Asked whether he will run for president again in 2016, Huckabee has taken to citing his decision to leave a very comfortable spot at Fox News as proof that he is serious. Huckabee ended his show, “Huckabee,” at the beginning of January.
“I believe it ought to be pretty obvious to everybody that I did not leave my incredibly good Fox job three weeks ago just because I’d like to spend more Saturdays at home,” Huckabee said Tuesday during an appearance in Virginia's capital city. "I feel, obviously, that I’m moving in that direction."
And why stop now? Although he is gearing up for a potential bid for president, Huckabee talks about television nearly as much as he does politics and policy. At a stop Wednesday on his book tour for God, Guns, Grits, and Gravyhosted by the Family Foundation, a Christian advocacy group, Huckabee riffed on some of his on-camera experiences.
“Rosie O’Donnell and I get along,” Huckabee said, recounting an appearance on “The View.” “I know that’ll shock you.”
But despite Huckabee’s warmth, conservative media can be a fickle mistress.
“The idea that Mike Huckabee is going to be President of the United States?” Ingraham said. “I’ll predict that that’s not going to happen.”
Huckabee pushed back Tuesday, “I think she’s zero-for-three in the past cycles.”
And while Huckabee has had great success with Fox News, he has found a reliable foe in Glenn Beck, a former Fox personality.
Beck and Huckabee have been at odds publicly for years, but the rivalry has recently become even more heated. Earlier this month, Beck called Huckabee “one of the most disingenuous men I have ever met” and accused him of being “a liar to your face.”
“You’d have to ask Glenn. I honestly don’t know,” Huckabee said. “We have a mutual friend who today told me that he’s trying to help Glenn to see some things that he needs to understand about me.”
“I’ve really been baffled by that,” Huckabee added. “I can’t understand it.”
If such a spat might seem inconsequential in the grand scheme of presidential politics, the dispute has genuinely left some supporters torn. Mary Ann Merritt, who attended Huckabee’s event in Richmond, cited Beck’s criticism of Huckabee as the primary reason she has dismissed him as a potential presidential candidate.
“[Beck] has really torn him down a lot,” Merritt said.
But Huckabee’s charm Tuesday had Merritt giving him a second look. It was a made-for-TV performance, as Huckabee himself noted.
“Let me make it clear: I don’t believe the federal government has any role in education,” Huckabee said, in answer to a question about the Common Core education standards. “As they say on television: crystal clear.”
For all of the serious policy questions, and there were many, his supporters still wanted to talk TV. One audience member wanted to know: Who does Huckabee consider to be the smartest on-air personality at Fox News?
“A lot of people make fun of how beautiful the women are at Fox, and yes: Compare them to any network, and ours are easier on the eyes than anybody else’s,” Huckabee said, mostly dodging the question. “However, they’re not there just because they’re attractive.”
Huckabee singled out the primetime anchor Megyn Kelly, who he said is “just amazing in her ability.”
“I wouldn’t want to get into a verbal fight with her,” he chuckled.
BY REBECCA BERG
No comments:
Post a Comment