History of ‘Iowa Curse’ Prompts Range of Emotions

I read Susan Estrich’s column, The Iowa Curse, published on the Fox News Channel website yesterday and breathed a sigh of relief. It was followed soon after by one of disappointment and, finally, by a feeling of optimism.

My sigh of relief came in response to the Democrat strategist’s report that the odds are against Barack Obama when it comes to his chances of winning his party’s presidential nomination in 2008. Only one Democrat presidential candidate ever — Bill Clinton — has won the Iowa Caucus before going on to win the presidential nomination. Notably, that came in 1996 when he ran unopposed.

My sigh of disappointment came in response to Estrich’s conclusion that Mike Huckabee “is not a guy that most savvy Republicans are ready to bet on as a national candidate. Too mistake-prone, too inexperienced, too many tax hikes and commutations, not yet vetted, too many troubling sermons in the closet, not to mention the son who killed the dog.” [Translation: “Savvy Republicans” means establishment, power-brokering Republicans and their talk radio mouthpieces — Rush Limbaugh and Laura Ingraham — who treat Huckabee as nothing less than a black-sheep candidate.]

That leads me to believe the former Arkansas governor has a chance to defy the “Iowa Curse” described by Estrich.

My feeling of optimism stems from a belief that, like me, many American voters — including a large percentage of Republicans — have grown tired of Republican politicians who talk tough on the campaign trail but, once in office, can’t seem to deliver on their promises or outsmart their liberal counterparts on Capitol Hill.

Huckabee isn’t talking tough. Instead, he’s talking sensible and realistic. He’s championing the needs of average Americans, including Democrats (the ones reporters call “blue-collar voters”), without compromising on the needs and interests of corporate America.

Huckabee is the candidate many establishment Republican leaders fear because he won’t necessarily tow the “party line.” And he’s the candidate many non-establishment Democrat voters embrace precisely for the same reason.

-- Bob McCarty Writes™