The Kaiser Family Foundation provides an eclectic update on various comments about the threat of values voters to go third-party if Guiliani is nominated by the Republicans.
In the Kaiser update, Mike Huckabee says he would not accept if asked to head a third party bid for the presidency:
"No, I think a third party only helps elect Hillary," Huckabee said, adding, "I don't see that being a good strategy for those who really care about pushing a pro-family, pro-life agenda. If they want to do that, the smart thing to do is coalesce their support around Mike Huckabee. If they do that, I'll become the nominee, I'll win the White House" (O'Keefe, "The Trial," Washington Post, 10/5).
I would agree with Huckabee about a third party helping elect Hillary. However, if the Republican Party nominates Guiliani, the same outcome is virtually assured anyway. Even without this "third party movement," many values voters simply would not hold their nose and vote for Guiliani. And even if most would, a Guiliani candidacy would lack the synergy necessary to get him elected; in other words, too many values voters wouldn't be able to get excited about supporting Guiliani, which equates to money, volunteer time, and positive buzz in the public square. As I've said before, you'd have a replay of the 1996 Bob Dole failed campaign.
Huckabee's invitation to "coalesce" around him is a tempting one, for he's certainly a better choice than many, but I still have serious reservations about Huckabee's values and philosophy. You can read those here and here. Essentially those reservations boil down to the fact that comments he's made make him appear soft (or perhaps "a lack of firm resolve" would be more accurate) on abortion and homosexuality, a reticence to be open about the faith he espouses, and a serious misunderstanding about the role of government in the lives of it's citizens.
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