Huckabee's Future Still Bright

Despite Unsuccessful Bid For GOP Nomination, Former Arkansas Governor Has Many Options Ahead

(AP)  Mike Huckabee's shot at the White House may have ended Tuesday night, but that doesn't mean it's entirely out of his grasp. He may just have to wait four or eight years.

Allies and experts say the former Arkansas governor still has a bright political future, despite his unsuccessful bid for the Republican presidential nomination. Despite strong wins in Iowa and Bible belt states such as Georgia, Alabama and Arkansas, Huckabee failed to come within reach of presumptive nominee John McCain.

Huckabee has said he's not angling for a vice presidential slot and not considering a run for the United States Senate, but there's plenty he can do to remain a viable candidate in 2012 - or 2016, if he's really patient.

“Mike Huckabee leaves this campaign in a much stronger position nationally than when he entered it. I believe that his future is now nationally rather than just here in Arkansas,” said Skip Rutherford, dean of the University of Arkansas Clinton School for Public Service and a Democrat.

One thing Huckabee will have to do is the one area where he has little difficulty - staying in the public eye. The Southern Baptist preacher has shown he knows where the cameras are and has been a virtual mainstay on late-night programs such as Comedy Central's The Colbert Report.

Tim Hutchinson, a former senator and one of Huckabee's most outspoken supporters, said the former governor should use that skill to reach out to more conservatives. Hutchinson said Huckabee should follow the model of the Republican party standard-bearer, Ronald Reagan, who wrote opinion pieces and made speeches around the nation after a narrow loss to Gerald Ford for the GOP nomination in 1976.

“Mike Huckabee is the greatest political communicator since Ronald Reagan on the Republican side. He has all those skills to follow that model. He has to stay engaged and he has to be speaking out,” Hutchinson said.

U.S. Rep. John Boozman, the state's sole Republican congressman and another Huckabee supporter, said Huckabee may want to be more than just a guest on the late night circuit.

“I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him with his own television show,” Boozman said.

Most of Huckabee's support in the Republican race came from social conservatives and evangelical Christians who were attracted to his stances on issues such as abortion and gay marriage. Huckabee may have to reach beyond the pulpit for his support the next time, though.

“He clearly has become a new spokesperson for social conservatives nationally over the last few months. I think the natural tendency would be for him to begin writing and speaking tours in that role,” said Jay Barth, a political scientist at Hendrix College and a member of the Democratic Party's state committee. “The problem with that is he will only get further typecast as social conservative, as an evangelical spokesman and he's got to get beyond that base.”

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From The Road Blog: Huckabee's Last Act of Defiance
CBS News reporter Joy Lin reflects on the end of the Huckabee campaign.

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That is what hurt him in New Hampshire, where the appeal he used to win over evangelicals in Iowa may have scared off voters.

“He never was able to show he could be a coalition candidate,” said Dante Scala, a political scientist at the University of New Hampshire. “He never was able to really reach beyond very conservative Republicans.”

Hutchinson acknowledged that Huckabee, who faced criticism from opponents over a record of raising some taxes back home in Arkansas, may have to work harder to assure the economic conservatives that he's on their side.

“I think there is work to be done in reassuring economic conservatives in the party that Mike's populism is not a threat,” Hutchinson said.

Huckabee will also have to work to assure voters that he has a grasp of foreign policy issues and has the gravitas to be the next commander in chief. One of his early stumbles came in January when he told reporters he was unaware of a report the White House had released saying Iran had halted its nuclear weapons program. He also warned that Pakistan is second only to Latin America in the number of immigrants in the U.S. illegally, which is not true.

All of this depends on whether Huckabee thinks his political future no longer lies in his home state. He still has time to file to run against Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor's re-election bid, an option that seems unlikely.

“That's not something he wants to do. He's come off better than a year of a grueling campaign and to jump into an Arkansas Senate race would mean you just keep on going,” said Hutchinson, who lost his Senate seat to Pryor in 2002.

Or, as Huckabee put it, “I'd rather tattoo my body and tour with Amy Winehouse.”

Rutherford said if Huckabee returns to his alma mater, Ouachita Baptist University, to take a long-awaited teaching gig, it would be a signal the former governor is possibly eyeing a 2010 run against Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln instead.

No matter what, he's going to have to change his game, experts say.

“I'm a little skeptical that he has enough juice to run in 2012 just as he is,” Scala said.

[WakeWashington]

Come on now. The Huckster never expaned his base beyond the Evangelicals he was able to whip into a frenzy with an anti-Mormon campaign.

Do the names George Wallace and David Duke ring a bell?

An Evangelical supremist may not be as bad as White supremist, but Huckabee sought the support of both, and largely based his campaign on bigotry.

Republicans unwilling to overlook his flaws always will remember his speech to the Council of Conservative Citizens - the nation''s largest White supremacy group - and his more recent Confederate flag waving.

[bdrlnt4rl]

andyli1004

i guess your advertisement for this online dating service is the same one janet uses?

[hosers22]

Huckabigot should have dropped out months ago. If he had, we would not be stuck with McCain.
If McCain asks Gomer to be his running mate, you''re bound to see an Obama landslide. As it stands now, McCain better pick someone who the conservatives can support or he is toast. Huckaformerordainedbaptistpreacherbee is not the guy.

[bdrlnt4rl]

huck: ''well janet, what shall we do now?''

janet: ''i want to go back to my trailer house in the hills of arkansas and eat squirrel''

huck: ''sounds tasty, maybe i will even go out to the woods and get you a hog''

janet: ''that is wonderful, mike, i am tired and i need to take off my shoes, because you know i hate to wear shoes.''

huck: ''i know, janet, i hate to wear deoderant to, i really miss my trailer''

janet: ''me too. lets not forget to get the moonshine out of the woods, a good stiff drink is just what i need''

huck: ''i know what you mean. lets go back to arkansas where i can brainwash the new babies that have been born, and you know what that means''

janet: ''yes, more people to give us free money!''

[candide777]

I admire Mr. Huckabee because he''''s not a quitter.

Has God forsaken America by turning her over to a liberal president? I believe so.

Posted by Canda3 at 02:32 PM : Mar 07, 2008

First, Huck is a quitter. Did Jesus quit when their was throngs of people, but only two loaves and fishes? Hell NO! Did Huck quit when he was mathematically eliminated? Hell Yes!! Huck obviously lost his faith in God.

Secondly, this clearly proves that God loves liberals and hates conservatives. I praid that God would let the best man get the nomination, and what do ya know? Liberal ol'' McCain got it! Praise the Lord!

[val216]

Canda3, how can you admire Huckabee and blame America for the liberal republican nomination of McCain? Huckabee is the main reason that we are in this mess. Huckabee didn''t have the influence to beat McCain out and he didn''t have the spine to call out McCain for the phony and disgrace to our country that he is. The bottom line is that Huckabee has praised McCain throughout and attacked Romney when he should have been supporting the only true conservative in the race....Romney. I guess it shows that likes attract...liberal McCain and liberal Huckabee. Maybe you forgot about the McCain-Huckabee backdoor deal in West Virginia that gave Huckabee that win....or maybe you forgot Huckabee throwing his influence to McCain in New Hampshire when he knew he didn''t have a chance....or wait maybe you forgot Rev. Huckabee''s religious intolerance along the Bible belt in bashing Romney and his religion. Maybe you should consider the affect of your blind support for Rev. Huckabee before you preach the old ''gloom and doom'' and ''woo is us'' sermons.

[pakaal]

Canda3: "Has God forsaken America by turning her over to a liberal president? I believe so."

You forget that he himself said "the same power that helped a little boy with two fish and five loaves feed a crowd of five thousand people...is the only way our campaign is doing what we''re doing." See, what happens when you blaspheme is you get called on it, God didn''t like Huckabee''s presumption and so his campaign has failed.

If God is subtly manipulating this race, he''s obviously not favoring the Republicans, and since God''s will is by definition the right thing, God must be telling us all that we need to vote for a Democrat. See you at the ballot booth!

[pakaal]

bdrlnt4rl: "it was kind of strange how the freak tornados on fed 5 hit the states huck used his scare tactics and won. makes me scared of huck."

Scared of what, that he''ll use his awesome powers to lose the primary race? He''s done that quite well without the use of any tornadoes.

[pakaal]

%u201CMike Huckabee leaves this campaign in a much stronger position nationally than when he entered it."

Yes, after having been trounced five to one by a Bush stand-in, he''s really looking good these days. Perhaps McCain can give him a cabinet position. DoE chief? There''s a pleasant thought. Not.

[bdrlnt4rl]

ya know, huck says he ran an admirable campaign, but that is a lie. he personally attacked peoples relious beliefs, that is not admirable.

it is amazing that people were actually brainwashed by his preacher act. he just was not genuine. and people are brainwashed to the fact. it is amazing what kind of hold preachers have on people.

[quetzal0666]

Hes going to head his own megachurch now?
fill it up with warmongers? and call it the church of peace???

[Nimfa Feo]

I admire Mr. Huckabee because he''s not a quitter. Americans had made a big mistake.They let a liberal republican win the nomination. He may be a war hero, but he''s not a good role model as a husband.He cheated on his first wife and married his mistress.He''s not totally pro-life.If Obama or McCain wins the general election,America will be doomed.Has God forsaken America by turning her over to a liberal president? I believe so.

[Nimfa Feo]

I admire Mr. Huckabee because he''s not a quitter. Americans had made a big mistake.They let a liberal republican win the nomination. He may be a war hero, but he''s not a good role model as a husband.He cheated on his first wife and married his mistress.He''s not totally pro-life.If Obama or McCain wins the general election,America will be doomed.Has God forsaken America by turning her over to a liberal president? I believe so.

[val216]

Let''s face it. Hucko has been nothing short of a clown throughout this race. His delayed exit from the race reminds me of the lap dog hanging around the family dinner table in hopes for some left over meat scraps to accidentally fall off the table. Don''t get me wrong, I''m not for McCain but, the only thing worse than McCain is a candidate who refuses to understand when he doesn''t have a chance. His delay in exiting has hurt his public image more than it has helped....it has painted him as a dilusional, desperate candidate who will stop at nothing to get a little spotlight and fame.

[bdrlnt4rl]

becauseicare

you are so right on your comments. and it was kind of strange how the freak tornados on fed 5 hit the states huck used his scare tactics and won. makes me scared of huck.

[bdrlnt4rl]

well, maybe a little maturing on his part in the next 4-8 years will help as well, along with gaining some much need religious tolerance might do him some good also. then he might have a fair chance. otherwise, he will continue to be a looser.

[fairmark]

I hope Huckabee promotes the FairTax in Australia and Brazil. Once these countries, who are thinking of this brilliant tax plan, have exploded with prosperity, the U.S. is bound to follow.

[marinepatriot]

Well actually it worked out pretty *** well for Governor Huckabee. He won the most delegates spending the least amount of money to do it. I would say Huckabee won hands down, wouldn''t you?

Wow, I wonder what would happen if this great leader could get his hands on America. I bet he would fix our economy and make America stronger than ever.

But, we don''t want that do we? We want to complain because he has morales, and is Christian, and is a Southerner. We don''t care about any of the real attributes do we?

Well with the media''s help and the vote of the sheeple, we''ve got a Motley Crue running for the top spot. Great job.

[jimfinster]

Hey Huck:

How is that "miracles not math" strategy working for ya? LOL

[singindick]

Whatever Huckabee decides to do, he has thousands of loyal racist rednecks ready to back him and work just as hard for him as they have done this past year....