A recent round of buzz I’ve noticed in the blogosphere is on how Mike Huckabee seems to be gaining traction in the polls. (See, for example, this post at Real Clear Politics, citing one poll in Florida where Huckabee has gained 9 points, and now trails front-runner Giuliani by only 7.)
I’ve been meaning to write a few words about Huckabee since I had the opportunity to listen to a town hall session he had on XM’s POTUS08 channel a few weeks ago. However, every time I’ve thought about writing about Huckabee, I’ve run into a bit a quandary.
I like listening to Huckabee. While there are issues that I disagree with him on, he comes across as a likable, capable executive, who doesn’t reek of “politician”.
Yes, he is a man who is unashamedly and apologetically a fundamentalist Christian, which no doubt makes some centrists and liberals uncomfortable. However, he seems, at least, the sort of fundamentalist Christian who doesn’t get enough credit in secular circles in the U.S. these days. He comes across as someone who isn’t shy about his beliefs, but also isn’t obnoxious about forcing them on an unreceptive audience…and who acknowledges that the real world is complicated and somewhat grey, rather than the cut-and-dry black-and-white worldview promoted by some fundies.
So, I’d have to put Huckabee up at the top of my list of “likable” Republican candidates. (Obama’s at the top of my likability list among the Dems, if you were wondering, and I’m not sure which of the two I’d consider most likable). And, while “likability” probably shouldn’t factor among the top traits for being “most qualified” for the White House….well, if memory serves perceived likability is how Bush-43 achieved some of his support among voters, suggesting that it’s a necessary trait in identifying electable candidates.
On the surface, I’d have to put Huckabee neck-and-neck with being “least scary” among the Republicans with Giuliani. However, that touches upon the biggest reservation I have with the guy.
While I may like Huckabee himself (despite disagreeing with him on several issues), I worry about what sorts of folks he would seek to appoint in the Executive and Judicial branches. It would be all too easy to imagine the rabid-subsegment of the conservative Christian political force seeing support for Huckabee as support for a rabid social conservative agenda…and that gives me a lot of pause.
I should also note that listening to Huckabee talk about his support for the flat tax concept was an interesting experience…but that’s a subject for a future post, I think.
I’ve mentioned previously that I switched party affiliations in Connecticut, so that I can vote in the GOP primary in February. Connecticut’s currently considered to be safe territory for both Hillary and Giuliani, so I’m tentatively planning to vote for Ron Paul. (I wouldn’t want him in the White House, and I don’t particularly care for his quasi-libertarianism. However, I would like to see general libertarian ideas discussed a bit more in the mainstream media, and Ron Paul getting more votes than some less-nutty candidates could support my desire.)
However, I could be tempted to vote for Huckabee, depending on what I hear in the next couple of debates.