Huckabee Watch



Challenging conventional wisdom

Max spits some truth

Our friend Max Brantley honed in on exactly what’s on our minds these days, and summarized why this blog exists:

Arkansas is a microcosm of the national electorate. Win Arkansas – with its blend of blue dog Democrats in the east and south, yellow dog Republicans in the Northwest, yellow dog Democrats in some locations and many swing independents – and you are likely to win it all. That’s been true for about four decades.

Huckabee has demonstrated appeal here. He’s the prototype of a candidate able to replicate a winning Southern strategy — government-friendly, gun-toting, gay bashing, abortion hating. Democrats best be careful what they wish for. And Republicans need not fear Huckabee. He’ll be very happy to keep the Wall Street greedheads happy.

The talking heads should just yield to Brantley whenever it comes to Huckabee discussions. The Arkansas Times’ coverage of our former governor is unmatchable. Every scandal that’s broken since Huckabee announced was originally brought to light by the Arkansas Times.

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Does Wayne Dumond matter?

Murray Waas over at Huffington Post has been on Huckabee’s case this week regarding Wayne Dumond. This will not sink Huckabee. These allegations were addressed during the 2002 governor’s race. The stakes are higher. So is the scrutiny Huckabee will have to overcome. Yet, even with these new revelations, this is an old story.My friend Max Brantley at the Arkansas Times seems to think this may have a bombshell quality to it:

This is powerful stuff. People who were Huckabee’s people essentially say 1) he’s a liar; 2) he knew Dumond was a multiple offender 3) he worked for Dumond’s freedom anyway.

Big.

My suspicion is that the average Iowan GOP caucus-goer (or undecided American voter) isn’t digging deeper than the mainstream media’s Dumond narrative — a narrative Huckabee has already weathered. These new details won’t affect that, but simply confirm what most political observers in Arkansas already knew: While governor of Arkansas, Huckabee made a decision that was at least regrettable and at most a disturbingly callous abuse of power. I think it was the latter, and I’m not attempting to defend Huckabee in any way, but I don’t think it will stop him from getting the nomination.

What do you think? Could Dumond kill Huckabee in Iowa?

UPDATE:

A tipster to the Arkansas Times Blog has spotted Mike Isikoff roaming around downtown Little Rock

Spotted on the streets downtown — Newsweek’s Mike Isikoff, captain of the panty posse during the late great Whitewater Etc. snipe hunt. His presence — and that of other Newsweek writers — indicates a cover story might be in the works. More hype? Or a little something contrarian? We’ll see. Presumably Butch Reeves is now on Mike’s to-see list.

Max beat me to the punch in predicting a Huckabee cover on Time or Newsweek sometime before Christmas.

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