Two things scare the bejesus out of GOP operatives more than a united Democratic party in 2008:
Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee.
Fox News, the Republican media organ, is excluding the libertarian, anti-war Paul from a debate the weekend before the New Hampshire primary because, as James Pindell quotes Paul:
"They are scared of me and don't want my message to get out, but it will (get out). ... They are propagandists for this war and I challenge them on the notion that they are conservative."
What the GOP operatives at Fox are afraid of is that Paul will chip away blocks from the Republican coalition needed to be assembled for a winning 2008 presidential campaign. And today's authoritarian, war-at-any-costs GOP does not cut it with Paul supporters, many of whom are veterans.
But the decision to exclude Paul from the debate rather than placate and assimilate him into the GOP fold is, from the GOP perspective, foolish and short-sighted. The GOP underestimates the passion and commitment of Paul's growing supporters and the attempt to suppress Paul is playing right into the insurgent Paul's crash-the-gates appeal.
Huckabee, on the other hand, even as he consolidates the religious right's bigotry block suffers from three tactical political weaknesses: He is perceived to be weak on foreign affairs, weak on crime, and unacceptable to the Wall Street faction of the GOP.
Amusing to watch the GOP, which has used the religious right so effectively the past eight years, have their hidden contempt for the religious right begin to pour out into the open.
Huckabee is worse than Paul in his ability to fragment a winning Republican 2008 presidential coalition that has days away from Iowa eluded the GOP.
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