Posted on 10/19/2007 5:58:58 AM PDT by dano1
THE ONLY POLLSTER that really matters is Scott Rasmussen of Rasmussen Reports. In addition to his unrivaled track record, Rasmussen is also the only pollster who is currently screening for likely voters. So when Rasmussen says something, we ought to pay attention.
Yesterday, Rasmussen released a poll of the Iowa Republican Caucus. Given its surprising results, I'm surprised it hasn't received more attention. Romney's winning with 25 percent; no big shakes there. Fred's in second at 19 percent; again, nothing earth shattering. But here comes the bombshell: Mike Huckabee checks in at 18 percent, a stunningly strong third place showing and within shouting distance of the frontrunners.
A few weeks ago, I was guest-hosting for Hugh Hewitt on his eponymous radio show, and a caller stated that the Republican nominee would be Fred Thompson or Mike Huckabee. Reflexively, I shrieked, "Huckabee?!" I yelled it again: "Huckabee?!" But maybe the caller was on to something.
Obviously, Huckabee is making a move in Iowa. He has risen from the bottom tier. In fact, he's solidly in the top tier, at least in Iowa. He has a five point lead over Giuliani and a twelve point lead over McCain in the Ethanol State.
So let's play this out: If Mike Huckabee wins in Iowa, does he have a chance of going all the way? The governor has a few things working against him. Most notable are the facts that he has no money and even less name recognition. But let's say he wins Iowa. Will victory in the Land of Ethanol be enough to offset those deficiencies?
It's been said that winning Iowa will be worth $60 million in free media to the victor. When I first heard that, I remember thinking at the time what a stupid and unsupportable assertion that was. Why not $59 million or $61 million? Nevertheless, I pass it along to you to help make a point. Regardless of the precise monetary value of a Huckabee victory in Iowa, Mike Huckabee will become very famous very quickly if he wins there.
So then what happens? Well, first off, Huckabee will still have no money, so he'll have to live off his free media and will be unable to fend off the assaults that his rivals will surely launch. But more important, Republicans across America will get to know a new member of the top tier.
And they may well like what they see. Huckabee is the most natural campaigner in the bunch. Unlike one member of the top tier, there's no danger that he'll doze off in mid-sentence. Unlike other members of the top-tier, Huckabee's a social conservative's dream. You want someone rock-ribbed on the social issues? Huckabee's your guy. He doesn't even believe in evolution. His taxing and spending in Arkansas may not be every conservative's ideal, but Huckabee probably has fewer policy skeletons in his closet than anyone else in the field.
The Republican rank and file's disillusionment with the present top tier hasn't been any secret. They have long hungered for the proverbial "someone else" to make their right-wing dreams come true. Mike Huckabee has a real shot at becoming the "someone else" who finally sets conservative hearts aflutter.
Both of Huckabee's supporters must be making some noise.
Huckabee supports the Fair Sales Tax Scam.
It has a new entitlement program of the Prebate.
This means EVERYONE gets a check from the government every month to PRE-give them their sales tax expediture for “necessities” which the GOVERNMENT DECIDES.
Huckabee is not a viable candidate.
"The Second Amendment is primarily about tyranny and self-defense, not hunting. The Founding Fathers wanted us to be able to defend ourselves from our own government, if need be, and from all threats to our lives and property."It's a far stronger position on guns than either Romney (who likes guns, just not those nasty assault weapons) or Giuliani (who never met a gun he didn't want turned in and melted down).
"Mike Huckabee has been a reliable cheerleader for the administration, too, and like each of the others he claims to be the only unswerving champion of conservatism in the field.
"As we have had occasion to observe, that is not exactly his record as governor of Arkansas. He shepherded greater tax hikes into law than any governor in Arkansas history — all for worthy causes, we think — and expanded government services for the poor. If it is a proud record, it is not one that is commonly associated with Republicans....
"From time to time, most often in New Hampshire, Huckabee has betrayed some of the progressive compassion that marked the old liberal camp of the Republican Party...."
ronpaul crossovers.
note huckabee supports the Fair Sales Tax Scam.
I agree.
I’m very surprised politicians didn’t see the potential damage to them of the internet when “Algore first invented it (ha)” and seize control of it from day one!
>> I’m very surprised politicians didn’t see the potential damage to them of the internet when “Algore first invented it (ha)” and seize control of it from day one!
My guess is, young-ish liberal-ish academic-ish types built the Internet, and they figured everyone that used it would be Just Like Them! and it wouldn’t be an issue.
Little did they (or the political left) realize that unlike most “broadcast” communication, the peer-to-peer nature of the Web makes it an amplifier of truth and logic, over time. The conservative ideology plays well in a forum that values truth and logic, whereas the leftist ideology, illogical as it is, doesn’t work so well here. (Or so I’d like to believe, anyway.)
Thanks for taking the time to comment and sorry to ping you to the wrong thread! I didn’t realize I was doing that at the time.
Just noticed that..ha
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