Posted on 03/02/2007 6:41:14 AM PST by pissant
The FOX television talking heads were gushing over the usual suspects- Mitt Romney, Rudy Gulliani and John McCain- when the results of the South Carolina Republican straw poll rolled in and left the pundits stuttering and speechless in mid sentence.
In a surprise result not predicted by any of the national political commentators, California Congressman Duncan Hunterfinished second with 110 votes behind Rudy Gulliani's 123 votes with 71 of the 75 precincts reporting.
Arizona Sen. John McCain was third with 86 votes, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney had 59 votes, Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback had 68 votes, and Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee rounded out the front-runners with 18 votes.
The underdog Hunter has now taken first in an Arizona straw poll and second in the South Carolina.
The charm of Duncan Hunter is that he is authentic. In a world of hyper-branding and packaging... where politicial speeches sound as if they are the result of focus group studies... Hunter comes across as unscripted, unrehearsed and firm in his beliefs.
...And do not dismiss his unwavering support for Border Patrol Agents Ramos & Compeon. It is the stuff that resonates with people.
As I wrote in The Washington Times back in November, Hunter has a message that connects with republican voters...particularly those in early primary states such as Iowa, South Carolina and New Hampshire. His message is one of peace through strength, conservative social values and conservative illegal immigration policy.
I have to admit, I early-on wrote off Duncan Hunter as unwinnable. Realistically, I had never heard of the guy. However, considering the election is a long way away, I'm reminded of Clinton's campaign in 1992. How many voters had he swayed in early 1991?
He does come across as presidential. With his Vietnam background and a son in Iraq, he can't be hit with the left's attacks on his own family's sacrifices. Solidly pro-life, pro-military, fiscal conservative, I keep trying to convince myself against him, but it is getting harder the more I get to know him.
The reason the media ignores Duncan Hunter is precisely because he is a true conservative.
They are hoping that Guiliani wins so they can tear him apart because of his personal life.
They are hoping Romney wins, so they can tear him apart because of his religion.
They are hoping McCain wins so they can tear him apart because of his inconsistencies (and craziness/temper).
If Hunter wins,,,,,well, it'll be hard to tear him apart based on his conservative issues because he has been consistent. And, as far as I know (I'm in his district) he doesn't have any skeletons in his closet.
That's boring for the media. The media needs to be amused - they are easily bored when confronted by real news. THey don't want to have to deal with "issues" - they want to deal with tearing the Republican candidate apart on personal matters.
Kinda the opposite of what they did to Bill Clinton in which they exonerated him for "personal issues" - like sex in the Oval Office.
I am a conservative.
I will criticize liberals and phonies, yes including Republicans.
I will praise conservatives.
What part of that don't you understand?
We're not destroying Rudy. His own positions are doing that.
Good news! BTTT
The apostrophe is going the wrong way on '08 in the snail graphic.
Thanks for the comment. I intend to just keep it up as long as they do it to the other candidates. Too bad.
Thanks for the comment. I intend to just keep it up as long as they do it to the other candidates. Too bad.
Thanks, it's the font I used! I will change it if I get the time!
Why not just call a Treasonous Lib or some such. Posting two words saves bandwidth.
Please stay tuned. He's got volunteers streaming his way.
Run Hunter, run!
This was a straw poll, just an indicator. You will find that only the most dedicated voters went out into the heavy rain and wind to vote. McCain had been favored, so you can see that this will come down to a liberal Giuliani and conservative Hunter primary in South Carolina. I would expect similary results in other southern states.
The other thing that is obvious, is that he manhandles the media. Wolfie Blitzer is still applying gauze to his ass.
Yeah, those poll numbers have really been looking awful for him. Finishing first in a southern state's straw poll is disastrous, no question about that. /s.
"A man amongst boys."
Amen to that
Roger that!
I don't care how popular someone is in New York, without the South it is impossible for a Republican to be elected president.
Agreed!! and, the South is the Bible Belt of this nation. I'm not saying other states don't have Christians living in them.
There is just a greater concentration of Christians in the South.
Southern Republican Christians aren't like liberals, they don't claim to know more than everyone else and, hold their nose in the air as if they were above the average citizen.
Southern Republicans hold to the truths of the Holy Bible. Much of their life is governed by the Scriptures.
I think the Southern Baptist Convention has close to 15 million members, if they were to all vote for the same candidate they could sway an election.
Duncan Hunter is the only candidate who has the same values as most Southerners have.
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