Watch This Space

There’s no telling what happens if Newt Gingrich stumbles down the sawdust trail, yelling “Help me Jesus!”, spilling tears aplenty and confessing wantonly to every overindulgence he’s ever wantoned.
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If he did that, when would he have time to campaign?

Joe, I’d agree on Huckabee’s potential in the primaries. I’d expand the circle larger to lump together both religious and Tea Party groups into a single (if not always cohesive) base …where Palin draws her strength. And she does have her own following that can (and I bet will) disrupt the primaries.
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But if she doesn’t run or quits – and doesn’t go third-party – who can best capture her base? Huckabee can, but so can Perry (Rick, not Katy) if he chooses to run. He can capture the TP heart and soul. Probably not so much in the general election (what’s this secession talk of his?). What are your thoughts about alternates to Huckabee and Palin, Joe?

“The winner of the Jesus primary is likely to…”
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…face the winner of the Pharisee primary. Beelzebub, the #2 seed, will likely overwhelm Pilate in the other quarterfinal. Jesus is the odds-on favorite to win it all.

There would be thunder, lightening, and the earth would open and the end of time would commence. He would blame the Democrats using words from his hate speech list to divert retribution:
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http://www.politicalstrategy.org/archives/000013.php
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Anti-flag, anti-family, anti-child, anti-jobs, betray, coercion, collapse, consequences, corruption, crises, decay, deeper, destroy, destructive, devour, endanger, failure, greed, hypocrisy, ideological, impose, incompetent, insecure, liberal, lie, limit(s), pathetic, permissive attitude, radical, self-serving, sensationalists, shallow, sick, they/them, threaten, traitors, unionized bureaucracy, urgent, waste”
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And the Democrats really, really did cause the death of Susan Smith’s children and the events at Virginia Tech and Arizona.
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http://www.historycommons.org/entity.jsp?entity=susan_v__smith_1

The god squad, even the GOP primary, can’t get you the nomination. That said, Huck has two strikes against him:
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1) He has a Willie Horton problem that his opponents will shamelessly exploit
2) The Grover Norquist/Club for Growth crowd doesn’t trust or like him.
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Can’t see how he overcomes these problems in the GOP primary. I don’t think either would hurt him much in the general and he would draw the god squad to the polls – folks who might otherwise stay home if a guy like Romney is the candidate.
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Speaking of Romney, god squaders alone can’t win you the nomination but they can prevent you from getting it. And Romney’s Mormonism could doom him no matter what the establishment wants. (see, 2008) A guy like Mitch Daniels (or Huntsman) is probably smart enough to wait until 2016. Pawlenty wants this thing so bad and it might be that the GOP establishment lets him get the nomination, knowing full well that he (or any other GOP candidate) is probably going to lose the general. Sacrifice him to the lions/wolves, in a sense. Or maybe they sacrifice Sarah instead so they can finally be rid of her. I don’t think they want to take that risk though – they don’t want her to be seen as the leader of the party and as the GOP presidential candidate, she will be even if she loses.

I thought Huckabee would win in ’08, but I underestimated the Tom Donohue wing of the party’s dislike of him. And they always seem to get their way. I don’t think he has much of a chance.
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I don’t know if there’s much insight to be gained on 2012 speculatin’ at this point, anyway…
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As for Pawlenty, a consensus seems to be emerging that he’s not really ready for prime time, given his nonsensical budget proposals and his eagerness to curry favor with radical right-wing clerics. See, e.g., this article: http://capitalgainsandgames.com/blog/bruce-bartlett/1462/tim-pawlenty-not-ready-prime-time or this one: http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2011/01/pawlentys-ally.html

I’m gonna wait.
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About a year, to be more specific…

Mike Huckabee is able counter any opposition with class, integrity and strength. If he decides to run I think he will win!

When people get into the details of Huckabee’s tax proposals, assuming he hasn’t been told to drop them, he won’t stand a chance.

As for me, I think Mike Huckabee will not only be in the mix but he can and should win the GOP primary and general election. His common sense conservativism differs from many on the right and he will appeal to a large audience. Frankly I think his expereince of being elected time and again in a Democratic state like Arkansas and then working with the Dem majority in governing would proove useful in bringing the country together. Pres. Obama pledged to bring us all together and we know how that has been working out. One problem was that he had no expereince in doing so. Huckabee does. Huckabee 2012!

Time magazine named Governor Mike Huckabee one of the top five governors in the USA a few years back. He was elected with over 40% of the black vote. He has great likability. The latest polls against Perry in Texas show Huckabee with 25% and Perry with single digits. Not able to beat Perry??? Huck’s capable, nice, funny, smart, knowledgeable, successful. Plus he left his state with an $800 plus million surplus. Better than all the rest, I’d say.

hmm I’m going against Mitt and Perry here. And Palin and Ginrich too.
I think Huckabee has the best chance of the whole party.

That is the kind of GOP the GOP needs!
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I’m not a GOP hater, as there are good and bad in every party, but I just had a very tiring go-round with some of the worst Teabagger crackheads here about why the GOP can’t garner the Black vote.
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If correct, your post only reinforces my point:
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I pointed out to them that if the GOP needs to do some things to change their image and peripheral philosophies.
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In doing so, the GOP stands to garner millions of conservative Black American voters without sacrificing conservative principles.
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Their response?
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I got a barrage of insults.
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Huckabee deserves my respect even though I may not agree with everything he believes.

A Democratic state like Arkansas? In what universe is Arkansas a Democratic state any longer.

And for Mike to win a general he is going to have to tone down the social conservative rhetoric. Most of America has moved past it.

Can we start calling him “Huckster” now (and go to the audiotape)? Republicans do seem to love those.

I am with you. I like Mike but I am not convinced that he could win. Lets watch for several months.

Huckabee’s Horton problem will cost him the general.

Does Mr. Huckabee have any foreign policy/national security policies to speak of? Forget credentials. Does he have any policies?

I know those things are pretty faint on the political radar right now, but that could change overnight. His chances would be better if he established himself in this area, and probably sooner than later.

Don’t forget the police shootings in Seattle by another of Huckabuck’s “discovered religion and is now okay” and early-released convicts.

“Does Mr. Huckabee have any foreign policy/national security policies to speak of? Forget credentials. Does he have any policies?”
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At least as much as B.O has, which is, well, none.
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Not to mention the Huck has values and principles.

When Huckabee goes off the party line, you feel like he’s actually thinking. I might disagree with everything he says, but I can respect that and I think voters will respect that. Coupled with his charisma, it makes him the most dangerous Republican in the field in the general

During the 2008 primaries, I checked not just the candidates’ words, but their actual RECORDS. The only candidate whose record earned my respect was Mike Huckabee. During his 10+ years as governor (re-elected twice), Huckabee demonstrated leadership, vision, effective management, and solid conservative principles.
He lowered taxes while increasing efficiency and services. Roads and schools were improved dramatically during his time in office, while the tax burden stayed the same. All this was accomplished in the Democrat jungle of Arkansas. He also polls the highest among independents, which is essential. He is not a “big government” liberal or “weak” on immigration as he is often falsely characterized, but actually quite the opposite.

Huckabee is a gifted communicator who would be envied by even Ronald Reagan himself. In addition, he is a tremendous campaigner and a skilled debater. What’s more, his record backs up his clear pro-life statements. The ideal leader is someone whose life and character motivate people to follow. The best kind of leadership derives its authority first from the force of the right example, not merely from prestige, personality, or position. By contrast, much of today’s “leadership” is nothing but manipulation of people by threats and rewards. Real leadership is not about style, but character.

Unless we want another four years of Obama, “conservatives” need to look at the facts, rather than the bilge spewed by the Rush-Coulter-Malkin crowd. Although he is ignored by many in the media unless it is to trash, distort, or twist his record – Governor Huckabee is the “once in a lifetime” type of conservative with the experience to lead our nation in a more hopeful direction. I’m proud to support this true conservative leader.

Strike 3… he’s probably the only Republican with a actual (and debate worthy) tax policy… He’s out.

I’ve wavered on how much credit to give to Huck, due to his absolutism on religion (I’m a strong supporter of the separation of Church and State) and his unsavory delve into the realm of xenophobia for political gain (Willie Horton).
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Apparently, he’s made some repairative moves in regards to the latter, so that’s to his credit.
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All in all, my mind is open and your commentary is worthy of respect.

I have a question. The Tea Party wants us to go by the Constitution. Right? Mike Huckabee thinks the Constitution should be changed to more closely follow the teachings of the Bible. Shouldn’t the Tea Party be totally against Huckabee then? Or is the Tea Party really just evangelicals that like to wear funny clothes?

You know, I get tired of seeing the “Willie Horton” canard Huckabee opponents like to trot out.

A governor who is at heart a political opportunist would likely have a firm policy against even considering appeals for clemency. If Huckabee had denied the appeal the spinspouters would be crying out that he was a heartless racist who refused to recommend justice for an African American who at 17 had been sentenced to more than 100 years for nonviolent crimes. Hasn’t the nonsense going on in the media assigning blame everywhere but where it belongs–to the deranged shooter and those around him who might have stopped him–reached the level of absurdity even the most fanatic politicizer can recognize???

I also get tired of the name calling–it’s crass no matter whose name is being ridiculed. A man who served a successful 10 years as governor deserves to be referred to as “Governor Huckabee” just as a man who has been elected president deserves to be called “President Obama.”

Having gotten that off my chest, Huckabee looks to me like our best candidate for 2012. I hope he runs. If he does, I think he can win. And I think his administration would leave America stronger and all of us better off.

Palin wasn’t going to run and risk devaluing her “brand” with a possible primary loss BEFORE Tucson and as her words and actions since then have shown, she’s no more qualified and capable of running an extended campaign now than she was in 2008.

Mitt Romney will have to overcome being a Mormon and “Romneycare”, Haley “Boss Hogg Jr” Barbour and Newt Gingrich have about as much chance of being elected president as Lindsey Lohan has of winning a best actress Oscar – none, Rick Santorum may be the only person walking the planet known as Earth who thinks he can win anything outside of his own house, Mitch Daniels, Mike Pence and John Thune are all “personality challenged”, so that leaves a nationally unproven Tim Pawlenty as the likely GOP nominee to run against President Obama.

BUT, there’s one more person out there lurking in the shadows: Eric Cantor.