On Fox News Sunday yesterday, an ailing Mara Liasson suggested that Mike Huckabee lacks a realistic chance at the Republican nomination because of the cash-starved status of his campaign. I’m going to assume it was the Nyquil talking, and that the cogent Liasson offered moldy analysis due to her weakened state. First off, all the candidates are going to pour virtually everything they have into Iowa and New Hampshire. Only the Romney campaign will have an extra supply of financial resources handy on January 9, and that’s just because Romney can self-finance if he finds himself in the mood to do so. Second of all, if Huckabee wins Iowa, his fundraising will get an enormous boost. If he wins Iowa, odds are Huckabee will have more cash on hand than any of the other candidates the day after the New Hampshire primary. Even more important, he’ll get a helping of free media worth more than all the cash in all of the other candidate’s coffers. Although it seems obvious, money is merely a means to an end in politics. The “end” is getting votes. Right now, Huckabee seems to be doing the best where it counts the most.
