I could not agree more with these words from John Mark Reynolds:
“Mike Huckabee will be a major player in the future of the Party, especially if John McCain does not win the fall election. In any case, he should write some serious books, form a think tank to engage young conservatives, and press for a Party that does not leave its base behind……
Mike Huckabee has earned the trust of a plurality of Republican Evangelical voters. He can use that trust to broaden the outlook of his voters and so do well for himself by doing good for them.”
Read the whole thing. The key to Huckabee’s political future is mending fences with sectors of the Republican party which were alienated by his campaign. Though the reminder to consider the poor is needed in Republican circles, his occasional “anti-wealthy” language did not enhance his image (fair or unfair) as one who had questionable credentials as a fiscal conservative. It made him look bitter and petty, and it fit in to the “thin-skinned” stereotype. Lastly, he needs to move his religious base into a conservatism with broader appeal (over at Huckabee’s blog tonight, most commenters are talking about a third party run). Huckabee cannot merely be the “Christian candidate” and win.
Note: I say all this as an evangelical Christian who voted for Huckabee.