Unspinning the delegate math (vanity)

February 8, 2008 | Kurt Evans

[Kurt Evans]

Congressman Duncan Hunter's endorsement of Governor Huckabee is helping to bring defense and border conservatives on board:

"I got to know Governor Huckabee well on the campaign trail," said Hunter... "Mike Huckabee is a man of outstanding character and integrity."

Huckabee - Hunter '08

[Kurt Evans]

New York Times primary results:
http://politics.nytimes.com/election-guide/2008/results/delegates/index.html

[Kurt Evans]

Can you correct my misspelling of “delegate” in the headline?

[kellynla]

On Fox News Sunday, 12/23/2007 BILL KRISTOL: “A deadlock Republican convention turns to the most qualified Republican of them all to be president on the fifth ballot, Dick Cheney. And he wins in a landslide by a landslide in November.”

[Kurt Evans]

Thank you.

[Admin Moderator]

You’re welcome.

[Maelstorm]

Huckabee is gone. McCain will blow him away in every state but Mississippi and I’m thankful for that. I can tolerate McCain but Huckabee there is just no way.

[John Valentine]

Disgusting and appalling are words that come to mind.

I had a very high degree of respect for Congressman Hunter until he pulled that stunt.

[Steve Schulin]

Keyes has been my top choice since the day he announced, and I wholeheartedly agree with you that the nomination is is too important a matter to give up without finishing the race. Thanks for posting this, and best wishes in the coming contests.

[devere]

It’s over!

I called it after Florida, but that was subject to a miracle on February 5th. Now even miracles won’t help.

[bshomoic]

It is over.

[SlapHappyPappy]

Given the way the media has skewed public opinion on Cheney, I see no possible way he could win. The independent voters will just believe what they hear.

[OCC]

Don't count out Ron Paul just yet, he has a blimp!

[LdSentinal]

We’ll see if Huckabee wins Lousiana tomorrow.

[Walvoord]

You are right that mathematically it is still possible to stop McCain, but we all know that is highly unlikely now that Romney has dropped out. (Thank you Huckabee supporters for attacking Romney relentlessly.)

I was a Fred guy. My fall back guy was Romney. If Romney were still in the race, perhaps he and Huckabee could have gotten enough delegates to prevent McCain from locking up the nomination.

Texas is winner take all with 140 delegates, the last of the big states out there. If Romney were still in, it might have been possible to deny McCain those 140 delegates. Huckabee may take Mississippi. Louisiana is Saturday. Virginia is later as well as some others that McCain wouldn’t necessarily have had a lock on, but only if Romney had stayed in.

With Romney in - mathematically possible. Romney out - It’s over.

Perhaps Romney realized that even if he and Huckabee together could have prevented McCain from locking up the nomination, in the end Huckabee would have pulled a West Virginia on Romney and given McCain his delegates in a deal for a position in a McCain administration. With Romney out, Huckabee is grasping at straws now.

[Grunthor]

For Huckafraud to win, he’s going to have to stop kissing McAmnesty on the forehead and get down off of Grampa’s lap and actually campaign as if he has a purpose other than splitting the conservative vote.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Ron Paul has 42 delegates.

Once the word gets out that Huckster is just as liberal as McCain, he's going to lose support in the remaining states. Ron Paul is the true conservative remaining.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

For Huckafraud to win, he’s going to have to stop kissing McAmnesty on the forehead and get down off of Grampa’s lap and actually campaign as if he has a purpose other than splitting the conservative vote.

These Huckster supporters are really fooling themselves. Fortunately, his political career is toast after this election. I don't see him being viable except as a position in the RNC.

[Kurt Evans]

I feel your pain, but I’m convinced Giuliani and Governor Romney are both even more dangerous than Senator McCain. They divide the conservative coalition by convincing many conservatives that they’re conservative themselves. Senator McCain unites the conservative coalition by failing to convince any of us.

[Pan_Yan]

I appreciate the math exercise but I'm afraid the real problem is not the delegate count. Obviously Freepers do not represent the majority of people who cast ballots in the Republican primary.

Have you seen any big splash in the news the last few days that suddenly makes you think the vast majority of voters still to cast ballots will rebel against McCain's coronation as the GOP nomination?

I don't see how the Republican Party will move toward the right again until somehow the party leadership is replaced and the primary process is revamped to allow closed and conservative states have a say before Iowa, New Hampshire and California.

Unfortunately, the Party will continue to pour money into the re-election campaign of Rino's, and the Rino's will continue to select the party leadership. I don't think we will get another true conservative nominee until either another political giant like Reagan appears, or conservatives retake the party one state legislature and congressional district at a time.