Of Hucksters, Hooligans and Huckabee

Gosh, I'm sure happy now that the Netroots and the Democrats successfully sunk the Fox News presidential debate a few months back.

I thought it was a really dumb idea to do so at the time. But now, much like Mitt Romney, I've changed my mind.

In retrospect, it seems self-evident there's no way the crumb-bums at Fox could have carried off any such debate with, um, the dignity, the gravitas, and the respect for the viewers demonstrated by the venerable CNN in its handling of Wednesday's You (boob)Tube GOP debate.

I mean, if Fox had organized this you can just imagine what would have happened. We would have seen videos of questions from gun freaks tossing loaded weapons around, and from those demanding to know if the Bible was the literal and revealed Word of God, how long women should be jailed for having abortions, what are the most effective forms of human torture, and -- last not but least-- how much does each candidate really love the Confederate Flag!

Oops, say what? That's what you saw on CNN? Sorry... Oh well.

To be honest, I didn't catch the entire "debate." And I if were just about any of those guys up on stage, I'd have to hope that not too many others saw it either. I understand fully they are competing for the loyalty of the Republican base, but they seem so out of synch with the national mood that it's almost painful.

Who can believe that there could by more than 1/4 of the electorate, if that, who today cares to hear you detail what's in your personal gun collection, or how literal you think the Bible is and and whether you'd ban abortion on a federal or just a state level? I don't know nor do I care very much who "won" the debate -- but you've got to figure that whoever the nominee winds up being he must have at least temporarily lost 2-3% of the general election voters who had mistakenly or otherwise tuned in.

The most excruciating moments I caught? I think top prize goes to military cultist Duncan Hunter who argued that gays in the armed forces would offend the cultural sensibilities of the "mostly conservative" young people who enlist. What a hooligan. I suppose serving young negroes Cokes at the Woolworth counter in 1950 would have also been culturally offensive to a lot of folks in Mississippi - but that wouldn't have made it legal, justifiable or humane. The other worst moments? Anytime Mitt Romney was on camera. A full-time cynical huckster who can barely keep track of his own rampant opportunism. Or maybe it was the time visitin' with Good Old Uncle Fred Thompson who -- apparently-- doesn't know much about, well, anything.

Meanwhile, comes news that Mike "The Revealed Word of God" Huckabee is now leading the GOP pack in Iowa. Absolutely no surprise to me, thank you. I predicted a meteoric rise for him back in mid-summer when I saw him out at the Iowa Straw Poll. And it's not just that Huckabee is bona fide social conservative that makes him appealing to the Republican base. He has definite cross-over appeal, projecting a Compassionate Conservatism that GW Bush talked about but never demonstrated.

Save your energy and don't even think about slamming me for being soft on Huckabee. I'm merely recognizing and trying to explain his appeal. He radiates a core decency that seems to be lacking from every other of his rivals and it's starting to pay off for him big time.

Comments

[Rescisco]

I agree with the Huckabee analysis. Sad but true, this primitive will appeal to many. That he is regarded as anything but a joke, that any of the Republican candidates are seriously considered to be presidential timber, is a frightening commentary on the state of our democracy. Do not underestimate the ability of the voting public to really screw it up one more time! Nor should we underestimate the capacity of the Democrats to lose a third straight winnable presidential election.

[eanderso]

Just got this from RedState.com (keep your enemies closer...)

Dear RedState Reader:

RedState is calling for CNN to fire Sam Feist, their political director; and David Bohrman, Senior Vice President and Executive Producer of the debate.

During last night's debate, which CNN billed as "a Republican debate, and the goal was to let Republican voters see their candidates," CNN either knowingly or incompetently allowed hardcore left wing activists to plant questions and Anderson Cooper willingly gave one of those activists a soapbox so he could harass the Republican candidates about military policy.

Simple googling would have revealed these left wing activists.

Had CNN done its homework, this would not have happened. They either willfully let it happen, or incompetently bungled it. Either way, heads should roll.

Likewise, we hope one or more of the GOP Presidential candidates will call for a do-over debate on substantive policy issues.

You can read our Directors post here.


All the best,


Erick Erickson
Editor, RedState.com

Forward This Email to a Friend


P.S. If you do nothing, you will not get RedState Action Alert emails, but we'll keep you on our email list for important announcements. To remove yourself from our list entirely, click here.

[BushisLiar]

As long as we, as a nation, continue to pretend that having a strong belief in an imaginary father-figure who lives in the sky is a virtue, instead of a sign of mental illness and perhaps derangement, we are doomed.......

[WestLittleRock]

From the Arkansas Times.
Editor's note, Sept. 1, 2005: Wayne Dumond, convicted of rape in Arkansas and murder in Missouri, died of apparent natural causes in prison Tuesday.

The occasion prompts us to republish Murray Waas' prize-winning article for the Arkansas Times in 2002 about the extraordinary steps Gov. Mike Huckabee took to help win Dumond's freedom. He has since blamed others for Dumond's release to kill again, but his actions over many years demonstrated his support for Dumond and, ultimately, the instrumental role he played in the parole board's decision to free him.
New sources, including an advisor to Gov. Mike Huckabee, have told the Arkansas Times that Huckabee and a senior member of his staff exerted behind-the-scenes influence to bring about the parole of rapist Wayne Dumond, who Missouri authorities say raped and killed a woman there shortly after his parole.

Huckabee has denied a role in Dumond"s release, which has become an issue in his race for re-election against Democrat Jimmie Lou Fisher. Fisher says Huckabee"s advocacy of Dumond"s freedom, plus other acts of executive clemency, exhibit poor judgment. In response, Huckabee has shifted responsibility for Dumond"s release to others, claiming former Gov. Jim Guy Tucker made Dumond eligible for parole and saying the Post Prison Transfer Board made the decision on its own to free Dumond.

But the Times" new reporting shows the extent to which Huckabee and a key aide were involved in the process to win Dumond"s release. It was a process marked by deviation from accepted parole practice and direct personal lobbying by the governor, in an apparently illegal and unrecorded closed-door meeting with the parole board (the informal name by which the Post Prison Transfer Board is known).

[Janco54]

I just kept thinking that the whole debacle - er - debate - was a Saturday Night Live sketch gone horribly wrong.
It was a truly pitiful reflection of the current state of affairs known as the Presidential campaign. For ANY of those men on that stage to actually be elected would spell the end of this little experiment called the United States of America.
God help us all.

[Yana7]

She a fake
He's Casanova
Give them the country
They'll screw it over!!

[WestLittleRock]

What bothers me more is the Hucks pardon of a rapist who later killed a woman. Why the mainstream media has not picked up this story is beyond me.
Read the story:
http://www.arktimes.com/Articles/ArticleViewer.aspx?ArticleID=154e1aad-fd18-4efd-8d80-b5dab8559419

[hankandted]

I am very concerned about Huckabee. Our relatives in Iowa tell us that he will do very well in the caucuses. He camapaigns on education issues (even though he is a creationist?!) Huckabee, "radiating" good will, who at the same time will be backed by the Republican smear/voter suppression/dirty tricks operation, could be a challenge for the Democrats. I definately worry about a Clinton/Huckabee matchup.

[Mariel]

You got it, Mr. Cooper! My husband and I just registered Rep. for the first time in our long lives so we can vote for Huckabee in any caucus or primary which our state develops. We don't think he's perfect, we just think he's the only one of the pack we can vote for at this point. So, we are the cross-over vote you talked about. Depending on other factors, we may vote Democrat on congressional candidates, as usual.

We are sickened by Bob Novak's attack on Huckabee, which convinced a few evangelicals, I presume, to vote against Huckabee. They will probably vote Ron Paul, but I think Rep. Paul, while an honorable soul, would dismantle some things in mid-stream which can't be dismantled--that's the best I can understand that problem without a lot more facts. I am still watching Ron Paul.

As I put it in another reply, lots of evangelicals believe in evolution; they just think God started it off "in the beginning." Even Huckabee said (in a debate last spring) that this was an acceptable position for an evangelical. It is the "standard" Catholic position.

[srmorris]

It's a strange thing. Despite the ridiculous costumes and setups of the YouTube questioners, there questions seem to be much harder hitting and seem to inspire more personality and content from the debaters.

[seawolf77]

Batshit crazy is right, every last one of them. Huckabee, like Bush seems like a nice enough guy. You've met him before, the nice guy benevolent everyone gets along with him kinda guy. But lest we not forget the last guy talking to God in the White House and what that brought us. No more reilgious nuts for President. That should be in the constitution. No more idiots telling me wha Gid wants against all reason and science. Kepp it to your freakin selk casue no one else wants to hear your BS, either from a nice guy with a great smile or from a toothless homeless dreg with bad breath. It's the same BS, just a different bow.

[MrJoyboy]

Huckabee is the perfect candidate. He's white. He's male. And he has a childish belief in fairy tales and won't be happy until we all believe them.

[Qbear]

huckabee would be beaten by democrats with one word:

EVOLUTION

Unlike some of the Theocrat dim bulbs, we have heard of the Sike's Trial.

[Qbear]

The debate was stupid, the candidates, (except for Ron Paul) are seven same-as-Bush, in a country where 70% of Americans want change.
As a gay man, I don't find Chuckles Huckabee any more compassionate conservative than Bush. He may be more personable than Bush,. but the concept of compassionate conservative is total BULLSH*T.
They gut 1/3rd of Ryan White AIDS funds for know-nothing abstinence-only programs that failed in 85% of Senior High School girls.
Closeted self loathing gays like Mehlman place anti-gay initiatives in 13 battleground states to scapegoat queers and win a tight election. If Republicans think Latinos and Blacks have left them in droves, they should see the seething hatred of them in MY community. Not one answer last night will draw a woman's vote, a Senior's vote, or a minority's vote.
The voters they reached look just like their candidates racist bitter old white men.
How you pull a plus for Democrats to go on FOX as your conclusion of a bad CNN debate, seems peculiar...it would still be bad for Democrats to give any aid to FOX, so they can spew they are balanced, they aren't.

[MrJoyboy]

"Huckabee radiates a core appeal..."

Kind of like the appeal of a Venus Flytrap to a fly.