Nov 28 2007
Huckabee Helping Giuliani?
The media is in a frenzy this week trying to depict Mike Huckabee as helping Rudy Giuliani. I couldn’t be happier. Take a step back and look at the big picture. Huckabee is “surging” in Iowa and nationally. Romney is slipping and starting to appear as an angry candidate.
What are term implications? First, Huckabee is trending upward and has been trending this way for several weeks. Some still believe Huckabee is not electable nationally and cannot beat a Democrat. Today’s Zogby polls proved that just isn’t true. The pattern seems that the ore people get to know Mike Huckabee, the more they like him. Critics have countered that his popularity is highest among Evangelicals and that he lacks the appeal necessary to woo more moderate Republicans. I disagree with that assumption. Instead, it seems plausible that Huckabee’s popularity among Evangelicals is linked to the grass-roots nature of his campaign. Huckabee has been considered by moderates and even Democrats. How else could a Conservative have scored so well with notoriously Democratic Arkansas residents? I surmise that as other Republican voters become more acquainted with him they will also find that they like Mike.
Secondly, let’s say I am wrong and Mike isn’t electable. I think the picture looks like this: Romney will have faded out of the picture as well and disappear as Mike Huckabee becomes Rudy Giuliani’s running-mate.
This isn’t a white flag of surrender, signaling my waning confidence in Mike Huckabee. Instead, it is a look at the worst case scenario, and it isn’t looking so bad these days. My hopes are further buoyed by the showing Republicans are making in the polls matched against Democrats. Some were ready to sign away the White House in 2008. However, it looks like as much as some are unhappy they aren’t willing to give the cookie jar over to the Democrats.
