It’s definitely been a Huckabee week in the press. The New Yorker’s Hendrik Hertzberg has a long comment about him in next week’s magazine, out now online.
Huckabee. Funny, improbable name; funny, improbable candidate. ….
How improbable? Well, up until the tail end of the summer, polls had Huckabee’s support for the Republican nomination hovering between zero and three per cent, usually closer to zero. In October, he broke into a trot, in November into a Gallup. In a poll released on Thanksgiving eve by Reuters/Zogby, he is in third place, at eleven per cent, nosing past not only John McCain but also Mitt Romney and narrowing the gap with the fading Fred Thompson to four points. In Iowa, where actual voting will occur on January 3rd, he has surged into what is essentially a tie with Romney for first place.
During Friday night’s NPR show, Left Right and Center, the show’s quarreling columnists were supposed to talk about all the Dem and Republican candidates, but clearly what they wanted was to talk about was Michael Huckabee.
Then there was all the effusive burbling on the blogs about the (drum roll) NEW HUCKABEE AD (see above.) Liberal blogger Todd Geeten from MyDD nearly hyperventilated in his enthusiasm, calling it one of the best political ads ever made. And he was not the only one to say it.
So what does this mean? Well, it may be just more evidence of the fact that we media types are herd animals; where one goes, the others will follow. Still, for good or ill, Huckabee merits watching.
There is a herd mentality but there is also the fact that Huckabee, for reasons discussed below, seems a lot more human than those other GOP robots who cannot concevably be seen as “Leader of the Free World”. I’m sure that Guiliani and Romney will turn their fire on him but is Rudy still viable? And Romney, who changes his position more often than this shirts is becomming laughable.
Besides anyone who calls the Clkub for Growth “The Club for Greed.” is worth a second look.”
Oh, by focusing on Huckabee, the mass left-wing media is simply trying to take the wind out of the sails of Guiliani, who would be Hillary Clinton’s toughest opponent in NY, CA, and FL. You know it’s true.
If Chuck Norris was in the ad, why wasn’t Christy Brinkley in it too?
“anyone who calls the Club for Growth ‘The Club for Greed’ is worth a second look.”
But also is not likely to make it past the GOP gatekeepers. Tax Cut Fundamentalism is the Word of God among the insider Republican elite who can still probably break a candidate, if not singlehandedly make one.
Isn’t it interesting that even when an authentic conservative gets relatively favorable press on his merits, it’s a “left-wing media” conspiracy, engineered to benefit Hillary Clinton.
There must be some medication… On second thought, probably not.
““anyone who calls the Club for Growth ‘The Club for Greed’ is worth a second look.â€Â
Indeed.
Woody, what if we just like the guy, think he’s smart and authentic, and, although we may disagree with his stands on abortion/gay rights/stem cells, are able to notice that he has his head screwed on straight on quite a number of social issues. He seems to actually think the poor are people too. The horror!
As for Rudy, I know too much about him to cut him any slack, as do a lot of folks, especially those of us who report on law enforcement. I’ll be writing about some of it in the weeks to come. (I’m lying in the grass waiting to strike—and not one bit sorry about it.)
Celeste, the liberal press rarely has something nice to say about a conservative unless they want to use that to put down another one.
I hope Mike Huckabee is not going to put Chuck Norris (Ranger Walker) in charge of protecting anything. When ever I watched Ranger Walker on T.V., his girlfriend, Asst. District Attorney Alex Cahill, was being kidnapped, shot, blown up, tied up and etc. If Ranger Walker could not protect his beloved girlfriend from anything, I would not want him protecting our borders.
Ok, which one of you liberals let out the “Support Huckabee†secret plan? I thought it was such a clever plan for liberals to support Huckabee and take the wind out of Giuliani sails.
Ok, which one of you liberals let out the “Support Huckabee†secret plan?
I cannot tell a lie… I didn’t.
Well I’ll fess up. Last week Comrade Reg and I received orders from the Central Committee to institute a new line and a second front by praising the other man from Hope.
(We’re so clever!!!)
Hey, just because you guys are out of the loop doesn’t make it false. You’ve seen it before. Divide and conquer. Say that one conservative is really nice–not like that other guy. The media are like lemmings. Once one gets the idea, everyone else jumps off the same cliff. But, let Huckabee get the nomination and see how nice they treat him then.
More on the Republican debate and Huckabee: CNN/YouTube Republican Debate Recap
Woody, excellent commentary at your link. Far more insightful and to the point than the annoying coterie of pundits that CNN had on after.
Finally Woody posts something worth reading or is watching?
Best line “Listen up Black People Mitt Romney is gonna talk”. Big LOL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKGzhvRB6q4
Ultimately, the media will start talking about the insanity of Huckabee’s campaign promises and, hopefully, the fact that his concern for the poor includes the Fair Tax which will either decimate government revenues or mean major increases for poor and middle class Americans. This isn’t getting as much attention as how charming and clever Huckabee is because he still isn’t considered a very serious candidate and everybody knows that his promise to abolish the IRS is crazy and won’t happen. But for those actually looking at what a candidate’s priorities are, it doesn’t speak well of his committment to the poor and working classes, whatever his rhetoric.
And Woody, I hate to suggest you revise your conspiracy theory, but the prevailing wisdom is that a strong Huckabee showing helps Gulianni by hurting Romney in the early states that are central to his campaign strategy.
Oops. http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-poll5dec05,0,4991085.story?coll=la-home-center
At least (the guy calling himself) “Mavis” can admit when he’s wrong, even if it means conceding the point to a “southern redneck,” who nailed it in #2.
But of course Woody had to get the requisite snide and mean- spirited blogbang from Comrades Reg and ric, even L A Res (who I give some points to for at least having a sense of irony, which puts him in a more intelligent category than those two), and then of course, Celeste, in her nice way, always sides with the libs… At least there’s one person who can admit that someone not to the left of their buds Chavez (so sorry he couldn’t rig this election!) and Fidel (and of course, above-impugning homie in Iran) might have an opinion actually worth lisening to once in a blue moon.
Once more with feeling! Kindly shove the moronic Chavez and Fidel “buds” references up your ass. Is that crap all you’ve got ?
At least there’s one person who can admit that someone not to the left of their buds Chavez (so sorry he couldn’t rig this election!) and Fidel (and of course, above-impugning homie in Iran) might have an opinion actually worth lisening to once in a blue moon.
Ad hominem poppycock.
Accusing someone of an an ad hominem attack is an ad hominem attack.
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Randy’s usual quick-witted comeback.