Posted on 12/21/2007 12:05:13 PM PST by Checkers
After today, Rush Limbaugh is in reruns until January 3, the day of the Iowa caucuses.
Highlight from a moment ago: "The drive bys are doing everything they can to influence the Republican primary. Mike Huckabee has been getting a pass from the drive-bys... They don't want Rudy because they think he can beat Hillary. They don't want Romney because of the same thing. They don't want Fred Thompson because of the same thing."
Can a guy who's been slammed as hard as Mike Huckabee has by Rush Limbaugh, the most popular conservative radio talk show host in the country, go on to win the Iowa caucuses? Anybody think Rush will have dropped this issue by the third of January?
My instinct is to say, "no way, a thumbs down from Rush is fatal," but a guy on another campaign cautions me. "An Iowa pastor who has been talking up Huckabee isn't going to change his mind because Rush Limbaugh doesn't like him." He points out that a pastors and religous leaders deal with people who fall short of their ideals all the time; hearing that Mike Huckabee was too merciful in dealing with Wayne Dumond is not going to be a dealbreaker for them. They'll probably go, no pun intended, "there but for the grace of God go I."
So... if a certain significant chunk of Huckabee's supporters back him because he's the most vocal Christian in the race, not because of the conservatism of his record or policy stances.... if the moment comes where the race needs a Huck Slayer (as social conservatives thought the race might require a Rudy Slayer)... can anybody in the race go after Huckabee on that ground? Can anyone make the argument to that Republican plurality, "Okay, nevermind conservative policy choices - he's not the good Christian leader you think he is"?
Tough ground to fight on. Just thinking out loud here, can a rival point out the ethics questions from Huckabee's Arkansas days? Is Huckabee's "innocent" question about Mormon beliefs the act of a good Christian? Is there something borderline blasphemous to compare opponents' direct mail to a Biblical verse describing "weapons" deployed against the righteous, or comparing one's campaign fundraising to the miracle of loaves and fishes?
Would Jesus hire Ed Rollins?
Agreed, not to mention that non-profits (basically churches) have been limited in their speech...
The saddest part of all, our own party, rabid to keep it's power, has successfully split itself, as no one is looking for the candidate that is the best answer for ALL the factions, the one capable of uniting the party going forward.
This has succeeded in crippling the only grassroots that matter, the internet.
Someone needs to guide them to the right person by telling them to use their head as well as their hearts.
To some extent the MSM is participating, but the Huckster was pushing all the right buttons during the debates.
Without money and media or a boost from Rush, Hunter is going to have a difficult time.
thanks
So Why not you? Hurry up! :P
What is so apparent to me is that no one is looking at the Coalition. No one is looking for a consensus candidate. Everyone is trying to shove their candidate down the throat of the party because of some supposed "electability". How insane.
No one is going to win unless we all stick together. That means the candidate must serve the needs of all the Conservative factions. Huck's rise is the direct result of not providing a Conservative candidate capable of serving the Christian Right.
Right now, none can win in the general- Giuliani, Romney and McCaine can't win without the Conservatives, which they will never get. Fred can't win without the Christian Conservatives, and Huck can't win without the Fiscal and Constitutional Conservatives. What's that leave you with?
Everyone is using the "where they gonna go?" mentality... Well I have a newsflash: They're gonna go away.
the Huckster was pushing all the right buttons during the debates.
I couldn't agree more. Any misgivings the Christians may have is offset by the apparent lack of other suitable (in their eyes) candidates.
Without money and media or a boost from Rush [...]
There are others too, don't forget Dobson, whose network is quite substantial... and whose 570 has not donated a dime yet.
The other candidates have wider support, but it isn't very deep. A come-from-behind could still happen, and I hope it does, as otherwise the chance of a win in the general is nearly nonexistent. That, or a dark horse out of the blue...
You have Freep mail
What was the attack Rollins made on Rush? I didn’t even hear about it.
From here:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1942818/posts?page=332#332
Hear is the context. I don’t think it is fair to say Rollins was talking about Rush at all:
CBSNews.com:
Lets start with the attacks on Governor Huckabee from a lot of Republican establishment figures lately. Rush Limbaugh has called him the Huckster. Rich Lowry, the editor of the National Review, has said it would be suicide to nominate him. Why do you think he’s provoking all of this criticism?
Ed Rollins:
Well, I think first of all he is not an establishment candidate. I don’t think anybody anticipated early on when he started to run that he would do as well as he’s doing. Some of these guys have picked other candidates.
And I think, to a certain extent, the alleged wise men have sat around in either the studios, or the newsrooms, basically writing magazine articles. They didn’t see it coming and I think they underestimated him.
not much of an attack.
I agree.
If you go back and read the thread one person said Rush was being thin skinned.
I said it was a brilliant move on Rollins’ part to keep the Huckster’s name in the news for a week.
Full disclosure: I am a Duncan Hunter supporter.
Time for me to go to bed.
Sorry, I don’t vote for a socialist, big government, pro shamnesty and illegals person just because they are pro life (and will still never probably have a litmus test for the supreme court on abortion). I am 100% in favor of Hunter but his odds of winning are at probably 200 to 1.
Worship? Again, an odd word choice from someone who is coming to the aid of a probable Huckabee supporter. How do you defend a guy who writes, "...thrice divorced hypocrite laughing all the way to the back because of the sheeple who continue to buy his line of b.s."?
Even if one does not like Rush, one has to value his ability to extol limited government and get others in 'the movement' excited about embracing it as well. If I were to make the statement that Rush's line of b.s. was a turn-off for me -- something I would not do, BTW, and particularly on a conservative forum even if I did feel this way -- I'd be all but admitting that championing for a limited government wasn't all that important to me.
That's a very good point.
He did say the only Conservative in the top 4... he knows that Hunter is a fine Conservative for sure!
LLS
Amen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You nailed it with a railroad spike!
LLS
LLS
You think someone should be zotted for not liking a radio show?
Sieg Heil.
I don’t think you listened long enough to understand what he is doing. In case you can’t figure it out, he is “yanking chains.”
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