Somewhere out there, in an alternate universe where Kirk and Spock have beards so you know how evil they are, everyone is really excited this morning. In that world, the GOP base is a mish-mash of centrist mopes who don't really care about the Constitution, like familiar names, and are thrilled to know that all of their favorite former candidates are getting out there in front of the cameras.
To thunderous applause, Jeb Bush has all but announced his candidacy. Chris Christie and Mitt Romney are riding high, hanging around football games, and rattling the sabres as they get ready to do the same. ...But perhaps most importantly, the number one mirror universe politician - Mike Huckabee - has quit his TV show as he prepares for his (inevitably victorious) Presidential campaign.
Fortunately, I don't live in that alternate universe. Here, Kirk and Spock are beard free. In this world no one - and I mean virtually no one - has been clamoring for a Mike Huckabee White House bid.
In part that's because he's perceived as being yet another RINO - one in whom the base has already expressed its disinterest.
In part it's because he's the kind of pro-big government centrist that is exactly what the country doesn't need.
In part it's because he's a hardcore social conservative at a time when the entirety of his party outside of the deep south is desperate for a strict constructionist.
Finally, it's because he has absolutely no chance of winning. Yes, he's a nice guy, and sure: he has a lot of pull with evangelicals in the South. No one disputes that. However, it's not enough to drag him across the finish line in other parts of the nation.
Huckabee says he's leaving his show in order to "evaluate" his chances. As he told viewers this weekend:
“There has been a great deal of speculation as to whether I would run for President. I won’t make a decision about running until late in the spring of 2015, but the continued chatter has put Fox News into a position that is not fair to them.”
“I feel compelled to ascertain if the support exists strongly enough for another Presidential run. So as we say in television, stay tuned!”
Let's hope he examines the odds honestly, because the last thing we need is a massive field choked with candidates who will convince the base to stay home.
