Of course the usual liberal suspects of MSNBC and CNN were true to form.  Oberman and Mathews, Blitzer and Borger waxed on and on about the “change” election. We heard about the “energy” and “buzz” at Democratic venues.  Then that Obama had done the impossible with his “change” message.  Voters are fed up with the establishment and want change they said.  Obama’s speech was “breathtaking”.  The Democratic turnout exceeded wildest predictions.  Barack “Kumbayah with Ahmadinejad” Obama is the second coming, according to the analysts who despise George Bush and revel in thoughts of the coming “hope”.  There was so much glee and jubilation over  “hope” and “change” that the Democrats should have held their own “Barack is the the Truth, the Peace and the Hope” tent revival.  But no.  That would have been too over the top, too evangelical, too much like those mindless, knuckle-dragging  GOP evangelical caucus voters.  After all, it’s obvious how deluded they are….in faith and politics.

Of course everyone knows (including high minded conservative talking heads at Fox, National Review and Weekly Standard) that were it not for the foggy minded faithful, Mike Huckabee wouldn’t have had a chance.  Never mind that the GOP turnout was up from ’04.  It’s no big deal that Romney spent like Donald Trump on steroids yet lost to a guy who looks like Gomer Pyle.  Naah, just a quirk that all the political torpedoes fired his way were deftly deflected by former Governor from Hope, Arkansas and turned into a brilliant election trouncing of Mr. Northeast Establishment.  What we saw in Iowa was a not-so-quiet revolution.  Incubating, developing, maturing and feeling its oats.  The revolution in Iowa may never break out of the shell and elect Obama or Huckabee.  But especially for the GOP and the conservative elite in America, it should be a wakeup call.

You’ve heard me trumpet Mike Huckabee’s character, his down home charisma, and extraordinary communication skills, and highlight his Fair Tax support, his stance that unbridled small business opportunity is our economy’s last, best hope, and how liberal and performing arts can propel our ingenuity in pursuit of entrepreneurialism.  I’ve taken the time to defend his tax increases in the context of Arkansas’ abysmal roads and teetering school system; conservative idealogues have not.  That includes Sean Hannity, who along with Bill O’Reilly continually dismissed and marginalized the Governor during ’07.  Which is interesting in light of  Sean’s brazen claim after Huckabee’s victory that it was Hannity who had been a buoy for the Governor in a hostile media since the start of the debates.  Hogwash.  I watched faithfully and was continually frustrated by his unwillingness to acknowledge Huckabee’s debate prowess and even the early surge.  Sean Hannity is a nouveau New Yorker, intoxicated with cosmopolitan, big network, coastal politics and politicians.  As much as I like Sean, he clearly is much more a Guiliani or Romney guy than the folks you and I know.  And as for Huckabee, Sean reminds me of the biblical Peter, friends when the going is good, in denial when it seemed personally expedient.  Yet I think he really believes it when he says he’s neutral.  The same goes for Rich Lowery, who I admire and respect.  Usually. But he too seems incapable of objective appraisal.  To wit, a pivotal and popular Huckabee proposal….the Fair Tax.  He misrepresents it, then ridicules the prospect of a constitutional amendment to allow it while abolishing income, capital gains and corporate taxes.  But isn’t he an advocate of a constitutional ban on abortion?  Isn’t he a “low tax conservative”  What gives?   Seems like selective conservatism to me.  Why is one amendment a real goal and the other a proverbial hologram at best?  You and I still believe everything is possible in America, but apparently not the conservative talking heads and idealogues. 

I have concluded that so called “true” conservatives, sometimes self described as Reagan conservatives, have become as pathologically out of touch with Mr. and Mrs. America as Hillary, Al Franken, or Bill Magher.  Only a president with the credentials of Milton Friedman, Ronald Reagan, and George Patton rolled into one will satisfy them.  Yet if a candidate walks the Christian walk, demonstrates true compassion, consistency, humility (Huck did say a conciliatory letter to a convicted murderer was a mistake), displays 99^th percentile determination by losing 110 pounds and keeping it off, is rabidly pro-2^nd amendment,  passionately pro-life and takes his Clinton-damaged state from the basement to the lobby in terms of roads and education while balancing the budget, it’s not enough.  Forget a major pillar of his campaign, espousing to disembowel every conservatives Goliath-the IRS.  That’s not good enough either. 

Has the glitter and din of N.Y.C., the ‘importance’ of D.C. , and the generally secular, anti-mom and apple pie culture of our blue state cities gone to the elite conservatives’ heads.  It would only be natural.  Elitism by osmosis.  I think it’s a medical condition, or it ought to be.  And I’m getting weary of their casual attitude toward non-establishment candidates.  So were Iowans.  And I sense, like Democrats, that elitists and demagogues on both side need a potent political elixir.   Better yet, some smelling salts to wake up and smell the Heartland.  Last night they got some.  On both sides.  Let’s see if they doze back into the comfortable cocktail party good ol’ boy zone.  Maybe so, and Huckabee may not win it all, but now they know we’re watching them all. 

Call me and let’s talk about it this and every Saturday, on your station for all that’s worth talking about…..97.1 FM Talk.