Friday, February 01, 2008

NUTS!

“NUTS!”- General Anthony McAuliffe (1944) – In response to the German demand for American surrender at the Battle of Bastogne.



For the last day or so I’ve been getting comments from a few Mitt Romney supporters asking why Mike Huckabee doesn’t drop out of the race. As they see it, a vote for Mike Huckabee is actually a vote for John McCain. That vote, in turn, dilutes the vote I assume they believe is rightly due Mitt Romney as the true conservative in this race.

I look at it differently. I think a vote for Mitt Romney is actually a vote for John McCain, diluting votes from Mike Huckabee. What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.

When Mike Huckabee got into this race, his support levels were about two percent. That number never seemed to move at all for months, but Governor Huckabee kept plugging away, staying on message. With little money, a skeleton staff, and scant media exposure he built a coalition that has propelled him into a viable position in what is now a three man race.

The governor has never harbored any illusions, nor do his supporters. We’ve known all along this was, and is, a difficult undertaking, made all the more difficult by the strident anti-Huckabee rhetoric emanating from the conservative airwaves. But Mike has maintained that he is in this race to win. If his intent wasn’t clear to the Romney campaign before, his response to the call for surrender ought to make things crystal clear now:

“We are in this race to win despite the desperate efforts by the Romney campaign to try and say that “a vote for me is a vote for McCain”. Actually, a vote for me is a vote for me! And it's a vote to say no to the underhanded efforts of the Romney campaign and his wholly-owned talk radio backers who are repeating that nonsense. We have outlasted Rudy, Fred, and others who were supposed to be the winners. Only 8% of the Republican delegates have been selected, and we have about the same number of delegates as McCain or Romney. We are in it to win.”

The Republican Party is in desperate need of leadership. I believe that Mike Huckabee is that leader. He’s demonstrated it by fighting against long odds and entrenched interests to come this far. He started from the bottom and has worked his way up, knowing that there would be good and bad times along the way. So, he’ll keep fighting the good fight. That’s what leaders do! That’s what leadership is all about!

So, to those calling for surrender, I, and millions of Huckabee supporters have one word for you – NUTS!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Romney is the one who needs to drop out. He is embarrasing himself and ruining his family name and his reputation for being a good businessman. $40 million and he only won where he grew up and where no one else was competing against him? He needs to declare victory and go home.

akfjenaulwn said...

Another spot on assessment Phil! But then again, I supposed it's easy to say nice things about people with whom I agree. Keep up the great work. I've posted a few related items over at my blog today.

thecivilcommentator.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

$100+ MILLION DOLLARS...Equals a home state and two morman state wins...Wyoming has the highest population of mormons outside the state of Utah...Nevada a state started by the mormons and high population (where else could Harry Reid be elected to any thing)...Take away these three states away and all Mitt Romney has is $100,000 MILLION DOLLARS worth of receipts..I don't think we need to turn this FINANCIAL GURA loose in Washington with all the free flowing money...Maybe Fox News would get back to reporting the news after he drops out....And the stockholders would certainly be better off...No more free advertisements for Bishop Mitt....After watching the debate ..Do I really need to tell you to donate...Bishop Romney has more problems than an Arizona Senator....Keep the money coming... Donate now.

Anonymous said...

What a great response. Not sure if you intended it but it was the famous response of Gen McAuliffe when surrounded at the Battle of the Bulge. The Germans ask for his surrender. They could not figure out what the response meant. Mitt is nothing more than a Forbes blip. I like Mike a lot but I have to support McCain. My son and thousands of others serving in the war need someone who knows how too win the war. Mitt is a total phony. I hope Mike is the VP and we get 16 years of the Whitehouse. VP is good for Mike because it will put the preacher thing 8 yrs lower on his resume. I dont mind that about Mike but it puts some people off especially in the General election. Good Luck to Mike. A vote for Mike or John is a vote for substance and authenticity. A vote for Mitt is sad.