i'm not voting for his jimmy carter ass so i don't know who is either. mitt and juliani are looking better and fred is looking the same. he is looking great!

I think perhaps it is the fact that Huckabee appeals to the elements of the Republican party that do not troll about on the internets as much. Also, Huckabee seems like a genuinely likeable fellow, unlike much of the Republican candidates. Fred Thompson might be a bit too imposing for our friends of a weaker constitution.

Nothing personal, but there's almost no correlation between what web regulars think and reality...ever. That's why message boards have never worked, and also why Kos kids think they're in the norm.

If the blogs and websites were an even remotely accurate portrayal of average Americans, Howard Dean would be president.

Huckabee:

There is a lot to like. There is more to hate.

I always go with hate.

Huck's popularity is fleeting.

This is just blowback from the goobernatorial pie eating contest held at the Iowa State Fair in 2006.

If Huck gets nominated, and Hillary doesn't, I'm moving to Australia (unless by some miracle, a third party wins). If Hillary does get nominated, I'll vote for her. I figure pure evil is better than pure stupid.

Seriously, I've never felt so separated from the Republican party. The only "Republican" trait Huck has is that he is strongly Christian, and he keeps putting it in our faces. I don't mind a Christian President (obviously, since I support Fred) but I do mind a theocratic twit President.

I don't know what's scary about Huckabee. Some things I agree with him on; some I disagree with. Same as any other (Republican) candidate, save two (see below).

I also don't know why Fred Thompson would be considered 'unlikable'. Any guy whose central message is "I'll secure our borders, go after our enemies, and otherwise leave citizens alone" seems pretty damn likable to me.

The only two that would drive me to third-party-land in 11/08 are Romney and Paul - particularly and especially Romney. No, his being a Mormon has nothing to do with it. He just creeps me out in a major way.

I also don't know why Fred Thompson would be considered 'unlikable'. Any guy whose central message is "I'll secure our borders, go after our enemies, and otherwise leave citizens alone" seems pretty damn likable to me.

Same here MI...Fred's looking better all the time as the others show their true colors.

Heh, post title: mistakenly read it as "Silent BUT Deadly"

My grandparents LOVE Huckabee. Also, they don't know how to get on the internet. The Huckabee fans are from a different generation, a generation that is not well informed and lets media polls and religion dictate who they vote for.

Hopefully, more young people will come out and vote this time. Usually the percentage of young voters is very low, less than half were even registered to vote in 2004. The baby boomers out number us and out vote us. If we increase the number of young voters, you'll see very different numbers.

The polls are BS, anyway.

I think the first caucus will surprise everybody.

As far as Fred goes, he is so boring. Even if his message is good and the others look like jerks, nobody even notices him. He needs to speak up and be seen, otherwise he has no chance in hell.

It's entirely because Huck supports the FairTax.

I also don't know why Fred Thompson would be considered 'unlikable'. Any guy whose central message is "I'll secure our borders, go after our enemies, and otherwise leave citizens alone" seems pretty damn likable to me.

That scares the hell out of everyone depending on the government to take care of their every worry. And after a few generations of Socialists controlling the government schools that is most people. So there ya are.

Anyway I think the Huckaboom is a good thing. Hey, put down the bricks and listen up!

Somebody had to put Romney out of the game or the race was going to be Rudy Vs Mitt by the time NH was done. Conventional politics always comes down to cash and Romney has virtually unlimited amounts to keep himself in the game with. But Huck and the fundies don't work that way. So with his one advantage neutralized Mitt is likely toast since his entire game plan was win IA and NH and ride the fawning press accounts of those wins.

And at any rate, there is a lot to nice things to be said about Huck. As a practical matter I think he has the best shot at winning a general election. I know that isn't what the pollsters and 'experts' say but they are usually full of BS.

It comes down to Huckabee being perfectly suited to deal with either Hillary or Obama. Send Rudy or Fred up against either and WHEN he bitchslaps em they will play the woman or race card and trump the fact he will have been factually correct. Huckabee has the ability to win an argument but in a nice way and has almost the same teflon armor Bill Clinton has, must be something in the water.

No, I don't like some of Huckabee's positions and even more disturbing is a growing unease at where his core values are. But I really think he can WIN. And the FairTax is certainly a good idea, and yet another good club to beat Hillary or Obama up with.

And just as full disclosure, here is how I rank the field:

Huckabee: Best shot to be elected in a general. Serious problems with issues.

Fred!: Would make the best President if he could pull off a win... of course he first has to get nominated which is proving no small task.

Rudy: I could vote for him. If he would pledge that while he won't change his positions he understands he isn't getting a mandate from Repuiblicans to push a gay rights and gun grabbing agenda and will just let those issues lie, I'd be a supporter.

Mitt: Trojan horse MA Liberal in Republican clothes. I'd still vote for him over any of the Dims but I'd hold my nose while doing so.

McCain: As RAH said, I will vote for a dunderhead of my own party vs a genius of the opposite one but I won't vote for someone who is a menace to our form of Government. "What part of Congress shall make no law..." does McCain have English comprehension problems with?

Paul: If he were a non-idiotarian Libertarian in Republican clothing I'd vote for him. Alas....

Huck's supporters are unfortunately poorly informed of his record, and his real apparent lack of understanding of what is going on in the world at large. Seriously the guy reminds me of Carter back in 76, and I can't begin to tell you how much that scares me. I am a Christian, but still I can tell you that voting for(or against) a man solely because of his claimed faith is a HUGE mistake!

I AM well informed of his record. I do not appreciate that it is implied that I am ignorant because I support the man.

It is simply that I have decided that I trust the man when he says he what he will do, and I agree with him on MOST issues.

I AM well informed of his record. I do not appreciate that it is implied that I am ignorant because I support the man.

It is simply that I have decided that I trust the man when he says he what he will do, and I agree with him on MOST issues.

Double posts make me sad. :( Sorry.

I didn't accidentally support him by eating at Applebee's today, did I? Immense would be my shame.

I think we need to take an IMAO dessert poll:

Who wants pie? (Huckster votes)
Have a Rice Krispy treat? (Romney votes)
Today is a good day to die! Give me gagh and Klingon blood wine!(Ronulans)
How about some donuts? (Giulianni's backers)
No sweets for me, I'm on a diet. (McCain)
Let's say we skip dessert and go straight to the cigars and brandy, then kill some terrorists (Fred Thompson supporters)

This would probably be as accurate as anything Gallup or Zogby do.

Throw your dog a Huckabee. Dogs love 'em.

#13 - Posted by: Rob on December 11, 2007 06:13 PM
So.. you are for murders being granted clemency? Oh, do you mean you support government scholarships for illegal immigration, or maybe you mean 'talking' to Iran instead of taking a strong stance against them? Maybe its the taxes you like? Oh, maybe its women taking a subordinate role in a marriage?

Honestly, which of his policies do you support? The Fair Tax and his immigration reform? Both of those were stolen ideas for political expediency, how devoted to those do you really think he is?

John Morris (#11),

I completely agree with you. I have been a Thompson supporter since 6 months before he announced, I donated money the first day of his campaign, and I bought 2 of the IMAO T-Shirts as soon as they came out. But, I just don't think he can win now that he has decided to pull back in New Hampshire and focus on Iowa and South Carolina - he'll lose badly in Iowa, and lose his remaining momentum by the time South Carolina rolls around.

I've tried to warm up to Mitt Romney. Really, I've put in major effort! Alas, he still gives me the creeps even after several shots of liquid courage. I don't trust Guliani to appoint constitutionalist judges or support gun rights, and McCain is a non-starter.

Huckabee has made a lot of mistakes in the past, but he is saying the right things now and I believe that he is good for his word. He isn't known for lying to get elected and then back-stabbing supporters after the election. In Arkansas he ran a Democratic state that had a tax and spend legislature - his tax increases were forced by democrats. There is no reason to believe he'll raise federal taxes once he's President. His record is A LOT better than Romney's!

Huckabee is incredibly likable, and will trounce Hillary in 2008. Picture their first debate: he's staying positive and friendly [Grandmas will coo when he gets that dimple in his right cheek when he smiles], while Hitlery shills socialism with the warmth of a vampire queen.

At this point, I'm hoping for Huckabee/Thompson vs. Clinton/Obama in 2008. Both the Presidential and Vice-Presidential debates will be awesome!! We'll still get to watch Thompson clean the floor with commies, and we'll avoid the appointment of activist judges out to wreck American exceptionalism.

Huckabee: Like #14 and 15, I also believe what Huckabee says. I'm disturbed that he is making an issue out of religion (even though I support his religious beliefs in general) and attacking Romney for his religion (there's so many other things to attack Romney for since he's the Republicans' John Edwards). I'd vote for Huck.

Fred!: Totally agree that Fred probably would make the best president out of the lot, but he can't keep his foot out of the doo-doo and he's just not showing strong enough to win. I'd vote for him.

Rudy: I think Rudy has the best chance to win against the Democrats because he's "so in the middle". I don't care for most of Rudy's social policies but I think he's the one person that could bring the country back from its deep political divide. I'd vote for him.

Mitt: So undecided about Mitt because for some reason, I don't believe him but I think he's getting a bad rap for being Mormon. While I disagree with the religion, I don't think someone's religion is a presidential issue unless it interferes with allowing freedom in religion for Americans. I'd unwillingly vote for him, but he simply can't win.

McCain: I totally remember his votes on illegal immigration and therefore refuse to cast a vote for him. I would vote 3rd party.

Paul: NO WAY! He can't possibly win, but if he did, I'd campaign against him and never vote for him.

IMO, the reason for Hucks rise is just that a awful lot of Republicans look at the current field and think "What the heck, I thought I was in a conservative party." So any new candidate that comes along and gets some press gets a huge boost while people look them over just hoping that maybe it is a conservative. Then when the new candidate turns out to be just more of the same the boost will go away.

As for Fred, everyone is rightly down on McCain but forget that Fred is the exact same as McCain just not as easy to push his buttons.

Its really simple: A vote for the Huckster is a vote for Jesus.

At least that seems to be what the Huckster is saying. He is being a minister and pushing the faithful to act. He has a lot of practice at that.

Some Christians are pretty smart, but many are just Christian because it doesn't require any real mental effort. They have been trained to do whatever a preacher tells them to over the years.

Creepy but true.

Huckabee is the Southern Democrat, oops I mean Republican version of Jimmy Carter. Yep, he's likeable, in a Southern hospitality, come on in, please have a seat, and have some pie kind of way.

I don't fear him becoming a President at all (there's no chance against is colleague from Arkansas). I am terrified that he might get the nomination based on his, "I'm religious, a nice guy, and please don't look at my squishy past performance, just trust me" personality.

Huck, hmm, well I first liked him when I heard about his "Tax Me More" fund back in 2001, and with his support of the FairTax, I think most fiscal attacks are unfounded. Yes, he has supported some few tax increases, but by and large he seems to be fiscally sound. I'd rate him good in this category.

I've not heard him propose any bone-headed ideas about Iraq and the WOT, while at the same time sounding the typical Republican position on this issue, ie let's finish the fight right. I think his stance on Gitmo is not detrimental, though perhaps it really won't produce his desired effect, ie getting it out of the spotlight. Nothing to get worked in this department.

Immigration. Well, yes, I am concerned. His current proposals look nice, but it's hard to ignore his record as gov. Uncomfortable.

Crime/Law and Order. Yeah, his clemency numbers are quite high. But he also supports the death penalty, having authorized such penalty many times as governor. I obviously don't know the details about the cases but I am a little conflicted on how to judge his standing in this category.

His AIDS views are maybe understandable from the early 90's, but he may be vulnerable to severe general election blow back if he has many more of his odd sayings left uncovered at that time.

Overall, I think he got me at the FairTax, and all the rest hasn't dissuaded me yet. We'll see what drudge and all the rest of Huck's enemies dig up in the next few weeks. He's not perfect, but then no candidate will ever quite match any one person's expectations. Currently I'm in the Huckabee camp, but that could change if something big comes out in the constant stream of negative press he's been getting.

I've said it before and I'll keep saying it until after he's gone, Huckabee was the Governor of ARKANSAS. We've beem there done that, made the move, got the Tee-shirt, read the script and fired the the writers. Remember what that was like. Yes I know the Reverend Governor claims to be a conservative republican. Bill Clinton claimed to be a moderate. He claimed to love and respect his wife. He claimed to be the President of all the citizens of this country, not just the ones who paid to sleep in the Lincoln bedroom and who bought state secrets.

Apparently this is how they do politics in Arkansas. Just like in Chicago where they vote early, vote often, and some even vote dead.

I'm voting for Fred. If he's out, I'm voting for Rudy. If he's out, I'll vote for anyone except Mitt or Ron Paul. If Mitt is the nominee, I will leave the party. Seriously. I've voted for every (R) candidate in every election for 27 years and if we nominate that pandering, Clintonesque, white-bread dorkwad then I quit.

Huckabee? Whatever. I think all the objections about him are a tempest in a teapot.

Wow, as other commenters have suggested, this is really very easy to understand. Any confusion about Huckabee's rise really does reflect a serious and troubling political shortsightedness. Huckabee's success boils down to exactly one thing: He is the candidate with the history, personality and positions traditionally most appealing to Republican voters. He's a successful governor (Americans hate congressmen, absolutely hate them), he has the would-you-want-to-have-a-beer-with-him factor, he has legitimate and impressive Christian credentials, he has a personal-redemption story with the weight loss, his social-conservative record is impeccable, he loves guns, and he is very very fiscally conservative. That's what Republican voters want. No other Republican candidate can claim all those things. What's so tough to comprehend?

I would be terrified if Huckabee were to win the presidency, and yet his success right now gives me renewed faith in the democratic process. Here's an unknown guy who by all rights and measures should win the Republican nomination -- and hey, he might win the Republican nomination, despite having started out with no money or popular support or powerful friends or name recognition. He's where he is simply by being the most appealing candidate. That's the way it should work, and I'm shocked and pleased that it's the way it seems to be working.

This is what happens when the elites decide who we are suppose to vote for and we tell the elites to get bent... A guy like the Huckster comes along and throws a wrench into the works... Now we are left with a field of bad candidates other than Fred Thompson and he's going to have to destroy a couple of front runners to get this thing back on track. I think Fred should just tell Mitt and the Huckster to Quit Now...they will each shit themselves and drop out and then Fred can go about winning this thing...

"Silent and Deadly". You compared Huckabee's supporters to a fart? Thats insulting... to the fart.

Fred is still my first choice, but I could see myself voting for Huckabee and probably will since I don't think Fred's going to survive Iowa. Even if he does, he's running behind crazy Ron Paul in NH, and the media will pretty much declare his candidacy dead after that.

I find Rudy unacceptable because he's a lib on social issues, and his personal life tells me he's a man of low character. Romney is unacceptable because he belongs to what I consider a cult and he's really a lib in conservative's clothing. McCain is unacceptable because he's McCain.

There are the things that give me reservations about Huckabee. I'd like to hear more justication on some of the clemencies he's granted. The stuff about Wayne Dumond is a lot of leftist distortion.

His policies on illegal immigrants were wrong, but he's on the right track now, and the founder of the MInutemen has endorsed him.

On Cuba, my opinion is, yes, he gets it. 50 years of sanctions has just made Castro stronger. (incidently, a lot Republican governors are for open trade with Cuba. It is only because the national party kow-tows to the angry immigrants in Florida that we have this idiotic policy continue.)

Iran- Hate to say this, but we can't subdue Iraq after five years, we certainly aren't going to subdue Iran which is three times bigger.

Some of the complaints about him seem petty - that he's too Christian, that he's from Arkansas, that he lost weight and is against smoking.

Huckabee always struck me as a bit disingenuous, though not nearly to the same degree as weasel-like Romney who can't answer a straight question. But yeah all this stuff coming out recently has me not even considering him.

As an Arkansan, I always thought Mike was an ok governer, but wouldn't stand a chance in a national election. But I must admit, right now he looks like the smartest guy in the room.

The guy speaks really well and he's not trying to "out-conservative" the other guys... That wil probably play well to the "I'm a moderate" crowd.

Personally, I'd like more of a Reaganesqe conservative... but I don't see one on the stage... I was really excited about Fred, but he seems almost silent? When's he gonna kick it in

I'm an Evangelical Christian who attends a Baptist church. Unfortunately there are a lot of Baptists that will vote for Huckabee because he is a Baptist.

Basically they are ignorant about the policy points I deem important. They know they are ignorant so they will vote on what they know, i.e. "he's a Baptist Minister".

It drives me nuts. Many of these make decisions on emotion and not evaluated fore thought.

Unlike women who take offense when you point out the failings of American women as a whole, I am ashamed of these ignorant Evangelicals and I tell everyone of them who will listen.

Remember Jimmy Carter.

Huck is not a bloody conservative. He raised taxes (remember what we did to George Sr over that? And that was even knowing that the Dems and stabbing him in the back about it... Huck doesn't really have the excuse). He grants pardons to convicts who claim to have 'found Jesus' without any consideration to the victims or to the fact that they might be lying, and he is almost as bad a McCain on illegal aliens.

I agree with quite a bit of the comments left here. And while I would love to see Fred leading the pack, he's not. I am really disappointed in his performance up to this point. I really thought he was going to hit the ground running and show the country an honest platform of conservative values. But IMHO he seems content to sit back and watch the other boys play. He just doesn't seem that determined to win and to bring change.

And that leaves me pretty disillusioned. I really can't say I like any of the other candidates that much

The way I look at it is this: Huckabee would be a lot like having another Bush term. I don't like that idea -- frankly, I'd take most of the (R) frontrunners over that, maybe even Rudy. Look at the facts -- he's pretty good (but not great) on defense, waffles a bit on spending/taxation, conservative about social issues, flaunts his religion, sucks on immigration. I don't like the guy, but just think how the KosTards would froth at the mouth. Heh, I can't help but smile when I think about it...

I agree with both slaphappy1975 (#33) and Matteus (#36) - what happened to Fred? Seriously. Mr. Thompson has the cleanest record of anybody running (even if that's because it is the lightest one), the strongest ideas, and the most ardent adherence to strong conservative (nee Republican) values. He is simple and clearly honest, appears to have nothing to hide, and so many people WANT him to go for it. So, where is he? Mr. Thompson has the power to do what no other candidate on either side can do, and that is to solidify the nation once again behind a strong leader. Besides that, he is the only person in the GOP pack with enough gravitas to actually make people think about what they're choosing in a leader. The rest would "do no harm" at best, and some would send us sliding backward (including Huckabee).

Frank, you follow this most closely, fill us in. Where is our Fred? What happened?

I am appalled and saddened by what I see going on in the Republican race for President. Mitt Romney makes a speech to unite Americans of all faiths...Mike Huckabee uses his bully pulpit to smear Mormons and divide people of religion. Huckabee surges in the polls. Where is common decency? Which of these candidates is showing Christlike behavior?

Do we want someone running for president, and possibly becoming our president, who works to divide our people even more than we are now divided? I am deeply worried about the direction we are going.

Carolee