Because they know he is about as electable as Bozo the Clown.
Posted on 01/03/2008 10:15:51 PM PST by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON - Evangelical Republicans in Iowa chose one of their own in Mike Huckabee.
"Wherever it ends — and we know where that's going to be — it started here in Iowa," the emboldened candidate proclaimed as he promised more victories in states to come.
But the looming question is whether the Southern Baptist minister turned decade-long Arkansas governor is strong enough to triumph outside friendly Iowa territory, and go the distance to the nomination.
That test begins immediately as Huckabee turns to New Hampshire, where he will run head-on into town meetings full of secular voters, and John McCain, the Arizona senator who has pinned his second White House bid on the state he won in 2000.
New Hampshire holds the nation's first primary in just five days, and Huckabee also will face a rematch there with Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor who desperately needs a victory in neighboring New Hampshire to prove his candidacy isn't crippled after an Iowa defeat.
Huckabee's improbable rise from underdog to leader upended the GOP race in the final weeks of the Iowa campaign. His ascent — like his ultimate triumph — was fueled by Christian conservatives who spent a year searching for a candidate to embrace before settling on Huckabee.
He made his religious beliefs and his rock-solid opposition to abortion, gay marriage and gun control central parts of his campaign — and it paid off. Romney, for his part, struggled to overcome skepticism about his Mormon faith and his shifts on positions on issues that cultural and religious conservatives hold dear.
"Values voters spoke loudly tonight in Iowa through Governor Huckabee's candidacy," said Greg Mueller, a GOP strategist and former aide to past conservative presidential candidates Pat Buchanan and Steve Forbes. "But his success was also due to his appeal as an authentic and genuine candidate that connected with middle America."
"Now, he's got to use that bully pulpit to broaden his populist appeal in New Hampshire," Mueller added.
In a poll conducted for The Associated Press of voters entering Iowa's caucuses, Huckabee voters indicated values outranked electability in importance. Six in 10 of his backers said the most important quality in picking a candidate was someone who shared their values, while a third of his supporters said he says what he believes. Fewer than one in 20 said they thought he had the best chance of winning in November.
Faith was a determining factor for many Republican caucus participants.
A significant chunk of Huckabee supporters — eight in 10 — said they are born again or evangelical Christians, compared to less than half of Romney's backers. Nearly two-thirds of Huckabee voters also said it was very important that their candidate share their religious beliefs, compared to about one in five of Romney's.
After a year of tumult, the Iowa race amounted to a classic David vs. Goliath battle, with a pair of former governors in a high-stakes slugfest for the coveted prize.
Huckabee appealed to the emotions of Iowa Republicans, with an I'm-like-you pitch and an emphasis on Christianity. Romney was the practical pick, an accomplished businessman with a powerhouse organization and a seemingly endless supply of money to go the distance.
McCain and former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson were in a tight race for third place, both seeking the bronze medal to claim the start of a comeback. Ron Paul, the long-shot Texas congressman with an anti-war, libertarian bent, captured more votes than Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor who comfortably led in national polls for the better part of a year.
Iowa had the first say in the most volatile, wide-open GOP nomination race in a half-century, and the state's recent history bodes well for the caucus winner. It has chosen the Republican who eventually secured the nomination in the two most recent contested GOP competitions — George W. Bush in 2000 and Bob Dole in 1996.
But unlike those races, there is no establishment candidate this time. Conservatives spent much of the past year restless; they found flaws in each of the many candidates in the remarkably crowded GOP field.
Huckabee trailed his better-known rivals in money, manpower and polls all year before a surprise autumn surge vaulted him from the back of the crowded pack of candidates to the front. With a bare-bones campaign and modest fundraising, he bet his stellar communication skills and likablity would carry him to a win.
Romney, a self-made multimillionaire who poured more than $17 million into his presidential bid, sunk $7 million into Iowa advertising to emerge as the caucus leader for months. He pinned his hopes on his organizational strength and financial advantage.
In the end, the race for the gold medal in Iowa boiled down to message vs. money — and message won.
Evangelicals really put him over the top.
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/primaries/results/epolls/#IAREP
And what exactly are those "issues"?
Border Defense?
2nd Amendment Rights?
Abortion?
Fair Taxes?
Are we electing a President or a Pastor in Chief? From all that I have seen so far, this man is nothing more than a deceitful opportunist. He is a Liberal on almost everything other than his proclaimed religious beliefs...
And on the value side of those, Fred Thompson agrees. And Hunter...
WHY is the press salivating at Huckabee's nomination?
“WHY is the press salivating at Huckabee’s nomination?”
Because they know Huck is a lib, and if he gets the GOP nomination, they get a lib in the WH regardless of who wins the election...
Thanks for the correction...it’s hard to keep track of these folks now-a-days.
I know I won’t vote for him, even if he is the Republican candidate.
Hey - Pat Roberston threw all of his weight behind RinoRudy.
What gives?
You are right.Robertson needs to find the face of the LORD
Wow. That plays real well for swing voters doesn't it?
Karl Rove, where are you?
We Republicans will rue the day when we allowed this religious pandering to occur in Iowa, from Romney and Huckabee without criticism.
I will vote for the candidate who believes in the return of the 12th Immam of the greater Shia movement of Iran.
That particular statement is offensive and does nothing to advance your cause. Christians WILL vote for a practicing Christian FIRST, all the rest comes later.
And on the value side of those, Fred Thompson agrees. And Hunter...
Well, Hunter anyway... But without someone shoveling Hunter into the spotlight, I am afraid the best you'll get from the Christians is Huck.
NP. Just for the record... :)
What are those issues? The right to life, defense of traditional marriage, halting the homosexual agenda and the nomination of judges to the judiciary that will overturn Roe and stop the attacks on religious expression in public places.
Indeed. Maybe that's an indicator of why his prophesying never seems to work out...
You said — “This evangelical will NEVER vote for this Huckster.”
Okay..., join the “minority of the minority” then... LOL...
Regards,
Star Traveler
You said — “And this Christian will NEVER vote for a cross-dresser or Mormon.”
I hope you were serious, because you get a big “Amen” on that one... LOL..
I’m glad the Evangelicals turned out to stomp down a cult member who is attempting to become President of the United States...
Regards,
Star Traveler
The attempt at pidgeon-holing and marginalizing begins....
He's pro-life.
He supports traditional marriage and opposes the homosexual agenda.
He the strongest candidate among the top four on 2nd amendment rights.
He did cut taxes and reform the tax code in Arkansas and his fair tax proposal has even compelled libertarians like Neal Boortz to support him.
He favors increasing military spending.
All that is pretty conservative and more conservative than other three RINO choices.
I'd prefer Duncan Hunter or Fred Thompson. But, I think both are all but finished.
Because they know he is about as electable as Bozo the Clown.
What the Bible says about obeying the law of the land ( I Peter 2:13), for example, such as on immigration, and the duty of a Christian in government (Romans 13) is evidently not a “value.” Protecting guns (something not in the Bible though in the constitution) and constitutional amendments which originate in the congress not the presidency (something which is in the constitution) are more important.
Wonderful how you can select what "Christian" values you want, ignore others plainly taught in the Bible and yet call yourself a Bible believing evangelical. You may also forsake the ministry of the gospel to be come a politician, like Demas (II Timothy 4:10). It isn't simply the GOP that has a problem, the Evangelical community is in worse shape.
I’d seen a similar chart somewhere else... Now, despite the hooplah over this big win for Obama, I see it netted him only 16 delegates and Clinton 15. But why did Edwards only get 14? He was ahead of Hilldog by .3%
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