An OLD (1/9/2008), but GOOD op-ed in The American Spectator

Another Perspective
Standing Athwart
Huckabee, Yelling Stop
By George Neumayr
Published 1/9/2008 12:08:03 AM

Against an immutable standard of conservatism, Mike Huckabee is hardly impeccable. I find some of what he says silly and unpersuasive (for example, his support for Global Warming theory). But the explosion of snide remarks directed at him from many in the conservative movement strikes me as churlish and baldly hypocritical. How is it that the bar of conservative entry for a presidential nominee lowers for the Romneys and McCains, then rises for the Huckabees?

Okay, he is a heterodox Republican on some issues. So what? Who isn't amongst the leading contenders in this primary race? A few years back I recall these anti-Huckabee purists lecturing California conservatives on the need to support Arnold Schwarzenegger over Tom McClintock. Now that McCain has won in New Hampshire, we will soon see this very flexible definition of GOP conservatism resurface and be told that electability trumps all.

Much of the contempt for Huckabee is confusing, alternating between descriptions of him as a socialist pansy and social reactionary. Which is it? Is he too liberal for the GOP or too conservative?

I suspect that the essential problem for some in the conservative movement (as it was for establishment conservatives pitted against Pat Buchanan in his race with Bob Dole in 1996) isn't that Huckabee takes this or that heterodox position on issues of economics/trade/foreign policy; it is that he's a transparent Christian conservative. That they just can't abide, even as some of these pundits tell conservatives to ignore religion with respect to Mormonism.

Romney attended Planned Parenthood events, used to support state financing of abortion and elements of the homosexual agenda; McCain has derided in the past the Religious Right and taken any number of fashionable liberal stances. But all of this can be quickly excused. Woe to the Christian Republican, however, who talks about the culture war, or -- brace yourself -- rejects Darwinism.

Whatever one thinks of that highly technical debate, that the Wall Street Journal and GOP consultants like Mike Murphy set up adherence to Darwinism as a litmus test for an "acceptable" Republican nominee exposes the degree to which political correctness has crept into the conservative movement. I don't blame rank-and-file conservatives for increasingly ignoring the snobbish sniffings of the George Wills.

Who cares what they think? How conservative are they? What new liberal social innovation won't they soft-pedal? A "conservatism" that involves a lot of pretentious throat-clearing and maybe the recitation of a classical tag or two before coming to some PC conclusion (that feminism is a net-gain for society, that Darwin had it right, that gay civil unions aren't such a big deal, take your pick) isn't worth much.

Run for the hills, Huckabee talked about Christ during Christmas! Well, good for him. One of the reasons for our flailing in the global war against the jihadists is that we have become de-Christianized cowards. Does America need not one but two wholly secularized parties?


HUCKABEE IS A Christian socialist, some say. Really? If he is a Christian socialist, he is surely the first one to call for the abolition of the Internal Revenue Service. Again, it is not at all clear why rank-and-file conservatives are supposed to nod vigorously whenever a McCain or Romney supporter calls Huckabee an "economic liberal." At least he talks about eliminating income taxes and capital gains taxes. Do they?

Romney's support for semi-socialized health care in Massachusetts (which is almost indistinguishable from Obama's scheme for the entire nation) is scarier to me than anything Huckabee uncorked in Arkansas. And then there is John McCain's opposition to Bush's tax cuts. Does that make him an unacceptable economic liberal?

But Huckabee doesn't talk about Wall Street enough, some warn. Good; Wall Street already sups at the government trough. If he cuts off corporate welfare, I would be happy. It is about time somebody talks about getting the ravenous, regulatory Leviathan state off the backs of small businessmen, gun owners, and homeschooling families, rather than waste time on Wall Street talking to fat cats who vote for the Dems anyways.

But won't Huckabee shatter the conservative coalition? That would be a little more persuasive if those saying this hadn't shattered it themselves. The relative success of Ron Paul and Huckabee is not a cause of the coalition's collapse but a reflection of it. An excessively Wilsonian foreign policy has divided defense conservatives; years of big spending has divided economic conservatives; and a tepid, stalling social conservatism has alienated moral ones.

Perhaps Huckabee can't rebuild this coalition. But he isn't likely to weaken it any more than have his critics, and he may even bring some long-disenchanted middle Americans into it.


George Neumayr is editor of Catholic World Report and press critic for California Political Review.

Oklahoma: Going for Huckabee!

The Oklahoma State Republican Party took a straw poll at their annual Bedlam Bash. The results?

Mike Huckabee 26.1
Mitt Romney 23.2
Fred Thompson 20.3
Rudy Guiliani 13.0
John McCain 7.3

There were 69 total votes; Romney had people organized there. This marks the 1st time anyone other than Fred Thompson has won a straw poll in Oklahoma since early this spring.

I'm sensing a shift of Oklahoma's support from Thompson to Huckabee. No matter where I am, or who I'm talking to, Mike Huckabee keeps popping up! People here are getting impressed, and comfortable with Mike Huckabee; he'll win Oklahoma, hands-down.

Huckabee blasts by Thompson in NH

Rasmussen Reports
Survey of 733 Likely GOP Voters
October 23, 2007

New Hampshire GOP Primary
Mitt Romney	28%
Rudy Giuliani	19%
John McCain	16%
Mike Huckabee	10%
Fred Thompson	6%
Tom Tancredo Duncan Hunter Ron Paul Undecided	3% 2% 2% 14%

Fred Thompson drops to 6%, while Mike Huckabee leapfrogs to 10%!

The Nation's Article on Huckabee

Here's an article I found on the Web today. (Emphasis mine)

The Nation - Hunting for Votes
Matthew Blake

At Friday's National Rifle Association "Celebration of American Values" convention in Washington, while former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani was being tepidly received, it was former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, a back-of-the-pack GOP presiential wannabe, who stole the show. And this raised a question: is it at all possible that Huckabee's appeal to the party's base can make him a viable candidate?

Unlike Giuliani, Mitt Romney, John McCain or even supposed conservative darling Fred Thompson, Huckabee had no flaws or inconvenient positions to defend before the powerful gun lobby. He delivered a funny, relaxed speech that was more like a commencement address than a pandering lecture on gun rights. He won over the crowd with down-home anecdotes about entering antelope hunting contests and shooting ducks in the Ozarks.

Huckabee, a former minister, spoke of taking his son hunting to "teach him the rules about conservation and the rules of the world." And he opened fire on the latest NRA bogeyman: a U.N. law putting restrictions on gun ownership. "We should never ever think we should be under obligation to follow laws other than our own," Huckabee said to thunderous applause.

Huckabee is certainly facing an uphill battle for the nomination. He is currently polling fifth and remains unmentioned in stories about the Republican presidential race. And he will have a hard time trumping Thompson in the folksy category. Thompson also received a warm welcome from the crowd, and referring to his wife Jeri, Thompson told the NRAers, "I think she would be a much better first lady than Bill Clinton." The audience ate it up.

Thompson does face the ire of conservative groups for supporting the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform, which the NRA despises--and obviously McCain faces the same problem. Huckabee, meanwhile, has nowhere to go but up among voters celebrating NRA values.

Thompson won't debate Huckabee

Thompson Campaign Says No to Huckabee Debate Challenge

September 11, 2007

The Brody File has been told by Fred Thompson's campaign that he will NOT debate Mike Huckabee one on one. Huckabee had issued the debate challenge last week. Here's what Thompson's Communication Director Todd Harris just told me:

“We have the greatest respect for Gov. Huckabee and respect his desire to elevate the discourse in this campaign. But there are nine people running for the GOP nomination and an arbitrary pairing of just two of them does a disservice to the voters. We will push hard for Lincoln-Douglas style debates once we get into the General Election, when there are only two candidates running.”

To be fair to Thompson, when he said ON The Tonight Show that he backed Newt Gingrich’s debate plan, that plan was for the General Election, not the primaries. You can read about the Gingrich plan here.

You can read more about Mike Huckabee’s challenge to Thompson here.

I will say to Huckabee’s credit he is the only candidate so far that has officially endorsed Gingrich’s debate plan, though Thompson sounds like he’s ok with it too.

Everybody talks about how Thompson will be a thorn in the side of Romney. It looks to me like Huckabee will be a thorn in the side of Thompson. All of them want to be the social conservative guy.

http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/229168.aspx

Co-sign Mike Huckabee's letter to Fred Thompson

If you haven't already done this, please co-sign Gov. Huckabee's letter to Fred Thompson. So far, over 1900 people have signed this; make sure you are one of them!

Huckabee to debate Thompson one-on-one?

Read this letter from Mike Huckabee to Fred Thompson.

September 7, 2007

The Honorable Fred Thompson
1130 Eighth Avenue South
Nashville, TN 37203

Dear Senator Thompson, Welcome to the 2008 Presidential race. I look forward to seeing you on the trail in the upcoming days, weeks, and months ahead.

I share your view of the debates and agree that Newt's "Nine Nineties in Nine" concept is a far better way to make sure America's next President has the character and capacity to lead our nation forward, and that's why I have already signed that pledge. I agree that what is needed is a real discussion by the candidates about their vision for the future of our country.

The debates so far have not offered an in-depth discussion on critical issues such as health care, education, energy independence, in addition to terrorism and national security.

I am aware of your comments on Fox News that you would like to participate in a series of Lincoln Douglas-styled debates. I would like to officially accept your offer and look forward to working with your staff to schedule this. I would suggest we start this series in New Hampshire.

At the end of these debates, the American people will know each candidate far greater and would be able to choose which candidate possesses the depth of knowledge on the issues and has the character and capacity to lead or great nation. More importantly, the American people would be able to rely on a true conversation on the issues, instead of just 30-second ads and soundbites to decide which candidate has the right vision for America's future.

Senator, let's lead by example and get the ball rolling. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this idea and debating you in front of the American people.

Sincerely,

Mike Huckabee Former Governor of Arkansas (1996-2007)

Texas Poll has Huckabee at 13%

This IVR Poll has Huckabee at 13% in Texas; a great improvement over the last Texas poll.

Fred Thompson 25%
Rudy Giuliani 21%
Mitt Romney 15%
Mike Huckabee 13%
John McCain 8%
Ron Paul 5%
Unsure 5%
Other 8%

http://www.usaelectionpolls.com/2008/articles/fred-thompson-leads-texas-poll.html

Fred "The Wimp" Thompson?

Huckabee Hound has a great post about Fred Thompson's decision to jump into the race after the New Hampshire debate.

Fred Thompson is a Chicken!

I respect Fred Thompson as a Republican and a conservative. However, I cannot respect his decision to officially declare his candidacy one day after the New Hamphire Republican Debate to be televised on the Fox News channel September 5th. The reason Thompson chose Sept. 6th to declare his campaign is so that he wouldn't have to participate in the debate with all the other candidates. That is cowardly, there's no other way to put it.

Read the rest of this article HERE.

I really am disappointed in Fred Thompson. I expected more out of him. And snubbing New Hampshire like this will backfire on him.

Fred clearly doesn't have the guts to enter into the debate with Mike Huckabee. Think about it; who poses the greatest threat to Fred? Who's poll numbers leap right after the debates? Who has recently passed Fred in Iowa and New Hampshire polls? Mike Huckabee. So, by entering the Presidential race the day after the NH debate, and stealing the limelight, Fred Thompson thinks he can move the momentum away from his biggest opponent. And Fred's poll number will go up for a while. After all, people have been waiting forever for him to jump in. But after a few weeks, people will begin to see Fred Thompson for who he really is: a coward.

McLaughlin & Associates Iowa Poll

McLaughlin & Associates conducted a survey of 500 likely Republican caucus voters in Iowa on August 20th and 21st, 2007. The poll has an accuracy of +/- 4.5%.

Mitt Romney 35
Rudy Giuliani 12
Fred Thompson 11
Mike Huckabee 11
Tom Tancredo 9
John McCain 7
Sam Brownback 2
Ron Paul 1
Duncan Hunter 1
Firm Undecided 10

http://www.one.org/polls/documents/ia/august/iowa_memo_0830.pdf

This poll was taken more than a week before the ARG poll.

Huckabee's Surging Poll Numbers

Hot off the press! Mike Huckabee has literally surged past Fred Thompson and John McCain!

American Research Group Iowa Caucus Poll, conducted August 26-29, 2007

Mitt Romney 26% (21% last month)
Rudy Giuliani 17% (22% last month)
Mike Huckabee 17% (1% last month)
Fred Thompson 13% (13% last month)
Newt Gingrich 7% (4% last month)
John McCain 4% (17% last month)
Duncan Hunter 1% (2% last month)
Ron Paul 1% (1% last month)

American Research Group New Hampshire Primary Poll, conducted August 26-29, 2007

Mitt Romney 27% (26% last month)
Rudy Giuliani 23% (27% last month)
John McCain 12% (10% last month)
Mike Huckabee 9% (1% last month)
Fred Thompson 8% (13% last month)
Newt Gingrich 4% (6% last month)
Ron Paul 3% (1% last month)

Republicans Only:
Rudy Giuliani 26%
Mitt Romney 24%
Mike Huckabee 12%
John McCain 10%
Fred Thompson 7%
Newt Gingrich 5%
Ron Paul 2%

American Research Group South Carolina Poll, conducted August 26-29, 2007

Rudy Giuliani 26% (28% last month)
Fred Thompson 21% (27% last month)
John McCain 12% (10% last month)
Mike Huckabee 9% (3% last month)
Mitt Romney 9% (7% last month)
Newt Gingrich 6% (7% last month)
Sam Brownback 2% (0% last month)
Ron Paul 2% (3% last month)
Tom Tancredo 1% (1% last month)

The candidates that dropped are italicized, with major drops of 5% or more underlined as well.

Thanks to race42008.com for this breaking story!

Mike Huckabee Second in OKGOP poll

This from the OKGOP party's weekly e-mail.

Huckabee Makes Move in Latest OKGOP Poll

With 410 Republican votes cast, Fred Thompson was once again Oklahoma's top choice in our State Party online poll, but the margin has shrunk.

Thompson went from 46% to 38%. Rudy Giuliani, who received 16% in our first poll in April, came in third with 14%. The candidate who made the biggest jump was Mike Huckabee of Arkansas. Huckabee was under 7% in our first poll, but came in with 18% in our latest poll. Huckabee also made some noise in Iowa recently, coming in second behind Mitt Romney. Romney rounded out the top four in our poll with 13%. All other candidates in our poll received under 4%.