Huckabee: Washington State vote like the Soviet Union

CNN Political Ticker ^ | February 11, 2008

[rightwingintelligentsia]

(CNN) — Mike Huckabee continued to cry foul Monday over the results in Saturday’s Washington State GOP caucuses, saying the state party chairman's decision to call the race there early for John McCain is reminiscent of elections in communist bloc nations.

"That is not what we do in American elections," Huckabee said on CNN's American Morning Monday. "Maybe that's how they used to conduct it in the old Soviet Union, but you don't just throw people's votes out and say, 'well, we're not going to bother counting them because we kind of think we know where this was going.'

In a statement released Sunday, Huckabee's campaign said Washington's GOP Party Chairman Luke Esser called the race for McCain when Huckabee was only losing to the Arizona senator by 242 votes and over 1,500 votes remained to be counted. Esser has said he remains confident he made the right call.

[icwhatudo]

Be funny if his court challenge results in a revote and Romney gets all his voters to switch to mcCain. Payback’s a biatch.

[McGruff]

Go Huckabee. Stop the coronation!

[codercpc]

We could also set requirements for prior party registration.

I understand why you want, what you want, but you must understand that you are asking a party to overrule states rights!

In Wisconsin we have no party registration what so ever. I go to my polls next week, and I do not declare. I like it that way. As long as I am a registered voter, I get both ballots, but I only vote on one, the other is discarded.

Please think about the ramifications before you call for an overhaul of our system. My state (remember Federalism) has decided that no one must "declare" a party. I, personally, live in a very conservative area (we have voted Republican every election since the 1800's), and I know each and every poll worker by name. If I were to be a Dem (no chance) I might feel a little uncomfortable announcing that at my polling place.

Again, I understand the frustration of not getting the nominee we all wanted, but don't change the system because of a bad outcome. People that have declared a party their whole lives will not understand, but for those of us in states that don't have registrations like that, we like it!

[so_real]

And so be it ... even if it is only “temperature taking” ... State Republican Party Chairman Luke Esser made a call before the thermometer stopped moving. I’d call “foul” too. I give Huckabee credit for standing on principle. On this board, I’d anticipate most would.

[LikeLight]

The vote was literally meaningless

Perhaps technically meaningless, but huge for campaign psychology and perception (and what else is there in politics?) to show that the "annointed" McCain was getting swept by Huckabee in the South, Middle America and the Northwest. By pulling the plug early, the WA GOP preserved some MSM-perceived aura of success for McCain.

[redinIllinois]

“”Geez...calm down, Mike. The vote didn’t even mean anything substantive anyway.””

Then why bother having it?

[redinIllinois]

“”IT WASN’T VOTING!!!!!!!!!! It was the temperature taking....THE “votes” MEAN NOTHING! We don’t have our State Convention until late May, when the DELEGATES are CHOSEN!””

THEN WHY BOTHER DOING IT?????

[redinIllinois]

“”Fine, whatever. You know what the winner of the final vote count gets? A little publicity. That’s it. No delegates.””

Then why bother doing it?

[livius]

'well, we're not going to bother counting them because we kind of think we know where this was going.'

LOL! He's right. This is about one of the most high-handed things I've seen local party bosses do.

[redinIllinois]

“”This is, in essence, a straw poll. Huck is using it to keep his name out there. This is just silly.””

If it doesn’t mean anything, then why bother doing it?

[Eva]

The rules benefit the Democrats because the Democrat party over rules state’s rights all the time. The party decides on how the delegates are counted, not the states. This is a primary, not the national election. Some states want to simply have two national elections. The system is not supposed to work that way. It defeats the the purpose and benfit of the two party system if their is no difference between the candidates.

[livius]

I always thought McCain and Romney were pretty much the same, Romney was just as liberal but younger and not quite so insane. So I guess it would be logical for Romney to give his votes to McCain.

[keepitreal]

“If it doesn’t mean anything, then why bother doing it?”

Because every state wants their name mentioned during the nomination process. By the time the real delegates are chosen, the media won’t care anymore because the urgency of the horserace will be gone.

[redinIllinois]

“”You and Huckabee are embarrassing yourselves. The vote was literally meaningless.””

Isn’t it more embarrassing to spend all that time and money doing something that was literally meaningless???

[Miss Didi]

Huckabee is the true - natural law conservative in the race. He has shown thoughtfulness and an understanding of the issues.

RUSH: ...I want to say to you Huckabee supporters that you've convinced me. I have been convinced. I've been convinced through the power and the brilliance of your arguments made to me here on the phone on this program, today, that Governor Huckabee is a true conservative. He is the only guy who is a true conservative, and I have concluded that I am debasing myself and the conservative cause by questioning it. As a matter of fact, Governor Huckabee was right to increase taxes by $500 million in Arkansas. Governor Huckabee was right to offer in-state tuition to illegal aliens. He was right to offer the Mexican government a consulate in Arkansas for one dollar a year. More states should show this kind of compassion. When I learned this, I said, "There's a conservative." The Mexican consulate, a dollar a year in Arkansas. He was right to release over one thousand criminals. This is conservative. He is right to oppose school choice. This is conservative. And he was right to accuse President Bush of a bunker mentality and stubbornness in dealing with our enemies. He was right in suggesting that the way to deal with Bin Laden and Zawahiri and other enemies of the United States is to implement the Golden Rule. He was right.

[redinIllinois]

“”I have no bias. I am looking at the process. I live in a caucus state. We had a straw poll on Tuesday, much the same as in Washington. We still have to have our conventions to pick delegates.

Huck is using this for publicity purposes only.””

Why bother counting anything then? Why spend all that time and money if the numbers don’t matter?

[toddlintown]

The hillbilly Al Gore.

[keepitreal]

I agree. I think these preference polls at the caucus are just stupid. We were told that we had to take our preference poll early “so it could get on the news tonight”. Funny thing was on this board when my state’s caucus preference results were revealed (60% for Romney), the same folks who are squawking now told us that it didn’t matter because no actual delegates had been picked.

I just think this whole controversy is a publicity stunt for Huck. One does wonder when the actual delegates are selected if those doing the voting (delegates to the state convention) will remember that Huck likened their efforts to the Soviet Union.

[redinIllinois]

““If it doesn’t mean anything, then why bother doing it?”

Because every state wants their name mentioned during the nomination process. By the time the real delegates are chosen, the media won’t care anymore because the urgency of the horserace will be gone.””

Pointless to name the state without naming the winner, dishonest to name the winner without counting the votes.

[keepitreal]

“Why spend all that time and money if the numbers don’t matter?”

Very little time in a caucus is spent on the presidential preference poll. The majority of the time is spent picking delegates and discussing submissions to the platform.