Posted on 02/06/2008 4:53:34 AM PST by IrishMike
John McCain’s strong showing in the February 5 primaries wasn’t enough to close the deal. He could have done it by winning enough delegates to be the prohibitive favorite or -- conversely -- by Mitt Romney making so poor a showing that he would be unwilling to fight on.
Before sunrise Wednesday, this is how it lined up:
McCain won ten of the twenty-one Republican primaries and caucuses, including five winner-take-all contests, resulting in a total (according to the Associated Press count) of 610 delegates of the 1191 needed to clinch the Republican nomination. The strong showing in WTA states of Missouri and New York were a substantial part of McCain’s total. McCain apparently also won delegate-rich California (though returns are not yet final, and California is not a WTA state).
Mitt Romney’s showing was poor, scoring only 266 delegates. Mike Huckabee came in third at 190. (These totals will vary as the California results become final.)
McCain came close, but may not have achieved the prohibitive favorite status that would guarantee Romney’s exit. Despite Gov. Mike Huckabee’s early (about 10:30 EST) declaration of a two-man race -- him and McCain -- Mitt Romney isn’t quitting. Romney said – only a few minutes after Huckabee’s pronouncement that, “This campaign is going on.”
It’s hard to see, though, how long Romney can continue. Now that McCain has momentum, Romney needs a probable path to the nomination to remain credible in the next round of primaries. Since the 1970s, Republicans have won the White House when they have solidly seized the southern states. But when the returns came in, Romney placed third in Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee and Georgia. His wins -- in Utah and Massachusetts primaries, and Alaska and North Dakota caucuses – are too scattered and small to provide a realistic foundation for a nomination.
Mike Huckabee’s showing yesterday was stronger than many had imagined. Winning in West Virginia’s caucuses early in the day, Huckabee partnered with McCain to block Romney. Later, in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia and Tennessee, Huckabee proved he could boost a national ticket from the vice presidential slot.
A McCain-Huckabee ticket now appears a real possibility. The two get along better than either does with Romney. If they are strong in the remaining February primaries -- DC, Maryland, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin -- Romney’s chances may evaporate before month’s end.
Tomorrow, both McCain and Romney will address the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, DC. (Huckabee will appear on Saturday morning). The speech McCain will give could be the best opportunity McCain will have to reach out to conservatives and bring them into the fold before the September 1-4 Minneapolis Republican convention.
One source told me last night that McCain is planning an all-out push at CPAC. At 3 pm tomorrow, McCain is scheduled to address the crowd expected to number over 6,000 activists. And McCain plans a very special introduction.
According to my source, McCain has prepared a video featuring President Ronald Reagan to make the introduction. If McCain uses this video, it is very likely to backfire badly. This is the group before which Ronald Reagan said in 1975 that, “A political party cannot be all things to all people. It must represent certain fundamental beliefs which must not be compromised to political expediency or simply to swell its numbers.”
Very few of the 2008 CPAC crowd will see McCain as the successor to Reagan and Reagan’s principles. McCain has sacrificed conservatives’ fundamental beliefs throughout his Senate career. If McCain uses this introduction, the boos will be very loud.
McCain faces a real quandary. If he fails at CPAC -- and doesn’t win the CPAC straw poll (he finished dead last in 2007) -- the word will be out that the conservatives are off his team this year. The results of the poll will be announced at about 2 pm Saturday. McCain can do a few things at CPAC that could help.
First, he could throw away the Reagan video introduction. If he uses it at CPAC -- a house that Reagan built -- he could alienate a large portion of the conservatives he needs.
Second, he could say a lot more than he has so far on three key issues: Supreme Court appointments, the war and illegal immigration.
By January 2009, more than half of the Supreme Court justices will be over the age of 70. It’s likely that the next president will have four or five nominations, especially if he (or she) is a two-term president. After the reports of McCain’s dismissive remarks about the conservatism of Supreme Court Justice Sam Alito (reported last week by Bob Novak and John Fund) McCain must convince conservatives that the justices he would try to appoint would be of the same judicial temperament as Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito. McCain must say clearly and concisely that he would only appoint justices whose views are strict constructionist and that he would fight to get them through a Democrat-dominated Senate.
On the war, McCain needs to say more than just repeat his commitment to the troop surge. The surge is already ending and by late spring, most of the combat power committed to the surge will have to be withdrawn because we lack the troop strength to sustain it. What comes next is vital to success, and McCain needs to describe what he intends to do. He needs to say something like what Rudy Giuliani said throughout his aborted campaign: that America will remain on offense against terrorists and the nations that support them.
Third, and most importantly to many conservatives, McCain must argue convincingly that he really did learn the lessons conservatives taught him at great pains to both sides. He has said that he knows border security must come first, but his answers to questions both on Meet the Press and in the CNN debate before the Florida primary were evasive. Will he sign legislation that establishes a path to citizenship for the 12 to 20 million illegals already here? If he doesn’t commit to rejecting that idea, he will not win over the conservative community he needs to win in November.
Presidential campaigns are like the life of a pilot: hours of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer panic. They have become a seemingly-endless marathon punctuated by sprints like the one preceding Super Tuesday. But this week’s sprint isn’t over. For John McCain, the finish line is at CPAC, after his Thursday speech. McCain has to finish first at CPAC or risk a disunited party this fall.
I’m going to the polls and voting for the Rs but not McCain. Maybe we can gain in congress and loose the White House.
I’d rather have Hillary than McCain, but I don’t want her to have the congress wrapped up.
McCain as president would be horrible. The MSM would love to cover McCain as he belittles conservatives and redefines the Republican party.
I’m so disillusioned. Let’s pray for gridlock.
Other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play?
Given the voters vote seems the majority do not mind one bit.
“SO what do we do? Vote 3rd party? Stay home? Either way, we’ll be letting the dems have it all.”
And the democrats will have to take the blame for the downfall of the US.
Perhaps that’s the goal, make more of us stay ‘home’.
He knows he cannot get the conservative vote.
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That’s a good point too- but that means he thinks he can win without us- and will instead turn to Independents.
Regardless- I truly don’t think McCain realizes how deep the loathing and disgust runs toward him.
Naaah, this is just another way for him to thumb his nose at us. McCain takes great pleasure in pissing off conservatives. I bet he sits up nights planning new ways to do it.
McCain, Clinton, Obama. They’re all the same. If this country is to go down the tubes I’d prefer it on a Democrat watch. Also, it would likely give the GOP a wake up call.
You want to vote for a Democrat? Well, you’ll likely have that opportunity this year if McCain wins the nomination. Go for it. I choose not to.
Right after the convention, McCain will suddenly find himself abandoned by the MSM, and won’t he be surprised.
They’ve played him like a one string violin.
Regardless- I truly don’t think McCain realizes how deep the loathing and disgust runs toward him.
I think you’re right. Whatever speech he gives at CPAC he is in a pickle. If he panders to the right and gives platitudes, conservatives will boo and see it for what it’s worth, a lying political opportunist. If he gives an FU speech, then we’ll know where we stand with ol’ Johnny Boy. Consevatives will rally even harder agaisnt him, fracturing our party more.
Sadly, there is not a National Conservative Party.
Maybe it’s time to start one and to hell with the Rockefeller Country-Club republicans.
Actions speak louder than words. Its not what a man says but what he does that counts.
Both of these old cliches apply to McPain. So whether he is acceptable depends on a bunch of words at a conference?
If that is the case, no wonder conservatism has been swept out the door.
Given the voters vote seems the majority plurality of voters in some states do not mind one bit.
Huckabee did NOT win in West Virginia yesterday. He cheated. Should have gone to Mitt Romney fair and square. Maybe it wasn’t illegal what Huckabee and McCain did (conspired) but it sure as heck was unethical and they got caught red handed lying to the American people. Too bad there wasn’t enough time to get the word out about that outrageous miscarriage of justice. I want to hear from the Romney voters in the WV caucus - how they feel about being robbed of their votes.
As for Mitt Romney: “One thing that is clear tonight, this campaign is going on,” said Mitt Romney tonight at a campaign rally in Massachusetts.
“It would be easy for him to go along with the herd mentality of idiots like Gov. Perry but he hasn’t.”
If one lives long enough, he can spot integrity from a mile away.
Fred has it. People like him don’t come along in politics very often.
Good Day to you!
I remember in 96 when I thought the Republican idiocy when selecting Dole was finally over and I knew we would never run such a candidate again. I thought that was the new beginning for conservatives, a rebirth, and a movement that would last for decades to come. I thought it could not get any worse for candidate selection.
Now what? Have the seeds for a new party been sown?
I think it’s time to find a third-party conservative ticket. See the tagline.
“What’s worse?”
Flip a coin. They are all so similar that it really doesn’t matter.
McCain/Huckabee ‘08
Could it get any worse?
rhetorical question only
NO need to answer
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