Do They Know What They’re Getting Into?

By Ed Hoffman

What a month it’s been for presidential politics. Even before it was officially 2015, there was an announcement from Jeb Bush that he was forming an exploratory committee for a 2016 campaign. Then, Mike Huckabee surprised us (not really) with the announcement that he was ending his Fox News program, presumably to pursue the GOP nomination as well. Now that 2015 has officially begun, so will the 2016 race – and with it, the usual suspects seeking the nomination.

So, which of these candidates will Republicans support? Here’s a truth bomb: That doesn’t matter. What matters is which candidates the media will support. And my opinion is that neither of these two men – despite their respective accomplishments and credentials – will earn the support of the media in the way they are hoping to. Certainly not when their opponent is Hillary Clinton, who is third in line for the official title of left-leaning media darling (the first being President Obama, of course, and the second being her husband).

Wait a minute: Isn’t Jeb the “good” Bush – the one the media pretends to like? Remember, “pretends” is the operative word in a presidential election. NBC news may champion Jeb as an educational pioneer now over his support for Common Core legislation, since they know the entire program is abhorrent to conservatives – but in the end, Jeb Bush being the nominee would mean unbridled attacks on the “legacy” established by the two Bushes who actually managed to attain the presidency. In the final months of the campaign, we would hear words like “warmonger” used on a daily basis – not because of anything Jeb Bush did, but because it’s a slam dunk for any media commentator targeting voters who still suffer from G.W. Bush derangement syndrome.

As for Huckabee, he clearly believes he is immune to such criticism. He’s worked in media, he’s hung with celebrities, and he believes he’s above the fray – but he’s not. Huckabee should take a cue from John McCain, who was once so tight with the media that he called them his “base.” He seemed like a slam dunk for 2008 – until he wasn’t.

When push came to shove, the fact that he had hosted Saturday Night Live in 2002 didn’t matter, nor did the fact that he appeared in the movie Wedding Crashers have any bearing on the way the media would portray his pop culture acumen. Instead, they swarmed like vultures over the corpse of his campaign, using Sarah Palin as the scapegoat – but honestly, would any other running mate have made a difference? I don’t believe so, and using their hindsight, many smart people now agree. The left-leaning media wanted Barack Obama to be President so badly that they would eat alive their own “friend,” Senator McCain, to make sure it happened. They will do the same thing for Hillary Clinton, and former Governor Huckabee needs to know this. So does Jeb Bush.

Don’t get me wrong; I like both of these guys, and I would vote for either of them if they managed to win the nomination. That’s why I hope they know what they’re getting into. It’s just part of the reality; Republican candidates have a tougher hill to climb.

Ed Hoffman is the host of the Main Event on AM590, which airs Saturday at 9:30 AM and Sunday at 4:00 PM. Follow him on Twitter @EdHoffman, and like him on Facebook by searching The Main Event AM590.