Politics::Election2008: November 2007 Archives
Townhall.com: Robert D. Novak: The False Conservative
"Huckabee is campaigning as a conservative, but serious Republicans know that he is a high-tax, protectionist, big-government advocate of a strong hand in the Oval Office directing the lives of Americans.... The danger is a serious contender for the nomination who passes the litmus test of social conservatives on abortion, gay marriage and gun control but is far removed from the conservative-libertarian model of Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan."
Townhall.com: Jonah Goldberg: Ron Paul Isn't That Scary
... but Mike Huckabee is, says Goldberg:
"What's so scary about Huckabee? Personally, nothing. He seems a charming, decent, friendly, pious man.
"What's troubling about The Man From Hope 2.0 is what he represents. Huckabee represents compassionate conservatism on steroids. A devout social conservative on issues such as abortion, school prayer, homosexuality and evolution, Huckabee's a populist on economics, a fad-follower on the environment and an all-around do-gooder who believes that the biblical obligation to do 'good works' extends to using government - and your tax dollars - to bring us closer to the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth.
"For example, Huckabee would support a nationwide ban on public smoking. Why? Because he's on a health kick, thinks smoking is bad and believes the government should do the right thing.
"And therein lies the chief difference between Paul and Huckabee. One is a culturally conservative libertarian. The other is a right-wing progressive."
Fred '08: Fred Thompson speaks at The Citadel
Via JunkYardBlog, where See-Dubya writes, "Look, as I've said several times now, the guy gets it. He understands the central problem of defending a democratic country -- credibility and resolve."
"If we know anything from modern history, it is that when fanatical tyrants pledge to "wipe out" an entire nation, we should listen.
"This radical threat we face today is committed to a hundred year war, and has been waging one against us for decades ... in Beirut, Somalia, embassies in Africa, Saudi Arabia, on the USS Cole. Each time Americans were killed. Yet each time our response sent the wrong signals. This is an enemy that understands only the language of power. Today, the focus of this war is Afghanistan and Iraq, but it is clear that this struggle and our enemies extend far beyond those borders. To defend ourselves, we in the democratic world must assert our intentions in the clearest possible terms.
"Diplomacy, economic influence, and other means of persuasion are always to be preferred in our dealings with dangerous regimes and rival states. But the words of our leaders command much closer attention from adversaries when it is understood that we are prepared to use force when force is necessary. And for that deterrent to exist, the will of our people and the strength of our military must be unquestionable."
OpinionJournal: Evangelicals and Evil Empires
Why are evangelical social conservatives open to a Giuliani presidency? Because they care about foreign policy, too, for the sake of their persecuted Christian brethren in Muslim-ruled countries, just as they cared about their brethren behind the Iron Curtain:
"John Wilson, editor of Books and Culture, the literary journal associated with Christianity Today, recalls going to Sunday evening church services in the 1950s: 'Every year, we heard a speaker or two who had come from "behind the Iron Curtain." They had harrowing tales to tell, sometimes first-person, sometimes not. There was a palpable sense of a world-scale conflict with godless communism.'...
"The tales of missionaries from Islamic countries may even be more harrowing than those Mr. Wilson heard as a youngster: 'In the past you had missionaries come back and talk about being imprisoned. Now you have reports from people about beheadings and bombings.' [Timothy Shaw] also cites Voice of the Martyrs, a publication widely circulated among evangelical churches, 'which contains lurid accounts of Christian missionaries being killed and attacked in mostly Islamic countries.'"
Townhall.com: Patrick Ruffini: The Top 10 Things to Know About '08
Ruffini is already learning lessons about presidential campaign strategy from the '08 race, including, "Nice Guys Finish Last. The polls say that the public despises negative politics. The polls are wrong," and "Be the Guy (or Gal) People Want to Vote For. Emotion, charisma, and nostalgia are still huge factors in driving the vote. Committed observers of politics disparage this basic fact -- while candidates who are able to establish an emotional connection with the voters keep laughing all the way to the White House."
Captain's Quarters: Have The Wheels Come Off For Hillary?
The planted questions scandal and other attempts to control the questions Hillary Clinton gets asked: "Why did the Clinton campaign want [the Grinnell student] to keep quiet? A better question is why the campaign feels the need to exercise such tight control over Hillary Clinton. Is she such a bad candidate on the stump that they have to fake questions and attempt to intimidate and vilify national news reporters in order to keep people from discovering it? Apparently they think so. And if they think she's that bad, imagine how bad she really is."
JOHN BRUMMETT: The very best Arkansas has to offer
Brummett on Huckabee and Hillary: "Being a longtime political writer in the little Southern state of Arkansas positions one for a couple of insights into presidential politics. One is that we propel our candidates by the most superficial of judgments. The other is that we may as well do that, since there apparently isn't much political talent out there in the first place."
"Did you catch that, nestled amidst the Cracker-barrel folksiness? 'My friends, we must remember that rights come from God, and not from Government.' It's already creating some buzz because it's a radical statement. And a true one. And a very important one." But it is not a new statement, notes See-Dubya, and he says, "It's big questions like this that I want to hear the answer to more than the small policy details. Like any battle plan, those small things won't survive first contact with the enemy (or the opposition, as the case may be). The principles might."
A final observation from See-Dubya: "One more thing--politically, this is an appealing position because it is religious and acknowledges God without being churchy or condescending or sappy. Compare these terse and reverent invocations of Deity to the showy treacle the Democratic candidates engage in when they take to the pulpits."
JunkYardBlog: Pat Robertson's desperate plea for relevance
See-Dubya's take on Robertson's endorsement of Giuliani is spot on.
Hot Air: Video: Fred rips Huckabee
A quick response to Huckabee's shot at Thompson: "Thompson manages to pound Huckabee into a fine powder without ever coming across as harsh or even particularly angry. It's as solid an appearance as I've seen Thompson deliver since the official announcement that he's running."
Townhall.com: Lorie Byrd: Blue Dress Democrats and the Clinton Scandal Effect
Republicans shouldn't be gleeful at the thought of facing Hillary Clinton in a general election, says Lorie Byrd: "When Republicans step in to fill the role the media has neglected and remind the public of Hillary's skeletons, they will be slammed as negative right wing conspirators. Or Neanderthal cavemen afraid of a powerful woman. Or Clinton haters - that one worked particularly well for Bill.... If she could play victim to a Ken Starr figure again there is no telling how many percentage points she might pick up. Don't underestimate the power of the Blue Dress Democrats and the ability of a Clinton to turn a scandal into an advantage."
