Huckabee Looks Ahead but Questions Washington

**Terri** · #1 02-11-2008, 09:11 AM

By KEVIN FREKING
Associated Press
February 11, 2008

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee is crying foul after John McCain's apparent victory in the Washington caucuses on Saturday.

Huckabee's campaign released a statement Sunday saying it will be exploring all available legal options regarding the ''dubious final results.'' Arizona Sen. McCain was announced as the victor in the caucuses with 26 percent of the vote to Huckabee's 24 percent.

But Huckabee's campaign chairman, Ed Rollins, said Luke Esser, Washington's Republican Party chairman, chose to call the race too quickly for McCain.

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jackbenimble · #2 02-11-2008, 09:21 AM

The arithmatic in this article leaves me deeply confused. 26% for McCain + 24% for Huckabee = 50% .

Pray tell, who won the other 50% of the Republican votes in the Washington Primary?

I saw a pundit over at National Review making the point that McCain losing 3 out of 4 Republican votes in Washington while somehow "winning" was worse than the 3:1 drubbing McCain took while losing Kansas to Huchabee. That assertion confused me and while this article seems to confirm the numbers I am still further confused.

How do you win a primary with 26% of the vote when there are only two contenders in the race?

Regards,
Jack

**Terri** · #3 02-11-2008, 09:34 AM

Now Jack, just think about this for a moment.

You know it's Washington where they have boxes of votes just sitting around to subtract or add at a moment's notice to get the desired outcome.

Surely, you don't expect them to get the percentages exactly right too, now do you?

CindyGrace · #4 02-11-2008, 11:26 AM

The Washington Republican group leaders are making fools of themselves. They released some statement that made no sense saying that it's just a straw poll anyway so it doesn't matter. If it doesn't matter then why count at all. I'd be furious if I was in Washington and took the time to go to the caucus.

phillyfanatic · #5 02-11-2008, 12:56 PM

The Huck has been exciting if just another Huey Long populist with humor. But, the stats do say, as Mitt found, that it cannot select him over the lead St. John has. Unless we have some unity, we could lose 40 states. The Congress is gone as we know anyway. And if the cult of Obama wins, as I think he will, where does that leave Huck for 2012? Huck is not going to win the nomination so this playoff scenario just keeps the GOP in discombobulation. And so far, neither Huck or John have taken out against Obama. It is difficult and that is why Obama wins if he gets the Dem nomination. Or the Clintons could steal the nomination. They are good at that. If the Clintons win, I think John has a far better chance. He simply loses against Obama. Huck would get murderlized no matter who wins the Dem nomination. He might win the South, just might, and that means he loses 39-40 states.

jaybrobison · #6 02-11-2008, 01:46 PM

Huckabee and his supporters don't understand how the caucus system works in Washington State. The process of selecting delegates is "a work in progess". At the Republican caucuses delegates are selected to attend the county caucuses where delegates are selected to the state convention and then to the national convention, but only 50%; the other 50% are selected as a result of the Washington State presidential primary election on Feb 19. All of the caucuses are lead by volunteers and the party can't compel them to count votes into the small hours just to satisfy the demand by some for immediate results, so the results were a forecast. The votes at the caucuses are just a preference poll, nothing is decided until delegates are selected and vote at the conventions. So, I don't understand what Huckabee is in such a huff over other then just to get more publicity. If he really understood the process he'd realize he has nothing to complain about. It's time to move on to the next step - watch the primary returns then wait for the conventions and see what happens. Until then, it's still a crap-shoot.

MyKisa · #7 02-11-2008, 04:31 PM

So it comes down to counting some times and if it gets a little late we stop? They must be union vote counters or they have employed the other party to do their counting for them. Come clean or get out of the way for people that will do the work.

kimb567 · #8 02-11-2008, 04:54 PM

I think this is just more proof the GOP does not care about the voters and decided a long time ago "they" need a middle line left meaning candidate to be able to win so they picked McCain as the GOP's man. I would like to see the stats for all the states who have already voted and if the states really went to the correct person or if the GOP just said McCain on any close races.

The GOP really needs to listen to their voters and stop listening to the media and polls. After hearing this on the news, me and my husband are considering skipping voting all together this year after we vote for Huckabee at the primary election since the GOP has decide for us who they are running before the votes have even been counted.

Kimb

**Terri** · #9 02-11-2008, 07:40 PM

I seldom agree with Huckabee on anything but on this one, I do.

The Washington State Republican Party needs to make sure the votes are counted. ALL of the votes.

On the other hand, it is our responsibility to understand that this is governed by one state and is not an offense committed by the entire Republican Party.

Quote:

The GOP really needs to listen to their voters and stop listening to the media and polls. After hearing this on the news, me and my husband are considering skipping voting all together this year after we vote for Huckabee at the primary election since the GOP has decide for us who they are running before the votes have even been counted.

Vote however you want or stay home but you need to know that voters have chosen McCain and not the Party.

The only culpability the RNC has here is stacking the primarys so early. I'd like to say in northeastern states but even that isn't so. I'd like to say in liberal states but South Carolina and Florida aren't really liberal states.

In the end, it is the responsibility of the voters to be informed, to know McCain's record, to know that Huckabee's record and his promises have little relationship to each other, to vote on issues. These are all things that the electorate is failing to do and it's a crying shame.

And Washington grassroots Republicans need to hold their party's feet to the fire and count those votes. Huckabee had the right to a fair and full count.