Posted on 03/07/2008 6:08:22 AM PST by fightinJAG
Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh led a campaign to have his Republican followers in Texas cross party lines and vote for Sen. Hillary Clinton in the state’s open primary last Tuesday. Why? Because Limbaugh thinks Republicans can defeat Clinton in a general election. Plus, watching Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama bloody each other in a nomination fight is pure sport for Limbaugh conservatives.
According to exit polls, Clinton won a notably higher number of Republican voters than she has in past open primary contests. Of the 9% of voters who identified themselves as Republicans in the Democratic Primary, Obama still edged Clinton 53%-46%. However, that margin is significantly slimmer than earlier contests. In Wisconsin’s open primary, for instance, Republicans broke 72%-28% for Obama. Similarly, in Virginia’s open primary, Obama was favored 72%-23%.
Clinton unquestionably secured a Texas victory, but some locals are convinced it was a false win bolstered by dirty politics. Laura Jean Kreissl, an accounting professor at West Texas A&M University, served as an election official in Canyon, Texas on Tuesday. She contacted the Wall Street Journal to report the hijinks she observed at the four precincts that voted at her polling location.
Of the 181 voters she personally dealt with, 70 offered that they were “Rush Limbaugh voters” who were there to cast ballots for Clinton. “I’m here to vote for Hillary Clinton, I want to see the Democratic Party implode,” one voter told Kreissl, she recounted in an interview. “I was just stunned,” she said. “As an election official we can’t say anything. We just jot them down and let them vote.”
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.wsj.com ...
A McCain victory over Hillary is preferable to the Obamas in the White House.
Here’s the other thing that can change: DNC rules.
Rush et al. made his strategy in the context of certain rules (which, even so, it appears he did not think through adequately).
However, nothing stops the DNC or other party hacks from completely changing the rules today, tomorrow, the next day.
That made it even more risky to try to game the system. You could run a play thinking it gains you three points, but later the refs say “new rule-—that play now gives the opposing team three points.”
Dumb.
And if it wasn't? How will that work out for the country?
Glad someone else noticed that. To me, it sure does seem like Rush , Levin, Hannity do not hate Hillary Clinton. I and many conservatives do hate the Clintons but Rush doesn't . I think Rush et al. actually like the Clintons. Why would Rush and Hannity do impressions of Bill Clinton all the time ? Isn't imitation the sincerest form of flattery? I'm just tired of the Clintons and hate them and do not ever want to see them again.
Just wondering why that is... to not allow one to vote in the second primary seems to violate the equal protection clause of the constitution. After all, if the dem voters can get a do-over the all voters should get a do-over. The right to change one’s mind about a candidate should not apply to just one party! Law suits should follow...this could be fun to watch.
This I agree with!
I don’t see how they could limit the voting to some voters.
They are in for a can o’ worms here.
And you dutifully mark his schedule down on your calendar?
Puhleese!!!
He announced this on Wednesday of this week that he would not be there on Thursday and Friday (of this week). He then went on to say he had this scheduled for "ages". How convenient!
So exactly when did you hear him say it?
Look at the exit polls in Texas.
White women voted 19% more for Hillary than Obama. How do you you think she won? With women and Rush Republicans voting for her that’s how.
Women are the vast majority of the population. Women live much longer than men do so there are more women around. Do the math. Rush and Levin , Hannity are idiots.
I don’t know if Limbaugh had a real effect or not, but I hope the Dems think he did.
The Texas results has caused the Dems to invest at least an extra $100 Million in their selection process as well as causing a two month long (minimum) knock down, drag out fight..
It’s a beautiful thing..
—Women are the vast majority of the population. Women live much longer than men do so there are more women around. Do the math. Rush and Levin , Hannity are idiots.—
Don’t worry. Come November, wimmin will flock to McCain. It’s his animal magnetism that will do the trick. </sarc>
I totally disagree. If Obama wins the nomination that will not split & destroy the 'RAT party it will only strengthen it. The only way the 'RAT party will be split and destroyed (in its current form) is if Mrs. Clinton gets the nomination.
If you don't get that yet - you'd better think about it a little longer.
And Mrs. Clinton WILL be the nominee.
If Hillary becomes the next POTUS then I’d say Limbaugh’s credibility will be approaching infinity over zero. This could backfire big time.
And if Mrs. Clinton is the nominee, you can be sure that Obama will be the VP.
So how is that a net gain?
It’s quite the opposite.
You also are incorrect...The polls show that she is just hated by a large percentage of the voters...she cannot hide her arrogance. As I heard another on the radio say, “When I hear her just speaking, one eyeball turns backwards in my head.”...The media cannot fix her problem...she is JUST NOT LIKEABLE or believable...period.
If you saw the Penn Jillette video, he says that a joke he tells in his act about Hillary gets HUGE responses, which convinced him that “they HATE Hillary out there”. Of course, Jillette goes on to predict that Obama will be pres...but he says that this joke (a joke about White Bitch Month) convinced him that she is absolutely hated out there in real America.
Post-script: And Mrs. Clinton met her match in Michelle Obama. Like Mrs. Clinton - Mrs. Obama wears the pants in that family. Get the popcorn ready - because this cat-fight will be a joy to behold!
That's my larger point here.
We can discuss all day what we think WILL happen. But it's still troubling that this stunt is what put at least some of those options in play.
IOW, even if the risk doesn't materialize, this strategy was still too risky. Therefore, stupid.
The woman who wears the pants in the Obama family will not allow him to be second banana to the woman who wears the pants in the Clinton family.
Make book on it.
And even if she did alloow it, that would be a combination that would go down in the biggest Republican land-slide in history.
Don’t underestimate the call of political power-—and the tune that “my country needs me!”
I hope your latter point is 100% spot on.
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