Wearing His Faith on His Sleeve

Mike Huckabee’s latest ad is many things, but subtle it ain’t:

Clearly, this ad is targeted directly at social conservatives, who are Huckabee’s best shot at taking the nomination. (And, in all fairness, out of all of the Republican candidates running, Huckabee clearly deserves those votes, seeing as how he’s actually a social conservative.) Still, running an ad like this makes me wonder how much Huckabee is really intent on winning the general election, since this clearly paints him in one particular corner with little wiggle room out.

The growth in Huckabee’s support never ceases to amaze me, because he seems like a candidate with such limited appeal–especially in the GOP primaries. He’s a social conservative who’s liberal on immigration, a nanny-statist with business-unfriendly policies, a “values candidate” with a record littered with corruption, a candidate with growing poll numbers and anemic fundraising, and a person who’s only real accomplishment in politics seems to be having lost 100 pounds while governor.

(link via Matthew Yglesias)

FILED UNDER: 2008 Election, Religion, US Politics, , , ,
Alex Knapp
About Alex Knapp
Alex Knapp is Associate Editor at Forbes for science and games. He was a longtime blogger elsewhere before joining the OTB team in June 2005 and contributed some 700 posts through January 2013. Follow him on Twitter @TheAlexKnapp.

Comments

  1. just me says:

    I was listening to the radio maybe-could have been a TV interview, I can’t remember now, yesterday. The political junkie being interviewed made the comment that he thinks Huckabee is gunning for a VP slot. Along the lines of Huckabee appealing to some social conservatives, and in the VP slot with a Guliani he could add something to the ticket that could neutralize his socially liberal positions.

    I don’t think that analysis is that far off the mark. Huckabee isn’t polling that well here in NH, and he isn’t polling well in the national polls. I doubt he will last through the end of Feb.

  2. davod says:

    What is a social conservative?

  3. rpkinmd says:

    The problem is that he is a “conservative” like GWB, socially conservative but untrustworthy on fiscal and other issues. As a Christian conservative, I will not vote for him in a primary. I would rather have Rudy or Romney with more fiscal restrain and tough on security.

  4. Al-Ozarka says:

    It’s obvious…people like those who read this blog are perfectly willing to allow others to do their research and thinking for them.

    The people here also seem to be happy to let establishmentarian media-types pick their candidates.

    Sad…and deeply troubling for this nation.

    Huckabee in ’08…Reagan Minus the Astrologer.

  5. Paul says:

    thinks Huckabee is gunning for a VP slot. Along the lines of Huckabee appealing to some social conservatives, and in the VP slot with a Guliani he could add something to the ticket that could neutralize his socially liberal positions.

    A person loved by the religious right would certainly seem to make sense for Guliani to try to deflect a pro-life 3rd party bid or apathy from the social conservatives, but is Huckabee really that person? Guliani doesn’t have to pick just from the 08 candidates.

    Plus, if Guliani wins, we certainly all will need God’s help.