The hall hosting the first ever GOP YouTube debate was big and raucous. At the start of the broadcast, Anderson Cooper promptly informed the audience that “the questions all came from you.” I can’t remember ever having felt so empowered. The prelude to the questions was a topical two minute folk song delivered via YouTube. And to think, I was worried the format would lack dignity. The best thing I can say about the format is that it allowed for a lot of close-ups of Chuck Norris. Chuck Norris could single-handedly solve the illegal immigration problem. We all know that. The worst part of the format came when a retired brigadier general sporting an oddly flamboyant wristband asked the candidates about gays in the military. It turned out that said brigadier general with the oddly flamboyant wristband was not only in the crowd, but out of the closet. After the candidates answered the general’s YouTube question, Cooper surprised everyone by turning the proceedings over to the gay general, who seized the moment and hectored the candidates for about two minutes. For what it’s worth, I still felt empowered. The candidates had to answer questions from people just like me! For once, the candidates had to deal with ordinary Americans – red blooded, Bible-touting, Confederate flag-waving, gun-firing, Mars exploring gay generals. Read the Internets – the YouTube debate was a smashing success! So was this a seismic night? I’ll give that one a big yes. Tonight heralded the arrival of Mike Huckabee as a force in this race. Not a spoiler, not a wildcard, but a force. Huckamania is still running wild. It was a very strong night for the campaign’s “it” candidate. I thought the “What would Jesus do?” question about the death penalty might trip him up. Shows you what I know. By the time he was done, I was staring at the TV agape. Oh my, is he a smoothie and a charmer. Then he did the almost unimaginable – he got even stronger when he got the chance to discuss the Bible. Yes, he had a home court advantage on the question, but he exploited it brilliantly. The line about finite man not being able to comprehend an infinite God touched even this non-Christian. If Huckabee should become president, that will be his “I paid for this microphone” moment. The man connects. I can imagine a lot of people, especially a lot of Iowan Republicans, heard that skillful answer and their minds snapped shut. They found their candidate. A personal note to all my sophisticated East Coast friends: Don’t wait for the Christmas rush – stop underestimating Huckabee now. Unless the other guys can be a lot more effective at landing some leather on him than they were last night, he may win Iowa by 20 points. P.S. – Did Fred Thompson attend last night’s debate?
