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Running in place Saturday, Feb 9, 2008 By Doug Thompson Asking why Mike Huckabee stays in the GOP race is asking the wrong question. Why should he drop out? He clearly loves campaigning. Millions of people still support him. He wants the national GOP to give him some respect. Let's start with the seemingly trivial thing that's not trivial at all. That would be enjoyment. A fellow I met at a Huckabee rally in Highfill mentioned that the former governor was the only candidate who seems to like campaigning. That's an insight into part of Huckabee's political success - past, present and future. I first saw the same thing 10 years ago, attending a not-very-dramatic appearance at an awards banquet at the Fayetteville Clarion. The speech went well. Huckabee told some good jokes. That was about it when, at the very end, some nurses from Washington Regional asked the governor to join them in a dance they'd invented for kids for some skit. He did, and had a hearty laugh doing it. Virtually no other Republican politician in Arkansas would have done that, I thought at the time. Then-Lt. Gov. Win Rockefeller might have done that but not as well. It occurred to me also that the governor's Democratic predecessor, Jim Guy Tucker, probably wouldn't have done the dance either. Now we're in the presidential grind. Running around on an hour and a half's sleep some nights is not my idea of fun, but Huckabee's still having a good time with it. Now stop rolling your eyes or shaking your head and answer me this: What other nominee for president had three talk show hosts with national audiences - Conan O'Brien, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert - "fighting" over who created him? And made an on-air appearance via satellite to say that American voters created him and to call all three of his hosts idiots? That isn't just priceless publicity. It's a blast. Presidents should be more serious than that? Maybe, but we're talking about Huckabee's decision to keep going here, not rules of etiquette or election chances. I wouldn't vote for a guy for president just because he's funny. Neither would most of Huckabee's supporters. A sense of humor never hurts, however. Besides, millions are apparently willing to vote for Barack Obama just because he gives a good speech. One reason so many people on the religious right are so taken with Huckabee is because he's not a dour, guilt-stricken brimstone type that fits the stereotype they despise. He's a Christian who also gives the best one-liners. He's like one of those new-style super-churches, where they play modern music and offer daycare, and the preacher wears a Hawaiian shirt. The more he campaigns, the more contacts and supporters Huckabee finds for 2012. Even if he hated campaigning, there's an argument for going on just to build his organization. Everybody he meets from here on out will be a true believer, and it's not costing Huckabee anything to find them but sleep. I have no idea if John McCain will appoint Huckabee as his right-flank running mate this year. The little I know of McCain tells me he'd refuse just because it's expected of him to ask. However, somebody somewhere in the Grand Old Party's establishment will have to show Huckabee some respect. Otherwise, it's an open insult to Huckabee's supporters. Two candidates who are clearly not enjoying their marathon are Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y. and Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. The most important numbers to come after their Tuesday primaries had dollar signs. Obama raised about $2.30 for every dollar Hillary Clinton raised in January, and that apparently includes $5 million Clinton loaned herself. Yep, that's really bad news for Clinton. No doubt about it, even though the Wall Street Journal reports Friday that Clinton's closing the gap rapidly. So why couldn't Obama finish Clinton on Super Tuesday when he had such an enormous cash advantage? Don't give me that stuff about how Californians voted early. Nobody votes early unless he's made up his mind. Clinton shouldn't have survived New Hampshire after coming in third in Iowa. She did. She shouldn't have survived Super Tuesday. She was drubbed in South Carolina. Obama, meanwhile, had a bodyguard of Kennedy's rush out before he might suffer a bruise. Clinton smacked down the Kennedy clan and John Kerry too in Massachusetts and won California by 10 percentage points. I've wondered for months whether Obama can take a punch. Now I also wonder whether he can land one. --------- Doug Thompson is a Fayetteville-based reporter and columnist for the Arkansas News Bureau and the Morning News. His e-mail address is dthompson@arkansasnews.com. |
