About a week ago , I stated I would do a prayful choice on whether to stay with Mike Huckabee or go full out for McCain. I have decided to stay with Mike for a while. I thnk for GOP victory it is needed. Despite what many political consultants(of losing folks) and the bloggers that parrot that line say.
I am under no delusion that Mike Huckabee is going to be the likely nominee. I have done the math and while it is the realm of possibility it is still a long shot.
First and foremost I am concerned about victory in 08 for the GOP. The stakes are just too too too high. Especially as to the war and the likelihood of major openings on the Supreme Court. I stated that in making my choice that a lot would depend on the type of campaign that Mike would be doing. A few days ago a Memo was sent out to Huckabee supporters by the Huckabee Campaign staff. It said in part:
Mike Huckabee has great respect for John McCain. He has always defended the senior senator from Arizona against unfair and scurrilous attacks, and he always will. And because MH is who he is, he will continue to campaign as he always has—in an honorable and honest way. He will draw distinctions, he will debate and debate hard, but he will always be civil and decent.
In fact, even many McCain supporters have told us that they appreciate the constructive role that Governor Huckabee can play in the months to come, because a vigorous discussion will keep all the media “oxygen” from migrating over to the heated Democratic contest.
Let me say that is very true. I have watched Mike Campaign in Kansas, Maryland, DC, and VA. At no time did Huckabee try to go after McCain in a negative of unfair way. He is running on his ideas more than being anti McCain.
Now let me take off my Huckabee Rose Colored spectacles and say why it necessary for Mike To stay in from a McCain standpoint.
(1) If Huckabee leaves the race the media coverage of the GOP and McCain will go down greatly. The News media is a business and they are desperate to cut cost for a primary that they did not expect to go on this long. If Huckabee gets out then expect the Following to happen on March 4. CNN reports "McCain as expected has won Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island and Vermont. Now we turn to the Democrat race".
You then would have hours of the Obama and Hillary show. In fact it will as the Huckabee Campaign manager said suck all the oxygen out of the room.
(2) Social Conservatives need to be jazzed and big time. McCain has a hard time doing that but Huckabee can and does. If these people do not turn out this fall it is over!!! They need to be reminded what is at stake. Huckabee can do that. There is no doubt that Huckabee will bring them over to McCain if he does not get the nod.
(3) Quite frankly John McCain needs to be out on the stump. He can not afford to sit in Washington and do public statements there. He needs to be in Texas and Ohio and other places shaking hands and getting people committed. That will not happen in a aggressive way unless he is prompted to do it. It appears he was not prompted to do it in VA very much looking at his campaign appearances the last few days. This must change. This is a different race and demands action out in the states in a personal way now.
We are in a whole new dynamic. Hilary Clinton and Obama would be out there trying to get every vote in every state that is coming up. If the GOP brand is not out there then there is the real possibility of defections in the fall. Huckabee being in the race and engaging Republicans and thus McCain having to engage stops that.
(4) The GOP message and brand must be advertised. This is related to point 3. If Mike Huckabee can spend his money in Texas to do it good for all of us. The General election is on. McCain cannot afford to wait till after the convention after half the country is assaulted with the Democrat message and we are no where to be seen. A GOP race creates excitement and gets people involved. There are no indications that Huckabee will take the party down with him in a attempt to win.
(5) The longer Mike Huckabee is in it the longer we can make sure no "mischief" is done by the far right. Or I should say people that pretend to be the far right. In this I am talking about a third party run. There are rumblings!!! Go to the Pink Flamingo and see what I am talking about here. Mike Huckabee helps this from happening. We also know he is not going to go third party. From yesterday's Christian Science Monitor:
Me running a third party, oh no, absolutely not," he said. "I'm a Republican. I'm glad to be a Republican. I want to work from within the party…. And to me third- party bids are at best futile efforts.'
(6) The longer Huckabee is out there the more effective a surrogate he will be for McCain in the fall if he Huckabee does not get the nomination. This can not be understated.
Is there risk to Team McCain? Well I suppose there is. I would love for Huckabee to get the nomination. However that is very unlikely.
So where do I go from here. I shall support Huckabee. However this blog will not be a platform to go for the kill on McCain who is our likely nominee. I will point out the differences and the message Huckabee is saying. In fact I will also spend some time defending McCain from unfair attacks on the left. I am also looking at Huckabee for the long term and I want what he has to say to get a continued audience for a while
Huckabee supporters will decide their reasons why to continue supporting Huckabee. These are mine.
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