Direction of the Republican Party???
I know the CW of the Washington establishment is always soooo right, that we all must assume right now all the friggin' hype about unannounced frontrunners (Clinton, Obama, McCain) are going to win the nominations for their respective parties. But take a look at this article about Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee:
For me that is the potent message that will be a huge thing for the Republican Party in the upcoming election. We are going to see McCain go down in flames because Bush is actually buying his Iraq strategy. Nothing will doom his candidacy more than a message of "no witdrawal without victory" when there really isn't any victory to be actually had and the very strategy he advocated in the first place never really achieves anything (that is if it even happens.... I mean where is the Army going to muster up so many troops? I haven't heard of a boom in recruting these days...)
In other words, in two years (though so far off, anything is possible... except some definite "victory" in Iraq), the Republicans refelcting further on their absence in relevance in public debate on so many issues, I think will look to moderate as quickly as humanly possible. They did so when they nominated Bush for his "compassionate conservatism". It was a reaction to the Republican Congress extreme act of impeaching Clinton, which turned off many voters. And they will do so this time around after losing in grand fashion this year. Iraq will also be moderated, especially if the escalation takes place. McCain, who we can consider the closest thing the Republican leadership has had to moderation in the last 6 years, will look every bit the hardline conservative he is.
Huckabee's my man to watch in '07, for '08...
"I think I would appeal to true conservatives for whom conservatism doesn't mean they're angry at everybody," Huckabee said in an interview with The Associated Press. "My brand of conservatism is not an angry, hostile brand. It's one that says `conservative' means we want to conserve the best of our culture, society, principles and values and pass them on."
For me that is the potent message that will be a huge thing for the Republican Party in the upcoming election. We are going to see McCain go down in flames because Bush is actually buying his Iraq strategy. Nothing will doom his candidacy more than a message of "no witdrawal without victory" when there really isn't any victory to be actually had and the very strategy he advocated in the first place never really achieves anything (that is if it even happens.... I mean where is the Army going to muster up so many troops? I haven't heard of a boom in recruting these days...)
In other words, in two years (though so far off, anything is possible... except some definite "victory" in Iraq), the Republicans refelcting further on their absence in relevance in public debate on so many issues, I think will look to moderate as quickly as humanly possible. They did so when they nominated Bush for his "compassionate conservatism". It was a reaction to the Republican Congress extreme act of impeaching Clinton, which turned off many voters. And they will do so this time around after losing in grand fashion this year. Iraq will also be moderated, especially if the escalation takes place. McCain, who we can consider the closest thing the Republican leadership has had to moderation in the last 6 years, will look every bit the hardline conservative he is.
Huckabee's my man to watch in '07, for '08...
posted by Amos at 9:52 PM
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