Posted on 02/06/2008 3:11:00 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Despite what the pundits, talking heads, and self-annoited experts say about the Republican race, it is more muddled and more up in the air than at any time since Iowa.
Why?
Because 60 percent of the Republican Party is against John McCain.
And the more a dour Tim Russert or an arrogant Chris Mathews says that, “the Republican race is, for all intents and purposes, over,” or this one, “it is very hard to see how John McCain can be stopped,” the more agitated conservatives get.
That translates to “we lefty pundits who dominate the TV airwaves want McCain so we will just proclaim him the inevitable nominee.”
But conservative GOP voters are rebelling against McCain; yes, he gets moderate Republicans and independents who come into the GOP primaries. But the base — conservatives — are voting against McCain.
So I ask you this question: How can the Republican Party, with a huge base of conservatives, nominate a candidate who hates them and who they despise?
This is the crux of the dilemma that is ripping the GOP apart now. Ann Coulter’s "Hannity & Colmes" diatribe was more than amusing. It raised this question: Who do conservatives hate more, John McCain or Hillary Clinton?
The question, more than any answer, is instructive: The fact that we are even talking about this shows how divided we Republicans are and how unaccepting of John McCain we will be.
We feel like he is being jammed down our throat by the left, and by the same inside-the-beltway GOP establishment that has been, frankly, wrong on just about everything from amnesty to Dubai Ports World.
The two candidates opposing McCain are both having difficulty cobbling together enough support on their own to defeat McCain; they are splitting the conservative vote and enabling a moderate-to-liberal win.
And Huckabee is clearly in the tank for McCain. Yesterday’s rigged convention in West Virginia was designed to deny Mitt Romney a “Romney Wins West Virginia” headline running all day long on cable TV. While within the rules, it was a petty, ugly example of the "real McCain" at work.
As the so-called GOP front-runner he should be above that kind of thing. But it tells us he is still more afraid of Romney than he is of Huckabee. Therefore, conservatives are increasingly going to rally to Romney from here on out.
And what Romney now needs to do is simple: pick an upcoming state — a crucial one — and make it a mano-a-mano race, Romney vs. McCain, and win it!
It is time Romney beats Mccain one-on-one because if he cannot, then McCain will win the nomination by default.
But if Romney draws the line in the sand and beats McCain, then we have a new race on our hands. The conservatives will rally to Romney and McCain could still be stopped.
So, Mitt, get going and fast.
Your task is a difficult one: take on not just McCain but the entire D.C. establishment.
Let it all out . . . get angry; show some passion. Embrace the talk-radio hosts, as they represent the GOP base.
Take on McCain and squash him, and soon, maybe in Ohio.
Make the economy the issue.
Do us all a favor.
Then at least don’t try to scuttle the only conservative now in the race. Trustworthy? Maybe, maybe no. But really- McCain???? Never.
Oh, but Willard doesn't lie? Good grief, Willard has flip-flopped on just about every major issue in the past five years. Yet, you want to delude yourself into thinking Willard is better than McCain?
I wouldn’t vote for any candidate who attracts Christian bigots. Sorry, just a matter of principle.
He can just do what he's done throughout this campaign to get support -- pay them off.
They are both liberals. I’m not voting for either of them.
When?
There’s no Conservative in the race.
Then, vote for Huckabee because he has a plan that would secure the border and he is the only candidate with even a remote chance to beat McCain.
This is the first time I’ve agreed with John LeBoutillier since he trashed W in 2000 for not campaigning hard enough (well that part was true). But it was mostly because Al Gore gave him a ride during a rainstorm in DC!
No they aren’t.
Nil, nada, rien, the empty set.
Huck is in third place now and almost all of the Southern States have already voted.
Mitt is a conservative. An ultra-conservative? No. But, fiscally, socially, he is conservative enough for a vote. The alternative is Hillary, Obama, or McCain. After that, there may not be an American Presidency to vote for.
I’ll see your tagline and raise it one!
McCain is a liar and so is Romney. It’s silly to think there is any difference between the two.
> Poll after poll after poll shows Huckabee voters would
> split toward McCain not Romney.
I have a LOT of trouble believing these polls.
EVERY Huck voter I know, and I know a LOT of them, is a FAMILY VALUES voter!
Every one of them think of McCain as ANTI-FAMILY!
They correctly assess McCain as pro-tax, pro-amnesty, anti-constitutional, weak on abortion, weak on gay marriage, and a traitor to conservative causes. When McCain could make the difference for conservatives, he ALWAYS helped the liberals instead!
They KNOW these things!
Not a ONE of them would vote for McCain.
Some would write-in a more palatable candidate. Some would stay home. But MOST of them, the overwhelming preponderance of them, would break for Romney!
The reason they voted for Huck is they didn’t give Romney’s conservative epiphany much credibility. It was a tad late in the game for that.
However, the more Romney stays the conservative course, the more he hammers home his convictions and his strong family values orientation, the more of the Huck voters I know will vote for him.
You have to give John LeBoutillier credit for one thing: Has another mediocrity ever milked so much from serving a single term in Congress almost 3 decades ago?
You up to sending your idea to Romney’s campaign staff?
You up to sending your idea to Romney’s campaign staff?
“I have to say that THAT is an idea whose time may come. When Huck was surprising everyone last night, I couldn’t help think how ironic it would be, if good ol’ Huck decided that maybe he didn’t NEED to be mccain’s errand boy anymore ; }”
And maybe hook up with Mitt Romney instead? Now, that would fun to see, but I really think Huckabee agrees with McCain on too many issues and disagrees with Romney on too many. Sure would end McCain though if Huckabee and Romney did team up!
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