Best Analysis of Huckabee's Candidacy

Sarah Posner's January 16 FundamentaList offers the best analysis of the grassroots networking that has made Mike Huckabee the rising star of the GOP. Here's a quote:

The ground troops in Huckabee's populist march have been cultivated in mega-churches, through televangelism, and through a mass-marketed, consumer-style religion. These soldiers in "Huck's army" consume the dominionist message, believe that they need to evangelize the country and the world, and believe that they are doing God’s work through their vote. Through a panoply of mediums -- church, television, magazines, conferences, the Web, and even movies -- they are activated on a daily basis to political action. Networks tying pastors to political activism propel the process; when Huckabee spoke at John Hagee's church in December, for example, he reached about 10,000 people, was promised an airing of the sermon on television, and potentially reached Hagee's network of thousands of pastors, and their own followings of thousands.

This viral marketing approach is what's rendering people like Focus on the Family's James Dobson, the Southern Baptist Convention's Richard Land, Family Research Council's Tony Perkins, and American Values' Gary Bauer -- all leaders of the influential Arlington Group that has failed to coalesce around a candidate -- largely irrelevant to Huckabee's remarkable success. And they are shell-shocked that the train has left the station without them. They are left standing on the platform, emasculated by Chuck Norris.