I have to say that, while I disagree with Mike Huckabee about almost everything, he is a good debater. He’s witty, and quick on his feet.
Unfortunately (and I don’t have a solution to this problem–it’s endemic to a republic) the qualities that are necessary to win the presidency are not necessarily those necessary to be an effective or good president. Bill Clinton is one of the most notable examples of this. Sadly, and conversely, Fred Thompson may be as well, though ironically, if he never becomes president, we’ll never get a chance to find out…
Unlike Jonah, I won’t go so far as to say he lied. I think that he manages to persuade himself at the time that whatever he is saying is true. It’s a trait of an effective sociopath.
Every time I see a Fred policy plan, he seems to have by far the best ideas, and the necessary zeal for reform, on taxes, Social Security and much else. But every time you see him in these TV debates he has the listless air of a bored grandparent at a dreary school play.
…What’s the strategy here? Why does he have great ideas but no campaign?
The notion that journalists are, or should be, or can be “objective” is perhaps the profession’s most fatal conceit. As Virginia Postrel says, what’s important is to be fair, something that they often don’t even attempt, as demonstrated by CNN and its performance in the debates.
He’s just terrible, even when — which is often, once he’s off the subject of the war — I agree with him. His voice is too high, he can’t remember who the Kurds are, and he often comes off like a crazy old man in a bus station.
But that’s good news, in a way. Paul’s doing better than anyone expected. It’s abundantly clear that he’s not doing it on charisma and rhetorical skill. Which means that libertarian ideas are actually appealing, since Ron Paul isn’t. Paul’s flaws as a vessel for those ideas prove the ideas’ appeal. If they sell with him as the pitchman, they must be really resonating. I suspect Paul himself would agree with this analysis. Er, except maybe the bus station part.
I’m glad that someone else listens to this stuff, so I don’t have to.
Oh, and speaking of Ron Paul, check out the video over at Lileks’ place: