“Reading without reflecting is like eating without digesting” --- Edmund Burke
The McCain campaign has ran an extremely tight race thus far for the 2008 nomination. After the Super Tuesday results, the public witnessed the drop out of an also popular candidate, Mitt Romney. According to Huffington Post’s Jason Linkins, McCain and Huckabee ran a political power play alliance against Romney, results showing this strategy an effective one at that. However there is another angle no one has yet highlighted.
Recently, Romney accused Huckabee as "throwing off the conservative vote" due to the polls where we saw the mid-thirties go to McCain, Romney in the mid to upper twenties, and then Huckabee in the high teens. The solution to this throw was a suggested drop from the race for Huckabee.
As the G.O.P will do anything and everything to keep Mrs. Bill and the "Reagan of the Left" out of office, the number two runner (Romney) and number one conservative (also Romney) was not afraid to share this mere fact. However, in light of Super Tuesday results Mr. Mitt may have spoke too soon.
Romney withdrew with a graceful exit regardless, in a way to “unite the Republican party” because if he allowed his ego to run the race all the way to the final Tuesday, “it would have made America unnecessarily divisive, and that is simply not something this nation needs.”
Coming in third place after all votes were accounted for and his prior suggestion to Huckabee gave him no other perfect PR ploy than to drop out. Ah, but wait, is this truly the end of Romney in '08? Maybe not. Realizing McCain as a "liberal conservative," unpopular--yet popularly boo-ed--among his own party but surging in the polls, just how likely is the evangelical conservative Huckabee to soar with flying colors to the final Tuesday? The GOP must make Mitt the choice, little tough now that he's gone.
McCain winning an overwhelming majority of the delegates, and now the card of super delegates playing a roll, can Huckabee gain the wanted conservative slot in office? Or---or, will we have another Ross Perot as occurred during the first Clinton campaign in the 90s? Will the G.O.P realize that in fact Huckabee will not carry the conservatives to a finish and help re-instate Romney? The chances of this are mild, but it is a definite possibility. .
Although McCain and Romney weren’t necessarily neck and neck in the polls, the will for the final Republican nomination was highlighted at large in all major new sources as well as their own campaigns. With the overwhelming swoop from McCain on Super Tuesday, however, I truly believe Romney made a supreme maneuver. His withdraw does open opportunity elsewhere in politics to move his agenda forward without being in the hot seat.
McCain’s overt message is quoted perfectly by himself after the Tuesday results, “Tonight I think we must get used to the idea that we are the Republican Party front-runner for the nomination of president of the United States. And I don't really mind it one bit,” he said as results came in Tuesday.
According to journalist Charles Krauthammer, McCain can thank the coined term of our wonderful Mr. George W. Bush with the creation of “compassionate conservative” for such success recently. On the issues McCain has “not only opposed the conservative consensus but insisted on doing so with ostentatious self-righteousness.” America is in search for the next Reagan, and McCain is running with this, realizing this little detail of character that for some reason currently overpowers the issues.
The Huckabee campaign keeps running with the same message calling out to the Evangelicals of the nation. I am not saying there is anything wrong with this technique, however the polls tell the nation a whole different story. My concern is this small power play card thrown into the race as a ploy to kick Mitt off the running track. If this does hold the slightest bit of water, it should be interesting to follow what happens to Huckabee’s campaign from here on out---especially with the funds.
The Huckabee campaign used an interesting tactic; he put the power to the people. “You know, over the past few days a lot of people have been trying to say that this is a two-man race. Well, you know what? It is. And we're in it! Tonight, we are making sure America understands that sometimes one small smooth stone is even more effective than a whole lot of armor.” That whole lot of armor he speaks of, by the way, is the support from the G.O.P, as in—he doesn’t have it. Huckabee continues to rally up the crowd, but when push comes to shove, how much does the popular vote truly matter?
“Today has been a day when the people have spoken. And today people across this country are saying that, yes, we heard what the pundits said. But this is our vote, not theirs. This is our election, not theirs. This is our presidency, not theirs.”
Ah, but the interesting detail is that it is their presidency because they (as Malcolm Gladwell would title them: The Connectors of the world) do have a say in this Presidential Election with equal to if not more than the voice of the citizens. As much as grassroots support has played an incredible roll especially with that of Obama and Clinton, Huckabee must remember that a spot in the White House includes more than “one small smooth stone.” We shall see.
Joy.Angela.
Why the hell is everyone forgetting Ron Paul!?!?
This is a great point because Paul does have some great ideas going for him, but the reality of it all is that he simply has no support. Yes, it could turn around before November, but how likely is Paul to A) take the popular vote B) take the delegates C) take the super delegates and D) win the GOP nomination?
It is nice to think that someone like Paul could be the prime example of a comeback kid, but when push comes to shove---it isn't going to play out like that ideal.