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Vic Lundquist
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January 11th, 2008 | | Posted in 2008, Analysis, Commentary, and Editorials, Democrats, F. Thompson, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani, The Wall Street Journal
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Before I discuss this article, I have to get a few things off my chest. What is it about the MSM and even The Wall Street Journal? A few thoughts:
— How many times have I heard in the last couple of days that we have now had “one caucus state and one primary state out of the way…”? What about Wyoming? Oh yeah, that one doesn’t count because Romney came in first in that state.
— I have now read this exact statement six or seven times in the last month in several sources, including the WSJ ——> ” . . . in South Carolina, where that state’s large evangelical population is suspicious of Mormons.” What do they mean when they print, “Christians suspicious of Mormons”? Suspicious? Of what? That Romney, as a Mormon, is going to have every school begin teaching from the Book of Mormon? Or that a President Romney will force all White House staff to drink some special kool-aid? Why don’t they come out and say it? The media knows that many so-called “Christians” are simple religious bigots? Heck, I just learned today that the Klu Klux Klan was not only racist, but at one time would completely discriminate against Catholics. As if their “suspicion” is somehow the fault of Mormons! It is nothing more than good ole bigotry — pure and simple.
— Several of the news outlets were showing Romney with fewer delegates and behind Huckabee (CNN had it right from the beginning). Worse, very few news organizations or pundits even mention delegate count. Oh yeah, Romney is leading in the delegate count and has been for a long time now.
— How many times have I read that Huckabee has the momentum or that McCain has the momentum? Hyperbole! Tonight after the debate, after Thompson had 17 cups of coffee, Thompson looked a little energetic, therefore he now has the momentum. Great (by the way, did you see how he kept reading from notes? — great actor)
— The flip/flop brand — I read two articles Monday that both stated that Governor Romney was once pro gay marriage! As if this was some other example of a flip or flop. HOGWASH! Completely false. There have been misstatement after misstatement just like this every day in the media.
— Lastly, if Governor Romney had made 1/10 the gaffes that Huckabee has made (Satan/Jesus question, “I am Christian” statement [if a Jew were running, he would be toast; but a Mormon is okay], etc. and on and on), Governor Romney would have been finished long ago. So why is Huckabee still in it? I think it is because there is a double standard. For some reason, Governor Romney is held to a much higher standard. It is as if everybody knows that he is far more talented and has a far greater advantage than all the rest, that he must therefore prove himself at a much higher standard!
Another example. Take the name of this Journal article. “Clinton, McCain Rake In Cash…” What? McCain wins NH and gets a tiny fundraising boost and he is in the headline for it? Just below this link is a quote on this.
Clinton, McCain Rake In Cash As Race Gets Costlier — With Feb. 5 Ahead, Obama Has Funds, Huckabee’s Hurting — By CHRISTOPHER COOPER — January 10, 2008; Page A9
It is Romney whose name should be in the headline! It should read, “Clinton wins and gets cash boost; Romney comes in second and gets HUGE cash…” since he raised $5 million! IN ONE DAY this week. As you see here, McCain raised what, $1 million in a week? Big deal.
Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who also notched a win Tuesday, in a stunning financial reversal has raised $1 million since Jan. 1, his campaign says.
It is as if we just ended the spring training games of professional baseball; the easy games in which different strategies and tactics are tried. Games in which substitution of players and ideas is free and easy. Now though, we enter the real season. The big leagues. Consider this:
With the two early-voting contests over, both Republican and Democratic candidates have effectively seen the end of bargain-basement campaigning for this political season. With small populations and a traditional emphasis on candidate appearances and stump campaigning, Iowa and New Hampshire make it relatively easy for low-rolling politicians to stay afloat.
But an unprecedented and extremely costly day is looming: On Feb. 5, 22 states, including delegate-rich California, New York and Illinois, will hold nominating contests. At stake will be 2,075 delegates — enough to snuff the hopes of any front-runner or make any also-ran a king.
Try to imagine McCain, Thompson, or Huckabee competing in all of the Feb. 5th states with the money they don’t have today. Even Giuliani who has been struggling in his fundraising — the big leagues are going to be a real challenge for him as he attempts to bring his polling numbers back up in key states.
According to political media analyst Evan Tracey, television advertising alone for the Feb. 5 contest could easily soak up $25 million per candidate. In California, for example, gubernatorial candidates had no problem spending $4 million a week in 2006.
Check this quote. Does anybody really think Huckabee is going to get it together to raise real money fast? He got his nose bloodied tonight in the debate and actually appeared silly in some answers I thought (though he still got applause from the SC crowd — go figure). But where is Huckabee going to get serious big money fast?
Unlike almost every one of his rivals, Mr. Huckabee has no real national fund-raising organization in place.
Nor does Mr. Huckabee likely have any real cash cushion: Through Sept. 30 of last year, he had raised a mere $2.3 million and had only $650,000 on hand. In December, he set a $5 million fund-raising goal, which he met. He is currently trying to raise $1 million during the first 10 days of January.
Although Mr. Huckabee’s fund-raising rate has surely gained velocity, a distant third-place showing in New Hampshire probably didn’t do much for his momentum. The Huckabee campaign declined to comment about its fund-raising efforts.
Governor Romney’s pulling ads from South Carolina this week might have been genius. I was thinking during the debate tonight that there was a shift in the attacks. Right out of the chute Thompson comes out with both guns blazing at the naive Huckabee. And another time he was pounding McCain. I was literally cheering Fred on! Today, I caught part of the Hugh Hewitt show on my drive home from the office and he referred to McCain, Huckabee, and Thompson as about to begin “a knife fight in South Carolina.” Well, tonight the knife fight began and guess who is not in their fight? Governor Romney; for now. Let the three of them cut each other up in South Carolina. If Governor Romney can end up with a very strong showing in Michigan, he can ride into South Carolina as the only adult in the game.
“Huckabee can’t even begin thinking about February until he gets [another] win in January,” said Scott Reed, the former campaign manager for Bob Dole who isn’t affiliated with any candidate. “After Iowa and New Hampshire, silver rings don’t matter.”
Well, I will get off my soap-box tonight. The long and short of it is that Thompson, McCain, and Huckabee DO NOT have the cash, nor the ability to raise a lot of cash fast, to effectively and successfully (win) compete in the February 5th states. If and once McCain decides to take federal matching funds, he is done; I think he is on the verge of doing just that. And what is going to be the impetus in the next week or two for any of these three candidates to raise a lot of money fast? Nothing really. Heck, just tonight we saw Huckabee begging the audience for money (the passing the hat comment) — how sleezy was that? He should just stick to giving his “non-political” Sunday sermons for $25,000 each; he could probably work in three or four of those per Sunday. McCain and Thomson will get a million dollars here and there; but that’s it. Giuliani is going to have to start spending real money very soon if he does not want his name to be in the basement.
Which candidate is the most viable of the five? I will have to think long and hard on that one.
When is Governor Romney going to get a break from the MSM? Never. We are all going to have to keep working harder than we ever have worked before for anything to make up for the higher standard by which he is being judged.
~ Vic
SMALL DOLLARS COUNT BIG! — PLEASE CONTRIBUTE TO GOVERNOR ROMNEY’S CAMPAIGN NOW
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This is really getting old. It deeply sickens me to see Huckabee using God in this way. The IRS should so be on this. There is just absolute NO WAY that Romney could ever (would he ever do it in the first place) get away with something so haughty as this. It doesn’t matter that he wasn’t discussing politics here. He obviously wouldn’t be doing this if he wasn’t running for President. Wonder if Romney, McCain, Thompson, or Giuliani were given invites to do the same? I highly doubt it. I appreciate those evangelicals supporting Romney and going against the grain of bigotry, but those that use the vitriol that Huckabee and his minions have are a disgrace in which our country was founded.
