I'm not so much afraid of electability wise, I just thoroughly hate the guy.

Also, you can't be a populist and support the FairTax. It is not only completely horrifically tilted towards taxing work rather than wealth, but it will likely be quite effective in starving revenues needed for social programs.

I kind of feel like quipping, "Oh, but Bush got his dumb-ass elected." But, he did that before there was a President W. Now that President W exists, I think people can be made much more aware of charismatics.

I'm sure there's a way to attack his strengths based on how many black churches he let burn down (I don't know if this actually happened) or how many rapists he turned back onto the streets (this I do know happened) or something like that ...

If we can't beat a creation-believing, rapist-releasing, bible-thumpin' preacher then we have way more trouble than I thought.

I'm not worried at all about him. His goofiness will never get him into the White House.

I'm not worried as long as the powerful 527 Club for Growth hates his guts, and apparently they do.

"Club for Growth.Net will begin running ads on Monday nationwide, urging taxpayers to Call Mike Huckabee and challenge him on his tax policy.

To emphasize Mike Huckabee’s eager support for tax increases, the ad excerpts a 2003 clip of Mike Huckabee rattling off a list of tax increases he deems acceptable. While the former governor will argue that he had no choice and was bound by state law to balance the budget, the 2003 clip is emblematic of Huckabee’s ten-year tenure in which raising taxes was his first resort. Many cities and states have balanced budget laws like Arkansas, but not all governors and mayors embrace higher taxes the way Mike Huckabee did. Some actually cut government spending and waste in order to make ends meet. But under Mike Huckabee’s tenure, the average Arkansas tax burden increased 47%. Mike Huckabee’s support for tax hikes include:

1996 Sales Tax Hike: Huckabee campaigned for an amendment to raise the sales tax
1999 Gas and Diesel Fuel Tax Hike
2001 Cigarette Tax Hike
2001 Nursing Home Bed Tax
2002 Grocery Tax: Huckabee opposed repeal
2003 Income Surcharge Tax
2003 Tobacco Tax Hike
Taxes on Internet Access
2006 Beer Tax: Huckabee opposed letting the tax expire
“Mike Huckabee is telling folks that he cut taxes 94 times, but the truth is, Huckabee’s tax increases far surpassed his tax cuts, and taxpayers deserve to know the truth,” said Club for Growth.Net President Pat Toomey. “The purpose of this ad is to educate taxpayers so they can ask Mike Huckabee why he supported all those tax increases.”

The initial ad buy of $175,000 will run on broadcast TV and statewide cable in Iowa, on statewide cable in South Carolina, and on FOX News nationwide, with an expectation to dramatically increase the buy in the near future. "

http://www.clubforgrowth.net/

Yeah, I'm not worried, either. I hope he gets the nomination not just b/c it'd be nice to beat him, but I actually kind of like the guy, inasmuch as I can like anyone so wildly conservative (on one of those little quizzes he scored the lowest of all candidates for me). I am still under the superficial impression that he's a genuine article, and I respect him for holding his beliefs (and how he presents them) much, much more than those slicksters at the top who pretty much say anything to anyone for the sake of clutching lustfully at power. But in the end I think he's still just way too conservative to pull out a general election win, so no worries.

Of course, that lack of fear is premised on us nominating my guy, or maaaaaaaaybe one or two of the others. If we combine a Huckabee evangelicalism with a Clinton nomination, we're skroooooood.

I dunno, I pretty much have minimal respect for someone that arrives at the wrong answer for general conviction as for pandering.

It's the answer that matters in my mind, not the motivation for having it. At the very least, panderers can be corrected by external pressure. The Bush administration is a testament to just how disastrous true belief can be.

I would also ditto the current Congressional 'leadership' that seems hell-bent on frustrating the public will on Iraq and a couple of other issues.

So in addition to the "real deal" vs. "flip-flop" foolishness in the public discourse that somehow made Georgie boy look better than John Kerry, I think we should pay attention to who causes the flips and flops.

I only fear Giuliani & Thompson, the others all have massive targets on their backs and will be perceived as unelectable against our top Dems.

I think if I was a repub rooting for one of the others I'd be worried about my rethug getting the nom, but am not worried about general election even with Clinton...

I think that nominating a "Christian conservative" candidate would really backfire on the GOP this time around. Especially if that candidate were to face someone as genuinely religious as Barack Obama in the general election.