If US News is right, the Republican Party is in some seriously deep shit (H/T Ace):

Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas and defeated contender for the GOP presidential nomination, is currently at the top of John McCain’s short list for a running mate. At least that’s the word from a top McCain fundraiser and longtime Republican moneyman who has spoken to McCain’s inner circle. The fundraiser is less than thrilled with the idea of Huckabee as the vice presidential nominee, and many economic conservatives—turned off by the populist tone of Huckabee’s campaign and his tax record as governor—are likely to share that marked lack of enthusiasm.

The article then goes on to explain some of the “logic” behind picking the Huckster, with this little gem near the end:

3) Economic conservatives and supply-siders may balk, but the threat of four years of Obamanomics and higher investment, income, and corporate taxes might be enough to keep them on board.

Yes, because, when given a choice between four years of Obamanomics and the untimely demise of a 71 year old man leading to Huckanomics, believe me, the choice is clear. I mean, you can either have higher taxes from a politician with a messianic complex, charisma and a rather funny relationship with God, or you can have higher taxes from Obama. Great!

The one bit of good news in all of this is that, if Huckabee is chosen as the VP candidate, assuming that McCain loses (which, by the way, he almost certainly will if he tries to embrace the same “compassionate Christian” crowd that led to Bush’s rise), this will pretty much mean the end of any serious relevance for the Moral Majority crowd in Republican politics. Reagan did a wonderful job of creating a coalition between conservative Christian groups and small-government conservatives; unfortunately, the conservative Christian crowd has effectively usurped the small-government types and taken the Republican Party hostage. Consequently, instead of focusing on smaller government, we’ve instead had to deal with such wonderful diversions as the Defense of Marriage Act.

I’ll be honest - even with Army of Dog’s metaphor regarding poker and politics, assuming that the Huckster is, indeed, going to be the Republican’s VP candidate, it’s going to make it extremely hard for me to vote for anyone this time around. Yes, it’s true that McCain, by himself, would be a better President than Obama or Hillary - I’m certain of that. I’m not anywhere near certain enough, however, that, were the unthinkable to happen to McCain, that Huckabee wouldn’t just give us the exact same government that Obama would give us, only with religious undertones on top of it.

How does everyone else feel about this? Does Huckabee as the VP change the calculus for anyone?

Update: Awww crap…

John McCain, who as the Republican candidate for president has spent the past two months trying to consolidate right-wing support, has a problem of disputed dimensions with a vital component of the conservative coalition: evangelicals. The biggest question is whether Mike Huckabee is part of the problem or the solution for McCain.

Some U.S. Christians are not reconciled to McCain’s candidacy but instead regard the prospective presidency of Barack Obama in the nature of a biblical plague visited upon a sinful people. These militants look at former Baptist preacher Huckabee as “God’s candidate” for president in 2012. Whether they can be written off as merely a troublesome fringe group depends on Huckabee’s course.

[…]

Nevertheless, the word is that some evangelicals dispute Huckabee’s support. One experienced, credible activist in Christian politics who would not let his name be used told me that Huckabee, in personal conversation with him, had embraced the concept that an Obama presidency might be what the American people deserve. That fits what has largely been a fringe position among evangelicals: that the pain of an Obama presidency is in keeping with the Bible’s prophecy.

Okay, granted, this is Robert Novak writing this, so I’m not entirely sure how credible this is.  That said, it would be really, really nice if we could finally get away from the Nutbar Fundie crowd that seriously believes that American politics are best viewed through the lens of prophesy.  Seriously, these people are the Republican equivalent of Code Pink, and, in much the same way and for many of the same reasons that I would laugh a little if a meteor wiped out all of the washed out former Boomer grannies that make up Code Pink, there is little that would thrill me more than for the same meteor to jump out of Berkeley and rebound into whatever backwater part of Alabassippigiasas the fundies hail from.

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