Friday, August 22, 2008

McCain's VP Pick: Romney, Huckabee...?

The Politico has reported a planned meeting with McCain in Missouri of Huckabee and Romney just before the convention and after NcCain’s projected announcement of a running-mate. Actually, I’m pretty weary of all the speculation and supposed eagerness about McCain’s VP pick. Obviously, I’m a big Huckabee fan and would personally think the country would be better off with him poised as an advisor and presumptive heir. And, I also think Huckabee would animate what is as large and vital constituency as either party has: not only for voting themselves but for providing essential campaign elbow grease.

But, I’m also well-aware of the buzz out there for Mitt Romney, which I only marginally understand. To me, Romney is neither philosophically clear nor, partially consequentially, reliable. Actually, I wouldn’t speculate that either will be the pick. And, I wouldn’t terribly blame McCain for passing on Huckabee, even though I think he is manifestly the best candidate, both for the general election campaign and the future of the country. But, the facts are these:

Huckabee and Romney both have large activist Republican followings. However, and if “hate” is too strong a word it is only partially and marginally so, Romney’s supporters hate Huckabee and Huckabee supporters don’t like Romney. That includes me. It has nothing to do with religion and EVERYTHING to do with Romney’s words and actions. Romney strikes me as plainly philosophically ambiguous (and that’s the last thing that McCain needs) and apparently quite politically malleable. Even if he’s entirely genuine is his most recent manifestation (as Dick Morris says: his flip-flop-flip, from A to B and back again) that displays an ambiguous mind and a late embrace of what has been clear as a bell to me for forty years. And, he’s supposed to be this economic genius. Well precisely, he’s proven at the micro-success of individual companies and investors. As for the prosperity of the macro-economy in general and all Americans, I have seen nothing from him. Huckabee on the other hand advocated for The Fair Tax, which would open up both a great capital infusion into the economy and multiply opportunities for everyone. That’s another thing that doesn’t excite me about Romney: he is a caricature of a rich man for the rich that the Democrats will pummel, and they are to some small degree right about that. Heck, they are already trying to portray McCain as an out-of-touch rich man!

But as for Huckabee, there are both LDS people who are (unjustifiably but honestly, I think) distrustful of him, and economic conservatives who bought the phony and unjust “Huckabee’s a liberal” political smears and/or smart at his mere mention of concern for “Main Street” or average people and attention to Democrat-dominated Demographic groups, which are ironically the people that we must sell on conservatism. Obviously, many people on both sides of the Democrat-Republican divide prefer a more conventional blood- hatred: the kind in which both decency and Republicans lose. I think Huckabee can himself, address those populations, and should be charged to do so. But, that may be too complicated for McCain and his advisors.

If Huckabee and Romney are off the table, I’d probably favor Pawlenty.

4 comments:

Daniel Nichols said...

I like your post too man. Keep blogging.
www.thenewconservatives.blogspot.com

Larry Perrault said...

Thanks, nc.652222222222222I see that you are on the HuckPAC Blogroll. I was on the Huckabee for President Blogroll for a year, during which I posted nearly daily.

But, I've relaxed some, since March and have planned for a while to slightly change the flavor of the Blog to posts I can compile for much of a book. I keep thinking of things I want to write, but haven't determined when and where to start. I think I'll just have to start in and rearrange it later, if I need to.

Also on the HuckPAC Blogroll is jews4huckabee.blogspot.com , which was also there during the campaign. The Blogger, Howard Richman, has written a book with his father and son (I believe), that advocates and explains the advantages of some of Huckabee's policies, and suggest some others. It's called "Trading Away Our Future" I bought it through Amazon. I've sent email and called HuckPAC to encourage them to read it.

Unknown said...

Aw come on, aren't you impressed by Mitt Romney: Relating to the People?

Anonymous said...

I have been conservative all of my life, and am very driven by systematic thinking. I saw Romney forall of the campaign and at my state convention. And, I don't see it. I see boilerplate recitation of a windsock measure of conservative hot-buttons, just like his windsock recitation of boilerplate liberal hot-buttons in MA.

Obviously, he's a handsome man with innovative business inclinations, and a great family. But, he came (pragmatically) to decisions in his forties and fifties that I came to systematically as a teenager. Somewhat ironically after his primary season attacks on McCain, the only hope I see for a selection of Romney for VP is McCain's own propensity to occasional philosophical ambiguity.