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Is Mike Huckabee a Populist?

Maybe. At least if, as Matthew Yglesias suggests, "[p]opulism is a political style," not a specific set of policy proposals. This is why there are both left- and right-wing populists. Huckabee is the closest to the latter in the current Republican race, while John Edwards is the the closest to the former in the Democratic race. Huckabee at the very least has that folksy charm thing down. Or, as Kate Sheppard more cleverly puts it, "He's down to earth -- even if he thinks the earth is only 6,000 years old!" Which, in a way, helps. Populism at its core is not an intellectual endeavor. William Jennings Bryan was in some ways even more of a populist because he eschewed the scientific establishment and advocated a biblical literalist understanding of the world. So yes, Mike Huckabee is a populist. But he's the kind even Fair Tax advocates and creationist school board members can heart.

Endorsement of the Day

Chuck Norris for Mike Huckabee.

Huckabee on the South's Racist History

Via TNR, here's a speech Governor Mike Huckabee gave in 1997 to "commemorate, not celebrate" the events surrounding the integration of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, forty years earlier. On the role of churches:

And what is really tragic that we today come to renounce is the fact that in many parts of the South it was the white churches that helped not only ignore the problems of racism, but in many cases actually fostered those feelings and sentiments. And today, we call upon every church, every pulpit, every synagogue, every mosque in every part of Arkansas and the rest of the world to say never, never, never, never again will we be silent when people's rights are at stake.

Acknowledging the extent to which the white protestant church was directly involved in maintaining white supremacy in the Jim Crow South is a key part of coming to grips with the region's tortured history. It's not so far removed; many people's grandparents grew up in it. Huckabee downplays the far-reaching nature of this a little bit, but it's good to see he mentioned it nonetheless. He later continues:

Some have asked: how long are we going to deal with this Central crisis situation? Are we going to have to relive it every few years? And I know there were some who were frankly made to feel very uncomfortable about all of these activities because some felt that it would just resurrect feelings and anxieties.

Well, let me tell you how long we will deal with it -- until justice is the same for every human being whether he or she is black or white, we will deal with it. Until the same rules apply to get a bank loan for every person regardless of who he or she is, we will deal with it. As long as there are whites who turn around and see a black person coming and bring fear to their hearts, we will deal with it. And as long as there are blacks who look and see and have resentment toward a white person, we will deal with it.

White resentment is a key obstacle to addressing the history and contemporary reality of racial injustice in the South. Huckabee's declaration that we have to "deal with it" until it's truly solved is pretty strong stuff for a white Republican governor. Not exactly enough to make me consider voting for the guy, but an example of where the Republican Party needs to go if it wants to remain relevant in an increasingly diverse society.

The Lord Hath Spoken!

Or at least sent an e-mail. Apparently James Dobson wrote:

Isn't Thompson the candidate who is opposed to a Constitutional amendment to protect marriage, believes there should be 50 different definitions of marriage in the U.S., favors McCain-Feingold, won't talk at all about what he believes, and can't speak his way out of a paper bag on the campaign trail? He has no passion, no zeal, and no apparent "want to." And yet he is apparently the Great Hope that burns in the breasts of many conservative Christians? Well, not for me, my brothers. Not for me!

TPM called Focus on the Family and they confirmed the email is Dobson's. Fred Thompson, Saviour of the Christian Right, might be a little weak in that area it turns out. Marc Ambinder thinks it's a good sign for Mike Huckabee: "Consider Dobson's dilemma. He's not going to support who he can't sell as a Christian crusader. But he wants -- he needs a seat at the table of power...So Dobson would be wise to find the best pick of the potential vice presidential lot."

It will be telling to see whether Dobson follows that path. Which is more important to him, influence or ideology? It's easy to say ideology, but for the past few years ideology and power haven't been conflicting ideals in Dobson's world. When it comes down to, say, Rudy Giuliani having the potential to be the most powerful person in the country and Hillary Clinton posing a real threat to that prospect, what does Dobson do with his dilemma? Endorse Huckabee and hope he can at least have an ear in the vice president, or go for goal and do everything in his power to play to Giuliani's power-hungry side to get a golden throne at the table, personal disagreements aside?

Quote of the Day

"I don't mean to pick on Mike Huckabee, but he's the sort of political figure who has so far been so thoroughly evaluated on personality grounds, instead of policy ones, that I believe some correction is in order. After all, he's running for president, and not for a reality TV role as America's new BFF." -Garance Franke-Ruta, who proceeds to critique Huckabee's support for the FairTax and suspicion of certain contraceptives.

How Much Does Iowa Heart Huckabee?

The Ames straw poll (or, as Nicholas Beaudrot more accurately calls it, the Ames vote buying contest) blogging continues. Noam Scheiber writes, on Mike Huckabee:

Huckabee spent exactly zero resources busing in supporters and still managed 18 percent of the vote. The other two campaigns bought hundreds, if not thousands, more straw-poll tickets than the number of votes they received. (Straw poll attendees must obtain a $35-ticket in order to vote. Campaigns typically buy them up and distribute them to supporters.) Huckabee bought around 1800 tickets and received almost 2600 votes. Clearly, Romney and Brownback dropped a lot of cash on people who ended up voting for someone else, and that someone else was probably Huckabee.

Also:

A final thought: The political press is absolutely head over heels for Huckabee. (There were high-fives all around when it became clear he'd finish second.) He's a genuinely endearing guy who can banter with the best of them--watching him with reporters brings to mind the old black and white footage of Babe Ruth jawboning with sportswriters. When you add that to the political media's general affinity for underdogs, you can see how Huckabee's about to enjoy some serious media afterglow, which will only further boost his profile. With Romney suddenly vulnerable among conservatives and McCain and Giuliani both languishing here--last Sunday's Washington Post poll had McCain at 8 percent and Giuliani at 14, compared with Romney's 26--you may well have just met your 2008 Iowa caucus winner.

Not quite sure I'd go that far -- Romney is still polling strongly in Iowa, even if it's only a plurality. That said, Huckabee is a remarkably safe GOP candidate. He's socially conservative and economically center-right (as opposed to just being a complete free market fundamentalist). People like him. The press likes him. He's funny. He lost some weight. All important stuff in a presidential nominating contest. Oh, and he's the governor of Arkansas, where he grew up in a little place called Hope. I'm sure he "believes in" it just as much as Bill Clinton did in 1992.

So why is he polling so poorly? Part of it must be the bad organization pundits keep mentioning. But another part, I think, is that many Republican partisans want a very staunchly aggressive foreign policy, something Rudy Giuliani has offered them more than anyone. Rudy Giuliani will personally kill you, if that's what it takes. Romney will at least double Gitmo so other people can harm you. And a lot of people are looking for that. Huckabee is more likely to talk to you about proper exercise. And when it comes to a healthy diet or Killing Terrorists, the latter does tend to win.

Mitt Romney Looking Unkempt!

Okay, in very serious Ames-related news, K-Lo has this picture of Mitt Romney with a few hairs out of place, effectively conceding the best hair title to John Edwards. Yes, I constantly criticize the press for focusing on Edwards' hair, but I'd hate for that to obscure the fact that the man is quite well-coifed.