Blog House: Pair of also-rans could have a big impact

Forget Rudy, Fred, Mitt and John. The candidates making news in the Republican presidential race this week are two far back in the pack.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Texas Rep. Ron Paul are beginning to make some noise. Huckabee wowed the audience at last weekend's Values Voters Summit in Virginia. He finished a close second to Mitt Romney in an online straw poll, but handily won an on-site straw poll. Social conservatives, who have threatened to bolt from the party if the nominee is Rudy Giuliani, may have found a candidate they can get behind.

"[Y]ou have social conservatives that are ready to embrace him and he's ready to embrace them," wrote David Brody at the Brody Files (1). "That speech he made on Saturday was electric. I was there. I saw the crowd. They ate it up."

John Hawkins of Right Wing News (2) was bullish about Huckabee's prospects. "Would Huckabee be a strong, socially conservative candidate for the GOP in 2008 with an excellent chance of beating Hillary? Yes, he would. In the last 9 elections -- at a minimum -- the more likable candidate has won and Huckabee beats Hillary hands down in that category. Also, the fact that he's a governor, not a Washington insider, would also be a huge advantage. If you ask me who is more electable in a general election, Huckabee, Romney, or Rudy, I'd take Huckabee over either of them by a good margin."

Even a liberal blogger sat up and noticed the former Baptist minister's rise. But Garance Franke-Ruta of Tapped (3) predicted Huckabee will fall short. "Huckabee looks to be the John Edwards of the race, potentially coming in second in Iowa and dogging the nominee until South Carolina, which he could easily win (again, like Edwards), before dropping out in February due to a lack of money ... And then, like Edwards was for Kerry, Huckabee will be a perfect vice presidential pick for whichever Republican has won the nomination."

Paul's headlines came not from a rise in the polls but from becoming a pariah in the party. His antiwar sentiments may have gained him fans in the blogosphere, but those rabid supporters got him banned from one of the most influential websites, RedState (4).

"Effective immediately, new users may 'not' shill for Ron Paul in any way shape, form or fashion. Not in comments, not in diaries, nada. ... [Y]ou lack the self-awareness to understand just how annoying, time-consuming, and bandwidth-wasting responding to the same idiotic arguments from a bunch of liberals pretending to be Republicans can be."

Anderw Sullivan (5) invited Paul's supporters to his website. "You're welcome here. The Dish believes in expanding the range of debate among conservatives, not crushing it. And any cursory look at the degenerate state of American conservatism would not lead you to think your problem is too much diversity of opinion."

Paul may have the ultimate revenge: a possible third-party bid for the White House. Augustus at Political Base (6) noticed a shift in Paul's position. "'No, I don't plan to run in a third party,' Paul said, adding, 'That's not my goal. But if we have a candidate that loves the war and loves the neocon position of promoting ...' before being interrupted by the host, perhaps indicating that if Paul is particularly uncomfortable with whichever Republican nominee is picked, he may very well consider running against him."

tobrien@startribune.com

Five years later, still mourning for Wellstone

Bloggers paused on Thursday to observe the fifth anniversary of the plane crash that killed Sen. Paul Wellstone, his wife, Sheila, his daughter, Marcia, and five others.

• Erza Klein (7) wrote, "I'd love to hear him right now, in this moment when liberalism appears once again ascendant."

• Zach at MnPublius (8) noted Wellstone's early opposition to a war in Iraq. "It's sad, because this whole nightmare could have been avoided if more people had listened. But it's also inspiring, because it shows what is possible in our political system. It is still possible for a good man to be elected to the world's most deliberative body and for that man to make decisions not based on what is politically expedient for him, but rather what is right for his country."

• Eric Black (9), in a must-read post, said Wellstone's death taught him a valuable lesson. "Seek the truth. Share the closest approximation of it that you can assemble. Stand up as bravely as you can for your convictions. When the end comes, don't be full of regrets for things you should have said."

SEE FOR YOURSELF HOW TO FIND THE BLOGS ONLINE

1 The Brody Files • cbn.com/cbnnews/blogs/brodyfile

2 Right Wing News • rightwingnews.com

3 Tapped • prospect.org/csnc/blogs/tapped

4 RedState • redstate.com

5 Andrew Sullivan • andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com

6 Political Base • politicalbase.com

7 Erza Klein • ezraklein.typepad.com/blog

8 MnPublius • mnpublius.com

9 Eric Black Ink • ericblackink.com

Harry Potter and the Friend of Dorothy

The news that Albus Dumbledore is gay shouldn't come as a huge surprise to faithful fans of the "Harry Potter" series. Look at the way he dressed. I mean, hello, Mary! I suspected he might be gay, but his character is British; don't they all seem a little gay? Author J.K. Rowling put all the rumors to rest when she announced that Albus indeed shared the love that dared not speak its name. How courageous of her. Rather than make the character overtly gay in the books, teaching millions of children a lesson in tolerance, she made it so subtle the revelation was shocking news. She gets no credit from this quarter.