November 26, 2008
Ross Douthat on Huckster vs. Saracuda
I like Ross Douthat, but it seems to me he mostly misses the mark in this column:
I'd say the difference has more to do with the fact that Huckabee was running in a primary campaign, when both he and his Republican opponents had an interest in highlighting his deviations from party orthodoxy - in his case, to win favorable press coverage and separate himself from the also-ran pack; in their case, to undercut his appeal among ideological conservatives. Palin, on the other hand, was dropped straight into a general-election campaign, which created a completely different dynamic. Since she was standing in the way of Barack Obama's coronation, she took immediate and constant fire from liberals in a way that Huckabee never did, which endeared her instantly to conservatives who might otherwise have looked askance at her gubernatorial record and occasional campaign-trail deviations from the right-wing line.As I've noted before, I believe there are true core philosophical differences between Huck and Palin. Despite his quasi-reaganesque rhetoric, Huck is clearly on the left of the Republican continuum on everything but the social issues. I don't see that in Palin at all, and I think her record in Alaska belies any claim that she is a tax-and-spender.
Your thoughts?
By Ragnar Danneskjold, Typical Bitter Gun-Clinger at November 26, 2008 02:26 PM | | l digg this
