The Huckster is Out

Today, Pastor Governor Mike "I'm not an extremist because I play bass and I'm folksy" Huckabee announced that he has opted to keep his Fox "News" paychecks coming instead of running for president.  That leaves the GOP field looking more and more like anybody who can possibly win is waiting until 2016.  Let's see, who's left?  There's Mitt "Romneycare funds abortion" Romney, Tim "please don't fall asleep while I'm talking" Pawlenty, Michelle "Lexington and Concord are in Iowa" Bachmann, Herman "I should be president because I talked back to President Clinton one time in 1990something, remember?" Cain, Rick "don't Google my name...please" Santorum, Newt "I committed adultry and divorced my wives over and over again because I love America so much; no really, I actually said that" Gingrich, and...and...and...

"The wedge has lost its edge."

That's a statement made by GOP political strategist Mark McKinnon who worked for G.W. Bush during the 2004 campaign.  He was referring to marriage equality and the Obama administration's decision not to defend DOMA.  An article in today's New York Times makes the case that the fallout from the DOMA announcement has been mininal and gay issues are unlikely to be important in the 2012 campaign.  An excerpt:

"But Republican strategists and gay rights activists said on Thursday that the issue’s power as a political tool for Republican candidates is diminishing. While surveys suggest that Americans are evenly divided on whether the federal government should recognize gay marriages, opposition has fallen from nearly 70 percent in 1996."

I'm not sure I completely buy the article's assertions, but you can read it all here. 


One potential candidate who spoke loudly was Mike Huckabee who said the President "stepped off into a deep hole."  If you have a strong stomach, you can watch him scare the base about gay adoption, marriage, and military service:




Remember, he told Tyra he's not anti-gay.  He speaks with love.  I feel the love, don't you?