LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Mike Huckabee ended his presidential tease on Saturday night, saying on his Fox News Channel television show that he would not run for the Republican nomination for president next year.Read the rest here.
Huckabee, winner of the Iowa Republican caucus in 2008, had been exploring a bid but said Saturday that he had made a "spiritual" decision not to run.
"All the factors say go, but my heart says no," he said.
Huckabee's decision further muddies the GOP field as the Republican Party seeks a challenger for President Barack Obama.
A prominent social conservative, he ranks high in national popularity polls. And, had he run, he would have been a serious contender for the party nod with instant support among Christian evangelicals who dominate the Iowa caucuses and the early South Carolina primary.
No surprise here at all. Despite the almost rabid hatred for Obama on the far right, I think Huckabee read the tea leaves and realized that 2012 was not likely to be a Republican year. He has a rather comfortable job right now. Why throw it away on a long shot?
The GOP is having a hard time finding serious (as in possessing some level of gravitas) candidates. Opinions from the radical right notwithstanding, Obama is going to be tough to beat next year. This is likely to increase the pressure on Mitch Daniels to run. If he bows out, I don't see any heavyweights left contending for the GOP nomination.
For the record, I kinda like Huckabee, though I have serious problems with some of his political views.
5 comments:
Here in Looneyland (East Texas), almost no one believes that President Obama could ever be re-elected. I tell them that you can't beat something with nothing. And as you point out, right now the GOP has nothing. I predicted a couple of months back that the 2012 GOP ticket will be Romney-Rubio, and that Obama will win 2nd term.
Huckabee is likable enough on a personal level, but his politics--particularly in regard to Israel--are scary indeed.
It is a rather sad predicament. America is saddled with a disaster who should never been elected in the first place. Talk about lack of gravitas! He had no substantive accomplishments to bring any depth to his resume. Delivering speeches is not sufficient. I think the GOP VICE PRESIDENTIAL candidate's claim to foreign policy experience because she could look out her front door to Russia looks pretty good right now. The GOP has several knock-out winners - but they need to do what BHO was too impatient to do: sit tight and deepen their skills. The GOP future looks bright, just not for 2012.
Nikolaus
Nikolaus, I'm not so sure how bright the GOP's future is. Demographically, they are swimming upstream. But I do agree with you that 2016, not 2012, will be their best shot. That said, Palin's credentials look just as flimsy now as they did in 2008.
Sigh. Tina Fey as Palin made the "see Russia from my house" remark. Palin said you can see Russia from Alaska, which AFAIK, you can. In any case, it was probably intended as a metaphorical comment. I'm not a huge Palin fan, but this isn't any worse than "57 states" or the innumerable gaffes Joe Biden comes out with.
I agree with Nikolas, some gravitas and experience would be a welcome relief.
After the egalitarian revolution of the 1960's, I really don't think our institutions are capable of generating what most of us would consider 'statesmen' (for starters, they'd insist on 'statespersons').
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