Will Mike Huckabee be the beneficiary of a campaign against three of his opponents focused on the politics of the Confederate flag? The Southern Party of Georgia has sent forces north to South Carolina to attack Fred Thompson, John McCain, and Mitt Romney for their absence of support for the maintenance of the Confederate battle flag as a public symbol. Yard signs like that at left are popping up thanks to the efforts of the Southern Party. We know that the battle flag is a valence symbol able to move a chunk of South Carolina Republican voters. In 1994, three in four South Carolina GOPers voted to support the maintenance of the flag atop the state Capitol in a nonbinding referendum and many South Carolina Republicans have never forgiven former Governor David Beasley for his shift on the issue. While Huckabee has avoided race-based politics in this campaign, as I've written elsewhere he's practiced more than a little "us versus them" politics in a campaign that has had vestiges of George C. Wallace's 1968 and 1972 campaigns. The constituency that is most likely to respond the the attacks on his three key opponents connects with Huckabee on other grounds. Will this be the thing that gets Huckabee across the finish line first in what promises to be a close vote on Saturday?
1 comment:
"Will this be the thing that gets Huckabee across the finish line first in what promises to be a close vote on Saturday?"
It won't be his money and if this one doesn't pay off then will the family members on the campaign pay roll be forced to find day jobs?
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