Huckabee Mania

I can't say that I really know anything about Mike Huckabee. It strikes me, though, that he's the kind of person I would expect to see win a Republican nomination -- a white Protestant conservative Republican governor who's never deliberately antagonized conservative leaders and also doesn't seem to be a weirdo. Michael Scherer bothered to learn some facts and write the profile for Salon. He says Huckabee's charming. His political approach:

"If I really know what it means to follow Jesus, it means no kid goes hungry tonight," he said, at one stop in Iowa. "It means no wife gets the daylights beat out of her by some alcoholic abusive husband. It means no kid lives in a neighborhood where he is scared to death of some child predator that is going to pick him up and carry him off. It means not one single elderly person has to make the choice between food or medicine." Unlike former Sen. Rick Santorum or Sen. Sam Brownback, Huckabee does not spend time pounding the pulpit over baby murder and sodomy. He's a self-styled "compassionate conservative," a poll-tested concept that worked once before. But while President Bush discarded the slogan like a prom queen's sash, Huckabee wants to convince America that he is the real deal.

Huckabee is, obviously, a longshot. The odds favor Giuliani and McCain. Nevertheless, over the long haul I think it's clear that the Huckabee approach -- marrying religious traditionalism with some kind of revived effort to cope with domestic social policy problems -- is more promising for Republicans than the tax cuts and war platform of a Giuliani.

Comments

If you want to see how charming Huckabee can be, watch his appearances on "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report."

Posted by minderbender | March 5, 2007 8:40 AM

The problem not just for Huckabee, but for anyone else in the next cycle or two who wants to mine that vein, is the vulnerability to a Dem "fooled once, shame on you" line of attack - 'Bush ran on the same theme in 2000, how's that working out for you? If you want a compassionate party, we've already got one, and it starts with a D. Accept no counterfeits.'

Posted by RT | March 5, 2007 8:52 AM

I'll state the obvious: Huckabee is going to be forced by the Giuliani/Romney crowd to stake out a position on fags and war and deficits and just how he'll fund his "compassion".
Ay me 'earties, there's the rub, getting by that Rovian base.

Posted by BooBooBear | March 5, 2007 9:03 AM

Heh. Well, if — ififif — Huckabee actually practices what he preaches goes through with what he says he's going to do, then he's a Democrat. A little more specific about exactly which god he worships and a little less concerned with First Amendment issues, but a Democrat. If he doesn't, then he's Bush, but not as dumb, people will start out a lot more suspicious, and a lot of the damage has already been done.

In either case, Obama or Edwards would be preferable to him in office, but I'd feel a lot better about him than any other current GOP frontrunner.

Posted by Cyrus | March 5, 2007 9:46 AM

Discarded like a "prom queen's sash" ? Hasn't that phrase always been 'off like a prom dress'? Does this new simile even work anymore? I guess it does, but only after working out the intended meaning in advance and then seeing how it applies to prom queens. Bring back the dress!

J

Posted by john | March 5, 2007 9:55 AM

When you mention Mike Huckabee never forget to mention Wayne DuMond.

Posted by Matt Weiner | March 5, 2007 10:01 AM

As Governor, Huckabee raised taxes. Thats a no no to the Robert Novak wing of the GOP.

Posted by SLC | March 5, 2007 10:33 AM

Matt, with respect are you really wanting to pull a Willie Horton on Huckabee? I know, I know, it was the lies to cover the Huckabutt but still and all.
I'd think that his being a Southern Baptist Pastor would be a much larger turnoff for most non-fundies.
Anyone know if he drinks? A dry White House?

Posted by tiptap | March 5, 2007 10:38 AM

Libertarianism is dead!

And Huckabee is no, no democrat.

Posted by Korha | March 5, 2007 11:09 AM

Compassionate conservative my behind! Huckabeen is a religious right loon. Ask him about hating tree hugging environmentalist. Paranoia runs deep in his family and has cost the great citizen's of Arkansas 100's of thousands of dollars. He is a wacko by any definition know in the free world. Hillary is beating him hands down in polls in Arkansas. That should tell you something. As for wine drinking all he drinks is wingnut kool aid.

Posted by Ken | March 5, 2007 11:18 AM

What does it say about the Republican party that none of the things that Huckabee is talking about are normally considered by that party to be "federal" issues.

Posted by Ethel-to-Tilly | March 5, 2007 11:20 AM

"Nevertheless, over the long haul I think it's clear that the Huckabee approach -- marrying religious traditionalism with some kind of revived effort to cope with domestic social policy problems -- is more promising for Republicans than the tax cuts and war platform of a Giuliani."

Excellent Matt; I couldn't have said it better myself. (Not that I didn't just try.) If "conservatism" meant actually trying to "conserve" whatever conservatives consider to be the good parts of the social order--marriage, health, etc.--then they'd be taking a more serious look at the man. The fact that they don't speaks volumes.

Posted by Russell Arben Fox | March 5, 2007 12:19 PM

Sorry but Hukabee seems a bit too faggy to me. No, the GOP has to and will nominate a manly man. Watch soon for the professional Christians to sidestep endorsing Huckabee, for this very reason, if they know it or not.

Posted by rapier | March 5, 2007 12:50 PM

"faggy", Miss Coulter?

Posted by Ethel-to-Tilly | March 5, 2007 1:18 PM

He also declared that raping a Clinton was a crime not worth locking anyone up in prison over. The right will love him.

Posted by moron | March 5, 2007 1:27 PM

are you really wanting to pull a Willie Horton on Huckabee?

Yes, because Huckabee deserves it. He specifically lobbied for DuMond's complete release, for no reason other than sheer Clinton hatred; and Huckabee's behavior since has done him no credit. Dukakis may have been wrong to want to preserve the furlough program, but at least it was a policy (one that was brought into existence and continued by other governers) rather than the governor's personal initiative to benefit one particular criminal.

Or, what moron said.

Posted by Matt Weiner | March 5, 2007 2:20 PM

Wasn't this particular criminal castrated by vigilantes (who were never punished) making him a bit more sympathetic than most?

Posted by James B. Shearer | March 5, 2007 2:52 PM

As Governor, Huckabee raised taxes. Thats a no no to the Robert Novak wing of the GOP.

Not only did he raise taxes, but he also increased spending a lot. Republicans were OK with a cnadidate who promoted spending increases in 1999 when there was a surplus and all, but they're not going to stand for it now.

Posted by Al | March 5, 2007 3:00 PM

I watched him on both "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report," and laughed out loud to him on several occasions. He's got comic timing and a quick wit. If he doesn't win the nomination, they could use him to host "The Half-Hour News Hour." He'd be their John Belushi, but that's not saying much.

Posted by Media Glutton | March 5, 2007 3:58 PM

You'll get no argument out of me Matt but I think the theological niceties will be lost in the general roar and one is left condemning Huckabee for what, because of the vigilante castration, has a certain, if only faux, validity as an act of Christian compassion. Even if it did turn out bad.
Don't you think that crediting him with Clinton hatred from way back is really quite a nice compliment in his circles? If he is unrepentent about it then all the better.
I have this sinking feeling that all the things that I would think disqualifying for any candidate, including Richter 12 flip flops and general unconservative behaviour, will be of little matter to the Republics if they can retain the White House.
Listening to their blahblahblah about Reagan and "authenticity" is a sure sign that it matters very little to them; it is right up there with supporting the troops.

Posted by tiptap | March 5, 2007 4:15 PM

James B., tiptap: Sure he looked more sympathetic because of the castration. If Mike Huckabee had ever given that as his reasoning, I'd feel sorry for him. He didn't.

And the parole board making it a condition that he move out of state just stinks to high heaven. That makes it harder for Arkansas to supervise him -- but it ensured that the next people he murdered would be from somewhere else. (This isn't a knock against parole systems in general, it's a knock against going outside the system to free one undeserving man.)

tiptap, probably some Republicans will feel that way, but I like to think most of the country won't agree.

Posted by Matt Weiner | March 5, 2007 4:57 PM

I like Mike Huckabee a lot, and I'm no longer even a Republican. He's down-to-earth, takes his religion seriously but not dogmatically, and applies it in a way totally foreign to many of the religious right who follow Bush.

I'll vote for the Democrat in 2008, but I would sleep a lot better if Huckabee were the Republican candidate. We need a little modesty--personal, political, diplomatic, and military-- at 1600 Pennsylvania.

Posted by Ridinghood | March 5, 2007 5:04 PM

Isn't Huckabee from Hope, Arkansas, the same town that produced Clinton?

Posted by Dilan Esper | March 5, 2007 5:24 PM

Yes, Huckabee is from Hope, Arkansas. But in his case authentically so. Clinton was born there, but his family moved when he was very young and he grew up elsewhere. Huckabee was born in Hope (population 8,000) to a working class family of very limited means and grew up there his entire life.

Posted by BSR | March 5, 2007 6:35 PM

Those who are attempting to turn the Dumond case into some sort of Willie Horton case are going to be disappointed. Willie Horton was a convicted murderer who got weekend passes from prison under Dukakis' ridiculous furlough program.

By contrast, Dumond's sentence was commuted by Huckabee's predecessor, making Dumond eligible for parole. The extent of Huckabee's involvement in Dumond's release was a letter he wrote to Dumond (who was a victim of vigilante justice by masked attackers who castrated him prior to his conviction) in which Huckabee expressed support for his release from prison IF the parole board agreed and IF another state agreed to take him.

The whole sorry episode and the horrifying events that followed Dumond's release are a tragedy and no doubt haunt Huckabee to this day, but there is no Willie Horton case here. Every Governor has had people released on his or her watch who went out and re-offended.

Posted by BSR | March 5, 2007 6:45 PM

The extent of Huckabee's involvement in Dumond's release was a letter he wrote to Dumond...

Well, that's one side of the story.

On Sept. 20, Gov. Huckabee announced his intention to commute Wayne Dumond’s sentence to time served.

The governor and his staff were unprepared for the public outcry that followed his announcement that he was likely to free Dumond.

Under state law, the governor had to wait at least 30 days — but not more than 120 — after his Sept. 20 clemency announcement to allow the public, legislators, prosecutors, and other interested parties to present their views before he made a final decision. Huckabee was required to make a decision before Jan. 20, 1997. As it turned out, the board voted four days before the deadline to parole Dumond, sparing Huckabee from the decision...

In an effort to stem the political fallout, Huckabee and his staff agreed to meet for the first time with Dumond’s victim, Ashley Stevens, her family, and Fletcher Long, the prosecuting attorney who sent Dumond to prison...

Huckabee “let us know that he was set on his course, which was to set Dumond free,” Long said. Ashley Stevens says she told the governor: “This is how close I was to Wayne Dumond. I will never forget his face. And now I don’t want you ever to forget my face.”

On Oct. 31, 1996, Huckabee met with the parole board. Huckabee has categorically denied that he supported the Dumond parole during the closed portion of the meeting, but four current and former board members tell the Times that Huckabee in fact did so.

Posted by Steve | March 5, 2007 7:20 PM