think Huckabee should go back to participating in anti-Mormon rallies. Then maybe, he might realize that Mormon are decent citizens and good neighboors. Even better, he might realize that they are sincere Christians.
I think Huckabee should go back to participating in anti-Mormon rallies. Then maybe, he might realize that Mormon are decent citizens and good neighboors. Even better, he might realize that they are sincere Christians.
Name one anti-Mormon rally Huckabee participated in. Can't do it, can you?
Good question! I wasn't a 100% Huckabooster, but there's much to like about the guy; certainly, he was my favorite Republican in the race.
The Huck's best bet is to do like Edwards did after '04: use his considerable charisma to work tirelessly for some issue so he stays in the public eye. And he should pick some issue that conservatives haven't been strong on, traditionally, but that's going to be more and more important in coming years, while still maintaining his social conservative bona fides. I _very_ strongly suggest environmental issues, which are only going to loom larger and larger, and which some Evangelicals are starting to get enthused about. Then he'd be the crunchy con par excellence, and would be setting himself up effectively for 2012. (Even if he doesn't get the nomination then, he could have the same influence that Edwards did - making his issue so central that he wins ideologically, even if he loses politically.)
All this is assuming, as I do, that McCain loses in November, which is my bet.
If Huck is to run again he needs a fatter foreign policy resume. I'd like to see him bring his wit and tenacity to the Middle East. He certainly couldn't do any worse than Condi's been doing.
Also, Huck was the Fair Tax's greatest advocate. Even better than Boortz in some ways. Love to see him continue to push that.
i didn't consider it a blowout at all.
The fact that he got almost 40% of the vote with virtually no TV media exposure, and precious little newspaper coverage, over the past month is a testmanet to his popularity and to his ideas.
he needs to start planning for 2012.
I haven't done the math, but if the Republicans doled out their delegates like the Democrats, Huckabee would be very close to McCain right now. Huckabee lost South Carolina, Oklahoma and Missouri by only a couple of percentage points to McCain. Huckabee trounced McCain in some of the Southern states. This may sound like sour grapes, but it proves that this race was not a blowout at all. Considering how much more money Romney and others spent vs what Huckabee spent, I would say that Huckabee has a strong and loyal base to mount a campaign in 2012. He needs to stay in the public spotlight and earn tens of millions of dollars like the Clintons did for the past 8 years. Maybe do a talk show for compassionate conservatives who are fed up with Rush and Laura and Sean. That will give him the financial base to put together a team for 2012.
Of course I wish that McCain would ask him to be VP, but I don't think he will.
What about starting a new organization to lead evangelicals in the way that the Christian Coalition used to do? It would probably mean he couldn't run for office again.
No it wasn't a blowout because the Republicans like to anoint someone early and everyone is just supposed to fall into line, like we did with Bush I, Dole, and Bush II. Frontloaded, winner-take-all contests in big states pretty much ruin it for the rest of us.
What I would like to see is a 13-week regional primary/caucus system whereby Iowa and New Hampshire still go first, say around January 24th [that's a Tuesday in 2012] so they don't whine about it and then 12 regional primaries each week following. Put 3-5 states together to hold their primaries and/or caucuses each week, like this:
Jan 31-- Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Illinois.
Feb 7-- Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama
Feb 14-- California, Nevada, Arizona
Feb 18-- Texas [Do the Two-Step on a Saturday, eh?]
Feb 21--New Mexico, Colorado, Utah
Feb 28-- D.C., Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, West Virginia
March 7-- Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma
And so forth.You get the drift. No winner-take-all, either, so there is a chance for all states to have their moment in the sun. That would make me feel a lot better about the eventual nominee.
Huckabee could run his campaign on a shoestring because he used the evangelical churches to do the heavy lifting for him. Romney didn't have that advantage. You didn't see him going into churches "preaching" (of COURSE not for votes) and using preachers to get the vote out. So let's compare apples to apples here.
You didn't see him going into churches "preaching" (of COURSE not for votes) and using preachers to get the vote out. So let's compare apples to apples here.
You mean Romney? Not that I remember, but it may have behooved him to do so. Obama and Clinton do it all the time and no one in the MSM really bats an eye.
He needs to learn how to build an organization if he wants to run again. He needs to study more also as he didnt sound especially credible on foreign policy. If he can do those two things he has the personality assets to win it all. He wont get all the free television time a second time around so he will need to be better prepared.
Steve
Uh, this author seems to have forgotten that on the night Huck dropped out it's because he was FORCED OUT. He was mathematically eliminated. He didn't do it "for the good of the party" as is suggested. I, for one, am glad to see this guy gone from the race. He ruined the GOPs chance of electing a solid conservative president (Romney) and I can't forgive him for that. He wilfully capitalized on religious bigotry and used it to rally evangelicals, many of whom supported him for no other reason than he was "likeable" and wasn't "the Mormon" candidate. We can thank Huckabee supporters for giving us John McCain and a probable defeat in November. I hope when 2012 rolls around we've all learned our lessons.
I would like to see Huckabee as the VP for McCain. His Social/Moral Conservative Positions on The Right to Life and Marriage Amendment helps McCain where he is Weak. Huckabee also Is very popular with Voters on Gun Rights. However if McCain isn't wise enough to pick Huckabee, Then I would suggest he seek the Senate Position in Arkansas.
I think Huck should read some of Ron Paul's books so that he can learn about economics.
*sigh* I'm really, really sick of hearing people say that Romney was the true conservative.
But hey, don't take my word for it that Romney's not a conservative. Take Romney's:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9IJUkYUbvI
Despite what the media insists, for many of us, not voting for Romney had nothing to do with his Mormonism. It had to do with the fact that he's campaigning as a conservative, while (as the video shows) he's really about as conservative as Giuliani.
The Mormonism only matters in the sense that he's somebody who (like, say, John Kerry) can adhere to a religion while cheerfully denying its tenets if that's what it takes to get elected in his home state.
McCain may or may not be a true blue conservative, but he comes across much more as someone whose actions stem from his *own* beliefs, whereas Romney's someone who'll clearly believe whatever you want him to, right or wrong, if only you'll vote for him.
Interesting vote tally observation: if you remove early voting from the Texas primary totals, Huck only lost by six points (46% to 41%). This is yet another indicator that Huck excels at "closing".
I hope Huck gets a substantive cabinet position in the McCain administration, perhaps Education or Interior. I don't think McCain will run for a second term, as he'll be nearly 77 if he wins.
If the Dems win, I think Huck will establish himself as a radio/TV host and the new voice for the Christian Right as he prepares for 2012.
I'd like to see Huckabee go back to school and study for a double degree in women's studies and evolutionary biology. In his spare time, he should read the complete works of Bart Ehrman.
I'd like it if Huck were to go the Reagan route and make speeches and build up name recognition and a supporter/fans base. He could also do like Nixon did. When no other big name R figure would turn out to give a speech in remote Rotary club luncheons or Lincoln Day Republican club dinners, Dick would be there. He would if asked campaign for local candidates.
Needless to say the time both Nixon and Reagan spent "in the wilderness" ensured their eventual electoral triumphs.
I'd love to see Huckabee as a board member of Club For Growth or else sit on the board of any hospital that would have him as a member
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