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With former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee on the rise in the Republican presidential primary, it seems that voters may be taking note of the candidate's "electability" as well as his superb public speaking skills.
Recently, the media have turned Huckabee into their new "darling" - the candidate who can no doubt muddle the field in the Republican primary. However, with the front-runner status comes the expected criticism not only from his opponents but from the media too.
Very soon, Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney will be on the attack against Huckabee. Because he has surged so strongly and so close to the first primaries, he will undoubtedly be the target of new attack ads and direct attacks from the other candidates. What remains to be seen is whether or not the Huckabee campaign is prepared to respond to these upcoming hit pieces.
Without question, Huckabee needs to be ready for the weaknesses in his record to be brought up. Some people have questions about his record on taxes and fiscal responsibility.
Over the past few weeks, an Internet video has surfaced which shows then Gov. Huckabee suggesting certain types of taxes to increase to the Arkansas state legislature. Undeniably, he will have to answer to these critics.
Furthermore, his "media-darling" status will no doubt come to an end soon as it does with most Republicans.
Because not many Republican politicians are well liked by the media besides the "maverick" John McCain, Huckabee needs to be prepared when his current media support ends. Soon, the media will turn on him and start their assaults on his personal life and political views.
Along with the candidates, the newscasts will eventually turn to criticizing the candidate's record on taxes and other issues. Instead of enjoying a honeymoon campaign, he will need to start answering some tough questions.
Besides this, Huckabee's personal life will be under attack. Because he is a Baptist minister, the media will undoubtedly try to portray him as a religious right extremist who will insert his religious views into his policy.
He will have to prove to the American people that he won't use religion to run the government. Most certainly, Mike Huckabee's campaign will have political cannons pointed at him from all angles.
If his campaign prepares well for the upcoming onslaught that he will have to face, he may actually have a chance at winning the nomination.
Not only is he probably one of the most consistent conservatives out of the field, but he comes across as maybe the best speaker of the crowd. He can explain his message and think on cue better than any of the other candidates.
Impressively, many political pundits agreed that he won the recent CNN/YouTube debate.
In the near future, Huckabee will stop receiving all the perks of becoming a frontrunner and start feeling the drawbacks.
However, if his campaign responds well, he could most definitely become the Republican nominee for president.
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Wow, I love how my original post is gone... I'm glad to see huck doing so well, especially considering what he's up against, money-wise and name-recognition wise. It's nice to see him finally getting attention from the media, and for now it's mostly positive. Thanks for the letter, I was waiting for someone to say something that would get his name out on campus.
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Unfortunately, Mike Huckabee has been trying to prove that he would use religion to run the government. Republicans are wasting their time if they plan to nominate Mike Huckabee. The Christian Right may dominate the Republican party, but by no means do they represent America as a whole. He would not stand a chance against the likes of Hillary. He is probably the worst candidate in the Republican field because: 1)He has based his entire campaign upon his religion 2)He claims to be a Christian, but that conflicts with many of his political views. (Jesus would not support the death penalty under any contorted interpretation of the Bible) 3)He is not a fiscal conservative in any sense of the term. 4)He has zero appeal outside of the Christian Republican group 5)As much as I hate it when people try to dig up dirt on candidates, it was unbelievably bad judgment to let that serial rapist out of prison.
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