The Magic of Mike Huckabee

The traditional media loves to swim in schools, following a comfortable narrative.  Once they've decided who is a "maverick," which former mayor has "foreign policy experience" and who is a "popular president," little things like facts aren't allowed to spoil the story.  Every now and then, the school of media fish catch a flash of color and seemingly as one, they flip around and wiggle off in a new direction.  

This week, there seem to be two new narratives on the campaign trail.  One is the sudden discovery of Mike Huckabee.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's surge in Iowa has shaken up the race for the Republican presidential nomination, but it remains to be seen if the folksy Baptist preacher can extend his appeal beyond his populist roots.

In two recent polls, Huckabee has climbed to a "statistical tie" in Iowa, and the press has been eager to launch the story of Huckabee as that funny, unexpected, "second chance from Hope," the guy who came out of nowhere to challenge the big dogs.

However, there's one funny little point missing from the press's Huckagazna.  They seem to have a vague memory that Huckabee came in second at the Iowa Straw Poll three months ago where he showed 18% to Romney's 31%.  (Two of the last three polls had it 24 for Huck, 28 for Willard -- not that big a swing for Chuck Norris' BFF if the Staw Poll can be taken as a measure of activist sentiment).  More importantly, the press is making zero mention of the guy who came in third at the Iowa Straw Poll, Sam Brownback.  In August, Brownback finished only three points behind Huckabee, while drawing from the same RW evangelical base.

In October, Brownback departed the race.  Is it surprising that the Brownback adherents ended up in Huckabee's camp?  It shouldn't be.  Both of them appeal to the same creationist crowd who view Willard as a heretic and Rudy an apostate.  

What's happening in Iowa is not about Huckabee's skills, or his "progressive conservatism" or his two word plan for immigration control.  What's lifting Huck is simply religious bigotry.

Mr. Huckabee’s rise in Iowa — some recent polls now put him in a dead heat with Mr. Romney, who had led surveys for months — has been fueled by evangelical Christians, who believe Mormonism runs counter to Christian orthodoxy.

...

On Monday, Mr. Huckabee, a former governor of Arkansas, raised the stakes when he began broadcasting an advertisement in Iowa that emphasizes his faith and declares him to be a "Christian leader" — all in capital letters — which some might view as a shot at Mr. Romney.

...

Mr. Huckabee’s advisers admit privately they are cognizant of how Mr. Romney’s religion can work against him and how Mr. Huckabee’s evangelical roots are to their advantage at least among some voters. They pointed out, however, that all candidates have aspects of their biographies that can be beneficial or not, depending on the audience.

Notice how readily religious prejudice is justified as a tool of his campaign.  

The real story here is that the press is tired of not having a story.  The Republican race has been so marked by lack of enthusiasm and overwhelming indecision, that they're ready to seize on anything that can be the core of a narrative thread -- no matter how ugly.

So when Republicans start running those ads using sexism against Clinton, or racism against Obama, just remember that "all candidates have aspects of their biographies that can be beneficial or not."