CONVICTIONS PROPEL MIKE HUCKABEE

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Although the paid pundits have declared the GOP race over and even presumptive Democratic front-runner Barack Obama has weighed in on his expectation of McCain the GOP standard bearer (through a USA Today request for an "agreement" on public financing of the general election campaign), Mike Huckabee hasn't quit.

According to mikehuckabee.com:

My candidacy is, and always has been, about convictions – and the issues and core values that are critical to our country’s future, such protecting traditional marriage, the sanctity of life, individual empowerment and a revamping of our federal tax code to encourage productivity. It’s about lifting Americans up, from hope to higher ground, with a positive vision for America’s future that is grounded in a belief in our nation’s basic goodness, and defined by a ‘can—do’ spirit that knows how to gets things done. My goal is to offer Republican voters, a voice and a choice in this election."

"The last four out of five U.S. Presidents have been governors, and there is a reason for this: the challenges facing our nation require steady, experienced, executive management. As governor of Arkansas for 10 ½ years, I delivered on my promises to cut taxes 94 times, reduce welfare by half, reform health care for children and our education system, and transform our transportation infrastructure. My record of results, achieved with a Democrat legislature, gives a meaningful viability to my candidacy."

"There are millions of Republicans from across this country who have yet to be heard from. Clearly we were disappointed by the results in Wisconsin, but I look forward to campaigning hard in Texas and Ohio this week – and taking my case before the good people of those states."

Mike Huckabee is an honorable man who would, in other times and under other circumstances, be a very competitive choice for the Republican nomination. He is clever, articulate, and a traditional "Reagan conservative (notwithstanding all of the Elite GOP "attack radio" slanders of his Arkansas record).

Under the current GOP rules, however, the compressed process, the winner-take-all nature of several states and even the odd order of the primaries and caucuses have inordinately distorted the process against Governor Huckabee and similarly situated candidates.

Without either pre-existing national name recognition (i.e. John McCain) or a huge ability to self-finance (i.e. the Gucci Chameleon, "Slick Willard" Mitt Romney), it is virtually impossible to be competitive for the Republican nomination.

Although the Republican party would fancy itself as a "meritocracy," the odd results of the 2008 primary season suggest something else.

Unlike the times of Abraham Lincoln, when a little-known but highly-committed candidate could "barnstorm" and debate his way to the top through old-fashioned "retail politics", the modern Republican nomination process is designed to grossly inhibit competition and limit choice.

Thus it has produced a front-runner with little tie to the GOP base. However, the process may have unwittingly yielded a "presumptive nominee" with more appeal to non-Republicans than to the card-carrying rank-and-file.

In stark contrast, the Democratic primary, with arguably fewer built-in advantages to early victors and more proportional voting, has yielded a contest wherein both "finalists" are so beholden to their left-wing bases, electability in the general election is suspect.

Neither system is remotely perfect. The nominating system of both parties is too biased toward limiting choice and producing a rapid result.

However, if the goal is to vet the most qualified, most representative, and most competitive candidate (regardless of pre-election fame or financial resources), Mike Huckabee and his loyal supporters probably have a legitimate "beef" against the present GOP nominating process.