Divide and Comment
Sarah Posner's latest on Mike Huckabee and his critics is a textbook example of a certain kind of political commentary that is getting dull lately. It's full of interesting information and good quotes but the point is that Huckabee isn't an orthodox conservative on economic or immigration issues and this may sink him. Okay. Posner refers to Huckabee's critics in rather heated terms:
For anyone who wonders why this charmer with a perfect record on the right’s core social litmus tests has not already wrapped up the Republican nomination, they need look no further than the disgruntled uber-conservatives who are spitting mad that Huckabee has been too nice to poor people and foreigners - Sarah Posner
This sort of article could be written from any liberal or conservative perspective. You can imagine this alternative:
For anyone who wonders why this successful mayor with a perfect record on the right’s core economic issues has not already wrapped up the Republican nomination, they need look no further than the disgruntled uber-conservatives who are spitting mad that Giuliani doesn't believe the earth is 6,000 years old and that a clump of cells deserves the same legal rights as a human being.
Now, Sarah Posner may not be writing an easy, opportunistic article. (Something that is awfully hard to avoid doing.) She may find pro-lifers to be misguided but idealistic. Creationists likewise harmless. She may not be tempted to write the above about Giuliani. This isn't about her. But I don't find these articles all that edifying. Hawkish conservatives have written many such pieces about Joe Lieberman, or the Casey's of Pennsylvania. All these articles say is "I, the commentator, find a few ideas of candidate X, a member of the party I normally oppose, admirable. His opponents in that party have base, irrational motives for attacking him. That says something awful about the party I normally oppose. That party only cares about greed/war/white supremacy/killing babies/whatever/
These articles are like the potato chips of our commentary diet. Filling and tasty, but not particularly healthy. And we know how Huckabee feels about empty calories. Here is my take on Huckabee in New Hampshire from this summer.
Michael Brendan Dougherty
in Politics
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This Pew profile says this is the case.
http://pewforum.org/religion08/profile.php?CandidateID=16