29 January 2008

GOP: Back to Square One?

Does no one learn? The word before Florida votes was that evangelical leaders were telling their congregations that "a vote for Huckabee is a vote for McCain," and were again urging their flocks to vote for Romney. Wasn't this how Huckabee grew strong in the first place? Wasn't there a rank-&-file rebellion against leaders who seemed to be selling out principles, if not the faith itself, in favor of the infidel Romney? And why exactly should the evangelical rank-&-file fear even a vicarious vote for McCain? I think they know that McCain's beef was with the leadership all along, and that McCain-Feingold will never ruin their day. But this is all moot so long as Huckabee has a separate line on the ballot. I bet McCain, who's struggling to keep ahead of Romney as I write, would like a vote for Huckabee to be a vote for him. He's probably waiting for Huckabee to quit soon because the Arkansan will probably endorse him, but for now, Huckabee is an impediment that prevents either of the two strongest candidates from claiming a majority anywhere. McCain seems smart enough not to complain about Huckabee, while Romney's friends have never stopped complaining, thinking somehow that the Mormon is entitled to the Christian Right vote. For good or ill, many of the faithful will never accept that, and the more the Romneyites insist, the longer Huckabee will probably keep on going.

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