VP Huckabee Could Help And Hurt McCain
By Alan Stewart Carl | Related entries in 2008 Election, Huckabee, McCainAllahpundit has some good analysis on why John McCain may end up choosing Mike Huckabee as his running mate. I’ll sum it up rather than quote it.
Huckabee is media savvy, playing well on news and faux news shows alike.
Huckabee’s popularity among southern evangelicals could help blunt Barack Obama’s popularity among southern Blacks.
Huckabee’s blue-collar populism (read: liberalism) could be instrumental in winning over Hillary Clinton’s base of voters in swing states/
Of course, as Allahpundit’s closing remark (he jokingly wants to write in Hillary Clinton) makes clear, a McCain/Huckabee ticket would make certain kinds of conservatives very ill. And while I find many of Huckabee’s policies acceptable enough (if a little too couched in populist rhetoric), his religious intensity seems to indicate a man who would potentially use the power of government to steer our nation in a specific religious direction. I have no problem with presidents having faith and using that faith to guide their morality. But Huckabee has too often struck me as a man who wants to impose his specific beliefs on those of us of different faiths.
If McCain chooses Huckabee, he may strengthen his hand in some important states but he may lose some votes as well.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 13th, 2008 and is filed under 2008 Election, Huckabee, McCain. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
May 13th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Ouch. I haven’t entirely ruled out voting for McCain but… wow. Putting Huck anywhere near the ticket would be pure poison. Not only are his economic plans the diametric opposite of McCain’s, but the thought that McCain’s older-than-Alaska ticker being the only thing between the Jesus Corps and the White House is utterly terrifying.
Put me down in the no-way no-how no-Huck column.
May 13th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
As long as slick Willy doesn’t get on the ticket, I will be a very happy person. If Mitt does buy his way onto the ticket, I guess I will have to order myself a new Obama yard sign.
May 13th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
Any VP choice is going to win you some votes and lose you some votes.
Huckabee is a net positive for McCain.
Huckabee is not going to add a steeple to the White House. He wasn’t that kind of governor and he won’t be that kind of Vice-President.
Anti-Huckabee pundits can rant all they want, but here are the facts:
Huckabee is winning all the VP polls (including the one by US News & World Report) and is clearly the people’s favorite choice.
Huckabee was the only Republican candidate who mobilized enthusiastic grassroots support (think Huck’s Army — a 20,000 member independent organization with state coordinators in 49 of the 50 states) — the kind McCain needs to have a chance come November.
Huckabee was the only Republican candidate to mobilize and energize the youth vote (drawing significant numbers of new voters to the polls — much like Obama).
Huckabee is the only candidate who can rival Obama’s oratory skills and general likeability.
He is strong where McCain is weak.
May 13th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
Wow! I was really disappointed that McCain won the nomination, but I’d vote for him with Huckabee on the ticket!
When Condi refused to run, there was no candidate that appealed to me until I heard what Huckabee had to say in the debates. What a wonderful ticket that would be. I wouldn’t make an effort to work for McCain, but I’d pound doors and make telephone calls for a McCain/Huckabee ticket.
May 13th, 2008 at 7:17 pm
Mike Huckabee adds what McCain needs.
He would be a strong help to the ticket in the South and Mid-west.
He would help pull in the social conservative vote.
He represents main-street not wall street - a Country Club Republican image is a loser.
He is a great campaigner with a good sense of humor.
I did not know who Huckabee was a year ago and now I am an ardent supporter and would work for that ticket.
May 13th, 2008 at 10:49 pm
Rich Allen is right, with Huckabee, McCain will have good luckabee..
May 14th, 2008 at 8:47 am
Many of my close friends were very disappointed when McCain won the Republican nomination. The majority were publicly and secretly vying for Mike Huckabee to be that dark horse that would replace the Washington establishment. What Huckabee was able to do with the amount of funding he had goes to show he is a formidable force for years to come. I, and many of my friends, are ready to propel a McCain/Huckabee ticket into the White House. The patriot and evangelist –> Patriot - a person who loves, supports, and defends his or her country and its interests with devotion. Evangelist - a person marked by evangelical enthusiasm for or support of any cause. By far the better choice in my opinion.
May 14th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
Mike Huckabee on the ticket with McCain is the best news I’ve heard since Super Tuesday! He is the only logical choice and I’m glad to see Senator McCain has both good taste and a good sense of judgement!! Huckabee has courted the blue collar workers from day one. He relates to them because of his own blue collar father and his personal “rags to riches” story. He is extremely well-liked among black republicans and even democrats all over youtube want Huckabee as Obama’s vp! He appeals to the youth and has been making the college curcuit to give speeches there. He has the conservatives and evangelicals tight. He generates much needed energy and excitement in the Republican Party like nobody else. He is the best debater/campaigner out there, period! If you review the 13 1/2 yrs. Govenor Huckabee served as Lt. Gov, the Governor of Arkansas you will see that he did not push his faith in any way. I have read numerous articles from liberals in Arkansas who said they first feared it would be the case, it never happened and they said that Huckabee was a good Governor. If it didn’t happen in Arkansas, why would it happen as vp??? Governor Huckabee has said over and over that he does not try to push his religious beliefs on others and he is proud that we have the freedom of religion in the country. You seem to be a bigot against him just because he is not afraid to stand up for his beliefs when asked a direct question about them. This is just one more thing I greatly admire about him. As Curt Smith (former speechwriter for George HW Bush) stated, “If we were to invent the perfect vp for McCain it would be Governor Huckabee. Luckily, he exists. All McCain has to do is choose him. McCain/Huckabee’08…..priceless!!!!!
May 15th, 2008 at 5:40 am
Huckabee has a level head, the ability to use the position behind the bully pulpit, a love for people, the wit to influnce a rather stiff McCain and the humility to realize that he is V.P. and not president.
President Bush has in general used good judgment with the information avaliable; but he tended to put you to sleep when he spoke. With Hukabee you listen to every word.