[Knucklehead]

The past few elections have shown that success in Iowa has little to no bearing on getting to the White House. So while meaningless may have been an overstatement, it is not one by much.

Very true. The Iowa mystique is largely a creation of the election coverage media who have precious little to cover up to this point. I seem to remember Pat Robertson putting up some serious numbers in Iowa a few years back.

As for Huckabee being a Godly man, that's not for me or anyone else on here to say. I know he's trying to sell me on him being a Godly man but that, in and of itself, has no bearing at all why I should vote for him.

You need counseling! And my wife calls me Pessamistic!

and did I say: FAIR TAX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[TDDance234]

Very true. The Iowa mystique is largely a creation of the election coverage media who have precious little to cover up to this point. I seem to remember Pat Robertson putting up some serious numbers in Iowa a few years back.

1988- Bob Dole (37%), Pat Robertson (25%), George H. W. Bush (19%), Jack Kemp (11%), and Pete DuPont (7%) (From Wikipedia)

That is all you need to know about the Iowa caucus.

EDIT: However, the Republican who won the Iowa caucus has gone on to take the nomination 5 out of the past 6 elections.

[El Scorcho]

Look, no matter if you like Huckabee or not you can't go voting for 3rd party folks or you will have president Obama/Clinton.

Oooooo scaaaaaaary!

Huck is NOT perfect, but he is a Godly man with a moral compass...

He can say that and portray that all he wants, but if you look into his ethics as governor of Arkansas, you might change your tune. The way his family took (and expected) gifts while they were in office was unprecedented. In fact, the Arkansas Ethics Commission brought him up on 14 ethics charges ranging from his management of campaign cash to his use of a nonprofit organization to subsidize his income to his destruction of state computer files on his way out of the governor’s office. He was admonished on 5 of those and fined. Seem like someone is holding a magnet a little too close to his moral compass to me.

...and the ONLY hope for the Fair Tax.

I'm a supporter of the Fair Tax, but Huckabee isn't going to make it happen. In fact, I think it's just more lip service on his part because he knows he can't make it happen. He also doesn't have a record of being "fair" with his taxes. Actions speak louder than words.

And to Scorcho. I really don''t like your reaction, but OH well!

I'm not trying to make friends. I'm just sharing my opinion. I think the Huckster is a sham and his courting of Evangelicals is disingenuous. RTF said it best. It's pandering and I find it offensive.

[Fumblerooskies]

I am starting to agree with Scorcho, here. I've stayed out of these discussions b/c I am trying to gather info as I am UNDECIDED about who to support. However, I think I know TWO I am not going to support...
<del>Huckabee</del>
<del>Romney</del>
...are both off my list.

[ALUmnus]

The Fair Tax has no shot no matter who's president, and Sorcho's right, Huckabee's just using it for votes and to convince us that he's a fiscal conservative, which he is not and has never been. The guy's a snake-oil salesman.

It's hard to find a true conservative in the field. In fact, there may not be one. Thompson is probably the closest you can find, and I honestly think Mitt believes a lot of the changes he's made on some issues. Of course, I can't read a man's heart, so I could be wrong. To me, that's the best ticket, Romney/Thompson. Thompson is the best idea-man in the race, and Romney the best executive. But with three of the big boys (rudy, mccain, huckabee) all with their sights on Mitt, he's going to have a tough time winning enough delegates.

Oh, and the last three election winners have all won Iowa.

[LUconn]

2 of the last 3 election winners have been the same person.

[LUconn]

Although, that's probably not what that means because now that I think about it if that were true, you could say the last 4 election winners since it's still just 2 people.

[thepostman]

You people are crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Look, no matter if you like Huckabee or not you can't go voting for 3rd party folks or you will have president Obama/Clinton.

This is a terrible way of thinking and one of things I find most annoying about the whole political process. It is almost as if the 2 major parties have cast this spell on the American public into thinking that if they vote for somebody in the third party they are throwing out their vote. I have voted for republicans in almost every election I have voted in with a few exceptions along the way. If I do not support the republican candidate I am not going to vote for them...the blame is on them and the lousy republican party if Obama or Hillary get into office...

[Baldspot]

hey baldspot, our primary is really late, compared to the rest of the voting public....but how do you think PA will turn out in April? I still think the American public and the media will try to push is that Huckabee is a W clone, and go from there.

If Huckaby is still viable for PA's primary he will do well in the PA "T" - Erie to Scranton and South Central. I have a feeling his populist views will sell well in the coal mining areas of SW PA as long as his weak stance on immigration doesn't get any play there. He'll have to win those areas because McCain, Guiliani or Thompson, whichever one is still in the race, will clean up in the Phila suburbs and that might be enough to win the primary. I don't see him being a strong candidate in PA during the general election. Bush lost two close elections in PA.

[MacGeek]

GO huckabee!



WWJerryD?

[RagingTireFire]

The past few elections have shown that success in Iowa has little to no bearing on getting to the White House. So while meaningless may have been an overstatement, it is not one by much.

Very true. The Iowa mystique is largely a creation of the election coverage media who have precious little to cover up to this point. I seem to remember Pat Robertson putting up some serious numbers in Iowa a few years back.

As for Huckabee being a Godly man, that's not for me or anyone else on here to say. I know he's trying to sell me on him being a Godly man but that, in and of itself, has no bearing at all why I should vote for him.

You need counseling!

That may well be. My point stands, however.

[scuzdriver]

The past few elections have shown that success in Iowa has little to no bearing on getting to the White House. So while meaningless may have been an overstatement, it is not one by much.

Very true. The Iowa mystique is largely a creation of the election coverage media who have precious little to cover up to this point. I seem to remember Pat Robertson putting up some serious numbers in Iowa a few years back.

As for Huckabee being a Godly man, that's not for me or anyone else on here to say. I know he's trying to sell me on him being a Godly man but that, in and of itself, has no bearing at all why I should vote for him.

I would hope you would vote for a Godly man over an ungodly one. That's a pretty sad statement. It should have a huge bearing in who you vote for.

[SuperJon]

Wasn't it Jerry Falwell that said he voted for the best candidate to run the country, not teach Sunday School?

[whmatthews]

Jerry also said he would support Huckabee if he ran...

[SuperJon]

That wasn't the point I was arguing.

[whmatthews]

I'm just saying...

[TallyW]

Ron Paul fans are loud and angry. I'm shocked. But not as shocked as I was to see that he did get 10%. He's done a great job raising his profile. He definitely has a loyal following.

As for the charges leveled against Huckabee on this thread... they are tired and old. Every one of them have a rebuttal but some people aren't honestly looking at the race at this point, they're looking to fight off the other guy.

As for the comment that "real conservatives" like Rush and Ann don't like Huckabee... truthfully it's because they've gotten bitten by the same bug "real conservatives" have been upset with the Main Stream Media about for years.... they believe they are Kingmakers. They aren't. While they give us good punchlines they provide no substance to the Republican party and their voice matters little in who the American people vote for. Exhibit "A": Ann Coulter has openly supported Duncan Hunter in every interview I've seen of her for the last 5 months. Duncan Hunter garnered a grand total of .44%. Yes... what Ann Coulter says matters.

The idea that Huckabee would have a hard time in PA because Bush lost two races close seems very odd to me. On one hand the very far right is saying that he's too centrist... if that's the case we can't say that he'll lose where Bush won running as the "compassionate conservative". If anything he'll win over some of the independents out there.

To me he makes the most sense and he's not screaming at everyone. Is he "perfect"? No... I've never seen a perfect human apart from Christ. Is he electable? Absolutely.

[thepostman]

I think Ann and Rush represent everything that is bad about the republican party....but for some reason people like them

[whmatthews]

I like Glenn Beck.

[thepostman]

so do i

[El Scorcho]

Ron Paul fans are loud and angry. I'm shocked.

It's funny that you Huckabee folks keep bringing up Ron Paul when those of us who actually support him are wanting to talk about your guy. Again, I haven't said a word about him in this thread (other than what I'm about to mention) and I don't intend to. I'm not looking to fight off anyone. I'm looking to find the best possible candidate. I've said (in this thread) that I'm aware that my candidate has no real shot at the nomination. I've been aware of that from day one. With that in mind, I have to decide what I think about the other candidates and this thread is about one of those, not about my guy. Don't try to make it about him.

You can be absolutely sure that I'm angry though, and a Huckabee win will only seal that deal.

As for the charges leveled against Huckabee on this thread... they are tired and old. Every one of them have a rebuttal but some people aren't honestly looking at the race at this point, they're looking to fight off the other guy.

If the Huckabee arguments are tired and old, and if they have a rebuttal, let's hear it. I want to know why his ethics violations, tax record, gift acceptance precedent and lip service to the Fair Tax don't matter. I want to know what it is about Mike Huckabee that makes him a great candidate. Electable is a B.S. buzzword. You'll have to give me more than that. Give me examples of something he's done in his political career that makes him a good conservative candidate.

As for the comment that "real conservatives" like Rush and Ann don't like Huckabee... truthfully it's because they've gotten bitten by the same bug "real conservatives" have been upset with the Main Stream Media about for years.... they believe they are Kingmakers. They aren't. While they give us good punchlines they provide no substance to the Republican party and their voice matters little in who the American people vote for. Exhibit "A": Ann Coulter has openly supported Duncan Hunter in every interview I've seen of her for the last 5 months. Duncan Hunter garnered a grand total of .44%. Yes... what Ann Coulter says matters.

As for Rush and Coulter: You said "truthfully" when I think you meant "in my opinion". Their voice may not matter in who some people decide to vote for, but as the everyday analysts of conservative politics, their voice does matter to me. They may be loud and obnoxious at times (Coulter moreso than Limbaugh), but they represent conservatism and not the GOP. Until that changes, I respect their opinions. However, ignoring opinions on the personalities I mentioned, my point was NOT that what they said should have any bearing or influence, but that I agreed with their assessments of Mike Huckabee. They were as follows:

Limbaugh: "He's not a conservative. He's just not."

Coulter: "Huckabee is the Republican Jimmy Carter."

Again, I'm not saying that what they say matters or that they're anyone's authority, but that I agree with them about Huckabee. He's a sham.

[TallyW]

google Mike Huckabee

[ATrain]

Huckabee sucks...and since Ron Paul likely won't win, I'm going to jump on the John McCain bandwagon. Yup...John McCain is who I'm going to vote for next month in the primary...unless I decide to vote in the Dem primary for John Edwards

[SuperJon]

As a North Carolina resident, I beg you not to vote for John Edwards.

[thepostman]

John Edwards...dear lord.....

honest question...what republican candidate running is a true conservative? From what I can see every single one of them exhibit some form of liberalism....

I am far from a true conservative...but there is really no "true" conservative running in my view