Huck Navigates Tricky New Trail

Rich: Huck's 'politics of joy' temporarily trumping his rivals' 'Nixonian gloom'

(NEWSER) - What explains Mike Huckabee’s sudden transformation from long-shot hopeful to polling contender nipping at Giuliani’s heels? It’s not just tardy rallying of the religious right behind the Baptist preacher, argues the New York Times' Frank Rich, but Huck’s Obama-esque rejection of the Rudy-Romney “calling cards of fear, torture, and nativism” and gentle, non-partisan approach to politics. More»

Current Republican field riddled with weak spots

(NEWSER) - Republicans talk a good game about challenging President Obama in 2012, but the GOP would look scarier if it had even one legitimate challenger , says Dick Polman. "Obama's job-approval numbers are tepid these days—but he looks robust when matched against actual Republican challengers," warns the Philadelphia Inquirer columnist. "Not to mention the inevitable wounds and scars that any Republican will suffer during a primary season that promises to be downright Darwinian." More»

Republicans try to distance themselves from McCain's campaign strategy

(NEWSER) - Republicans inside John McCain’s campaign and out are pointing fingers at one another, striking a surprisingly past-tense tone about their efforts, Politico reports. The recriminations go to the top: senior Bush advisers criticized McCain for a poorly run campaign on the heels of an interview in which the candidate blames the administration for letting the country “get completely out of hand.” More»

Columnist's schadenfreude turns to dread over the new face of the party

(NEWSER) - It’s been a fun time for liberals, writes Rosa Brooks in the LA Times. Though initially worried about the boost Sarah Palin gave to John McCain’s polling numbers, Dems were then treated to the defections of some of the GOP’s brightest thinkers. Columnists David Brooks, Charles Krauthammer, and former Bush speechwriter David Frum all backed away from McCain, charging that the Alaska governor was out of her league. More»

(NEWSER) - It's been hard to miss the spate of reports about ugly anti-Obama incidents at McCain/Palin events—a crowd member calling him a “terrorist,” for instance. The media is now playing a game of "find a freak" at GOP rallies and grossly distorting the notion of genuine harm coming Obama's way, writes Sean Collins in Spiked. That these fears have gained traction underscores just how alienated Democrats have become from white, working-class voters. More»