Is Huckabee On His Way Out?

There's a Zogby poll showing Huckabee behind McCain in South Carolina, not by yesterday's 9, but by 5+. Rasmussen had him down by 9 yesterday.

On the Republican side, John McCain has a narrow lead of 28% to Mike Huckabee's 23%.

If Huckabee can't win SC, he could be on his way out. He's already promised a victory. Fred is up a few, but there's only three days left before the voting and 12 - 15 points probably won't be enough to keep him in the race.

If there's a McCain, Rudy and Mitt showdown in Florida, primarily, the first two will be splitting the moderate voters and Mitt should do well with conservatives. The dynamics of that triangle work out somewhat well for Romney.

I'd look for Romney to play in SC to weaken McCain without expecting a win. And I'm wondering why he's doing a bus trip there at all. He shouldn't give it too much attention before moving on to Florida. That's the state to get McCain out of the race and possibly Rudy, too.

Also there's a new poll with Romney up big in Nevada - too bad it's ARG.

Comments

[Allen Wood]

Huckabee is done for. Yay!

[K]

I figure Huckabee is finished. Simply too liberal for many, too bible-thumping for others, etc. Seems like a nice guy but not a solid choice for President. IMO he took the only chance he had: go all out in Iowa with the folksy personna.

Thompson has been smart. If he had ran a conventional campaign he had no chance. Compared to others he had no little access to money, not much of a record, and no battle-hardened cadre of loyalists. So he played the media by employing the staying out, half out, mostly out, maybe, kinda in, actually in, and no-big-deal cards. That keeps him interesting and so people at least listen to him. That allows his acting skills to work. I give him an A- so far for shrewd use of his resources.

[TheSpartan]

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8U76PK82&show_article=1

Stories you won't see blogged about at reihl world view...can we question his patriotism now?

[Waho Willie Sez:]

Wow sparty animal, I bet you chrissy and da boob all rode together to register as repubs after reading that one.

[Rich]

So Romney is a conservative this week, his record as a governor be damned? Well there's always next week for another set of positions from him.

2004 - Kerry self-financed campaign and flip-flop - bad
2008 - Romney self-financed campaign and flip-flop - conservative's choice

That should tell you something about conservatives

[Emma]

One thing people ignore with regard to McCain is the fact that in many circles Lindsey Graham is deeply unpopular. McCain and Graham are regarded with the same disdain and contempt as Kennedy and Kerry - they're a tag team. Graham has been in McCain's hip pocket for years and has not represented conservatives in this state. Many of us despise Graham.

The recent "Immigration Reform" Bill was a good example. In South Carolina we expect people to respect our laws, and we don't like our elected representatives maligning citizens, castigating them as "racists" or telling them to "shaddup" or refering to us as those "loud people".

Damn right we're loud! That's our job although it shouldn't be. But McCain and Graham don't understand that. They don't listen. If anyone is off-key, it's those two.

I may be wrong, but I don't think McCain will do as well as he expects here in SC.

[Waho Willie Sez:]

"I don't think McCain will do as well as he expects here in SC."

Emma, I'm thinking you all will go for Fred and Obama. You agree?

[Capitalist Infidel]

Emma, I hope your right!

[BobInStamford]

Willard has more positions than fellow patriot Larry Craig has wide stances. Real Americans know that Willard is the clear choice - civil rights marcher, lifelong hunter, defender of Christian (ok, kinda Christian in a weird cultish way) Values and general Patriot. Willard will agree with all of you on everything - at the same time.

[Emma]

Waho,

South Carolinians are generally fiscal conservatives. Romney, Giuliani and Thompson have great appeal to many and for different reasons.

However, I think blacks in this state will go to Obama. He is regarded now as the one person who will ensure that the so-called "Great Society" continues forever. The Clintons may well be "toast".

The worst thing that can happen to this country is to have a Democrat in the White House with a predominantly Democrat Congress. It will take decades to recover, if we ever do. We will look like Europe, top-heavy with government, economically static, loaded with an entitlement mindset and lacking in innovation.

We cannot allow that to happen.

The difference between the USA and other countries is that we are creative. We are not Europe or Britain. We are, in fact, truly unique. We are. And we must never, ever relinquish our individuality and ability to lead in every respect.

Leadership is lonely. Leadership is not a juvenile popularity contest as liberal Democrats and socialists suggest. Leadership is the task for adults.

[TheSpartan]

"Leadership is the task for adults."

You mean like GW Bush? And here I thought you cons had no sense of humor.

[Waho Willie Sez:]

Emma yeah I'm close enough to you to know a bit about how SC thinks. I think Mr 911 has little chance down there but Romney and Thompson will be interesting. I think the majority of dems and many indies down there like Obama's "change" message. It's going to be very interesting and I think the pundits will be surprised. But t hen, they have called a lot of this wrong.

[Fred Beloit]

Spart writes: "...can we question his patriotism now?"

Of course you can, Spart. We'll file it under Takes One to Know One. By the way thank you for your involuntary service in paying part of my social security. Now back to work and be successful. Pretty soon, right after the election no matter who wins, the Dems will raise the cap on the Soc Security payroll tax. Struggle on bravely, socialist soldier.

[rwilymz]

"Pretty soon, right after the election no matter who wins, the Dems will raise the cap on the Soc Security payroll tax."

Good. That's one of the [many] things needed in order to make the ponzi scheme last into the future.

Others are
1] means-testing the payouts [sorry Oprah and Steve Forbes: you retire on your own nickel];
2] providing incentives for middle-class Americans -- REAL incentives, such as a large chunk of their own retirement funding being tax-free -- if they can, or will, forgo SocSec; and
3] invest "excess" SocSec "receipts" in something besides the government's hip pocket. If it was a good idea when Moynihan suggested it [and it was], and a good idea when Clinton dredged up Moynihan's idea [and it was], then it's a good idea now. Anyone who criticizes doing it only after Bush suggested it is as much of a partisan hack as anyone who loves it only *because* Bush suggested it.

[Wahoo Willie Sez:]

Others are
1] means-testing the payouts [sorry Oprah and Steve Forbes: you retire on your own nickel];

The bar will be much lower than that income level

2] providing incentives for middle-class Americans -- REAL incentives, such as a large chunk of their own retirement funding being tax-free -- if they can, or will, forgo SocSec;

Now that I could get behind, that and let those who do opt to collect earn more in a year than... is it still 12,500? I'd also like to be able to invest 2% of that tax in my own retirement.

3] invest "excess" SocSec "receipts" in something besides the government's hip pocket. If it was a good idea when Moynihan suggested it [and it was], and a good idea when Clinton dredged up Moynihan's idea [and it was], then it's a good idea now. Anyone who criticizes doing it only after Bush suggested it is as much of a partisan hack as anyone who loves it only *because* Bush suggested it.

Now there's a concept, keep your mits out of the "trust fund". You have to admit, partisans are a strange lot. Clinton couldn't get it past a repub congress and Bush can't get the dems to cooperate. Yet the sheeple keep voting for the same old crap.

[Fred Beloit]

Gore in his campaign called this supposed trust fund a "Lock Box" so often that it made me want to wretch. He called it that because he saw us as too dumb to deal with something called a trust fund. Not a good solution, not even a possible solution. The problem is the constitution gives the Congress the keys to almost all government locks, certainly all financial ones.