Wake me when the top tier candidates make it official.
In the last few days, Newt Gingrich, Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul all made announcements regarding whether to run for President. All of the announcements were expected. Gingrich is in. Paul will never go away, so he is in. Huckabee is out.
Gingrich did his announcement quietly using the new social media. He then delivered a brilliant keynote speech at the Georgia GOP Convention. Whatever one thinks of Mr. Gingrich, his intellect and seriousness have never been questioned.
As for Huckleberry Hound and Rupaul, if a presidential candidate falls in the forest and nobody is around to hear it, does it make a sound?
Enough with both of these guys already.
I will not spend any more time on Ron Paul. If he ever wins a single primary, I will eat my previous words. Until then he is a gadfly with supporters who comprise a passionate, obnoxiously vocal minority.
The Huckabee announcement was more bothersome on so many levels.
Mr. Huckabee is likable. He is also totally unelectable, and the media never dared utter those words.
Mr. Huckabee did his best Lebron James impression by letting his ego get the better of him. His narcissistic non-announcement was ridiculous.
He kept citing “polls” showing him at or near the top of the field.
He has national recognition, but national polls mean nothing. National polls all elected Joe Lieberman, Hillary Clinton, and Rudy Giuliani. State polls would not have elected Mr. Huckabee.
Governor Huckabee is perfectly qualified to be King of Iowa, which holds a caucus that picked George HW Bush over Ronald Reagan in 1980, Pat Robertson and Bob Dole over George HW Bush in 1988, and Mike Huckabee over everybody else in 2008. The only metric less of an accurate presidential determinant than the Iowa Caucus is the Iowa straw poll. They don’t matter.
Mr. Huckabee is not to blame for the fact that the media fawns all over him. He is one of those Republicans who gets along very well with Democrats. Then when the Republican actually has a chance at winning, the media savages that same Republican. John McCain bashed George W. Bush and praised Russ Feingold. Mike Huckabee sits down with Michele Obama for softball interviews.
There is nothing wrong with Mr. Huckabee doing what he does. What is wrong is the media then using it to make him out to be one of those “good Republicans” as opposed to all the mean, nasty, evil Republicans who are being attacked for existing and breathing air.
Mr. Huckabee proudly spoke about how he had expanded beyond his socially conservative base. There is no evidence of this. The Wall Street Journal editorial pages would have plenty to say about Mr. Huckabee, and it would not be complimentary.
The media announced that Mr. Huckabee “came in second” in 2008. This technically true, but very misleading. He came in second by attrition only because candidates well higher up in the rankings than him dropped out.
The honorable thing to do when the cause is hopeless is to drop out and fall in line behind the winner. Mitt Romney came in second. Fred Thompson dropped out after South Carolina but still had more support than Huckabee. Rudy Giuliani dropped out after Florida but was ahead of Huckabee. So while Huckabee was the next to last man standing, that is not the same as having the second most support. Huckabee’s 2008 campaign was similar to Pat Buchanan in 1996 in New Hampshire.
Like Ron Paul, Mike Huckabee had a small but passionate fan base, and Mr. Huckabee converted that into a financial empire (To be fair, unlike Dr. Paul, Governor Huckabee and his supporters are quite normal). For Dr. Paul to maintain his following, he has to run. Governor Huckabee’s base is more religious than political. His hybrid show on Fox News is a mixture of televangelism and politics.
Speaking of Fox News, Dick Morris is constantly on tv praising Huckabee. He even claimed that Huckabee was the “only candidate” who could have defeated Barack Obama. Leaving aside that Rudy Giuliani could have (John McCain was winning until Leham Brothers burned), Mr. Morris was a paid consultant. Mr. Huckabee was his client. This is a raging conflict of interest that should be disclosed more often on Fox News.
Mr. Huckabee currently had Ed Rollins as his adviser. Other Republicans would gleefully point out that the main advisers to Huckabee are people who would bolt the GOP in a heartbeat to work for Bill Clinton and Ross Perot respectively. The “birds of a feather” argument would be a fair one. People are judged by the company they keep
Also, Governor Huckabee is building a two million dollar house in Florida. He can earn millions while at Fox News or he can give it all up to go broke running for President. Every candidate except the winner ends up owing money unless they are already wealthy. Mr. Huckabee will not be unless he opts out.
Another myth being propagated is that Governor Huckabee declining to run makes the race “wide open.”
This is nonsense. The media desperately wants a competitive race because boredom does not sell advertising dollars. Well the Republican Party is boring. We always nominate the person who is next in line. So unless the hierarchy is broken, Mitt Romney is the nominee.
Yet for argument’s sake, let’s keep the myth alive that the race is fluid and that the other candidates are not wasting their time. The idea that Mike Huckabee leaving changes the race in any way implies that he has an impact on the race. The big winner with his exit is Senator Rick Santorum. Yet to imply that Governor Huckabee would have stood a chance if Sarah Palin entered the race is crazy. Her supporters are far more committed than his. Palin supporters run wide and deep. Michele Bachmann would have also been a threat.
Huckabee would not have had the social conservative voting bloc locked up. With that splintered as it was in 2008, he would have been hammered by the fiscal conservatives again. Many Republicans are more focused on cutting spending and taxes while killing terrorists.
This gets back to the media, with their absolute hostility toward social conservatives. Governor Huckabee had every right to complain during the 2008 debates when he was forced to answer questions about evolution and creationism that were only asked of him. All the interviews in the world with Michele Obama would not change the fact that the media is desperate to lift Huckabee up so they can rip him to shreds in the general election. He would lose 49 states and barely survive Arkansas.
With the left ripping him for social conservatism and the right ripping him for tax liberalism, the comedians would take cheap shots about his weight. After all, how can he be disciplined enough to run a nation if he cannot control his waistline? David Letterman was dusting off all the old jokes about fat Arkansas presidents. This is cruel, but life is cruel.
So his refusing to run was never a story. It was a foregone conclusion. Huckabee may have smiled for the cameras during his announcement, but he was lashing out. He lashed out at those who said he could not win or expand his base. He lashed out at those who dared suggest that they knew what he would do before he knew.
The problem with critics is that every once in awhile…they are right.
Mike Huckabee is a good man. He was also one who managed to convince people that he had a larger following than he really did. This makes him a good salesman, but smoke and mirrors are just that.
Ron Paul could learn a lot from him. Dr. Paul is getting ripped by conservatives for his leftist foreign policy and social views and leftists will not allow for his steep conservative budget cuts. He is in the reverse vise that is piercing Huckabee. At least Huckabee does not have Earthlings criticizing him for being martian like they do with Dr. Paul.
The bottom line is only three announcements in the 2012 GOP Primary would be worthy of serious news coverage.
The first would be Sarah Palin deciding to run, because everybody is expecting her to sit this one out. The media oxygen would be sucked away from everybody else for a period of time.
An even bigger shock would be Mitt Romney not running, since he has been running nonstop since the last race ended. Any decision on his part not to run would set off a media frenzy that would lead to wild speculation. In this case again that speculation would be well warranted. Favorites do not drop out unless there is a very dark negative behind the bright picture and multi-million dollar smile.
Donald Trump running would be a shocker since the entire world is expecting his current behavior to be a brilliant marketing stunt by a brilliant marketer. Trump would be giving up power to kiss up to the powerless and go from giving orders to taking them.
Until then, three other announcements were exactly what was expected. That is not news.
Mr. Gingrich gets better treatment because he has stature due to his years of success in the GOP at various levels. The guy has won before on a large level.
For Dr. Paul and Mr. Huckabee, they fell in the forest on opposite sides of the decision fence. Neither announcement should have caused even a ripple, much less made a sound.
eric
“There is nothing wrong with Mr. Huckabee doing what he does. What is wrong is the media then using it to make him out to be one of those “good Republicans” as opposed to all the mean, nasty, evil Republicans who are being attacked for existing and breathing air.”
I love the way conservatives always say liberals simply hate them for existing. Not ony is it obviously wrong (and kind of adolescent), but it shows how little conseratives understand liberals – or political reality.
Gingrich can’t win. His negatives are too high. He’s making a mistake running – unless, of course, he’s running for veep or a cabinet spot, or, God forbid, the SCUTUS!
Haley realized he can’t win, and that’s wwhy he dropped out. It had nothing to do with the reasons he publically gave.
Huckabee might have preemptively dropped out because of the same reasons Haley claimed. Ironic.
Trump is a joke.
Palin is a joke.
Paul is clinically insane.
Romney is the frontrunner – for the GOP to actually win the WHite House – yet ironically again, his own party could easily turn their backs on him. He gets hit from the economic right of his healthcare reform (part of that is how it makes GOP leadership look bad for supproting him when he passed it). And he gets hit on the religious right for his LDS beliefs.
You guys simply don’t have anyone yet.
JMJ
JMJ, I agree, the Republicans have no one. I don’t think the Repubs will find anyone mainly because there ain’t none. Every so-called contender sounds like a cheerleader. Gov. Mike said that all indicators said go, but his heart said no. That is the problem, no heart. Citizens are tired of politicians in general and particularly tired of politicians who say one thing and do another. Yes, I know that politicians have been two faced for generations, but now some voters are paying attention and the old games won’t work. The only hope that conservatives have is believe it or not Hillary. I have said many times that I believe Hillary is one of the most dangerous people on the planet. But today she must take a back seat to Obama. Obama is owned and operated, Hillary is actually a smart person. I don’t think she wants to destroy America she’s just in love with power. We’ll see.
We read that Obama’s foreign policies are supported by the majority of Americans.
Leave it to Obama and people like David Axelrod, to pull the wool over
our eyes.
I favored Giuliani 3 years ago..then switched to McCain/Palin after
he withdrew.
i still believe he would make a good President better than most
of the other contenders, both Republican and Democrat.
He got an almost bankrupt NYC into shape, while reducing its
crime significantly. My liberal relatives hated him for his law
and order posture..and his conservative thinking.
At one time, folks, it was impossible to ride the subways and buses
in NYCity..and walking in many neighborhoods, well, simialr t
to Baghad and now Syrian cities.
People jsut cannot grasp how liberals are destroying this country,
in every aspect. They are wired to vote Democratic.
They think the “rich and well-heeled” should pay all the taxes
(in fact this is the case in our country).
In California, a few tens of thosuands of families pay 94% of the
income tax. In the US, 20% of the taxpayers pay most of the federal
income taxes. The working families and individuals also get
tax credits, which basically add to their income.
And then we have Obama.
What can I say about this guy?
He makes a speech about the M.E. which is longi in words
and short in substance.
Okay, he favors the protest movements in Egypt and Tunisia..
and askance at Syira killing its own people.
Yet Egypt was a moderate Arab country…its problem too many
births for its structure. Syria has been a dictatorshp for decades
and caused ALL the wars with Israel, beginning in 1948. It captured
Jews in 73 and emasculated them. It faked the Israeli troop movements
in 67, leading to the war.
It’s leader is a myopic former eye doctor, who cannot see straight.
But he is out to protest his family’s rule, at the expense of his
people.
Yet Obama has done nothing to aid those protestors, whilc
demanding Israel go back to the Holocaust lines cease fire lines
in 67 as if nothing has happened in the interim.
I mean this man just doesnt get it.
Hezbollah has 60,000 and Hamas tens of thosuands aimed at Israel.
They are just waiting for the IDF (army) to go back to the borders..
then, and with hundreds of thousands of Face Book readers,
will launch their final Jihad.
Obama has no influence on any Muslim country. Now we learn he
is giving billons of our hard earned dollars to Egypt and Tunis.
I call it blood money, instead of aiding our poverty ridden cities
and improving our infrastructure with the money.
The Muslim Brotherhood is waiting for the right time to take over in
Egypt, as they have in Lebanon. Then what? They threatend to
end the treaty with Israel..and would move tanks to the Sinai..
all hell will break out folks.
Lets face it, the LA Times and NYTimes is having a good laugh
at the candidates (Republican).
But lets be frank, Obama and his prevarications are a formidable
challange to we conservatives and Republicans.
His answer to our economic deficit is to tax the wealthy.
Okay, I ask, when did the poor create jobs?
The answer to the tax problem is a value added tax..those who
spend more, pay more. Close the tax gab (500b) by hiring more
IRS employees ( permanent or temporary). Hire more justice
Dept attorneys to prosecute fraud.
Regarding health for everyone..I like the voucher system.
Give funding to those who qualify, and let the market determine
who succeeds as providers coupled with efficient and effective
insurance companies.
Folks, most Americans are satisfied with their medical care.
Yet Obama wants to socialize all US as in France or Britain.
We have the best doctors in the world.
Or as one Indian told me years ago, in India,unless you have
money,you dont get heart care….in other words, care is rationed.
We are in 3 wars, yet allow Iran to give us the finger.
Anyone read the headlines lately…dozens killed in Iraq, Afghanistan
and Pakistan, whle their leaders scold us for innocent deaths.
Isnt it time to withdraw..and I mean withdraw Obama?
Isnt it time for Obama to pressure the Palestinians to accept
Israel’s generous terms..and allow for another Muslim state
(Jordan is the real Palestine)