Of all the candidates running for President in 2012, the biggest wild card might be Haley Barbour.
Haley is interesting in the sense that on one level he may actually be seen as an outsider. After all, he has never been a United States senator.
Yet this description is impossible since he is the ultimate Washington insider. He ran the Republican National Committee and the Republican Governors Association.
So while he was not directly responsible in any way for those who have hurt our country domestically and from a foreign policy standpoint, he most certainly will be tied to Washington nonetheless. His ability to create distance will make for a fantastic dynamic.
Of all of the “all but declared” candidates, Haley Barbour is the one I like the most. This is why I have all but endorsed him (waiting on Rudy Giuliani to decide).
Haley Barbour has one very big positive that cannot be overstated. He is by far the best money raiser in the Republican Party. There is no close second.
Barack Obama will have one billion dollars at his disposal. Unless somebody feels comfortable engaging in a financial arms race with him, they will have no choice. Barbour is a born glad-hander.
Beyond his ability to raise money is the fact that he is qualified for the job. He has executive experience as Governor of Mississippi. He was phenomenal in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina belted his state. While Kathleen Blanco was busy crying her eyes out saying how overwhelmed she was in Louisiana, Barbour simply turned into the Giuliani of Mississippi. He rolled up his sleeves, gave everybody their marching orders, and got the job done. Comparing Mississippi with Louisiana is proof that one should never send a liberal to do an adult’s job.
Yet as important as raising money and governing are, one cannot be an island unto oneself. Jack Kemp used to say that “a rising tide lifts all boats.” Haley has rescued the GOP more than once and taken everybody higher with him.
In 1994, many Republicans were willing to accept their status as a permanent minority in the house. Three men made sure that the 40 year reign of Democrats in the house would come crashing down. Those three men were Rush Limbaugh, fellow 2012 presidential candidate Newt Gingrich, and Haley Barbour.
Limbaugh did spread the media message, but he did not create the message. He brilliantly spread conservatism and used his program to lacerate President Clinton and the Democrats in congress every day.
Yet Gingrich and Barbour understood that being anti-Clinton was not enough. The GOP had to come up with a positive agenda. Gingrich gets the bulk of the credit because he created the Contract With America. He was clearly the policy wonk and the strategist.
Yet while it might be unfair to say that Gingrich’s role was overstated, Barbour’s role was definitely understated.
Gingrich had great ideas, but he was not the salesperson. Barbour is a salesman to the core.
Barbour provided the money and the bourbon. The bourbon was used at an all night drinking session with Gingrich, which resulted in over one hundred races being funded that were previously thought to be out of reach.
Barbour understands recruitment of candidates better than anybody. He has always been about inclusiveness. While he is ardently pro-life, he will absolutely support pro-choice candidates in districts where that is the only option for winning.
Barbour is a winner. He is conservative, but he is not interested in ideological purity. He wants conservatives to build a winning governing majority. He is constantly preaching tolerance. He frequently cites former New York Senator Al D’Amato in 1992 winning 40% of the Jewish vote against a Jewish liberal in a race D’Amato won 51-49 overall as the perfect example of a conservative victory in a tough district. The Italian D’Amato stuck to his conservative beliefs without scaring off or demonizing the moderates needed to build a razor thin coalition in an area not friendly to the GOP.
Haley Barbour has spent his entire career recruiting and fielding top talent. Now he is that top talent, and has the leadership and management style necessary to be effective.
The major criticism of Barbour is that he is “too Southern.” With his thick drawl, he is seen as a “Bubba.” This was not an issue for Bill Clinton, but Clinton was a Democrat. This gave him cover on civil rights, while any white conservative Southerner is automatically seen as a racist. George W. Bush overcame this, but he was “Southern lite.” Haley Barbour is Deep Southern.
Barbour does wax nostalgic about his childhood in Mississippi, and many other people including blacks have memories that are far less pleasant. Yet Barbour has every right to claim his own childhood was happy. Pretending he suffered or was exposed to the awful aspects of segregation would be phony if he did not. Saying he could relate would be insincere if that was not his experience.
Barbour is as inclusive as it gets. His frequent appearances before the Republican Jewish Coalition have resulted in warm ties. It is not just that Barbour supports Israel. He supports tough stands on taxes and terrorists, which is why the Republican Jewish Coalition identifies with him.
Many candidates are running for President in 2012. Only one of them currently leaning very far in favor of running has the right combination of likability, successful leadership, big tent preaching, and financial acumen to be the candidate Republicans should gravitate toward.
Haley Barbour has spent his political career backing winners. It is time for those people across the country to return the loyalty and seriously consider backing him.
eric
Your take on the ’94 election is absolutely correct in every sense.
But when it comes to how people view Barbour, I’m afraid it’s more Boss Hogg than Bubba. And it’s not all that far off the mark. His lobbying activities and conflicts of interest along with his Dixiecrat-like disposition, are going to seriously turn off Republicans in the Northeast and West Coast.
He could win the nomination, but I don’t think he would win the election.
JMJ