Mike Huckabee–Glass Jaw?
By now you’ve probably heard the snickering attack pieces being promulgated across the internet via The Drudge Report and other media clearinghouse outlets that the Democrats are secretly gleeful that Mike Huckabee is rising in the polls of likely Republican primary voters. The allegation is that the Dems are confident that Huckabee has a “glass jaw” and will be an “easy kill” in the general election. You’ll probably also remember that the neocons who are so worried by Huckabee’s principled positions have also been promoting the media conspiracy theory that Gov. Huckabee has been receiving positive press because the media want a Repub who will be easy to beat in the general election. DON’T BELIEVE A WORD OF IT!!
Newsday columnist James Pinkerton has written an excellent piece (click here) about the ascendancy of Gov. Huckabee and how, in light of history, he could well be a very formidable opponent for any of the leading Dems. Here are a couple of salient points made by Pinkerton in his prescient article:
But it’s also possible that the Democrats might have miscalculated the Republican race - certainly plenty of Republicans have done so - and now they are spinning, while reassessing.
It’s happened before. Long ago, I worked in Ronald Reagan’s 1980 presidential campaign. And I well remember Democratic politicos insisting that Reagan was the weakest Republican opponent that Jimmy Carter could face as he sought re-election that year…
So Huckabee is an “easy kill”? Don’t believe it. He has to get nominated first, and that won’t be easy. But if he does, he will be formidable in a general election, just like that other Razorback.
The Heartland wins.
Believe me, the spin doctors on both sides of the political aisle are concerned about Mike Huckabee. Those of us who have been onboard with the Huckabee campaign for a while have seen the similarities between Gov. Huckabee and Ronald Reagan. If the Dems think that Huckabee would be an easy target in the general election they have miscalculated in a way similar to their great miscalculation of 1980.
BTW, Michelle Malkin gets it wrong again (click here). Also, the ever ebullient pro-Romney Hugh Hewitt puts wooden spoon to metal pot and clanks the tune of neocons everywhere with yet another anti-Huckabee hit piece (click here).
Filed under: Politics, conservative, huckabee, republican, romney | Tagged: blog*, election, huckabee, iowa, mccain, new hampshire, news, newsday, pinkerton, Politics, poll, president*, primary, rasmussen, republican, romney, video
Tossing around the neocon label to discredit Huckabee critics is an ineffective tactic.
Huckabee may be comparable to Reagan on some level of charisma, but he otherwise falls short on media savvy.
But the biggest difference between them is that Reagan was able to unite fiscal cons, social cons, and foreign policy hawks into a winning coalition. Huckabee has the social cons but has scary economic populist tendencies and an apparent lack of seriousness about foreign affairs that distress me.
I’m a born-again Christian, faithful Baptist, longtime Republican, with a strong conservative philosophy and free-market leanings. I have not endorsed or thrown my lot in with any candidate in this race, but if I were to vote today it would be for Fred Thompson. I would also choose Romney over Huckabee.
Ben:
Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Let me clarify that I don’t use the neocon label in a pejorative sense but rather in its actual sense; that is to say: ne·o·con·ser·va·tism also ne·o-con·ser·va·tism (nē’ō-kən-sûr’və-tĭz’əm) Pronunciation Key
n. An intellectual and political movement in favor of political, economic, and social conservatism that arose in opposition to the perceived liberalism of the 1960s. Source: American Heritage Dictionary Fourth Edition.
I use this term to distinguish between those holding to classical conservative (or, further back, classical liberalism) as well as those whose political views are guided by an evangelical understanding of the Scriptures applied to modern life. Any knowledgeable observer can see that there have been longstanding tensions between social conservatives who are evangelical Christians and those of the neocon movement who de-emphasize social and moral concerns and emphasize their own brand of economic theory.
I am sympathetic to your support of Fred Thompson and I even have some affinity for Mitt Romney. However, I am standing with Gov. Huckabee because his record, in toto, represents the best of conservative, evangelical Christian political involvement.
God bless!
What has happened to make you support a candidate who is lax on the war on terror, illegal immigration and high taxes?
Jean Kephart
Layton, Utah
Jean:
In what way is Gov. Huckabee lax on the war on terror?
His illegal immigration plan has won him the endorsement of Jim Gilchrist, founder of the Minuteman Project. Read through the plan and you will find that Gov. Huckabee has a workable and principled position on this issue.
As far as Gov. Huckabee being for high taxes, I think his support of the FairTax plan speaks for itself. Anyone who is supportive of replacing the broken and onerous income tax system with a more equitable tax plan deserves special attention. Gov. Huckabee’s support of the FairTax flies in the face of those who claim he is a “tax and spend-er.”