Posted on 11/15/2007 2:26:57 AM PST by dano1
Mitt Romney, despite heavy spending and intensive campaigning, finds himself in a tightening battle with Mike Huckabee in Iowa, forcing Romney to confront aggressively an opponent with far less money and organizational backing who was far back in the polls a few weeks ago. more stories like this
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Seven weeks before the Jan. 3 caucuses, a New York Times/CBS News Poll published yesterday had Romney capturing support from 27 percent of likely Republican voters, but Huckabee within striking range with 21 percent. Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani was third with 15 percent, Fred Thompson had 9 percent, and John McCain and Ron Paul had 4 percent each. As recently as September, Huckabee was in the single digits.
"It happened," a memo from the Huckabee campaign said yesterday. "We broke 20% in Iowa, which pulled us to within 6% of Governor Romney!"
Huckabee has been staking much of his campaign on Iowa, hoping that a win in caucuses there, the first nomination votes of 2008, will vault his relatively shoestring candidacy to prominence in delegate-rich states. Romney has invested heavily in Iowa as part of his strategy to capture the early-voting states.
(snip)
On Fox News yesterday, Huckabee was more pointed in his response to Romney: "I guess Mitt Romney would rather keep people out of college so they can keep working on his lawn, since he had illegals there."
That refers to a Globe report in December that the landscaping service working on Romney's lawn in Belmont employed several illegal immigrants. Romney has said his family checked that the employer was legal, but didn't know about the workers.
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
FIRST THOUGHTS: HUCK OF A SHOWING
MSNBC First Read | 11/14/2007 | Domenico Montanaro
*** A Huck of a showing: In our opinion, the biggest news in the New York Times/CBS polls of Iowa and New Hampshire isn’t the Democratic dead heat in the Hawkeye State. Nor is it Hillary’s seemingly comfortable lead in New Hampshire. Nor is it even Thompson in fourth place in Iowa (at 9%) and sixth place in New Hampshire (at 5%). Rather, what jumps out at us is Huckabee narrowly trailing Romney in Iowa, 27%-21%. Per the Times, “[N]early every one of Mr. Huckabee’s poll measures in Iowa … was encouraging: 50 percent of respondents had a favorable view of him, compared with 7 percent who said they viewed him unfavorably.” Is Huckabee’s surge more real than some have thought? Of course, as we’ve mentioned before, he has significant shortcomings when it comes to money and organizing. But for the first time, it seems, we can ask this question: What happens if Huck wins Iowa?
If the GOP primary were today, who would you vote for?
Well, well, well. Just a couple weeks ago they didn’t think Huckabee could break 10%. I do worry that he’s not tough enough on illegal immigration though. I haven’t heard him say he’ll build the fence. Not sure I trust Romney on health care or social issues. I’m glad I don’t live in Iowa. It’s going to be interesting, that’s for sure.
Mitt, the world class businessman, and Governor, from a life long political family, had heard about them darn dern 'illegals' but didn't know they was a hiding right in his lawn patch. Golly-gee! Whodathunk? Is that what them thar 'illegals' be lookin like?
Mitt must of been out life long hunting or something that day. Had the 'family' handle it. Their fault.
Oh well, high diddle de, off to the Presidency!
That said every other candidate besides Paul I will vote for no matter who is the Dem nominee.
I like Huckabee...he’s not perfect, but none of them are. However, I do think the MSM is playing into this just a bit.
Articles have appeared in almost all the liberal rags (NYT, WaPo, etc.) touting Huckabee and giving him much more name recognition.
I think the MSM would rather have Huckabee/Hillary confrontation than a Thompson, Romney or Guiliani match-up. Why...because once the real campaign starts they’ll begin hammering Huckabee on his Baptist affiliation (the pastor for President angle) and in their thinking that will make him unelectable.
Of course, I’m sure there’s a similar plan for every candidte...just noticing that all of a sudden Huckabee is getting nods from the lib papers, so it makes one wonder.
Mitt is a Bishop, so it's not the pastor thing. These MSM all read and copy each other. That is why you see these story clusters. When you think of journalists, think sparrows, or minnows in schools. Really now, when you think 'elections' who's the name that stands out in reporting? There isn't any, is there? Groupthink by people who couldn't handle the rigors of getting a degree in English. Journalism degrees are the Parks and Recreation of degrees.
I’d be interested in knowing if there are ANY landscaping businesses in MA or anywhere else that hire 100% legal workers. Here in the Phoenix area, I doubt there’s even one, especially with the booming business of fake I.D.s.
In Mitts case he never, ever, once ran for local office. Too beneath him. He would of found it informative insite to local goings on. However Mitt felt he was better representing people and communities he didn't know, in a down earth way, as a Senator in Washington, or Governor.
To get back to your original statement though, I can believe you in Phoenix as I spend a good amount of time in Florida. I was talking to a good, small, but five truck landscape owner. He said he couldn't take a chance on illegals because of insurance and state liability. He's had to drop some of his services because he can't compete above board with legal/tax costs. So, it seems that the one truck, or many truck but totally off book landscapers are moving up the gross money trail. Ditto in trades. I stopped by a building site in North Carolina and the only Americans where the plumber and electrician. Further north there is a lower, but growing percentage.
get a grip.
ANYbody can be taken down with that MSM type of BS.
Candidate X goes to McDonalds Restaurant which hired illegals.
Candidate X buyes house which used construction company with illegal alien workers.
Candate X walks into building containing illegal alien workers.
on an on...
by falling for such pedestrian propaganda you only make yourself and your own arguments less valuable. We are supposed to be better than that.
it MUST be true! the Boston Globe said it!(/sarcasm off)
LLS
Yeah, they’d do that once he won the nomination, but right now, they are presenting positive pieces.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/09/us/politics/09huckabee.html
Ditto
We are not talking about ‘Candidate X’.
We are talking about a Mitt, whom I consider kind of clueless. Out of touch. Elitist, and a no show on illegals which have ruined entire cities in Massachusetts. Lowell, Lawrence, Holyoke, New Bedford.
Yeah, I know, a week before Mitt left office he signed an agreement, never followed though, as planned to someday, in the future, maybe allow State Police to arrest Saudis, Mexicans, Frenchmen.
So, you get a grip.
I actually read a post of FR where someone said that although they liked that Fred wanted to overturn RvW he was doing it for the wrong reasons.
Huck may want RvW overturned for what many consider the right reasons but he also is a big government nanny state liberal who can't even get Republicans in his state, who know him best, to endorse him.
Huckabee promotes 'open door' policy at LULAC convention
Thursday, Jun 30, 2005
By Wesley Brown
Arkansas News Bureau
LITTLE ROCK - In a impassioned speech before hundreds of influential Hispanic civil rights leaders from across the nation, Gov. Mike Huckabee told a captive audience Wednesday that America is great because it has always opened it doors up to people seeking a better way of life.
"I would hope that no matter who we are, or where we are from, that America should always be a place that opens its arms, opens it heart, opens its spirit to people who come because they want the best for their families ...," Huckabee said as the largely Hispanic audience gave him a standing ovation.
Huckabee was the keynote speaker, along with Tyson Foods Inc. Chairman and CEO John Tyson, at a noon luncheon of the League of United Latin American Citizens, which is holding its 76th annual convention in Little Rock.
About 10,000 political, community and business leaders, along with exhibitors and speakers are in Little Rock attending the convention at the Statehouse Convention Center. The convention started Monday and runs through Saturday.
Although he never actually talked about the U.S. or Arkansas immigration policy, Huckabee made it very clear where he stood on the issue. In his opening remarks, he said the nation will need to address the concerns of the Hispanic community because of its growing influence and population base.
He told the LULAC delegates that their presence in the state's capital city was very important because Arkansas has one of the fastest growing Hispanic populations in the nation. "Your gathering is so very significant for our state," Huckabee said. "We are delighted to have you."
Despite several light moments, Huckabee did not stray away from several controversial issues that made him a target of criticism during the recently ended 85th General Assembly. He said Arkansas needs to make the transition from a traditional Southern state to one that recognizes and cherishes diversity "in culture, in language and in population."
"This is an issue that is going to require extraordinary efforts on both sides of the border, particularly those coming from Mexico," Huckabee said of verifying the status of illegal aliens. "But I am confident that our government will recognize that we should accommodate people who wish to provide the best opportunities for their families (and) employers so that we can make sure our economy has the necessary work force."
During the legislation session, Huckabee criticized an immigration bill by Republican senators Jim Holt of Springdale and Denny Altes of Fort Smith as un-Christian, un-American, irresponsible and anti-life. Senate Bill 206, which died in the Senate, would have required proof of citizenship to register to vote and also force state agencies to report suspected cases of people living in the country illegally. Holt, R-Springdale, replied later to Huckabee's comments that Christian charity does not include turning a blind eye to lawbreaking.
There is a very good reason why drive-up windows at liquor stores are referred to as "Baptist windows" in the southeastern USA. Just sayin'.....
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