abstract
| - by user DNL Bill Clinton was famously referred to as the Man from Hope -- Hope, Arkansas, that is. Now his wife may be running against the next candidate from that same town -- ex-Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee. On Sunday, Huckabee announced his intention to seek the Presidency. After over ten years of service to Arkansas as its governor, Huckabee nonetheless enters as a darkhorse. His social conservative puts him at odds with presumptive front-runners like John McCain and Rudy Giuliani, thereby lumping him in with Kansas senator Sam Brownback. Image:Mike Huckabee.jpg It is Brownback with whom Huckabee will initially compete, as each of them (as well as others) attempt to unify the "religious right" under their candidacy. Huckabee, while an underdog, has two interesting factors which may play to his advantage in a battle versus Brownback: one, he's arguably more electable, having already won over a Democratic-leanding state in two landslide elections; and two, as governor, he has served as in an executive capacity. (Not since JFK has a person ascended to the Presidency without first holding a governorship and/or the Vice Presidency.) Huckabee's entrance, though, is highly suggestive of a party looking for a cohesive voice. The winner of the hard-right camp will undoubtedly face off against the winner of the socially-moderate one, and it is hard to say that either can survive against a Democratic noninee without the support of both branches of the Republican base. Huckabee was honored by Time Magazine as one of the nation's best governors, and his fiscal liberalism (supporting tax hikes for public education and increased insurance) and pro-immigrant policies may be his keys to "running toward the center," while his background as a Southern Baptist pastor will carry the day with others. However, it seems unlikely that Huckabee's minor centrist appeal can overcome his deep conservative resume in a nation-wide election. __NOEDITSECTION__ From The Opinion Wiki, a Wikia wiki. From The Opinion Wiki, a Wikia wiki.
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