The Triumph of the Laity
Lee on Jan 20 2008 at 1:29 pm | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Election 2008, Lee's Page
The Huckabee campaign staff is bitter and suspicious (as usual). They’re blaming Fred Thompson’s 16% showing in South Carolina for ruining their efforts to flood the vote with a social-conservative surge.
The surge was nevertheless impressive when it came, in both its quantity and in its fantastically unrepresentative uniformity. Fully 83 percent of Huckabee’s voters were evangelicals and that was good for 128,000+ votes. But what was most impressive is that despite this, he didn’t win an absolute majority of the evangelical vote. Instead 27% voted McCain. The worst thing that happened to the Huckabee campaign was not Fred Thompson, but the fact that so many social conservatives had apparently come to their senses.
It now looks like the promised clerical takeover of the GOP has foundered for good. Huckabee’s message of social justice married with religious extremism will find even less of a perch among the libertarian political attitudes that dominate Florida opinion. And if Thompson does indeed plan to continue in his campaign in Florida, that would completely seal the fate of Huckabee ahead of Super Tuesday, a contest the good pastor has neither the resources nor the broader market appeal to succeed in if he’s anything short of the frontrunner.
Now if we can just prevent that Huckabee for Veep nod somehow.
Sphere: Related Content
I was hoping that Thompson would do better, but most of all I hope he hangs in long enough to deny Huckabee any more wins!
Couldn’t be in more agreement Dagney. When the choice is between McCain and Huckabee, it’s a black day for the party. But there are greater and lesser evils. If Fred can’t win, at least he can assist in bringing Huckabee defeat. That’s a positive good for the party and the country.
If someone isn’t getting any votes, sure, they should drop out. But I would like to see both Fred and Giuliani stay in the race for a while. Other people in other states should get a chance to vote for who they like best and not be limited by those first couple of primaries.
Probably all the states that moved their primaries up should put them back where they were.