Huckabee = Williams Jenning Bryan

The sudden rise of Huckabee means the Repubs may be about to complete the Great Electoral Flip that both parties fumbled in 2004.  I have blogged about this previously here.  The electoral map of 1896 is telling.  The last few elections, and especially 2004, mirror the race in 1896 - except that the Repubs and Dems have switched sides!  The Repubs have become the party of the South and Midwest, of Old Time Religion and Prairie Populism.  The Dems have become the party of New York, of Finance and Globalism.  What has been missing are candidates who reflect that flip.  Instead, in 2004 both party leaders muddied their messages.  But now the Repubs have found their Flip candidate in Huckabee.

Huckabee is Bryan redux: Baptist minister, great orator, full of ideas of how to bring Christian values to political issues.  His record as governor makes it clear he is no fiscal conservative.  Instead, his message is Populist, like Bryan's.  He hasn't quite said "Don't crucify us on a cross of gold!" but I expect him to rail against the evil bankers in New York if he continues to stay in the lead.  Of course he is in favor of easy money and relief for the poor folks who bought houses with subprime mortgages at high prices.  Subprime today = indebted farmers in 1896.