Posted on 12/04/2007 8:13:17 AM PST by Petronski
With less than a month to go before the Iowa caucuses, the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Tuesday shows that Rudy Giuliani has fallen back in the pack in the race for the Republican Presidential Nomination. Giuliani’s support has fallen to 18% and four other candidates are within six percentage points of the lead. Mike Huckabee is enjoying an amazing surge and now shares the top spot with Giuliani at 18%. Close behind are John McCain at 14%, Fred Thompson at 13%, and Mitt Romney at 12%. Ron Paul attracts 7% of Likely Republican Primary voters nationwide and no other Republican candidate reaches 2% (see recent daily numbers).
Huck is built up by the MSM because it’s easy and fun to do. Everyone knows he will not be there at the finish line, so why not toss him out there. I think they are doing the same thing, on a bigger scale, with Rudy. Make him seem like the only guy who can beat HRC, only to gleefully shoot him down once he gets the nomination. Talk about an easy target!
Fred is a different story. The only “safe” thing to do is ignore him, and hope that he never even gets considered. I don’t think the MSM has ever, nor will they ever, attempt to make Fred their feature candidate, precisely because they are scared to death he might catch on.
Everyone who is paying attention knows Fred is in the room - even Rudy, Mitt, and Huck instinctive know that Fred would be the best man to lead them in a powerful administration.
“and it shows a chunky Huck coming out for any tax the Arkansas Legislature will send him.”
This has been well-refuted by Huckabee since Thompson unwisely chose to emphasize it. It was take out of context and Huckabee’s explanation of the situation in which he said it is believable. In the end, Huckabee will be able to use the decision to run the ad against Thompson, if he needs to, but he won’t need to because Thompson can’t get traction.
I think our disagreements have been about tactics, not about long-term goals.
I’d vote for Mr. Huckabee if he were the nominee, but not happily.
However, he has come considerably back to the right to run for president. He signed the tax pledge, and I’ll take him at his word that he won’t raise taxes or make new taxes. That, by itself, significantly limits the capacity of the federal government to become increasingly socialist.
He’s also tacked right on immigration.
I think there’s some chance that he might govern as a moderate conservative. And on the issue of life, he’d be very good, perhaps the best of any of these candidates.
But I still prefer Mr. Thompson because I think all around, he’s more conservative, and his conservatism is more deeply-rooted in a coherent form of conservative philosophy, thoroughly bound to the form of federalism.
Mr. Thompson’s far from perfect, too, but he’ll more than do.
sitetest
So I see...isn’t it grand?:)
Actually, I don’t believe Huckabee’s rise coincides with Thompson’s decline. I believe there was a month of separation.
My interpretation is the undecided evangelicals and others jumped on Thompson, but then were turned off. They wandered for a while, before they jumped to Huckabee.
Still, I think any candidate sitting at 14% is better off if they’ve always been at 14% or less. It’s easier to win support you’ve never had, than to get back support you’ve lost.
Anybody have a history showing which candidates, if any, went from 30% to 14% in polling and then came back to win?
“Even if he can win Iowa it wont help him though.
“He will be flat broke with no time to raise money. The primaries that follow wont leave him time to do it.”
That’s mostly what I said.
However, that being said, if he actually wins Iowa, and then New Hampshire, he could conceivably pull it out and win the nomination, or at least last a good while longer.
sitetest
Very Accurate.
“However, that being said, if he actually wins Iowa, and then New Hampshire, he could conceivably pull it out and win the nomination, or at least last a good while longer.”
He might have to hitch-hike to the other states.
Do you know if he is even on all the primary state ballots yet?
This poll includes post-debate numbers, so while I hope republicans will reject his call, there’s no real evidence of it right now.
He will not be the nominee... it’s a pipe dream only.
LLS
Fred announced using free airtime provided by Jay Leno. Prior to that, he got PAID to give out his positions by ABC, and was handed the fill-in job for Paul Harvey.
It’s hard to make the argument that the MSM was trying to discourage him from getting known, getting a message out, or running for office.
Until after he announced.
Yea forget the fact he cut taxes 90+ times, we have a sound bite...
Lets hang our hat on the sales tax (approved by the state voters) of one eight of a cent.
Lets also focus on the gas tax which was raised because AK had the worst roads in the nation (30% being rated in poor condition). This was again approved by more than an 80% margin by ak voters.
Aside: Gov Pawlenty has been die hard against a gas tax increase, until the I35 crashed and they took a look at the roads and bridges in Minnesota.
Now lets talk about the 2000 sales tax which he proposed to compensate for a property tax cut. He was shifting taxes, not raising them..
Were Huck the liberal folks are making him out to be raising taxes would be his first option but instead
“Gov. Mike Huckabee announced in November a $ 142 million cut to state agencies — including $ 14 million for scholarships programs — after revenues fell below projections.” (2/2/02 Arkansas Democrat Gazette)”
“But Huckabee, unlike governors in several states experiencing similar financial problems, refused to call for a tax increase. Instead, the state cut programs including teacher raises, college scholarships and Medicaid.” (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 11/15/02)
Indeed...
I think we need to be careful in assuming this. Huckabee is raising money. Higher poll numbers, even if some of us think they are temporary, will cause money to roll in. While I think Huckabee is going to fizzle as he is better known, I think also think it's unwise to assume he won't find some money to continue in the race.
I'm sending more to Fred because he needs to be able push back with more ads. The only way he's going to get more positive attention is to buy it because, unlike Huckabee, we know the MSM is not going to give him any.
Huck saying he was taken out of context and then explaining his own words is very Clintonian of him. I am sure Rudy and Mitt can do the same but the fact remains that when Hucks words are combined with his record all his explaining won't convince most voters.
I'll vote in the primary and I will support the nominee.
the first state that "matters" in the GOP nomination is SC...quickly followed by Super-duper Tuesday.
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