Within minutes, Duncan Hunter will be making an important announcement in New Hampshire regarding his campaign.
Presidential Candidate and California Congressman Duncan Hunter will be making a major announcement today at 2:00 p.m. (EST), regarding the future of his Presidential bid.
He will probably be ending it. Who will he endorse? McCain?
Stay tuned.
Update: Duncan complaining about being shut out of ABC and Fox debates even though he has one delegate (from Wyoming) while Giuliani and McCain have no delegates.
HUNTER’S NOT GOING TO QUIT! Of course CNN cut away as soon as he said that. Is that the “important” announcement? Way to get news coverage, Duncan!
Update 2: Meanwhile Drudge is suggesting that Clinton will drop out. Yeah, right.
This from Byron York over at The Corner. Jim Rappaport, formerly the head of the Republican party in Massachusetts on Romney’s slipperiness.
[Rappaport] said Romney “has a strong record of showmanship as opposed to actual performance.” Discussing Romney’s relationship with the Massachusetts state legislature, Rappaport said of the former governor, “His word is no good…Mitt Romney would say one thing in a meeting and literally go out of the meeting to the press and tell the opposite story.
“There was no desire in the legislature to be accommodating to him because they couldn’t trust him.” Romney, Rappaport continued, “will be clear today on what he believes today, and he’ll be clear tomorrow on what he believes tomorrow, but they may be different things.”
See also: Say Anything, yet another example of Mitt’s propensity to say anything to get elected, even if it’s false. It’s very Clinton-esque, depending on what the meaning of “is” is.
I wasn’t even going to address this, but since I have noticed that the lefties over at Balloon Juice can’t see the forest for the trees, I’ve decided to explain this for others who may be unable figure it out. But first, let’s roll this crafty 30 second spot. 3…2…1…
OK, you’ve watched it, right? Not really much there on the surface is there? It’s just Mike Huckabee in a warm sweater wishing us all Merry Christmas in front of a pretty Christmas tree. So what?
Amusingly, some of the leftists over at Balloon Juice, paranoid as they are, saw this as an attack on them, the secular progressives. They saw this as a middle finger in the War on Christmas. Like I said, they’re not seeing the forest for the Christmas tree. This ad isn’t even aimed at them. Silly rabbits.
Right from the beginning Huckabee asks if we aren’t all tired of all these political ads. Rather than focusing on all that nonsense, shouldn’t we instead be focusing on the season? Yes, it’s Christmas. Why would Huckabee do this?
It’s simple: he wants to coast through the next couple of weeks and start winning primaries. The political ads and political stories he’s referring to are those about him, the negative stories, the hit pieces, the attack ads. He knows that if any of the negative memes gain traction, they could impact his current Huckaboom. He’s on top right now in several states and rising in others. He wants that momentum to continue.
This is how I explained it to the folks over at Balloon Juice:
You’re missing the whole point of this ad, Mike. It has nothing to do with the War on Christmas. It has everything to do with the war being waged on him by the other Republican candidates.
Right now, Mike Huckabee is surging in the polls in the early primary states. He wants this to continue at least up until the Iowa caucuses (and beyond if possible).
What he’s really doing here, is noticing that he is on top. “So let’s stop all this politicking, and celebrate Christmas. Leave me alone, stop all the negative stories, and let me cruise right into the nomination.”
It’s a smart move, but it probably won’t work. But he is immunizing himself to some extent. “Hey, I’m a nice guy, but these other bastards are attacking me, during CHRISTMAS. They suck, I rule. Vote for me.”
Shrewd.
This isn’t targeted at liberals, but his other opponents: those Republicans who can’t stand him.
Does anyone care to disagree? This was a smart political move. I wonder if Ed Rollins, the man who helped engineer Ronald Reagan’s 1984 landslide victory over Walter Mondale, had a hand in it. Well played, Huck. But will it work?
See also: the discussion over at Race 4 2008. There’s a lot of Huckabee haters over there, so you may find it amusing.
“Are you about worn out of all the television commercials you’ve been seeing? Mostly about politics. I don’t blame you. At this time of year sometimes it’s nice to pull aside from all of that and just remember that what really matters is the celebration of the birth of Christ and being with our family and our friends. I hope that you and your family have a magnificent Christmas season. And on behalf of all of us, God bless and Merry Christmas. I’m Mike Huckabee and I approve this message.”
Update 2: Ron Paul steps in it again, saying that when fascism comes it will come bearing a cross. Not really. It will come wearing a dress (Clinton/Giuliani).
Virginia is taking prudent action to be sure liberal Ron Paul and Rudy Giuliani supporters don’t try any dirty tricks to throw the GOP nomination to a lefty. Since the Democrat party has a history of attempting to steal elections left and right, this is a great idea.
If you’re planning to vote in Virginia’s February Republican presidential primary, be prepared to sign an oath swearing your Republican loyalty.
The State Board of Elections on Monday approved a state Republican Party request to require all who apply for a GOP primary ballot first vow in writing that they’ll vote for the party’s presidential nominee next fall.
If you’re not a Republican, if you won’t take the oath, you don’t get to try and skew the results. Problem solved!
Perhaps this concept should be extended to the general election. If you take an oath to support the GOP when you register to vote, no problem. If you won’t, well then, your registration goes in the circular file. Or maybe Democrats can be allowed to vote on Wednesday. Keep in mind, I’m just brainstorming here.
It’s official. I will make no comment except to say that Sam Brownback has done the correct thing by endorsing neither Rudy Giuliani nor Mitt Romney (click the links to see exclusive B4B coverage of these pretenders). Thankfully the Giuliani rumors were just that: rumors, as I stated at length at the time.
And now, B4B presents the principled conservative Republican, Sam Brownback, a great man and the next Governor of Kansas:
What do you folks think about this endorsement? I am ambivalent for now. Perhaps we will have more to say about this later.
This morning, I flew to Iowa to join and endorse my friend, John McCain, for President of the United States. John McCain is a true American hero and I’m proud to stand with him today.
John McCain is the only choice to lead our country in the global fight against Islamic fundamentalism.
He has spent a lifetime standing up for human rights around the world, including a consistent 24 year pro-life record of protecting the rights of the unborn.
Reactions?
Update 2: On this same day, Pat Robertson went the wrong way. He endorsed of all people, RINO Rudy Giuliani.
Despite disagreeing with Giuliani on a number of social issues, such as abortion and gay rights, the influential Christian conservative said he felt confident with Giuliani in the Oval Office, calling him “a proven leader who is not afraid of what lies ahead and who will cast a hopeful vision for all Americans.”
Uh huh. That makes sense. /sarc
Exit question: Has the usually good and reliable Pat Robertson lost his mind?
There’s a disturbing bit of speculation in The Hill today that should probably be taken with a grain of salt, or perhaps a pillar of salt and some strong antacids. Ever since Sam Brownback, the principled conservative Republican, gave up his bid for the GOP nomination late last week, political spectators and pundits alike have been wondering aloud which of the remaining candidates, if any, the distinguished Senator would endorse.
Sam has already stated quite clearly in the last debate that, unlike Ron Paul the spoiler, he would be willing to endorse the eventual nominee. He clarified then and reiterated later that he would not support a pro-abortion candidate, saying confidently that the GOP nominee would absolutely be pro-life. That was very reassuring. And when asked about Rudy Giuliani, Brownback stated he would not be the nominee because “He’s not pro-life.”
Back to the article in The Hill. It makes the claim that Sam Brownback is giving consideration to who he is going to endorse. Perhaps an endorsement is close at hand. He has reached out to other candidates in an effort to clarify in his mind who to support. Here’s where it gets worrisome.
Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) is considering endorsing Rudy Giuliani for the GOP presidential nomination and will meet with him Thursday in Washington to hear his views on abortion.
That’s already been made very clear, he’s pro. As in pro-abortion. What more is there to hear? Perhaps the Senator is just being courteous to avoid embarrassing the former New York mayor in the press. Sam is just that kind of guy, generous to and thoughtful of others.
Forbes magazine has published a profile of our man Sam and gives him a big thumbs up. They rated all the Presidential candidates on how conservative or liberal they are in five categories. You can see their results here. Of the GOP candidates, Huckabee, considered by many as the social conservative alternative to Sam Brownback, was deemed the most liberal. The man from Hope hasn’t got a prayer. Eye on 08 has an ordered list.
Although Forbes came to the conclusion that Fred! and McCain are more to the right on foreign trade, Sam Brownback comes out looking pretty good. And unlike Sam, neither Thompson nor McCain bothered to participated in the Forbes survey. They had to construct their data based on “material from the candidate’s public statements, news reports, voting record, Web site and other sources.” So that’s a couple of debates and a survey that the “frontrunners” have balked at. Typical.
In fact, the only other GOP candidate who actually stepped up and participated was Ron Paul. Kudos to Dr. Paul, the white power candidate. Stormfront would be proud.
Here’s a look at the rating of Senator Brownback:
Be sure to read the information about Sam Brownback and his positions on the important issues facing us all on his Forbes page. You’ll find much to agree with. Sam Brownback is indeed the principled, conservative Republican in the running for the GOP nomination. He certainly deserves serious consideration as our next President. He is an honorable man bursting with common sense and integrity. A man of humility. A man for the 21th century and beyond.
Update: Here’s a list of all the candidates in the survey ranked from conservative (50) to liberal (0). Surprisingly, Gore is the most conservative of the Democrats. Not surprisingly, Kookspinach is the furthest left on the planet. Romney’s position is questionable, since it depends on which set of positions he’s taken on any particular issue. He’s held them all!
Within minutes, Duncan Hunter will be making an important announcement in New Hampshire regarding his campaign.
This from Byron York over at The Corner. Jim Rappaport, formerly the head of the Republican party in Massachusetts on 
Virginia is taking 
There’s a disturbing bit of speculation in The Hill today that should probably be taken with a grain of salt, or perhaps a pillar of salt and some strong antacids. Ever since Sam Brownback, the principled conservative Republican, 
Back to the article in The Hill. It makes the claim that Sam Brownback is giving consideration to who he is going to endorse. Perhaps an endorsement is close at hand. He has reached out to other candidates in an effort to clarify in his mind who to support. Here’s where it gets 
Forbes magazine has published a profile of our man Sam and gives him a big thumbs up. They rated all the Presidential candidates on how conservative or liberal they are in five categories. You can see their results 
