Among the characteristics that define Mike Huckabee are a willingness to associate with fringe right-wing figures and a remarkable bitterness that fuels his resentment against the GOP "elite" who did not support his presidential campaign last time around.
And both were on display this weekend when he joined WorldNetDaily's Aaron Klein to lash out at the "elitism" of GOP leaders who refuse to support candidates like Christine O'Donnell ... and him:
"Unfortunately, there is an elitism within the Republican establishment," Huckabee told Klein. "And it's one of the reasons the Republicans have not been able to solidify not only the tea party movement but solidify conservatives across America."
"It's about, again, to be blunt, the kind of country club attitude that we're not sure there are certain people we really want as members of the club and we're not going to vote them in. And we don't mind showing up to events to put up signs and making phone calls and going door to door making those pesky little trips that we don't like to do, but we really don't want them dining with us in the main dining room," he said.
Huckabee's resentments date back to his 2008 presidential bid, which drew dismissal and even paid attacks from a Wall Street-backed GOP establishment that favored Mitt Romney and others and saw Huckabee as suspect on taxes.
"I've been on the receiving end of some of that when I ran for president. A lot of the establishment types were very contemptuous toward me and treated me like some backwater," Huckabee said. "And that's one of the things that happens when you didn't go to the right school and you're not a regular [attendee] at the proper cocktail parties on the D.C. social circuit."
