Mike Huckabee impresses the hell out of me

[TakingBackSunday]

Don't take this the wrong way:  I don't in any way agree with his basic policies or political leanings.

But the man was just on the Daily Show, and man, if he isn't going to become the face of the new Republican party, I think it's a true shame.  I think the man has shown in the last few months that he is intelligent enough, qualified enough, and cool-headed enough to save a severely dying party.  Him and Jon were having a discussion about gay marriage, and despite his opinions, which I think are archaic, I don't think I've ever witnessed a more intelligent and easy-to-watch debate about a topic so prone to lead to bickering.

He's got a great sense of humor for a politician, and he seems to know how to defend his positions instead of the old tired Republican mantra of yelling, screaming, and turns of the back.  That party really needs to turn to him rather than fucks like Palin or Gingrich.

[Beardo]

Newt Gingrich

[Mandark]

Newt Gingrich

[ToxicAdam]

Is this thread created to troll me?

How can you even mention Palin and Gingrich in the same sentence?

Pshaw

Also, Huckabee is boring.

[Phoenix Dark]

He's funny and honest - when it suits his political goals (in this case looking like a moderate) - and generally likable. Doesn't strike me as the type to twist the knife in someone's back, like say Palin.

He'll be fun to watch in the 2012 debates when Palin and Romney are nuking each other

[Mandark]

Huck openly dissed Romney after the elections, which surprised me.

I'm not sure who it says more about, though.  Everyone running against Romney seems to have come to hate him.

[Phoenix Dark]

He's the universal threat I guess. He's got the money, the looks, conservatives seem to like him, etc. He's got a pretty big chink in his armor though (religion) and his opponents have no qualms in exploiting it.

[Mandark]

Do they really have no qualms exploiting it?  Or did they?  I don't remember any major attacks on his Mormonism, explicit or implicit, during the primaries.

I've also read that evangelical activists are feeling somewhat warmer towards the church of LDS after they went to bat for Prop 8, which is kind of disgusting but also makes sense.

[Phoenix Dark]

hm, rather tame afterall
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2007/12/13/mike-huckabee-says-hes-apologied-mitt-romney-mormon-comments/

*tries to find more subtle insinuations*

[HyperZoneWasAwesome]

anybody catch his show on Fox?  He's more watchable and respectful to his guests then almost anybody else on the network.  There's precious little I agree with him about, but he certainly talks a good game.

[Cheebs]

Hucks show is actually kind of good. He and Bill Maher had a very calm, oddly funny discussion about atheism on it once. I like Huckabee.

[ShogunOfFear]

Huck and Chuck for the win.  Huck can do the talking and well you know what Chuck can do.

[Van Cruncheon]

wait -- human beings like newt gingrich? the same man who thought giving laptops to inner city kids would help poverty? the man who served his wife divorce papers on her deathbed? the man who probably authored the demise of the current republican party?

[Phoenix Dark]

what can i say, he's a man of many interesting ideas 

[Positive Touch]

Mike may be nice and respectful, but he still espouses the same hateful, anti-progressive views that other Republicans do.  He's not a holier-than-thou asshole or a total fraud like we're used to seeing in the GOP, but he isn't really that far removed from them either. 

Also I don't think he'll ever be a real contender until he compromises on his economic views.

[dammitmattt]

Mike may be nice and respectful, but he still espouses the same hateful, anti-progressive views that other Republicans do.  He's not a holier-than-thou asshole or a total fraud like we're used to seeing in the GOP, but he isn't really that far removed from them either. 

Also I don't think he'll ever be a real contender until he compromises on his economic views.

In the same post, you call him anti-progressive AND ask for him to compromise on his progressive economic views.

I actually like Huckabee.  He's a great speaker and carries himself much more impressively than most of the top names in the GOP.  I don't agree with him on many issues (particularly social issues), but I do have a certain fondness for him.

[siamesedreamer]

Great guy, but way too much of a populist.

[Cheebs]

Great guy, but way too much of a populist.

The republican party needs to become more populist to survive. The traditional small government tendencies of the past really don't seem to fit in in this era. People want stuff from the government again. Probably the most widespread demand for govt. to spend money since the 60's.

[Mandark]

wait -- human beings like newt gingrich? the same man who thought giving laptops to inner city kids would help poverty? the man who served his wife divorce papers on her deathbed? the man who probably authored the demise of the current republican party?

Republicans who, for whatever reason, can't stand the current GOP like to imagine a previous golden age of principled conservative leadership.  That way the current problems are issues of deviation, rather than the logical conclusion of American movement conservatism.

Goldwater, Reagan, and Gingrich are the holy trinity.  Every editorial or blog post about getting back to conservative roots will cite at least one of the three, usually involving a lot of revisionism.

[TVC15]

I heard that Mike Huckabee is a secret Muslim, and that his wife's an atheist.