The Politico: GOP Race in TOTAL DISARRAY

[PalJoey]

Posted: 1/4/08 at 10:18am

They call is a "demolition derby."

Pardon my schaudenfreude".

===

The Iowa results, with a victory for a populist social conservative deeply mistrusted by many people in the Republican establishment, also virtually guarantee that the nomination contest will not simply be a battle over personalities and credentials. Instead, the race will now be a deep and probably intensely negative fight for the direction of the party in the post-Bush era.

Here’s what still utterly uncertain: Who will emerge from this demolition derby? Iowa’s historic role is to winnow the field. In 2008, it has the effect of expanding the number of credible top-tier contenders. There are now five people who can conjure at least somewhat plausible paths to the nomination....

Huckabee can be sure that there are more attacks ahead.

His support while governor of Arkansas for some tax increases, and other parts of his personal style and ideological positioning, make him anathema to many traditional conservatives. He has been attacked by such figures as radio host Rush Limbaugh and National Review editor Rich Lowry.

Indeed, the weeks ahead will in some ways be a referendum on the identity of the Republican Party.
GOP race in total disarray

[javero]

Posted: 1/4/08 at 10:27am

...anathema to many traditional conservatives

Now that speaks volumes!

[Unknown User]

Posted: 1/4/08 at 10:34am

The electorate has indicated in no uncertain terms: It wants change. No more business as usual. No more Bush-it. Right now, I have no idea who the Republican nominee will be!
Updated On: 1/4/08 at 10:34 AM

[tazber]

Posted: 1/4/08 at 10:58am

It won't be Huckster. He did well in Iowa, but he still doesn't have the coin needed to win in other states that aren't as inclined to vote for someone who blurs the line between seperation of church and state.

From what I've read Iowa is an anomaly in terms of the number of evangelical supporters. It's not an accurate indication that he will have the same level of success elsewhere.

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 1/4/08 at 11:14am

huck is leading in south carolina which is 3rd. he can pull a 3rd in nh as long as it's close and bounce back in michigan where his populist message is playing well and he's neck and neck with mutt there. nevada's a toss-up and then huck'll win sc and right now he's tied with rudy in fla. if rudy doesn't have a better showing in the next three he will be in dire straits soon.

no matter what, there's a very good chance that huck could take enough delegates into the convention to make it a real live nominating convention. if he does, he wins. hands down.

i think it's too late to stop huck-a-mania.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 1/4/08 at 11:31am

Huckabee is the the frightening monster in the horror movies. He was created by Karl Rove and George Bush's decades of pandering to the bigoted right-wing so-called Christians in the South and the Midwest. Now they have created a monster that even the Republican establishment detests--but the preacher who hates Jews, Catholics and homosexuals may be too powerful for even the Republican establishment to stop, powered by the very Christian base they used and abused.

He is a Frankenstein--he is Karl Rove's monster.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 1/4/08 at 12:08pm

Meanwhile, remember Guliani? Ah, nostalgia...

Here he is talking about Iowa yesterday, resembling a sprayed bug on its back kicking out the last throes of its death:

"None of this worries me -- Sept. 11, there were times I was worried."

[Unknown User]

Posted: 1/4/08 at 12:14pm

And the great savior of the Republican party, Fred Thompson was reduced to basically saying "I'm not dropping out...yet."

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 1/4/08 at 12:16pm

christ, joe's gonna be hard for the next 10 months.

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 1/4/08 at 12:21pm

Huckabee when he takes off his makeup: