Thread: The real reason Huck won and Romney lost

Originally Posted by Saki

Originally Posted by IowaPatriot

I"m a Iowan who voted for Paul. I also have a very religious finace and very religious family members. I"m religious just not to the same degree.

In my precinct Illegal immigration got the most attention during discussions along with Abortion as the 2 main issues. In my precinct Huckabee dominationed probably getting about the same # of votes as the others combined(Romney,Thompson,Paul,McCain,Guliani in that order).

Now with all that being said IMHO here's how I see what happened overall in my backyard. The general media(newspapers,local media,local radio) of course didnt put the truth out there enough(there were some outlets of course),but overall most people saw Romney and others bashing Huckabee on immigration,but there wasn't anything to your mainstream person.

McCain got demolished in my area but of course everyone knows his views on amesty. The general public understood him because he was very blunt about it.

Abortion is the key...not just for the religious though,but for those who consider it murder. Romney in people minds flipflopped on it and Huckabee comes across as someone who would fight abortion 100% and then on immigration most people who dont read the internet or listen to a variety of talk radio really arent informed enough on it. But with abortion its pretty clear cut your either for it or against it and if in your past you were for it,people would be very skeptical of change on it.

Thanks for posting your analysis. Although I don't live in IA, what you say makes a great deal of sense to me. It's helpful to read the take from someone who knows a state well. I hope we can get some advance information on the situation in NH so we can quickly plan Operation Takedown McCain. We don't have much time.

IowaPatriot thank you for your comments. My opinion was exactly what you said. They didn't have enough information at their finger tips. The MSM is going to slant things toward who they want to win and spin it that way.

Your comments in part:

Now with all that being said IMHO here's how I see what happened overall in my backyard. The general media(newspapers,local media,local radio) of course didnt put the truth out there enough(there were some outlets of course),but overall most people saw Romney and others bashing Huckabee on immigration,but there wasn't anything to your mainstream person.

McCain got demolished in my area but of course everyone knows his views on amesty. The general public understood him because he was very blunt about it.

It's encouraging that McCain was seen for what he is. Romney needs to put out a strong plan on immigration and leave the negative ads to a group like the swiftboaters. This way the MSM can't say he did it.

Originally Posted by Populist

I agree with HiwayTrader. I want a President (with private sector experience etc.,) not a slick talking, tax-raising, preacher/professional politician from the deep South.

Granted this is CBS, but here is their analysis:

Why Huckabee Won
Evangelicals Boost Former Ark. Governor To Victory In Iowa GOP Caucuses

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/01/ ... 3124.shtml

I don't want us to overplay the importance of this Iowa win or the influence of evangelicals in Huckabee's win. I think if we do, we'll be vulnerable in other places.

CBS states that evangelicals played a 46% percent of that vote. Have you flipped that picture. This means a LARGER percent of evangelicals did not support Huckabee. Apparently 54% percent of this group voted for someone OTHER than the Baptist preacher.

I press this issue, because it's too cozy for us to go, aw shucks we lost because of those darn Christians. Had they shown me 60% or more in the polls, I would have believed the connection. But, Huckabee won for something besides religion. The mainstream media would love to get us focusing on religion. They were the ones mouthing up Romney's mormon background.

I'm sure religion played a major part, but for 54% of this voting block, something else was on the table and they didn't support Huckabee.

Originally Posted by ymeoru

Originally Posted by Populist

I agree with HiwayTrader. I want a President (with private sector experience etc.,) not a slick talking, tax-raising, preacher/professional politician from the deep South.

Granted this is CBS, but here is their analysis:

Why Huckabee Won
Evangelicals Boost Former Ark. Governor To Victory In Iowa GOP Caucuses

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/01/ ... 3124.shtml

I don't want us to overplay the importance of this Iowa win or the influence of evangelicals in Huckabee's win. I think if we do, we'll be vulnerable in other places.

CBS states that evangelicals played a 46% percent of that vote. Have you flipped that picture. This means a LARGER percent of evangelicals did not support Huckabee. Apparently 54% percent of this group voted for someone OTHER than the Baptist preacher.

I press this issue, because it's too cozy for us to go, aw shucks we lost because of those darn Christians. Had they shown me 60% or more in the polls, I would have believed the connection. But, Huckabee won for something besides religion. The mainstream media would love to get us focusing on religion. They were the ones mouthing up Romney's mormon background.

I'm sure religion played a major part, but for 54% of this voting block, something else was on the table and they didn't support Huckabee.

Exactly! To be Evangelical bashing will get you no where. "Huckabee won for something besides religion." Michael Barone on Fox News this morning said that the numbers showed that the voters actually voted against the DC establishment. Unfortunately for the Dems, they didn't have any body but DC people.

Originally Posted by Americanpatriot

Originally Posted by ymeoru

Originally Posted by usanevada

Romney needs to get some pro help on how to
get down and dirty on this issue and blow huck out of the water

I think Romney's negative ads may have backfired and actually helped Huckabee. They made Huckabee seemed like the underdog (Americans have started to feel like the underdog). Maybe they couldn't identify with Romney. I don't know.

But, Romney didn't just lose. He lost badly. There's always New Hampshire. But, I don't think it'll be in Romney's best interest to go in there with the negative ads. He's currently doing okay in the polls. I think you're right. It's time he started selling his plans.

Maybe he needs to start to telling the people what he stands for. I think he'll do better in New Hampshire.

I agree, Romney needs to start telling people his plans. But I think it would be important to remind people that McCain sided with Massachusetts Democrat Ted Kennedy and was a big part of the Grand Amnesty plan that got shot down by Americans in Jul 07.
Kennedy is not liked here in New Hampshire so that is something McCain would probably like to go away.

Romney will do better in New Hampshire because there is not the evangelical (sp?) factor. Romney has a home in the lakes region area of New Hampshire and lots of people know him and like him so we shall see.

Last night I heard the MSM idiots saying that McCain could beat the Democrats and I disagree...big time.

Also, McCain voted to give illegals Social Security------while voting against tax cuts for US citizens!!!

Plus, remind people that McCain will probably mean a military confrontation with Iran------use the bomb bomb bomb----bomb bomb Iran (sung like (Barbara Ann, Beach Boys)----- thing that he sung while campaigning.

Plus, use the Keating Five Scandals!!

Originally Posted by lindiloo

Originally Posted by odiesback

Very disappointed with this result but hoping Romney
will be more clear with his plan to fight amnesty.

I am having my in-laws as house guests for
few days. They are both from a "non-denomination"
church and see Mormons almost like the devil.
They're also against illegal immigration and Republicans.
I have no idea who they're supporting but when
I told them I am with Romney their response was
an "Oh! the Mormon?" -

I cant believe they will put religion first and
country last.

As a foreigner who has never even been aware of the religion of her country's leadership watching people vote based on religion terrifies me. Surely policies are what matters????????

If someone is going to be a good leader, do what they say they will do it should not matter which religious building they go to for worship, assuming they even do so. Religion is a personal choice which is usually taught us by our families. Having a prosperous, well run, just country to live in just needs to be the prominent choice.

Just my opinion but whatever happened to the division between church and state?

You are right!!! And we are asking the same questions, and are just as concerned!!!

Originally Posted by cplob

Take a look at the map of the U.S., now find Iowa, how many of you are truly worried? If you recall Bill Clinton blew Iowa off and he was elected twice. Let's all calm down and regroup.

The problem really isn't the win in Iowa!!

The problem is what the media is saying and making of this win!!

They are trying to sway citizens to vote for McCain or Huckabee-----plain and simple!!

Huckabee's campaign manager even said that he wanted to punch out Romney's teeth-----how often did you hear that reported in the media??

What if one of Romney's sons would have said that-----it would have been all over the media!!!

Originally Posted by Gogo

Originally Posted by ymeoru

Originally Posted by Populist

I agree with HiwayTrader. I want a President (with private sector experience etc.,) not a slick talking, tax-raising, preacher/professional politician from the deep South.

Granted this is CBS, but here is their analysis:

Why Huckabee Won
Evangelicals Boost Former Ark. Governor To Victory In Iowa GOP Caucuses

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/01/ ... 3124.shtml

I don't want us to overplay the importance of this Iowa win or the influence of evangelicals in Huckabee's win. I think if we do, we'll be vulnerable in other places.

CBS states that evangelicals played a 46% percent of that vote. Have you flipped that picture. This means a LARGER percent of evangelicals did not support Huckabee. Apparently 54% percent of this group voted for someone OTHER than the Baptist preacher.

I press this issue, because it's too cozy for us to go, aw shucks we lost because of those darn Christians. Had they shown me 60% or more in the polls, I would have believed the connection. But, Huckabee won for something besides religion. The mainstream media would love to get us focusing on religion. They were the ones mouthing up Romney's mormon background.

I'm sure religion played a major part, but for 54% of this voting block, something else was on the table and they didn't support Huckabee.

Exactly! To be Evangelical bashing will get you no where. "Huckabee won for something besides religion." Michael Barone on Fox News this morning said that the numbers showed that the voters actually voted against the DC establishment. Unfortunately for the Dems, they didn't have any body but DC people.

If they were voting against the DC establishment, then they would have voted against Huckabee-----as his lies, corruption, and theft was made available to them in MANY articles!!

lindiloo wrote:

As a foreigner who has never even been aware of the religion of her country's leadership watching people vote based on religion terrifies me. Surely policies are what matters????????

The US likes to have its Presidents with fairly strong religious convictions. I think the hope is that this will produce someone who values honesty and candor/transparency as contrasted to really sneaky, brutal or favoritistic decision making. It doesn't work perfectly by any means. The leaders in early America at the time of the Revolution used houses of worship of all sorts to recruit volunteers for the military, so they were indebted to all faiths, and that is why we have emerged with no one, single state religion. Evangelical Protestant Christianity emerged as the leading religious view due to the work of English evangelists, John Wesley and George Whitield, and subsequent followers.

The issue of slavery and the subsequent US Civil War led to significant splits in the major religious movements. Roughly, that is why we now have liberal and conservative political groups with their own religious affiliations. There have been a lot of countermovements and cross movements in American religious life since then. Perhaps another reason for American religiosity is that we have settled a lot of frontier areas in our history and the state authorities were often inadequate to combat lawlessness. Revivals of religious belief helped to curb a lot of this lawlessness and produced another cultural institution for uniting people.

Today I was riding into town and I saw Romney signs and some Ron Paul so I was happy. I have been talking politics to people today and they like Mitt Romney. I let them know Huckabee and McCain are for illegal aliens and their track record; everyone here is against illegal aliens and them getting free money from hard working American tax payers.

In town there were Hilery posters everywhere and people with signs for Hilery on street corners. People were driving by shaking their heads from side to side and I looked at them and gave them a thumbs down.

As I was going home the Romney and Paul signs were gone and replaced with Hilery signs and I'm temped to go get them throw them away.

Originally Posted by Americanpatriot

Today I was riding into town and I saw Romney signs and some Ron Paul so I was happy. I have been talking politics to people today and they like Mitt Romney. I let them know Huckabee and McCain are for illegal aliens and their track record; everyone here is against illegal aliens and them getting free money from hard working American tax payers.

In town there were Hilery posters everywhere and people with signs for Hilery on street corners. People were driving by shaking their heads from side to side and I looked at them and gave them a thumbs down.

As I was going home the Romney and Paul signs were gone and replaced with Hilery signs and I'm temped to go get them throw them away.

You are in New Hampshire----you have to do whatever you can to get the word out about McCain and Huckabilly!!

Don't forget to remind people that McCain voted YES for social security for illegals-----while voting NO for tax cuts for US citizens.

Don't forget to remind them that McCain will lead us to a military confrontation with Iran------remind them of the bomb bomb bomb----bomb bomb Iran song!!