May 16, 2008

A Look at the Huckahate

Posted by Adam Graham in : Presidential Race 2008

There are quite a few reactions to a potential Huckabee Vice-Presidential nomination. U.S. News and World Report received generally positive responses despite a general negativity on the blogosphere.

John Hawkins thinks Huckabee would be better served by burnishing his Conservative credentials rather than being the Veep choice, but he then makes this extraordinary statement:

Sure, Huck is strong with social conservatives, but as a general rule, the same conservatives who don’t like McCain, don’t like Huck either. So anything McCain gained with social conservatives would probably be lost with conservatives in general by adding Huck to the ticket.

I think Hawkins missed the boat and showed the ultimate danger of blogging. He assumes the prominent of the right blogosphere represents all conservatives. That’s simply not the case. In fact, if he looks at 1996 (when Republicans lost) and 2000 (when Republicans narrowly won.), you’ll find that Christian Conservatives stayed home in numbers and Huckabee would draw these type of votes. As for the people who threaten to stay home, if they’re going to vote for McCain anyway, I say they’re bluffing.

Bill at Free in Idaho is sure that the Amnesty crowd will be pleased with a Huckabee nomination. Not sure why, given that Huckabee signed an Iron Clad No Amnesty pledge with Numbers USA as well as Jeff Sessions’ pledge.

The Club for Growth, which killed Huckabee in South Carolina, writes, “Ugh…It was not just economic conservatives who had problems with Huckabee, but across the board conservatives who thought Huckabee looked more like a social conservative Democrat than anything else.”

Of course, socially conservative Democrats rarely propose abolishing the IRS and according to the National Taxpayer’s Union. Huckabee’s proposed spending was comparable to that of Fred Thompson, a beloved figure in the conservative blogosphere and the funds Huckabee proposed were almost exclusively for border security, restoring the military to Reagan Administration readiness, and insuring our veterans are taken care of, so what seems to be the problem with Huckabee for many people? Namely:

1) One-sided presentations of Huckabee’s state record.

2) The perception that Huckabee is a nanny state liberal, amnesty guy. In fairness, Huckabee’s immigration record was not so hot in Arkansas, but he did hear the voice of voters and come out foursquare against illegal immigration and amnesty during the campaign.

These are things that need to be overcome for any type of future run. (Even though I think Huckabee would do a great job on the ticket in ‘08, I doubt he’ll land there.)

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Comments (9)

9 Comments

Comment by Julie in Boise

I think Mike Huckabee probably disqualified himself for 2008 – and perhaps for future runs – with his joke at the NRA convention today. From CNN:

During a speech before the National Rifle Association convention Friday afternoon in Louisville, Kentucky, former Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee — who has endorsed presumptive GOP nominee John McCain — joked that an unexpected offstage noise was Democrat Barack Obama looking to avoid a gunman.

“That was Barack Obama, he just tripped off a chair, he’s getting ready to speak,” said the former Arkansas governor, to audience laughter. “Somebody aimed a gun at him and he dove for the floor.”

This saddens me, because the Huckster is actually one of my favorite Republicans. Anyone who says we ought to listen to more music and less talk radio is A-OK in my book. But this asort of remark, even as a joke, is unacceptable.
Comment by Adam Graham

Julie, I think it takes a little more than a failed joked to disqualify someone from the Presidency forever. Reagan joked about beginning a bombing of Russia and got re-elected by an overwhelming majority. They’ll probably be an apology and we’ll move on.
Comment by Julie in Boise

Adam, just an addendum to what I wrote earlier. CNN reported that the audience laughed, but a video shows there was little, if any, laughter. So it was indeed a failed joke – and I’l give NRA members more credit than I was prepared to after reading the initial reports.

I’d forgotten about the Reagan joke. That was appalling, yet as you say, it didn’t hurt him. But I think we’re all a little more sensitive these days than we were in the 1980s – which is why Hillary Clinton’s “obliterate Iran” comment was one of the final nails in her chances at the nomination.

By the way, lots of Dem bloggers are calling Huck’s quip a racial slur, but I disagree. My first thought when I heard it was of RFK, not MLK, and that’s why I find it so chilling. Apparently some of the NRA crowd did, too.
Comment by BillH

My only point Adam is that promises made while trying to get a nomination ring rather hollow for me when compared to a record made while previously in office. I don’t think I’m being overly cynical by doubting a politician making “change of character” promises during a campaign run. And it isn’t like we haven’t been led down the path before… “read my lips” comes to mind, as does Governor Ahnold reverting to type. There is a large part of this country, including a large part of the Republican party, who will support and work for amnesty as long as they have power because they believe it is the right way to go. Ask Larry Craig, who despite being a conservative, feels it is his sworn duty to facilitate “affordable labor” for the various ag industries in the state, and sees amnesty as the best and most logical solution. I believe John McCain is in that line, and I think Huckabee is too. So when they tell me they’ve seen the light, I don’t believe them. When they all gather around for the vote next week in the Senate on the amnesty for ag workers bill that Larry has been pushing lately, would anyone care to wager which way John McCain will vote? Or do you think he’ll just skip another embarrassing vote? I know you love the game of politics Adam, and you see it differrently than I do (respect you for that btw), but I’m just a cynical old citizen, and I have to call it the way I see it. Vote that way too. Frightening, isn’t it

The Reagan joke was hilarious. The Huck/Obama joke was pretty lame.
Comment by Adam Graham

First of all, I respect your blog and your opinion. Hopefully, by 2012, our opinions will be closer together. Though I have a preferred direction.

I don’t think McCain has changed on McAmnesty. He’s said as much in recent days. He was careful in the campaign not to say amnesty pledges. He also hasn’t convinced any border security folks that he’s serious.

Huckabee got Jim Gilchrist and Duncan Hunter, men I trust greatly on this border issues to support his effort. That sold me. I think he genuinely listens to folks and made an Iron Clad committment.
Comment by BillH

If it’s of any interest Adam, I used to be a LOT more cunical than I am now We’ll see what happens.
Comment by BillH

cynical (I used to type better too)
Comment by Tom von Alten

The headline teased me over here, wondering whether some expression of “hate” was prompted by the bad joke at the NRA. But no sign of that, just “general negativity” at worst.

I’m generally skeptical of accusations of hate, because it seems to be a convenient projection to discredit someone with whom you disagree. (As in “why do Democrats hate this country?” sort of thing.)

I’m not following Huckabee on the lecture circuit, because I don’t think he was, or is, a credible candidate for Executive office. But I have no reason whatsoever to “hate” him; he’s entertaining in a strange sort of way. He may even have some political ideas I could agree with, I just can’t recall hearing any.
Comment by Adam Graham

I think such hate doesn’t ruminate with liberals towards Huckabee, but rather from quite a few people on the right.