Message To The GOP: No More McCain, No More Huck, A Lot More Reagan Please

John McCain is a war hero. Unfortunately, that about exhausts the characteristics that I can identify in his personality which made him a "great" pick for the party's leadership. If we're being honest, he was a profoundly mediocre candidate. He made a strategically interesting veep choice (and, for the record, I highly doubt a different choice would have produced a significantly different result) but his campaign was otherwise strategically ineffective. He focused on branding himself as The Maverick rather than exploiting the ample opportunity that the economic crisis presented him with from a policy standpoint. Most importantly, he failed to court the Americans that can be counted on to win you elections: the capitalists.

The Reagan Coalition is not dead; it's just dormant. There have been some important changes to the demographics - particularly the electoral play that social conservatism on the issues of abortion and gay marriage get - but not very many. A successful Republican Party will court the voters that have been active since Barry Goldwater's glorious (albeit ill-fated) campaign in 1964. The consequences of failing to do so are clear in last night's results.

I'm skeptical, however, about the chances of the GOP succeeding in saving their party in the short term. The McCains of the party (and, according to an unfortunate interview I saw yesterday, the Pawlentys) would tack to the center on economics and foreign policy and take the pragmatist approach. On the other hand, the Huckabees of the party would drag them further along the path towards an entirely religion-dominated platform. Neither of these models reflect the Reagan Coalition as it survives today. If the Republican Party wants to rebuild itself, if it truly has an interest in winning elections again, then it will drop the evangelical 'tude, tone it back on the social issues, and remember that Republicans used to be Capitalists, and that most Americans still are.

Four years of President Obama ought to be enough to remind the United States of the consequences of allowing the culture of entitlement to have free reign. While the moochers suckle on the teat of an expanding government, entrepreneurs and businessmen and women will fail because Obama is so eager to "spread the wealth".

This election was a wake-up call for the Republicans. Free markets, free people. This is what America wants. Why not give it back to them?

Huckabee On SNL

Good for a yuk. Or maybe even two yuks. Certainly not three though.



It was just as good as most of the crap they run, anyway.

Mike Huckabee: "Whoops, There Goes Another Wannabe"

Well, it's a little better than Hillary's ...



Pretty much exactly what you would expect from the Huckabee camp. A lot of empty criticisms of his opponents and passive-aggressive swipes at their credentials but, when it comes to explaining Huck's policies, the focus conspicuously shifts to his Chuck Norris endorsement.

Oops, there goes another wannabe? I think Allah puts it best:

It wasn’t ol’ Fred who waited until the Iowa caucuses to discover the virtues of border enforcement, kiddo.

H/t Hot Air

Who Will McCain Choose As His Running Mate: The Charmer Or The Quarterback?

The debate surrounding McCain's likely choices for a running mate has been drawing a lot of speculation on the right in recent days. There have been a lot of interesting, and in some cases even exciting, names thrown out there as possibilities. Early on there was talk about Romney or Huckabee filling the slot but McCain really doesn't like Mitt and that acrimony, combined with their divergent policies, would be more than enough to make for an awkward campaign. On the other hand, Huck shares some of McCain's more centrist convictions but would do little to nothing to satisfy the socially and fiscally conservative base that simply cannot be left behind for this election to yield a Republican to the White House.

Although a lot of other names have been proposed for the slot, two in particular jumped out at me as the most probable choices. These are Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty and former Oklahoma congressman J.C. Watts.

Vin Weber outlines why we might be seeing Pawlenty's name of the ticket in a Jonathan Martin article at Politico:

“First of all, his age is attractive,” Weber says, hinting at the nearly quarter-century difference between his fellow Minnesotan and the 71-year-old McCain. “Second, he’s from outside Washington. Third, he represents a battleground part of the country. And he has a nice balance of, on one hand being totally acceptable to conservative wing of the party, especially to social conservatives, but at the same time sharing a couple of key maverick strains of thought with McCain.”

Although you hate to bring it up, the age factor will probably be a central issue in the federal campaign. McCain is not a young man and Pawlenty's youth, coupled with his social conservatism and his strong stance on immigration, may go a long way towards convincing some of the Ann Coulter "I'd vote for Hillary before McCain" social conservatives to fall in line to keep the Democratic candidate out of office.

The article continues:

Declining to say how she got wind of the story, Taylor lavished praise on Pawlenty. "By far, he's the strongest candidate" to serve as McCain's running mate, she said.

"He's a conservative, rock-n-roll Republican and is counterintuitive to the party stereotype that we're old and rich,” says Taylor, who recalled visiting St. Paul and finding the governor jamming in his office to recording artist Bruce Springsteen. “He's young and blue-collar."

And, Taylor said, in a potential race against the 46-year-old Barack Obama, Pawlenty would be "as good as our party has for that [match-up].

...

“Politically, he’s pretty skilled, no question about it,” says Moe, who lost in a three-way gubernatorial race to Pawlenty in 2002. “He’s a bright guy and very charming, no question about it.”

Another name being tossed around is that of J.C. Watts, best known in Canada as the former quarterback and Grey Cup MVP for the CFL's Ottawa Rough Riders. The possibility of Watts as the Mav's running mate was mentioned over at the Halls of Macademia earlier today. The arguments for Watts filling the veep slot are strong.

The National Post elaborates:

Mr. Watts used to be considered a rising star in the party, and delivered a highly praised speech on character at the 1996 Republican national convention. He was selected to deliver his party's response to president Bill Clinton's State of the Union Address in 1997, and addressed the nation after Mr. Clinton's impeachment in 1998.

Now he is a multi-millionaire, running a variety of businesses, including selling John Deere tractors in Texas, offering companies strategies for business development, communications and public affairs, and lobbying government for small businesses, Fortune 500 companies, trade groups and historically black colleges and universities.

An outspoken conservative who once worked as a youth minister and associate pastor with the Southern Baptist Church, Mr. Watts has a congressional record sponsoring tax incentives for businesses in low-income areas. He also helped write U.S. President George W. Bush's "faith-based initiative," which was a key domestic part of his "compassionate conservatism.

...

The 51-year-old has courted controversy in the past by chastising some black Democrats and civil-rights leaders as "race-hustling poverty pimps."

Like Mr. McCain, he has not hesitated to speak his mind and criticize his own party's leaders."

Watts has been the source of quite a bit of controversy in his day and so would also bring a few of the maverick qualities - as well as the youth - that McCain will likely be looking for in a running mate.

A lot of other, less likely, names are getting attention too, including Condi Rice and, ridiculously, Joe Lieberman. All considered, Watts and Pawlenty seem to be in prime position for the slot. Only time will tell.

Mike Huckabee: Waiting For His Miracle

This video was put together by one of Huck's supporters. I can barely force myself to feign interest in the Republican primary anymore. Nevertheless, check out the video. It's mildly entertaining:



H/t Hot Air

Super Tuesday Results (I'm Going To Go Hang Myself Now)

Ace has the wrap up of the Super Tuesday primaries here.

I'm afraid it isn't good news for Republicans. McCain is still going strong, Clinton and Obama are drawing voters by the bushel, and Huckabee has surged in the South.

Is Romney done? Stay tuned and find out.



UPDATE: Insult to injury:

Fred Thompson Takes On All Comers

I've been pretty heavy-handed with the Fred! material of late so I'm going to back off after this. Probably. Maybe. We'll see.

Following up on my last post, I'm pleased to report Thompson seems to have switched to full on attack mode:

Republican candidate Fred Thompson went down the line of his South Carolina GOP competitors Wednesday and described his differences with them.

"We have some Johnny-come-lately's now that don't want to talk about their record and they're hoping there’s not enough time for anybody to even examine them,” Thompson told a crowd at a campaign stop in Abbeville, South Carolina.

Thompson may have been referring to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who focused his campaign on Michigan before yesterday's primary, and who has refocused his efforts in the Palmetto State and Nevada in the lead up to Saturday's votes.

...

Thompson described fellow Southerner Huckabee as "very articulate, very witty, but does not like to answer questions about his record." He called the former Governor “weak” on the issue of illegal immigration and again railed against his endorsement from the New Hampshire National Education Association, a teachers' union.

“Is he proud of that endorsement?” Thompson asked rhetorically.

Of his "personal friend," and former Senate colleague, John McCain, Thompson said he would “never forget” McCain’s service to the country. However, he said he disagreed with McCain on tax cuts and immigration, particularly his support for last year’s failed immigration reform.

“When I saw him join forces with Senator [Ted] Kennedy on that, I knew that he was wrong track and he was, and the American people said so,” Thompson said.

While he was not asked about rival Mitt Romney, in his response, Thompson also threw some more barbs at the former Governor of Massachusetts for “tailoring” his message to Michigan residents.

"He basically promised the federal government would come in and bail out Michigan when he got elected President – very conservative notion, don't you think?” Thompson asked facetiously.

Full article at the link.

H/t Hot Air.

Huckabee: "Over 1,000 Criminals Set Free With The Stroke Of A Pen"

McCartney couldn't have said it better himself:



H/t Hot Air

Fred Thompson Surges In South Carolina

Good news for the 'Heads:

The last of the candidates to enter the race, Mr. Thompson, 65, a former Tennessee senator, has so far seemed to distinguish himself mainly by a laconic style that has made him almost invisible beside the others on the stage in past debates, the Berenberks said.

“But then last night — we hadn’t even been thinking about him — all of a sudden it was clear he was the one,” said Mr. Berenberk, a retired teacher. “The bluntness, the forcefulness. He was really impressive.”

Whether this was a new Fred Thompson, or just a sign of mirage-inducing campaign fatigue among voters, many people attending Mr. Thompson’s campaign rallies here on the day after the debate reported having similar revelations.

Mr. Thompson, who remarked Friday that he had “always been laid back — laid back when I became a U.S. prosecutor at 28, laid back when I became staff counsel to the Watergate committee at 30, laid back when I ran and won election twice to the United States Senate” — was clearly more combative on Thursday night than he had been in past debates.

He attacked former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani of New York, accusing him of stealing his tax plan, tagged Senator John McCain of Arizona as soft on illegal immigration and jabbed repeatedly at former Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas for taking what he called “liberal” positions. Mr. Thompson scored one of the more crowd-pleasing remarks of the evening when he said about a recent encounter between a Navy ship and several Iranian speedboats: “I think one more step and they would have been introduced to those virgins they’re looking forward to seeing.”

In an official statement, a campaign spokesman, Todd Harris, said Mr. Thompson’s performance showed that he was the only candidate that voters in the Jan. 19 primary here should trust “to be a strong, consistent conservative.”

Mr. Thompson has made all the same points during campaign events throughout the state, aides said. But many voters who flocked to his rallies on Friday had never heard him make them until they heard him in the latest debate on the Fox News Channel.

Jim Sickles, a retired corrections officer; Natalie Bankowski, an office manager; and Maryanne Gasper, who said she was “a waitress, with two other jobs,” were among a dozen people randomly interviewed who said they had been undecided or leaning toward other Republican candidates — mainly Mr. Huckabee — until Thursday night.

...

Chip Felkel, a longtime South Carolina political consultant who is not working for any of the candidates, said Mr. Thompson initially seemed to be a candidate who might appeal to all the major voting groups in the state. “Social conservatives from Huckabee, military votes from McCain, economic conservatives from Romney,” Mr. Felkel said, referring to former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts.

“But so far he hasn’t done that,” said Mr. Felkel, who added that he had watched Mr. Thompson’s debate performance on Thursday and was skeptical that it had helped him much.

Sirita Long, a construction forewoman from Moncks Corner, disagreed. “He’s a straight-up shoot-from-the-hip guy,” said Ms. Long, who said she had been leaning toward Mr. McCain until the debate. “I could see him staring down our enemies.”

It seems like Thompson's strategy is paying off. We're beginning to see massive interest at his rallies and he has raised approximately $900,000 since the Fox News debate. This could very well be the tipping point he - and most Republicans really - have been waiting for.

H/t Ace of Spades

Fred Thompson: "That's Not The Model Of The Reagan Coalition, That's The Model Of The Democratic Party"

Stuck in a lazy narrative, they said. Doesn't have the fire in his belly, they said. This is the Fred Thompson we've all been waiting for. Is it too late to get him the nomination? Probably. But the race is still in chaos right now with no single candidate running away with it. Conservatives all over the United States have been waiting for The Fred to come alive. He's told us over and over that he's the only "true blue" conservative on the ballot and, finally, last night he decided we should see what that looks like in action. He absolutely tore into Huckabee - and we'll have to wait and see if that won him any converts - and he outlined once and for all exactly why he deserves to be the Republican party candidate.

And so, as a gift to all the Fred Heads out there, I've compiled some of his best moments from the debate last night below. I'll begin with the best clip of the night.


Teh Fred vs. Huckabee:



Mmm. That's good fire in the belly.


Teh Fred On Illegal Immigration:



I was a little disappointed he passed on his opportunity to go on the offensive against McCain, probably as a result of their close friendship. If he's going to win this race - and that's a big if - he's going to need support from all quarters, and that certainly includes McCain supporters who are uncomfortable with the Maverick's pro-amnesty stance and his opposition to the Bush tax cuts.


And, of course, Thompson's "virgins" line in response to the Iranian naval standoff in the Straits of Hormuz this week:



Last night was far and away Fred Thompson's best performance of the campaign thus far. Right now Fred needs to build some momentum if he wants a chance at winning South Carolina on January 19. If he can do that, he may still have a shot - albeit a long one - at winning this nomination.


H/t to Hot Air


UPDATE: And the focus group agrees:




UPDATE II: Just a little zinger Romney lands on that nutter Ron Paul:

Huckabee? Seriously? Ugh!

I've been soul searching all afternoon, desperately trying to explain why Iowa would vote for Huckabee above Fred Thompson. Or Mitt Romney. Or even John McCain. Huckabee's an economic populist, he's soft on foreign policy, and he pardoned an unfathomable number of convicts during his stint as governor of Arkansas. And yet the race wasn't even close last night.

And then the answer hit me:

The Iowa Caucuses: Don't Blame Me, I'm Canadian

I know, I know. I've hear it a thousand times. Iowa means next to nothing. But it's still a lot of fun, isn't it?

Clearly, the story of the night was Barack Obama who trounced "Billary" Clinton and John "Silky" Edwards in the quirky Democratic caucus. Clinton's definitely hurting right now and it looks pretty damn good on her. At the end of the day, though, I'd still rather she won the nomination since it seems impossible to me that she could win the presidency.

On the Republican side, Huckabee's win was painful to watch but not all that surprising. According to CNN, 60% of Iowa voters at the caucus were Evangelical and, evidently, they voted like Evangelicals. The big stories on the GOP side were Romney and Thompson. Mitt Romney pumped millions of dollars into Iowa and fell way short. I think he's got some good policies and he campaigned harder than any other Republican in the state so I was a little surprised at just how short he fell of Huckabee. He's still far from out of the race but it's all going to come down to New Hampshire for him. And that contest won't be made any easier by McCain's strong showing tonight. Fred Thompson was the real variable in this race and, as some of you may know, he's my favourite of the candidates so I'm pleased that he's contending like he is. For now, it seems like he's going to finish 3rd although it's still really tight with McCain as the last votes roll in. Regardless, his performance can only be considered a victory for Fred. This should help him gain some momentum going into New Hampshire and, if all goes well, he'll make it to South Carolina where a win would mean a real chance at the Republican nomination.

I think, though, that the most interesting aspect of the Iowa caucuses was the turnout; 212,000. That's up from 125,000 last time around.

All in all, a good start to what promises to be a great race.

Huck vs. Chuck

This is the latest attack ad out of the Romney camp. It's clever enough. It should be reasonably effective.