Huckabee Watch

Bold predictions have paid off in the past here, but the last major one — that Huckabee would place 2nd in New Hampshire — seems pretty silly in retrospect. That said, Huckabee was still a big winner in New Hampshire. Mitt Romney is damaged goods, and Huckabee gets to take on McCain in a southern state where McCain has had trouble before.

Today brought news of Thompson becoming very aggressive against Huckabee. Having performed poorly in Iowa and New Hampshire, this is Thompson’s last chance. Huckabee has engaged Thompson, which could potentially sink them both if McCain can seize the “higher ground” amidst a Thompson/Huckabee spat.

Our friend Max Brantley honed in on exactly what’s on our minds these days, and summarized why this blog exists:

Arkansas is a microcosm of the national electorate. Win Arkansas – with its blend of blue dog Democrats in the east and south, yellow dog Republicans in the Northwest, yellow dog Democrats in some locations and many swing independents – and you are likely to win it all. That’s been true for about four decades.

Huckabee has demonstrated appeal here. He’s the prototype of a candidate able to replicate a winning Southern strategy — government-friendly, gun-toting, gay bashing, abortion hating. Democrats best be careful what they wish for. And Republicans need not fear Huckabee. He’ll be very happy to keep the Wall Street greedheads happy.

The talking heads should just yield to Brantley whenever it comes to Huckabee discussions. The Arkansas Times’ coverage of our former governor is unmatchable. Every scandal that’s broken since Huckabee announced was originally brought to light by the Arkansas Times.

CNN just called it for him. Can’t say we’re surprised.

Benjamin Franklin once reportedly quipped, “Never pick a quarrel with someone who buys their ink in barrels.”

Nowadays, that adage can be extended to other forms of media: cable news, blogs, and — especially for conservatives — radio.

Emboldened by his sustained momentum in the face of snipes from the Left and Right, Huckabee’s campaign is cavalierly dissing Limbaugh. It started with a quote attributed to an unnamed “ally” within the campaign:

“Honestly, because Rush doesn’t think for himself. That’s not necessarily a slap because he’s not paid to be a thinker—he’s an entertainer. I can’t remember the last time that he has veered from the talking points from the DC/Manhattan chattering class. If they were praising Huckabee, he would be too.” “Also, I have to think that he’s dying to have Hillary in the White House. Bill Clinton made Rush a megastar. Having another Clinton back in power would make him the Leading Voice of the Opposition once again.”

When seeing this, I immediately thought, “Romney.” I thought it was pretty clever, too. So far, they’ve done a spectacular job at shoring up establishment support, even without The National Review endorsement. Drudge certainly hasn’t held back in linking to negative stories on Huckabee, leading many to assume he’s in the tank with Romney.

(more after jump…)

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A few predictions for this week:

• John McCain’s poll numbers will rise in New Hampshire and Iowa
• Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney’s numbers will stay where they are in Iowa
• Romney will remain stagnant or fall in Iowa
• Ron Paul will rise in New Hampshire
• Giuliani will fall in South Carolina and New Hampshire
• Romney might cry again