Matalin: A vote for Huckabee is a vote for McCain
February 5th, 2008Mary Matalin doesn’t like the fact that Mike Huckabee is still in the race.
Matalin admits that Romney still faces an uphill battle against McCain for the Republican nomination. But his primary obstacle is the sinking Mike Huckabee, whose presence in the race Matalin finds questionable. “Rich Lowry has said that Huckabee has a man crush on McCain,” Matalin said. “If Huckabee got out, Romney could win Georgia, Missouri, and probably Tennessee and Alabama. He could pick up a chunk of California, and then it would be a delegate race.” Huckabee clearly can’t win, so why is he in the race? “Whether it’s a man crush or the promise of a job — I don’t know what his motive is, but it seems to me that it could be less than pure.”
Matalin added that voters need to understand the ramifications of votes for Huckabee. “It’s possible to get out the message that a vote for Huckabee is a vote for McCain. After all, Huckabee supporters are not McCain supporters,” she said.
McCain’s running mate needs to have three qualities:
1. Acceptable to the conservative base, who McCain will need behind him in the general election.
2. Extensive knowledge and experience on the economy, which will be the #1 issue in the election.
3. Able to deliver a key swing state to McCain.
Huckabee doesn’t meet any of those criteria, and the Democrats are salivating at the thought of running against him. McCain would be crazy to pick him.
Where was the drive-by media when that little martian Perot was running in ‘92 and ‘96?
Bill Clinton won both elections without getting 50% of the votes. We didn’t hear junk like Matalin is spouting then!
Sure we did, Tony.
How is Matalin wrong?
I agree, Peter, and I’m encouraged that McCain has tapped into Arthur Laffer and Jack Kemp here recently. His vice-presidential pick is especially important since he’s incredibly old. Having said that, I voted for Romney today.
Personally, I think McCain could do a lot worse than Huck as a running mate.
McCain could do a lot worse than Huck as a running mate.
It would be wonderful if Huck was McCain’s running mate. Huckabee Girl swayed my opinion of Huck.
My point is this…why can’t a vote for Huckabee be called “a vote for Huckabee”?
Why is Matalin calling a vote for Huckabee a vote for McCain?
This is why we have primary elections…to determine delegates. Not all of the delegates have been determined yet. Until they are, a vote is a vote.
Maybe if Romney decided to get out of the race, Huckabee would have a clearer path to the nomination as well. But we aren’t reading any press like that are we?
I find this type of journalism demeaning and inaccurate. It’s sensationalism and doesn’t contribute positively to the dialogue surrounding the election.
There are hundreds of delegates up for grabs today. Who’s to say that “Huckabee clearly can’t win”?
They aren’t saying that in Iowa or West Virginia.
I agree with Tony here.
I saw Nicollo Machiavelli’s tomb last summer.
He’s dead, but his ideas aren’t.
In the first round in the W.Va. caucuses today, Romney was in first, Huckabee second and McCain third. In the second round McCain voters were told to switch to Huckabee to deny Romney a win. Got politics?
I found that story interesting too. I am waiting to here how it is explained by McCain’s camp.
Tim, did you vote for Ron Paul and 12 of his delegates yet?
j razz
Nah. I took a Democratic ballot and voted for Hillary, just because I wanted to see what that felt like.
Not really. I cast my ballot for Mr. Romney and his delegates.
Nice job on BBJ, Tim.
Tim, I just saw on the news that a tornado had hit Jackson and Union University. I do hope that you and your family are safe.
A couple of dorms were blown down on the Union campus, and there were a few students trapped in the rubble for several hours. Apparently all injuries were non-life-threatening, but classes are canceled until at least the 13th. Tim was on the scene providing info to local news outlets; his house and family were not in the path of the tornado. For more see http://www.jacksonsun.com
Mary Matalin is essentially conceding the point that Mitt Romney isn’t a strong candidate in himself: he is (or at least is presumably) the most viable in defeating McCain, but if he really was an attractive candidate to the conservative base, would he really have so much trouble getting traction with them? And would have this sort of trouble when the third candidate isn’t a fiscal conservative, isn’t a federalist, doesn’t seem to grasp the dangers we face from enemies abroad, and even makes off-the-cuff gaffes that a more experienced politician should be able to exploit?
Tim:
We are praying for the Union Univ family during the aftermath of these powerful storms. The images from Memphis TV stations of the damage is incredible. Hope you and fam are ok. Please extend our prayerful thoughts to Dr. Dockery & the Union fam.
David Wooten
Joe Carter at Evangelical Outpost blogged about this fallacy today. Carter writes: “The results showed that McCain wins over Romney as the second choice of Huckabee voters by more than a 2 to 1 margin, 64% to 28%. McCain beats Romney 42% to 24% with Huckabee in the race (Huckabee gets 18% of the vote) and expands that margin to 53% to 30% with Huckabee voters forced to choose between the two candidates.
A more likely scenario is that Romney’s continued presence in the race siphoned off votes and support for Huckabee. ”
This idea that a vote for Huckabee is stealing a Romney vote is simply false.
I also think that McCain’s choice of VP is critical because the man is no spring chicken. I understand that his mom is a healthy 90+ year old woman, but she didn’t spend several years in the Hanoi Hilton. As a Huck supporter I’d love to see him be the VP choice, but I could also get behind Jack Kemp.
I agree with Tony as well. This is innane and sloppy reporting. As last night’s results CLEARLY show, Romney has a hard time all over the country. And it’s not due to Huckabee. If the self-dubbed “New Ronald Reagan” can’t win California, he’s in for some serious trouble.
Why should Huckabee drop out? He spent money and has spent time to campaign for the past year+ so he has every right to campaign until he’s forced out of the race! If Romney wants the delegates that Huckabee is getting, then he should win them over himself.
Admittedly, I’m a Huck supporter and I would love to see him get the nom. But a stint in the VP chair might give him some excellent experience for the future.
Huckabee certainly attracts the “red neck” vote in the South. I wonder if McCain would choose him as a VP though because, by voting for a moderate like McCain, the Republican party seems to be trying to distance itself from the evangelicals on the right who like Huck. Huck gets the “Jesus” votes and McCain gets the Republican party votes. McCain has to balance the prospect of alienating the moderate Republicans who have been supporting him thus far with alienating the “Jesus people” who have been supporting Huckabee. It’s an interesting juggling act. I think McCain would probably be better off not associating himself with Huck. Anyone who is crazy enough to believe people once rode dinosaurs like the Flintstones, shouldn’t hold political power IMHO. McCain is the best the Republicans have and Huckabee as VP would be introducing an element of extremism that is obvious to anyone who is not a right wing evangelical Republican. Basically, Huckabee would help McCain win Republican votes in the Bible Belt but it could backfire by energizing liberal and moderate Republicans who don’t want another born again Christian like G.W. Bush in office. Choose your poison, I guess.
the Republican party seems to be trying to distance itself from the evangelicals on the right who like Huck.
Not really. McCain will have a much easier time winning over Huck’s supporters than Romney’s, because (a) McCain has a decent record on abortion, and (b) Huck’s supporters aren’t primarily concerned economic and tax issues the way Romney voters are.
Which gets back to my original point: Huckabee isn’t of much use to McCain as a running mate. If McCain decides he needs a southerner, he’d be better off picking someone like Tom Cobern, who would bring the economic conservative wing of the GOP firmly on board.
McCain needs Huckabee as VP choice to carry the South. Plus Huckabee has experience in a second position. He was elected Lt. Gov. of Arkansas at the same time that Democrat Jim Guy Tucker became governor. (In that state, at least at the time, the two positions were elected separately.) Anyhoo, when Tucker was forced to resign, Huck stepped in and served 10 1/2 years as Governor. He has the experience needed to succeed McCain, who IMHO, will not survive his first term as POTUS, if elected.
Besides, Obama (or even Hillary) will DESTROY McCain in the debates.
Anyone who is crazy enough to believe that our foreign policy has nothing to do with terrorism shouldn’t hold any office.
Also, are you saying the Flintstones didn’t ride dinosaurs?
If McCain becomes the Republican nominee, his choice of running mate will be VERY interesting to me.
The man is already in his 70’s and, as has been astutely observed by another timellsworth.com reader, he’s got a lot of miles on him.
The pressures of the office will take a toll on McCain like dog years.
To be sure, his veep candidate will matter a great deal to potential voters.
Is it just me, or does Huckabee bear a striking resemblance to Kevin Spacey? Or has this issue already been addressed?