Media Hearts Huckabee

The flip side of the media having a problem with or being dismissive of some of the Democratic candidates (see Edwards, John) is their open rooting for a guy like Mike Huckabee who gives them good soundbites.

A final thought: The political press is absolutely head over heels for Huckabee. (There were high-fives all around when it became clear he'd finish second.) He's a genuinely endearing guy who can banter with the best of them--watching him with reporters brings to mind the old black and white footage of Babe Ruth jawboning with sportswriters. When you add that to the political media's general affinity for underdogs, you can see how Huckabee's about to enjoy some serious media afterglow, which will only further boost his profile.

Noam Scheiber later clarified that there weren't ACTUAL high-fives, which I guess makes it all better.

This is a situation where the political media is slowly turning into the sports media. Sports reporters are very open about giving favorable coverage to those who grant them a lot of access and good soundbites. Mediocre players or non-stars who are affable and jokey are quoted more often than their surly counterparts. This appears to be the same seduction that Huckabee is doing to the media, only they're not disclosing it and furthermore claiming that this jocularity is what's winning him supporters out in the country rather than just winning them over. On the stump, Huckabee is making a full-on populist pitch, along with a heaping helping of social conservatism and the occasional bold rhetoric on subjects like prison reform.

In actuality, it's unclear whether or not Huckabee is actually appealing to working-class Republican voters who took him to second place in the Ames Straw Poll, or if the FairTax people pushed him there (which is far more likely). But clearly, Huckabee is winning the all-important (to Washington insiders) media primary for none of these reasons: it's just because he knows how to wield a one-liner.