Can anyone theorize as to why McCain didn't pick Mike Huckabee as his V.P?

[msallied]

I mean, wouldn't have this been a more, I dunno, intelligent move? He would have brought in the religious conservatives, and he's got a good bit more experience. And he was very popular among an ardent segment of the Republican population. It would have done more to unite the party, I think.

I guess I'm just trying to understand the mindset here. I mean, I'm glad to see Obama winning (thrilled, in fact), but I just don't understand why John McCain had to go and make it that much easier for us by picking someone for whom the term "lightning rod" seems far too inadequate. lol

[abumbyanyothername]

1. Huckabee is not

a Manchurian Candidate.

[msallied]

7. That's just scary...

And it speaks oodles about these lunatics.

[Spider Jerusalem]

2. Because Huckabee humiliated him

Huckabee won several primaries after McCain had the nomination sewn up. That's my guess, anyway.

[WCGreen]

3. 'Cause he didn't look good in that there White Dress and "come fuck me pumps.."

[Wickerman]

4. My guess is that the party leaders who picked Palin did so with the future in mind

They are creating her brand now, knowing McCain is a lost cause. Of course the Palin brand will be seen by future poli-sci students as a case of epic Fail.

[Richard Steele]

5. Huckabee made it clear he wasn't interested in the job. nm

[AllentownJake]

6. As crazy as the Huckster is he is his own man

and the GOP insiders were more fearful than him than they were of McCain because he'd be a hell of alot harder to rain in.

[VAliberal]

16. Palin is clearly psychotic to all but the 20%

hard-right, rapture-ready base.

Huckabee would have been more formidable as McCain's VP. Although he is probably every bit as inclined to enacting conservative religious ideology as law and subverting our secular Republic - he had the whiff of 'populist' about him - which made him unacceptable to the Wall St./deregulation/supply side Repubs.

I'm glad McCain or his puppet masters decided on Palin. Maybe another four weeks of her slow motion train wreck will end her career on the national scene.

[msallied]

20. I hope you're right about that last part. This witch running in 2012 makes me nauseated.

[supernova]

8. I was convinced that he would

pick Huckabee. It really surprised me that he didn.t

I wasn't expecting McSame to drag the process out to the very last minute.

This seems to indicate there was tension between McLame and the GOP Powers That Be.

[tularetom]

9. I'm not sure McCain had anything to say about it

His choice was of course Joe Loserman, but the guys who pull the strings (rove?) decided they weren't having any part of that so McCain was more or less saddled with Palin.

[louis-t]

17. HIs second choice was

the first Homeland Security guy. Jeez, my brain is not working lately. Can't remember anything.

[msallied]

21. That would be Tom Ridge. Scary too.

[abumbyanyothername]

22. Tom Ridge? nt

[louis-t]

30. Yep, I had a brain meltdown.

That's him.

[Uzybone]

10. Huckabee has a penis

Palin was a direct ploy to get the "disaffected" Hillary voters. Her "maverickness" and appeal to the GOP base was secondary.

[dansolo]

34. Appeal to the base was the primary goal

Getting disaffected Hillary voters was a pipe dream, and while it made for a nifty nearrative, it was not the reason Palin was selected.

[LiberalAndProud]

11. dupe

DU lied to me.

[msallied]

14. It just shows how little they understand women, period.

Women are perhaps more suspicious and unforgiving of other women than any man could ever be.

[LiberalAndProud]

12. Wrong gender.

Palin was picked for her gender. They believed that they would garner the disaffected Hillary voters. Unfortunately for them, they picked a woman who is not fit to carry Senator Clinton's luggage.

[DJ13]

13. I think Palin was a expected to be a twofer in the McCain camps eyes

Appeals to the same fundie whackjobs that Huckabee would have brought into play, but they also hoped she added the supposedly "angry woman" vote they were courting from the Hillary primary voters.

Unfortunately they didnt understand that Palin's views are the polar opposite of Hillary, so she didnt help with the women voters like they expected.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

15. McCain needed a "gimmick"

He (or his advisers) saw how popular Obama is and, more importantly, how historic his candidacy is so, after Obama declined to choose Hillary for VP, they saw an opening to put up their own "novelty" candidate. Their biggest miscalculation was not necessarily that they put a woman on the ticket but rather that they (thankfully) chose the WRONG woman for the slot.

[msallied]

18. I guess there were no women loony enough...

Kay Bailey Hutchinson is pro-choice, after all. That would simply not do. Ugh.

[Are_grits_groceries]

19. They were stupid!

I don't agree with Huck's policies at all. However, he comes across as personable and has a sense of humor. He would have made it much harder in any area in the South to be contested. In addition, he could have preached up a storm in a lot of Appalachia and other areas. He was the scarey one to me.

[msallied]

23. Scary, indeed. Because he would have made the race that much harder to win.

We would have been back to the Kerry state scenario and North Carolina and Virginia likely would have not been in play.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

32. Welcome to DU!

:hi:

[tanyev]

24. Freepers did not like Huckabee.

He committed the cardinal sin of *gasp* raising taxes.

[Jacobin]

25. He's completely reckless and hates this country

and himself

and his wife

and the world

He is a vicious, vengeful, arrogant, entitled freakazoid, trying to hide behind a grandfatherly, senatorial mask, and its not working.

[TygrBright]

26. Penis. n/t

[KittyWampus]

35. now that was short and to the point.

:D

[Thrill]

27. He chose a woman. Because they thought they were going

to get the Hillary Supporters

[pizoxuat]

28. Huckabee doesn't hate poor people.

As much of a religious wacko as I believe he is, he does genuinely believe in helping the poor too. That goes over like a lead balloon with the base. Plus they though women would love Palin.

[hlthe2b]

29. The moneyed people (e.g., Grover Norquist) vetoed

Huckabee raised taxes as Gov. of Arkansas.

[Gato Moteado]

31. palin was picked to attract fundies and hillary supporters....

...as mentioned by several here.

huck wouldnt appeal to the pissed off hillary supporters (who i think have all finally seen the light and are now behind obama).

additionally, huck is boring. having two old white boring guys up there would do nothing but put everyone to sleep. the only people who could stay awake through huck's dull speeches were chuck norris and his wife.

[damntexdem]

33. Huckabee didn't do well enough in the talent portion of the pageant?

His flute playing was atrocious. ;-)

[anonymous171]

36. Fiscal Conservatives hated Huckabee

[opihimoimoi]

37. He lacked tits and ass.....nuff said

[Overseas]

38. Vagina and Maverick branding. //

[progressivebydesign]

39. Too tall! McCain is incredibly vain.. and would NEVER stand for anyone more virile than he.

Frankly, I think he pick Palin in a moment of "oh fuck it!" when he got mad because he couldn't pick his little friend, Joe Lieberman.

[chicagoexpat]

40. Huckabee refused to get the operation that would have given him a high voice

[philosophie_en_rose]

41. What's the difference between Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee?

:shrug:

They probably chose Palin, because she's less familiar to anyone and could lie about being a "maverick." She's also pretty and not Joe Lieberman.

[goodgd_yall]

42. I used to think it was because he was too wacky

But picking Palin disproves that. Maybe because Huckabee wouldn't agree to stooping as low as Palin has?

[Claire Beth]

43. McShame didn't like Huckabee...

He wanted Huckabee to drop out of their GOPER primary but didn't until McShame had enough to actually WIN the nomination.

[electron_blue]

44. He didn't want to stand up to his party. I thought this was clear.

[TheKentuckian]

45. Huckabee is way to populist

economically for the base.

[MellowDem]

46. Hillary

He thought he saw a split in the Democratic Party that he could exploit with a stupidly obvious token pick. He was wrong.

[chiefofclarinet]

47. What's the difference between Huckabee and Palin?

Lipstick.