Jackson Free Press

So, Gov. Haley Barbour has made it official: He's not running for president in 2008. What tickles me about is that Haley Barbour doesn't have snowball's chance in hell of getting the presidential nomination, or even to be the vice presidential nominee. I thought it was so quaint to hear Mississippi "pundits" talk about what a great chance he had at the presidency. Who are they fooling? (Or, what are they smoking?) They clearly do not understand what most of the rest of the country thinks of Haley Barbour: that he is a right-wing zealot who openly courts the racist vote—and is very, very close to the lobbyist and fund-raising scandals of late.

Just because many Mississippians do not think this is a big deal, it doesn't mean much of the rest of the country -- including most Republicans -- would not think that Barbour would be poison nationally. Even the Bush administration positioned itself as "compassionate conservative" and "moderate" — Barbour hasn't even tried to do this! Just read the Republican platform that he authored. And I can only imagine a presidential candidate like Giuliani trying to explain away Barbour's close connections with the Council of Conservative Citizens!?! (Someone predicted a Rudy-Haley ticket on David Hampton's sleepy blog. LOL.) Rudy is the one who wouldn't let the Klan march in New York City with masks on! (Upsetting the ACLU, and me, I might add.)

I truly think that a handful of people pushed this idea of Barbour for president as one more way to try to woo and distract Mississippians while he worked at gutting Adequate Education and Medicaid. But it's an simply absurd notion. Only a fool would think it's actually possible with his track record that makes Dick Cheney look slightly left of center.

Previous Comments

ID

104909

Comment

I've been trying to figure out why anyone thought Barbour was a viable candidate to begin with. Yes, he might conceivably get the nomination if the field were to otherwise end up dominated by moderates--he's a former RNC chair, holding his party's version of the job Howard Dean is holding right now. And as we saw in 1996, the party rewards party loyalty. But let's get real: A white (1) male (2) career lobbyist (3) from a non-swing state (4) who is socially conservative (5) and polarizes moderates (6). He even looks like a stereotypical right-wing Republican, with a Boss Hogg je ne sais quoi, and has a Mississippi drawl to back it up. He would be a perfect foil for any Democrat even before the age of Abramoff. The fact that he would probably make a better president than half of the Republican field is irrelevant, because he can't win the White House. He's still a potential VP spot, but if I were, say, Giuliani, I'd at least pick somebody from a potentially contestable southern state--say, Bill Frist from Tennessee or Mike Huckabee from Arkansas or even Sonny Perdue from Georgia. It would make about as much sense to pick Haley Barbour as it would to pick Rick Perry. Besides, if you're Giuliani and you just won the nomination, the last thing you need is a more conservative VP. You've already proven you can play to the base, so it's time to take the center. Flip the party affiliation when you make your projections, guys: If you're Joe Lieberman and you just took the Democratic Party nomination, why pick Ted Kennedy as your running mate? Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2006-02-16T03:35:21-06:00

ID

104910

Comment

For what it's worth, I told friends at Election Day 2004 that I thought Barbour had a serious shot for the presidency in 2012. I think he's a VP contender in 2008, and this is coming from someone who didn't vote for him in the 2003 gubernatorial race.

Author

Ex

Date

2006-02-16T10:24:16-06:00

ID

104911

Comment

He even looks like a stereotypical right-wing Republican, with a Boss Hogg je ne sais quoi, and has a Mississippi drawl to back it up. He doesn't just have a drawl; he has a draaaaaaaaawl. Can you imagine what the State of the Union Address would be like? It would take him three hours to do a 45-minute speech, wouldn't it. :slaps back of hand:

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2006-02-17T01:06:27-06:00