Well, thanks to finals/Christmas/and my grandmother's 90th birthday party out in the Rocky Mountain West, I haven't really had a chance to update the ol' Huckablog.
And a hell of a lot has happened!
The most common refrain I've been hearing from folks since Iowa has been compliments on having "called it" way back in March of 2007. (And, frankly, I'm a little scared that I actually managed to perform a good political prognostication! I kid, I kid.)
But now that Huckabee has won Iowa, there's more to be done. In tonight's Fox News debate, I think Huck defended himself with grace and wit against a stunning attack by Fred Thompson, who delivered a fusillade of negativity in the Governor's direction without any fact-checking. I particularly enjoyed it when Thompson denounced the Governor for wanting to ban smoking. Huckabee supports banning smoking on public property, something even someone who enjoys a fine cigar now and then like myself can support.
Huckabee had an excellent point about how high the standards are now for conservatives running for office. And he's right that Reagan raised taxes in California, and I'm sure it wouldn't matter how much Governor Reagan would talk about tax cuts, there would undoubtedly be elements of the GOP opposed to him for "not being small government enough."
One thing that concerns me about FDT's attacks are that Thompson will be pouring multitudes of cash into TV ads in South Carolina in an attempt to present Huckabee as a tax-hiking, soft-on-crime liberal. Never mind that FDT's biggest legislative accomplishment was probably voting to extend the lunch hours of the Senate cafeteria so he could get a nap after his sandwich (and to pre-empt any Fred Heads, yes, I know he created the Department of Homeland Security...and...and...).
We'll have to see if Huck and Co. can drum up any more brilliant one-shot ads (such as the Chuck Norris or Christmas pieces) which can break through the wall of Frediness as assuredly as they knocked down Romney in Iowa. He'll also have to find a way to blunt McCain's post-NH surge in South Carolina polling.
Here's my take:
FADE IN
On the floor of the United States Senate. Desks are toppled over, papers are strewn everywhere.
VOICE OVER: Some folks arrive in Washington, and they really make a mess of things. They vote against tax cuts in hard times when people need more money in their pockets. Or maybe, they just don't seem to do much at all.
Mike Huckabee, dressed in a black suit with a red-tie, walks in through the center aisle. As Huckabee walks past the desks and papers, they right themselves, papers falling into order. After a beat or two, Huckabee has arrived near the front of the room, with just one row of desks in disarray.
MIKE HUCKABEE: We've had too much of Beltway insiders dictating terms to those of us who have done all we can to defend conservatism at the grassroots. It's time for a change. It's time to stand resolute for our core values: low taxes, defending freedom at home and abroad, and protecting unborn life. Not all of the candidates have always stood for those values, but I have.
Huckabee walks forward. The front row of desks reassembles. He turns around to view the room (and the camera pans so we see Huck's profile) and smiles.
VOICE OVER (with title card): Mike Huckabee. Proven Leader. Authentic Conservative.
