Romney defends record as Huckabee wins straw poll

CNN ^ | September 19, 2009 | Rebecca Sinderbrand, CNN Political Producer

[2ndDivisionVet]

A day after former Baptist minister and likely presidential rival Mike Huckabee offered a withering critique of Mitt Romney's record, the former Massachusetts governor made his pitch to the same group of religious conservatives.

Romney appealed to attendees at the Values Voter Summit in Washington on Saturday, using a speech that drew heavily from his address to social conservatives at the same hotel earlier this year. "Putting such a spirit-crushing, back-breaking debt burden on our children is unworthy of our national character," he said.

"That is why I believe that this spending and borrowing is not just economically irresponsible, it is morally wrong."

The former Republican presidential candidate, widely considered a likely 2012 contender, was on the ballot for the gathering's 2012 presidential straw poll, along with Huckabee, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Texas Rep. Ron Paul, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Indiana Rep. Mike Pence and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum.

Huckabee won the straw poll Saturday, grabbing nearly 29 percent of the vote. Romney, Pawlenty, Palin and Pence each won roughly 12 percent of the 597 votes cast.

Just four of the eight prospective GOP standard-bearers spoke at the three-day conference: Romney, Pence, Huckabee, and Pawlenty. Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who will speak later Saturday, earlier asked that his name be removed from the straw poll ballot.

Despite the makeup of the crowd, Romney's speech was relatively light on social issues, focusing instead on economic and security policy.(continued)

[2ndDivisionVet]

You're spinnin' your wheels, boys: Sarah will be the nominee, or there'll be a third party. No more Gomer McRomneys!!

[pissant]

Hunter/DeMint. No global warming or amnesty pushers.

[stockpirate]

Wish Huck would shut up and go home, I can’t stand him on any Fox show he is on. Come to think of it Mitt-Witt is just as bad along with Dah-Newt.

[svcw]

MR defends record? huh A liberal defense...how does that work?

[stockpirate]

The liberal defense is to lie!

[stockpirate]

Sarah/Joe Wilson

[gwilhelm56]

Sorry MITT ... your experimentation with State run Healthcare requirements ... makes you a NON STARTER.. dayum, I’d voted for the HUCKSTER before i’ll vote for Romney!!

[Uncle George]

ROTTON,DIRTY, STINKING MSM think they are going to pick the GOP pres. runner again -—”AIN’T GONNA HAPPEN BOY”

[gwilhelm56]

** Sarah/Joe Wilson **

Sarah/michele Bachmann ....

[svcw]

Of course, thanks for reminding me.

[MinorityRepublican]

[gwilhelm56]

**MSM think they are going to pick the GOP pres. runner again**

THEY WILL ... unless GOP does away with the IOWA CAUCUS and replaces it with a primary.. and ALL PRIMARIES CLOSED.. republican ONLY (which means I DO NOT have a Primary Vote)

[EGPWS]

Hunter/DeMint

Too/Early

[livius]

Romney is just plain awful and is such a typical blow-dried socialist that I think the GOP would do even worse than it did with McCain (because, for one thing, Romney tried very hard to spike the Palin candidacy and would certainly not be open to running with her).

I like Huckabee and I agree that his values are great. He could possibly clarify his positions on other matters. But I’m just not sure he’s a very galvanizing or aggressive person (which will be necessary in 2012, if we make it that far).

I also like Jindal, but again, he’s not a very motivating speaker.

At the moment, I like Palin/DeMint, or DeMint/Palin. Of course, things can always change.

[EGPWS]

No more Gomer McRomneys!!

Surprise...surprise...surprise!!!!

Sargeant Carter and Miss Bunny you are the best!

[livius]

Palin/Bachmann...hmm, that’s interesting.

[ansel12]

Gov. Mike Huckabee 28 %
Romney 12.4 %
Gov. Tim Pawlenty 12.23 %
Sarah Palin 12.06 %
Rep. Mike Pence 11.89 %

One got a 168 votes and four tied for second, all attended, lobbied and gave speeches except for one of them.

[pennyfarmer]

Mitt is like Jello. Except he does have some carrots in him. (Back handed Mormon joke)

Mitt changes positions more than I change my underwear. I could see him making a few changes to his positions, VERY few.

[Regulator]

Rick Perry?!

The dude what gave Texas Illegal Alien in-state tuition?

Man can move to Mexico after spitting on the rest of America that way.

[PhiKapMom]

I don’t if she will be the nominee or even wants it but we are not going to elect anyone who ran in 2008 in the primary including Romney or Huckabee. Put a fork in every Republican primary candidate from 2008!

[Regulator]

Palin/Bachmann...hmm, that’s interesting

That's the ticket.

Huck can head on home, maybe get a daily talk show against Oprah

[pointsal]

Did the Mitt-ster have a record?

Enough of these weak willies.

[bethtopaz]

Please No Huckabee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[bethtopaz]

Huckabee asked his t.v. fans to show up and vote.
Please ... no....Huckabee!!!!!

[ansel12]

My point is that for all their efforts one of the second places went to the only person that wasn’t even there.

[swatbuznik]

Who conducted the straw poll? Who were they polling? An open poll or a closed one to real conservative Republicans? I doubt this stupid poll? I’m sick and tired of media deciding who is our candidate for future elections.

Stuff your gawdamn poll, CNN!!!

[jla]

Why don't you drive down to Calif. and have dinner with Hunter? He might even let you sit on his lap and feed you SpaghettiOs.

If she so desires the GOP nominee is Mrs Palin. This is irrefutable!

[DanZanRyu]

Mitt Romney is a digusting fraud who shoudl be kicked out of the party.

[GnuHere]

Bachmann getting enough attention that SNL has somebody playing her. (As a big meanie, of course.)

[Squantos]

Agree ....SARAH 2012 !

Only way Mitt the twit could win is if the Hildebeast was his VP choice.

[aMorePerfectUnion]

This was simply the opinion of 597 people...

[icwhatudo]

Demint/Pence 2012

Bolton-Sec Of State
Hunter-Homeland Security
Palin-Energy Secretary
Tancredo-Head of Border Patrol

[pissant]

Get back to me when Palin introduces her global warming plan. After all, “we have to do something about it”.

[Iscool]

So Sarah Palin received only 12% because she didn’t give a speech...And she didn’t give a speech because she wasn’t there...

Those other contenders ought to be a bit nervous about that...

[Diogenesis]

James Carville (DNC): "It's a feel-good story, this Romney thing. Romney is an ascendant guy."

The McCain/Palin ticket was up ++8 pts. days prior to September 18th, 2008.
So the RomneyTeam attacked Gov. Palin and her children to throw Election2008.

"Frum was indeed a critic of Palin, calling her nomination a "huge mistake" during an October 13 Early Show appearance."

---

David Frum: "Two of our most plausible candidates for president in 2012 are leading Mormons: Mitt Romney and Utah governor Jon Huntsman."

---

David Frum: "I have a lot of regard for Mitt Romney as a man and politician.
Let me say for the record: If Romney emerges as the Republican nominee, I will support him without qualm."

---

Late in October, The American Spectator's The Prowler revealed:
"Former Mitt Romney presidential campaign staffers, some of whom are currently working for Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin's bid for the White House,
have been involved in spreading anti-Palin spin to reporters, seeking to diminish her standing after the election.
'Sarah Palin is a lightweight, she won't be the first, not even the third, person people will think of when it comes to 2012,'
says one former Romney aide, now working for McCain-Palin.
'The only serious candidate ready to challenge to lead the Republican Party is Mitt Romney.
He's in charge on November 5th.'"
The Prowler added: "Some former Romney aides were behind the recent leaks to media, including CNN, that Governor Sarah Palin was a 'diva' and was going off message intentionally."
The Romney supporters in the McCain campaign had access to internal polling which indicated well in advance of the November 4 election that McCain had no chance to win.
So they began working to position their man Mitt for a run in 2012. Just two days after the election,The Palmetto Scoop reported:
"One of the first stories to hit the national airwaves was the claim of a major internal strife between close McCain aides and the folks handling his running mate Sarah Palin."
"I’m told by very good sources that this was indeed the case and that a rift had developed, but it was between Palin’s people and the staffers brought on from the failed presidential campaign of former Gov. Mitt Romney, not McCain aides."
"The sources said nearly 80 percent of Romney’s former staff was absorbed by McCain and these individuals were responsible for what amounts to a premeditated, last-minute sabotage of Palin."
These aides loyal to Romney inside the McCain campaign, said The Scoop, reportedly saw that Palin would be a serious contender for the Republican nomination in 2012 or 2016, which made her a threat to another presidential quest by Romney.
Erick Erickson, who organized Operation Leper, said:
"Here’s what I think: I think there are some staffers on the McCain campaign who seriously screwed up the roll out of Sarah Palin, to which Governor Palin herself objected.
These staffers are now out trying to finish her off thinking, as typical D.C. types do, that if they don’t do it to her, she’ll do it to them. They just never understood who Palin is or what she is about."
"Likewise, I do think there are some staffers and others who expect Mitt Romney to run again in 2012,
they decided McCain could not win, and decided to undermine Sarah Palin and her chances hoping it would ingratiate themselves with Mitt Romney."

---

"Who's the Palin Leaker from the McCain Campaign? (Mark Wallace, Romney pimp)
National Review Online The publication of a Vanity Fair profile of Sarah Palin
appears to have opened old wounds in the McCain campaign.
... the source of the “Diva” leak was Nicolle Wallace’s husband."

---

Who benefits most from Sanford meltdown? Californian (that's right) Mitt Romney

---

"Peeking Out From the McCain Wreckage: Mitt Romney"

"Someone's got to say it: IS MITT ROMNEY RESPONSIBLE FOR OBAMA'S VICTORY?"

"Vanity: Team Romney Sabotaged Palin and Continuing to Do So?"

"Romney Supporters Trashing Palin"

"Romney advisors sniping at Palin?"

---

[Nasher]

Demint/Pence 2012

Bolton-Sec Of State Hunter-Homeland Security Palin-Energy Secretary Tancredo-Head of Border Patrol

I like it! If my guy doesn't get elected maybe he could have a position on Demint's staff:

Thaddeus McCotter - Press Secretary

His daily beatdowns of the press would be a joy to watch.

[mkjessup]

Hunter would be better suited to Secretary of Defense, his 26 years on the House Armed Services Committee qualifies him, plus his own Vietnam combat experience as an Army Ranger.

[dixjea]

God please keep Mr Huckaby, far far away from the White House.

[ColdWater]

I like Huckabee and I agree that his values are great. He could possibly clarify his positions on other matters.

He said the earth is 6000 years old. How much clearer do you want him to be?

[Rastus]

Welsh rarebit for everyone!

[ConservativeMan55]

No worries. Fox just signed him to a three year deal.

I don’t think he has any plans to run.

[JerryP]

There are already plenty of "third" parties. They have gone nowhere. We should fight for a conservative candidate in the primaries, but support whomever is the Republican nominee.

Third party = Four more years of Obama

[JerryP]

And for that you would never vote for the man? You’re making a mountain out of a mole hill.

[JerryP]

So in what other ways do you find Sarah inadequate? And what is the FALCON party? I’ve never heard of it.

[JerryP]

Why wasn’t she there?

[JerryP]

Serious question: would any of you support a Romney / Palin ticket?

[Rum Tum Tugger]

I like Huckabee and I agree that his values are great.

The GOP needs an effective communicator to go up against Obama in 2012. They have to stop fielding stumble-bum candidates like Dole, Dubya and McLame.

Without a doubt Huckabee is one of the best and most effective communicators on the scene today. He might actually have a chance to defeat Obama.

After shamnesty and after the final years of Dubya's disaster, I swore I would never vote for another Republican again. However, I held my nose and voted for McLame. After McLame, I swore again that I would never vote for another Republican.

If Huckabee gets the GOP nomination, I just might vote for him. Not because I agree with with every position he holds, but because he's the only Republican I see who has a chance of beating Obama -- which should be everyone's top priority.

Get real -- people like Duncan Hunter and Sarah Palin don't have an ice cubes chance in hell of winning a presidential election against anyone the Rats run against them.

[Iscool]

When did the incident you refer to happen?

Don't know...She recently had a meeting of a sort going on in China...Maybe she was still tied up there...

[Iscool]

There are already plenty of "third" parties. They have gone nowhere. We should fight for a conservative candidate in the primaries, but support whomever is the Republican nominee.

Nope...That's what you guys claimed the last time and we ended up with Obama...That plan gives you people the power to pick the Rino of your choice in the Primary...

Our way, you'll have to go with the Conservative's choice in the Primary or accept another defeat from the Commie Liberals...

You just saw it happen in the last election...Don't be foolish enough to try it again...