Posted by
The Old Whig on Saturday, February 02, 2008 10:04:32 PM
Originally posted on The Conservative Front.
Why is Mike Huckabee still in the race for the nomination? There is
really no way he can win the nomination–he just hasn’t demonstrated
that he has the needed support. So you have to ask, what does his
refusal to give up the race say about him? Although several reasons
have been discussed as to why he has not dropped out yet, I think an
analysis will show that Mike Huckabee is in it for his own political
gain.
Some common thoughts on Huckabee:
1. He is in it because he doesn’t like Mitt Romney. There are several
reports abroad about Huckabee’s dislike of Mitt. What are they rooted
in? Does Mike see Mitt as a threat? That’s likely, considering that
Mitt has a much broader base of support. Mitt appeals to Conservatives
of all stripe (at least, the honest ones), and to moderates.
Huckabee may have inadvertently given away his innermost thoughts
when he made statements disparaging Mitt’s religion. Many evangelical
Christians don’t like Mormons simply because of their perceptions of
Mormonism as a cult, accurate or not.
2. He is in it because he believes that John McCain is the best
candidate for the position. This is what many of McCain’s supporters
are saying. They believe Huckabee is in it to act as a spoiler in favor
of McCain.
There are a couple of ways to look at this. Let’s suppose we poll
Huckabee’s supporters and determine to which candidate they would throw
their support if he were no longer in the race. If most of his support
would shift to Mitt, then Huckabee is implicitly denying Mitt the
support he might otherwise have had. In other words, he is toying with
the voters. In my opinion, that’s not very gracious.
On the other hand, if Huckbee’s support would shift to McCain, then
it makes no sense at all for Huckabee to stay in the race; McCain would
have an even larger lead than before, and it would be counterproductive
for Huckabee to remain. And if McCain really is the best candidate, why
doesn’t Huckabee drop out and let the voters prove it?
Personally I think he has not dropped out so that he can act as a
spoiler against Romney (whom both he and McCain personally dislike),
ingratiate himself to John McCain, and win the nod for VP. Really,
nothing else makes sense. Huckabee wants a way in, and he sees a way by
throwing Mitt Romney under the bus for John McCain.
The problem with this is two-fold. First it is not very
“Republican.” Many Conservatives may see it as a violation of
Conservative principles. Second, he would be joining a ticket that will
not lead to the White House. A McCain/Huckabee team would not be enough
to overcome Hillary or Obama (or both, Heaven forbid).