While Republicans across the Metro area and across America still feel the sting of the 2008 election results, the eyes of many conservatives, GOP party activists and media pundits are already turning to 2012.

Did the road to the White House wind through Kansas City on November 21^st? Many people hope so – that’s when former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee stopped by the Unity Temple on the Plaza to promote his new book: Do the Right Thing.

Huckabee, a former Baptist preacher and contender for the Republican Presidential nomination, now hosts a political show on Fox News Channel. The stop in Kansas City, part of a 56-city, three week bus tour to promote his book had the feel of a campaign appearance. After arriving at Unity Temple in a large tour bus with his name and face boldly displayed on the side, the former Governor greeted supporters and paused to be interviewed by local reporters before the book signing began.

According to a recent message posted on Huckabee’s blog, his new book “…[is] really about what do we need to do now to get the conservative movement back on track [?]”

About 250 people lined up to meet Huckabee. He was gracious to everyone who came by and bent the organizers’ rules to accommodate those who wanted posed pictures and personalized autographs. Event organizers estimate the typical crowd for Huckabee at about 500 people. The Plaza appearance attendance, they said, was impacted by the fact he was in Kansas City less than two weeks ago at a pro-life event and sold books there as well.

Conversations with a sample of the attendees showed that social and religious conservatives are still “Huck’s” base of support at this event. Common motivating issues for those in attendance are abortion, parental rights, home school freedom and hope that Mike Huckabee makes a second run for the Presidency.

Jeanne Chambers of Kansas City called herself “…a Huckabee fan since the primaries” and cited his pro-life stance and support of parental notification laws as some of the reasons she backed him in the GOP race. Consistency is also important to her and that, she said, separates Huckabee from some other potential Republican hopefuls. “He’s the only one out there who hasn’t changed”, Chambers asserted, “he’s saying the same things now that he always has.”

Those sentiments were echoed by several others along with an overriding nervousness about the liberalism they believe President-elect Barak Obama will bring to the Executive Branch in January. That worry is what had the mostly Republican crowd looking ahead to the 2012 race already, even before the new President takes the oath of office.

There was no election fatigue on display by Huckabee or anyone else. Some, in fact, said they have to start thinking about the next election now.

Joe Deshon of Lee’s Summit acknowledged that the growing campaign season is irritating to many but said that, when the stakes are as high on the social and economic issues as they are today, it is unavoidable. “It [the campaign cycle] is too long because it has to be too long.”

While economic issues are his primary concerns, Deshon also likes what he sees in the former candidate personally and says he feels he can relate to Huckabee since both are tax reform advocates and both are Baptist.

Voters like Joe Deshon, however, are both the challenge and the key to victory in the Presidential political realm, especially in states like Missouri and Kansas. While Deshon considers himself a Huckabee supporter, he voted for the more liberal John McCain in the Missouri primary election because he felt Huckabee’s chances of winning the nomination in 2008 had passed by that time.

For the 2012 race, Deshon says he wants Huckabee to do well and would like to see him win but he will only actively support the former Governor “…if I think he’s got a chance of being successful.”

In other words, if you want my support – Show Me why you are a winner. Spoken like a true Missourian.

Mike Huckabee was very successful in winning over social and religious conservatives during the early part of the 2008 campaign. Due to significant support from pro-life voters, efforts organized by religious leaders in the state and those who viewed “traditional values” issues as being the most important, Huckabee won the coveted Iowa caucuses earlier this year.

As the economy slowed, the mortgage crisis emerged and fuel prices skyrocketed, Huckabee’s campaign lost momentum and eventually succumbed to John McCain, who paid more attention to security and economic issues.

Chuck Muth, President of Citizen Outreach (www.citizenoutreach.com), a non partisan political advocacy organization, is also the organizer of the annual Conservative Leadership Conference. He told the Metro Voice that Republican voters who say economic issues topped their concerns were less likely to get on board the Huckabee campaign from the start; “Economic conservatives were pretty unhappy with his tax-and-spend record as governor.”

The crowd at Unity Temple, though, was clearly more concerned with social issues than with economic ones. Learning that, as Governor of Arkansas, Huckabee successfully pushed to raise some taxes bothered no one who was interviewed for this article.

Muth says Huckabee has the traits needed to remain the favorite of values voters, but the impact of that voting block in the Republican Party is fading. “…every year that passes diminishes the potency of the traditional values wing's two biggest issues: abortion and gay marriage.  I'm just not sure the social conservatives will have as big a role in the selection process in 2012 as it has enjoyed in the past.”

Even if the GOP’s focus on a national level is moving away from values-based issues, the party still relies on social and religious conservatives during elections, even when moderate or liberal Republicans are nominated. “[social and religious conservative] are still an important and much-needed demographic for Republicans to return to a governing majority,” Muth explains, “but the battleground has moved out of the ‘Bible belt’ and into the more libertarian Mountain West. That's just a political reality.”

Huckabee disagrees. In an email sent to supporters shortly after his Kansas City stop, he asserted “I'm more convinced than ever that there is a growing army of pro-life, pro-family, supporters of the FairTax that are committed to making sure that we ‘Do the Right Thing!’”

So far, conservative voters have generally backed Republican nominees even when those nominees have been more liberal on social issues. Whether or not they are able to slow, stop or even reverse the party’s leftward move remains to be seen.

Is Mike Huckabee a candidate for President in 2012? Not right now but he has the elements in place to hit the campaign trail running: a continual national media presence (the program on FOX News Channel), a new book to promote and a Political Action Committee (Huck PAC) that is actively backing conservative Republican candidates around the country.

His Kansas City appearance had a feel of a campaign stop to some degree. His staff was decked out in “Team Huck” racing jerseys while setting up a podium on the stage and then when flanking him while the procession of book customers filed past.

Huckabee no longer has the social and religious conservative base to himself. John McCain’s running mate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, is considered by many to be the rising star of the political right. Muth observed that “…many conservatives were openly talking about Palin as the GOP's nominee in 2012 before the ink was dry on the 2008 [election] results.”

When it came to the electoral landscape and his future plans, the former Governor was not talking even though many of those who showed up to meet him were openly talking about them. Focusing on the book signing instead of politics, Huckabee gracefully and skillfully avoided political questions, providing responses that politely acknowledged the question (and the person asking it) yet gave only non-answers. He was quick to initiate a handshake, quick to thank everyone for being there and constantly had a smile on his face but “Yeah, I know what you mean, we’ll have to see what happens…” was a common answer to questions about a variety of topics.

At this appearance, though, there was no stump speech to the friendly audience. The only speech made was to supporters of the FAIR Tax proposal, which he briefly addressed after the book signing and just before boarding his tour bus to visit Springfield, Missouri later that afternoon.