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Huckabee mirrors Obama. Romney mirrors Edwards. Guiliani mirrors Clinton.
Let's get to Huckabee and Obama.
Both are the quasi outsiders in their races. Both are threatening a new dynamic in a presidential race. For Huckabee, it's a super overt, religious themed candidacy based off of the principle of big-government conservatism packaged as Christian goodwill. For Obama, it's a hope-filled candidacy offering a new face to the world of what this county is and what it's future will be. He's offering classic big-government liberalism packaged in a new-age, post-Baby Boomer philosophy and temperament.
Romney and Edwards.
These are the classics. The classic Rockefeller Republican, Romney, a granite-faced semi-moderate swimming away from his past support for abortion and gay rights. Armed with a personal fortune, good looks and mailable belief system. He holds the fort as the backup plan in case people get too queasy about a ultra-religious person like Huckabee getting the nomination, or a libertine turned wanna-be right-wing Guiliani. Edwards is the classic southern democrat with charm and boyish good looks, swimming away from his past support for the Iraq war and Patriot act. Armed with a personal fortune (though smaller than Romney's), he holds the fort as the backup plan in case people get to queasy about a inexperienced black man like Obama getting the nomination or a controversial woman with high negatives like Clinton.
Guiliani and Clinton.
These were the standards. The tough America's mayor and the most powerful first lady in history. Both running from the same state. Both known to be tough, hard, not-afraid-to-get-dirty campaigners. Both with baggage about past marital indiscretions, both either linked directly to them or their spouses. No woman had or has, a higher profile in public officer than her. No man, woman or anyone, had a higher profile on the highest profile day of the modern era - 911. Both came out of the gate frontrunners and have begun to fade.
Weird, isn't it?
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