Posted on January 28th, 2008 by rmccoy
Barack Obama’s landslide victory in South Carolina proves that he has a wider backing than previously believed. Now with more votes and more delegates the Clinton machine is going to find it very difficult to stop this train. The South Carolina primary provided some interesting insights into what we might see in other states and in the general election in November:
- Young voter turnout was nearly triple this mirrors the huge turnout in Iowa the 2004 numbers. Could the increased interest in this election cycle be tied to a desire not to return to the Clinton years?
- Obama won an estimated 78 percent of the black vote, according to exit polls. This will prove to be a major factor throughout the February 5 voting.
- Total turnout for Democrats in their primary was greater than the turnout for the Republican primary in this state, which is one of the most loyally Republican in the nation. This does not bode well for the GOP candidates. The desire for change from the current administration leaves the Republican nominee fighting with one arm tied behind their back.
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Filed under: Democrats, Clinton, Obama, Edwards
Posted on January 24th, 2008 by rmccoy
In tonight’s very amicable Republican debate Romney came across as the consensus winner. As I watched reaction from the talking heads it was clear that Romney’s message came across the clearest as he showcased his economic knowledge and experience in the private sector. McCain for the most part came across very presidential and other than his denial of not understanding the economy had a very good showing. Huckabee seemed content to snuggle up to McCain (which didn’t go unreciprocated) and Ron Paul didn’t make any waves for being neglected most of the evening.
The surprise of the night was Giuliani failed to draw any clear differences between himself and his other leading rivals. If Giuliani was still considered to be the frontrunner his performance tonight would have been adequate, but considering what was at stake for him personally he didn’t break away from the pack like he needed to do.
Tonights report card:
Mitt Romney A-
John McCain B
Mike Huckabee B-
Rudy Giuliani C+
Ron Paul C+
Let me know your thoughts. What are your reactions to tonights debate?
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Filed under: Republicans, Romney, McCain, Giuliani, Huckabee, Paul
Posted on January 24th, 2008 by rmccoy
If ever there was a time to stop John McCain, now is that time. Heading into tonight’s debate, GOP rivals Rudy Giuliani, and Mitt Romney will be aiming at John McCain. In a switch from the gang tackles on Mitt Romney in previous debates, expect that the candidates (besides the ever fawning Mike Huckabee) will draw clear distinctions between their policies and those of Senator McCain.
You see the stakes couldn’t be higher than they are tonight. Should John McCain go on to win Florida it is game over for Rudy Giuliani and will narrow this campaign to a two candidate race–between McCain and Romney–with McCain having the definite edge.
Don’t expect the fireworks of Sunday night’s Democratic presidential debate, but tonight will have the pressure that no previous GOP debate will have. Look for Romney and Giuliani to talk taxes and McCain to try and couch every question in national defense and steer clear of the economy–his Achilles heel.
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Filed under: Republicans, Romney, McCain, Giuliani, Huckabee
Posted on January 22nd, 2008 by rmccoy
Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson quit the Republican presidential race on Tuesday, after a string of poor finishes in early primary and caucus states.”Today, I have withdrawn my candidacy for president of the United States. I hope that my country and my party have benefited from our having made this effort,” Thompson said in a statement.
Thompson’s fate was sealed last Saturday in the South Carolina primary, when he finished third in a state that he had said he needed to win.
In the statement, Thompson did not say whether he would endorse any of his former rivals. He was one of a handful of members of Congress who supported Arizona Sen. John McCain in 2000 in his unsuccessful race against George W. Bush for the party nomination.
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Filed under: Republicans, F.Thompson
Posted on January 22nd, 2008 by rmccoy
In what appears to be a last ditch effort to keep his campaign alive, Mike Huckabee is considering pulling out of Florida ahead of the January 29th GOP primary. After failing to catch on with non-evangelicals after his surprise Iowa win, Huckabee is slashing costs to keep his campaign viable.
“A 50-seat plane for 15 people doesn’t make sense,” Huckabee said, noting that his press coverage has thinned since his Iowa caucus victory was followed by losses to Arizona Sen. John McCain in New Hampshire and South Carolina and losses to Mitt Romney in Nevada, Wyoming and Michigan.
“I don’t want to abandon Florida yet,” Huckabee told reporters Monday on a late-night flight from Orlando to Atlanta, where he planned to campaign Tuesday. “We have not come to the conclusion that Florida is out of play.”
Huckabee is instead focusing his efforts on other February 5th states Alabama, West Virginia, Tennessee, Missouri Arkansas, and Oklahoma where his core of evangelical support is highest.
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Filed under: Republicans, Romney, McCain, Huckabee
Posted on January 22nd, 2008 by rmccoy
CNN
Hillary Clinton and John Edwards met privately backstage following a very contentious Democratic presidential debate in this coastal city, sources with both campaigns confirm to CNN.
The meeting took place in the Edwards campaign green room.
One of the sources said the meeting happened by chance and the conversation consisted of light chatter. The source added that Clinton did jokingly take a jab at Edwards about his beating up on her during the debate. In fact, the real fireworks were between Clinton and Barack Obama.
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Filed under: Democrats, Clinton, Edwards
Posted on January 22nd, 2008 by rmccoy
MSNBC A simmering feud between Democrats Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama erupted into charges of distortion and exaggeration in a gloves-off presidential debate Monday, with Clinton accusing him of representing a Chicago slumlord and Obama countering that she was a corporate lawyer for anti-union Wal-Mart.
Even in the superheated atmosphere of their fight for the party’s nomination, the statements and exchanges between Clinton and Obama were unusually acrimonious and personal. The debate came as the two campaigns continued to complain about dirty politics and disenfranchisement of voters in last Saturday’s Nevada caucuses.
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Filed under: Democrats, Clinton, Obama
Posted on January 21st, 2008 by rmccoy
COLUMBIA, S.C. –Washington Post.
Presidential candidate Barack Obama accused former President Bill Clinton of distorting his words as the Democratic race in South Carolina heated up on Monday. Obama, who was edged out by the ex-president’s wife Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Saturday caucuses in Nevada, had harsh words for Bill Clinton, who is beloved in many Democratic circles including among many blacks, who could be key to a win in South Carolina’s weekend primary.
The former president “has taken his advocacy on behalf of his wife to a level that I think is pretty troubling” by making statement that are not supported by facts, Obama said in an interview broadcast Monday on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
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Filed under: Democrats, Clinton, Obama
Posted on January 21st, 2008 by rmccoy
Wall Street Journal
Once again, Mr. Huckabee failed to achieve significant support outside his evangelical base. Only 1 in 7 non-evangelicals voted for him, placing him behind not just Mr. McCain but Fred Thompson and Mitt Romney. He finished a close second overall only because he won more than 2 out of 5 evangelical voters, who made up 60% of South Carolina’s primary turnout. And he pandered to his base, too, running TV ads proclaiming himself a “Christian leader.” …
This repeats a pattern seen in other states. In Iowa, where evangelicals also were 60% of the electorate, Mr. Huckabee won but carried the votes of only 13% of non-evangelicals. In three states with more secular Republican electorates–New Hampshire, Michigan and Nevada–he has won between 4% and 8% of non-evangelicals, trailing even fringe candidate Ron Paul.
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Filed under: Republicans, Romney, McCain, F.Thompson
Posted on January 17th, 2008 by rmccoy
From the Fox Embeded Producers Blog
Romney held another press availability this evening and commented on leaving the Palmetto State for Nevada. He said he still hopes to do well and might even surprise people:
“There are 2 states having primaries and presidential processes on the same day and I’m spending equal time in both states, of course. I spent a lot more time in South Carolina over the last year advertising in both states and I want to get the support of both states. We are advertising significantly in South Carolina, put a big buy up and I want to do real well in South Carolina. I would like to win in South Carolina, but I know the polls there suggest Senator McCain has a strong lead, but I think we may well surprise folks by how well we do there.”
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Filed under: Republicans, Romney