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Re: The Limits of the Huckabacklash

By W. James Antle, III on 1.24.08 @ 6:41PM

Three quick points. First, some high-profile conservative Republicans have encouraged evangelical identity politics and victimology (e.g., the War on Christians) when it has been politically beneficial. As Dougherty put it in his piece, "Ironically, the anti-elite posture that Beltway conservatives taught heartlanders to assume when confronting the media or academia has been turned against establishment conservatives themselves."

Second, I think you are misreading Neumayr, who I believe has specific (if unnamed) Huckabee critics in mind. Some of those who attacked Huckabee have been especially eager to excuse the heterodoxies of other Republican politicians. And in a heterodox Republican presidential field, there was always going to be a competition among conservative factions to see which heterodoxies should be disqualifying. Neumayr is defending social conservatism as a requirement for a GOP nominee, not playing the evangelical-as-victim card (he is editor of a publication that isn't evangelical).

Third, I'm not sure all McCain critics will find him as easy to live with as Quin. Nevertheless, I'll repeat once again that I agree that many of the criticisms of Huckabee were legitimate.

topics:
Conservatism