I am not sure why paying, or having somebody else pay, $35 per person to the Iowa Republican Party so 2587 people can vote for you at the Iowa State Fair should be a big deal, but the pundits and political junkies say it is, so I guess it is. As a result, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee now has, again according to the pundits and junkies, that greatest of all political gifts: momentum. (To show you how important momentum can be, George Bush {Senior} said he had "Big Mo" after winning the Iowa caucuses in 1980, and he was able to build on that to win the presidency – in 1988.)
In any case, before we get too excited about this new "man from Hope" (yes, Mike Huckabee was also born in Hope, Arkansas), let me mention one story about former Governor Huckabee.
When Governor Huckabee left office in January of this year, he had a problem. He had been governor for over ten years, living in the Governor’s mansion. He was moving into a new 7,000 square foot home, and he did not have enough things to furnish it.
In state like Illinois that would not be a problem. But Arkansas has a law against giving gifts worth more than $100 to elected officials – except for wedding and engagement presents. The solution was easy. Wedding registries were set up at Target and Dillards for Governor and Mrs. Huckabee. The fact they were married in 1974 might have mattered to some people, but apparently not to them.*
When Bill Clinton was running for President, there were stories about people in Arkansas calling him "Slick Willie," but we did not pay enough attention to them. Maybe we ought to ask why some people from Arkansas refer to Mike Huckabee as "the Huckster."
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* According to Wikipedia: "Huckabee claimed that the registries were intended only for those who were invited to [his house warming party], that he was not involved in organizing the event, and that they were classified as wedding registries only because those sites did not have separate categories for housewarming parties." I still think we should ask.
[Title revised 8/21/07 7:25 a.m.]
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