The XX Factor: What women really think.

A Fair-Minded Republican

Good for Huckabee. Here's what he had to say yesterday on MSNBC:

On Obama's speech: 

... I think that, you know, Obama has handled this about as well as anybody could. And I agree, it’s a very historic speech. ... And I thought he handled it very, very well.

And on the Rev. Wright:

... One other thing I think we've got to remember: As easy as it is for those of us who are white to look back and say, "That's a terrible statement," I grew up in a very segregated South, and I think that you have to cut some slack. And I'm going to be probably the only conservative in America who's going to say something like this, but I'm just telling you: We've got to cut some slack to people who grew up being called names, being told, "You have to sit in the balcony when you go to the movie. You have to go to the back door to go into the restaurant. And you can't sit out there with everyone else. There's a separate waiting room in the doctor's office. Here's where you sit on the bus." And you know what? Sometimes people do have a chip on their shoulder and resentment. And you have to just say, I probably would, too. I probably would, too. In fact, I may have had a more, more of a chip on my shoulder had it been me.

Funny how you don't see Mark Penn or Howard Wolfson or Hillary Clinton saying things like that. 

Polite Disagreement

As it happens, Dahlia, I watched all the candidates' speeches early this morning, (thank you, CNN International) and I thought Hillary's performance was notably worse than the others. She was the only one who seemed to be reading from notes, the only one who looked down at the podium more than out at the audience, the only one whose cliches grated. Everyone else seemed to be speaking more or less spontaneously. McCain was relaxed; Huckabee was funny; Romney was grim; Obama was inspirational; only Hillary seemed utterly humorless, completely emotion-free, and not even especially happy. Her rhetoric may sound good on paper, but she is incapable of delivering it in a way that seems convincing. This is not a remotely original observation, but it somehow seemed particularly stark last night.

Maybe this year she's unlucky with her competition: If she was up against notably poor public speakers like George W. Bush (or even George H.W. Bush) it might not matter, but if you listen to her right after hearing Huckabee, as I did—and I do not speak here as a potential Huckabee voter—she just sounds stiff and phony. Doesn't she have advisors who can get on top of this? It seems strange.

Born-Agains are voting for WHOM????

Barna Group, which regularly surveys the political mood of conservative Christians, just released one strange set of findings. According to thier latest poll: If the election were held today, most born-again voters would choose the Democratic nominee for president. Barna's research indicates that "born-again" voters are most likely to vote for Sen. Hillary Clinton (20 percent), followed by Sen. Barack Obama (18 percent), and Mike Huckabee (12 percent). Yes, you read that correctly—SEN. HILLARY CLINTON.

In its shock and dismay, the Family Research Council points out that to be sure, a born-again ain't what it used to be. The category only includes "people who make a personal commitment to Jesus Christ as their Savior and believe they will go to heaven when they die." A true "evangelical," by contrast, also believes in the accuracy of the Bible, God as the earth's creator, and a few other conditions.

Still, pretty weird. This is like, back to born again, circa 1950. Maybe it's time for the first female Pat Robertson.

GOP Women Thought Huckabee Won the Night

Now this is interesting; I see where a focus group of Republican women has declared Mike Huckabee the winner of last night's debate. These undecided, right-leaning women thought Mitt Romney came off as phony, arrogant and "a snake''—and one woman who described herself as a strong Republican wondered if a guy that rich would really look out for the little guy. (Do you want to break it to her, or should I?) Others expressed discomfort with his Mormon faith and bridled at his lack of support for Sandra Day O'Connor, whom he suggested he would never have appointed to the Supreme Court.

John McCain also got a big thumbs-down from the group, which included 11 California women of various ages, races, and wings of the GOP: He's so snide, they said, as if that were a bad thing. But Huckabee they found caring, real, and in touch with their concerns. So much so that seven of the 11 declared him the winner, and four who'd been leaning toward other candidates decided to support him as a result. Maybe they liked how he patted Nancy Reagan's hand?

McCain: Take That, Laughing Boy

Don't Stop (Thinking About the '90s)

One aspect of the whole experience that confirmed my choice was the speeches given by the candidates afterwards. Edwards was very fiery and compelling, but he still was saying the same exact things I'd heard him say at town meetings. He just repackaged his script. Still, I give him credit for championing his causes over the status of his candidacy. Hillary, on the other hand, was all about 'I, I, I.' For the first time, I realized that when she is not parsing the specifics of policy issues, she is talking about herself: her accomplishments, her expertise, her experience. It may be good to know these things, but they do nothing to inspire the electorate. In effect, she doesn't convey a vision for the future. She just touts a knowledge base that has evolved over the years. So when, in turn, Obama speaks as a visionary who will unite the country using the politics of inclusion, it really is music to the ears. He has that rare ability to actually inspire people, and that is why he won. 

Huckabee showed a similar charisma in his speech. I know that he has an uphill battle ahead of him and he may not succeed, and I disagree with him on just about every topic, but given who he is, I thought he gave an amazing speech. I wanted to hug him and say, "If only you weren't so daffy in so many ways and didn't take such oddball positions on things, I'd like to be your friend!"

The "I wanted to hug him'' factor should never be underestimated. And though Hillary is in no way out of contention now, her plan of attack -- to attack Barack -- is only another confirmation that her playbook is perfect for the last war.

Who's Afraid of Huckabee? Not Me.

Forgive me, but I can't get that worked up about Huckabee, though I have no wish for him to win the GOP nomination. For one, the evangelical turnout in Iowa was huge. About 60 percent of Iowa's GOP caucus-goers identified as evangelical and half voted for the former governor; in the general population, 26 percent of Americans are evangelical. New Hampshire is just a few days away, and if Huckabee's victory helped anyone, it was John McCain. If McCain wins New Hampshire, that could give him enough momentum to weather a Huckabee victory in South Carolina and hang on for Super Tuesday.  

And what if it came down to a race between Obama and McCain? They'd be two refreshing candidates, largely untainted by scandal, whom their respective parties could rally around positively rather than spending six months tearing down the other guy. I can't help but think that would be an OK thing for this country.

Enough Photo Fun Already!

As Melinda said, for everyone who chuckles at the photo of Hillary looking haggard, there’s at least one other person whose vote will be tipped in her direction if they sense she’s being picked on for being a middle-aged woman who looks like a middle-aged woman.

I thought of this when I saw another photo—the Huckabee family Christmas card from back when he was governor of Arkansas. You know this photo is going to be passed around by Huckabee haters with a disingenuous “What a lovely family!” type of remark. Or it’ll be an vehicle for undisguised smirks and jokes. It’s not just the plus-sized lads, it’s the matching outfits, and the weird elbow patches.

But for every laugh, there’ll be someone who sees the photo and recognizes their own family or the happy clan they wish they were. And there’ll be lots of people who hear those smirks and giggles and remember how much they hate the snobby bicoastal elites who live on coffee and breath mints and have such contempt for family life.

In other words, can we all skip the photo fun? It’s not only slimy, it wins friends for your enemies.

My Evolving Blondness

Now That Brownback Is Dropping Out