Huckabee, Romney Make Sunday Push for Evangelicals

The WashingtonCompost ^ | December 31, 2007; | Michael D. Shear and Perry Bacon Jr.

[HokieMom]

DES MOINES, Dec. 30 -- Republican rivals Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney took their battle over Christian voters to the pews as both attended services while their campaigns spanned Iowa in a final Sunday pitch to evangelicals.

With Christian conservatives expected to make up as much as 40 percent of Republican caucusgoers, Romney dispatched surrogates to meet with pastors in the far corners of Iowa, hoping to blunt Huckabee's momentum among evangelicals. On Friday, three national religious leaders backing Huckabee -- Tim LaHaye, Michael Farris and Rick Scarborough -- convened a conference call with Iowa pastors to urge them to use Sunday's services to drive up participation by Christian voters, who polls suggest favor the former Arkansas governor by comfortable margins.

In dozens of interviews at churches before and after Sunday services, many voters said they intend to caucus for Huckabee on Thursday, citing what they said is the former Baptist minister's strong commitment to his faith and a candor that they said is rare among politicians. Others said that they intend to support Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts, or that they are undecided, reflecting the up-for-grabs nature of the religious-conservative vote this year.

[HokieMom]

Video report at the link.

[Neu Pragmatist]

If Fred can’t win Iowa , I say go Huckster , stop Romney in Iowa !

[HokieMom]

Take a minute and view the video report. It was very informative and helpful in understanding their supporters

[unspun]

Yes, the WaPo has being doing a very commendable job with such things.

[Neu Pragmatist]

The Evangelicals are rising up and will deliver a win for the Huckster in Iowa .

[KC_Conspirator]

And I hope this nonsense stops in Iowa.

[GOP_Lady]

Thanks for posting. I watched it twice. This is my take:

Huckabee: Virtues/Values and God’s choice
Romney: Values, LEADERSHIP.

Do you agree?

[Dr. Sivana]

I found it interesting that only women were interviewed (three of them) for the WaPo video.

[HokieMom]

I’m voting for Fred Thompson on February 12 but I will vote GOP in November whoever he is. I’m trying stay focused on each candidate’s positives to make November easier in case the GOP nominee is someone other than Fred. Tough assignment right now with all their blemishes showing!

[HokieMom]

Huckabee: Virtues/Values and God’s choice
Romney: Values, LEADERSHIP.

Those interviewed definitely seemed to believe Huckabee is God's candidate for churchgoers. I would like to have heard more Romney supporters say why. One said his Mormonism isn't an issue for her, so it seems like Romney's making progress on that issue with this group of voters.

[HokieMom]

I found it interesting that only women were interviewed (three of them) for the WaPo video.

That's right! Hadn't noticed. Wonder if only using women was a conscious decision by the editor. The Post always has an ulterior motive in their reporting. You know there were plenty of men with opinions in those large churches.

[glmjr]

Mike Huckabee is laughable

Huck calls a press conference and shows the media the ad that gosh, by golly, he just couldn’t bring himself to run. Along with expensively produced story boards and graphics.

Because he is, after all “America’s Nice Guy” regardless of the risk, regardless the cost.

Brennan at THE AMERICAN PUNDIT  describes Huck's flip on the ad:

"Huckabee is so full of crap I can smell him from here. His strategy was obvious and simple: Announce you’re pulling the ad at the last minute to show how nice and moral a person you are, then show it to a crowd of cameras and reporters so the content gets seen and talked about anyway. He may not know about the NIE, AIDS, immigration, foreign policy, or anything actually, ya know, important, but he definitely has the “slimy” part down pat.”

                                                        

[Neu Pragmatist]

Yes hopefully . And Hopefully McPain will stop Romney in NH , and Fred will win SC and start the shift to the nomination .

This might be overly optimistic , but oh well .... GO FRED !

[glmjr]

Democratic Governor Endorses Mike Huckabee

Instead we have conservatives lining up behind Mike Huckabee because he agrees with them on two issues - gay marriage and abortion - neither of which the president can do much about. And all the while they ignore his liberal history as governor of Arkansas. If Huckabee is a real conservative, explain this: Since he's running in the Republican primaries for president, don't expect Mike Huckabee to be advertising the strong endorsement he just got from Ted Strickland, Ohio's Democratic governor.

It seems Mr. Strickland, who typically racked up a 95% rating from the liberal Americans for Democratic Action during his 16 years in Congress, has discovered a kindred spirit in Mr. Huckabee. He told the Cincinnati Enquirer last Sunday that Mr. Huckabee is a "combination of conservative views in some ways, but very, almost liberal views in other ways." Mr. Strickland concluded: "Of all the Republican candidates, Mr. Huckabee would be my personal choice."

NOW,,, THERE SHOULD BE NOT DOUBT IN YOUR MIND....HUCKABEE IS LOVED BY DEMOCRATS.

God save us if he is actually nominated by the Republican party, or should I say "former" Republican party ..if that actually occurs. 

YOUR CHOICE                           This                         OR                                   This. 

                                                        

NEITHER IS A PRETTY PICTURE

[Neu Pragmatist]

Romney is worse .

[glmjr]

     Can you really imagine this bunch in the White House? 

 

        HEEHAW, HEEHAW
Hey mom...what's for super? Pedro is back. He slipped over the border  yesterday, do you think we can get Maria to cook up some her fine tacos?

 I would rather vote for a Democrat than that....more government involvement...amnesty pushing... foreign affairs ignorant......Bush bashing....high taxing....parole giving...credential lying.....preacher hick from Arkansas. That's about it (sure I missed something)

Karl Rove might be right when he said to get ready for a Democratic era in the White House.  A vote for Huckabee is a vote for a Democrat, no matter which party wins.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Will other factions of the GOP base support the Huckster? That's the $64,000 question.

A win in Iowa for Huckabee doesn't mean squat. It just means his campaign is too narrowly focused on myopic Christians who want to throw their vote away on a liberal populist.

The last thing America needs is another hillbilly trying to micromanage people's lives.

[glmjr]

Saving the Republican Party

Our party can not survive unless we adhere to our basic conservative principles and nominate a person whose values lie in those principles and one that all Republicans will support.   If we fail, history will record the death of the Republican party as occurring during the caucus primaries of 2008.  This is not speculation on my part, but the opinion of many other experts in political science.  Many republicans and independents would either vote for a democrat or abstain, rather than vote for anything less than a person with "true conservative" values.

Take a closer look at the candidates

         Rudy Giuliani is intelligent and has proven himself to be capable as mayor of New York City, however Rudy is a liberal in every sense of the word.  He is pro-abortion, pro-gay, and pro-gun control.  I just can't vote for someone who "cross dresses" and marches in gay pride parades.  He is liberal, no other way to put it.  He would not represent the values of the Republican party and would not garner the support of all Republicans by any stretch of the imagination. Death of the Republican Party as we know it would occur if he was the nominee.

           Mitt Romney is sharp, intelligent and on the face seems to be a good candidate to save the party.  If you look closer you will find that in the past few years he has supported sanctuary cities for illegal aliens, supported pro-choice on the abortion issue, supported gay marriages and was elected governor of the most liberal state in the union.  Mitt's Mormon religion is not a factor and should not be a factor in America.  Mitt may have made a real change as he has stated and may have come to embrace a conservative views on the issues, but he'll have to prove it to me AND that may take years.  Mitt might be make a good president for the republican party one day, but not in 2008.  Mitt should wait a few years and give us the proof we need that in fact he is a "real conservative" as he says he is. The Republican Party would not be united behind Mitt in 2008, due to  his religion.  This is a shame , but a fact.  We would loose to the Democrats in 2008 if Mitt was nominated.

            Mike Huckabee is a good speaker, probably a nice guy and I'm sure an excellent preacher.  Mike is conservative on only two issues, abortion and marriage. He is a populist liberal on all other important issues.  His popularity  base is evangelicals who can't seem to separate religion from electing the leader of the free world.  .  He was even endorsed by the Democratic governor of Ohio, who said that he reflected Democratic liberal views as well as the other Democratic candidates.  He has even went so far as to criticize  President Bush, calling his foreign policy "bunker mentality".  Huckabee is a Democrat running as a republican, no other way to put it.  He would divide the republican party and cause a division from which we could not recover.  He is more dangerous to the republican party than having a democrat elected.  Probably the most dangerous thing about Huckabee is his naivetie on how to deal  foreign policy and the threats facing our nation today.  To put it bluntly, he is ignorant on foreign affairs and the part the United States plays as being the premier world superpower and bastion of freedom.  Death of the Republican Party as we know it would occur if he was the nominee.

        John McCain is a true American hero and I honor and respect him for all he has given in the service of his country during the Viet Nam war.  John is a conservative on most issues, but John tends to flip -flop on the issues.  Last year he and the despicable Edward Kennedy were two of the main players in the Amnesty Bill that Pres. Bush was pushing down the throats of the American people.  Thank God the people spoke up and the bill was defeated.  If McCain was the nominated and elected I have no doubts that he would revive that very bill and the next time it may pass.  I don't trust him to stop illegal immigration and therefore he gets "thumbs down" from me.  He also tends to be a little "hot headed" at times.  I'm not sure we need an emotional "hot head" with his finger on the button, if you know what I mean.  The Republican party would not unite behind McCain due to a lack of trust.  We would  loose to the Democrats in 2008 .

         Ron Paul...can you say "nut case"....Ron has a libiterian view of what the world and the US should be like.  He is so far off having "true conservative" values, he is not worth discussion.  The fringe radicals seem to like his message , much the way people who bought in to Ross Perot did some years ago.  Ron's idea of US foreign policy is for the US to withdraw from everywhere and become an isolationist country and "everybody would leave us alone"  Total BS.  Ron could not unite the party, in fact he would cause a split.  Death of the Republican Party as we know it would occur if he was the nominee.

           Duncan Hunter..... A "true conservative" in every sense of the word.  Duncan is strong on all conservative issues, especially illegal immigration.  Duncan could unite the party behind him.  Our party would have someone that all republicans could support.  The liberal media has failed to get behind Duncan, which is what should be expected.  They would prefer a republican candidate , like Huckabee, which would divide our party and be easier for the democrats to defeat next November.  Duncan gets a   "thumbs up" from me.

       Fred Thompson.  Fred is the only candidate that is conservative on all issues.  He is a Federalist, meaning that he is a supporter of states rights and less government.  Fred is the candidate that there are absolutely no negatives.  He has never flipped his position on any issue.  Fred is the one candidate that would appeal to every Republican.  Ron Paul supporters might be the exception, but most of them are libertarian and nothing short of a revolutionary would please them anyway.  Fred is for lower taxes, stronger military, anti abortion, anti gay-marriage, stopping illegal immigration and less government involvement in our lives, all main stay issues of the Republican Party.  Fred is the only candidate in the list that could unite the party and defeat the democrats in 2008.

 

Just the Facts... check them out for yourself.  America awaits your decision.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Those aren’t facts, those are just your opinions. Ron Paul is more conservative than the other guys.

[HokieMom]

Mike Huckabee is laughable

Everyone in the room sure burst out laughing. Ed Rollins really blew that strategy. What were they thinking? A good idea to stay positive completely backfired.