The Voice Of One Crying Out In Suburbia

What does South Carolina mean?

Looks like McCain wins South Carolina, with Huckabee in a close (but no cigar) second. If Huckabee was unable to even win over the evangelical population in a heavily Baptist state, and has yet to really draw from non-Evangelicals, what does that mean for his candidacy?

1. First that the elite in the conservative movement have poisoned people against Huckabee to the point that they parrot back "facts" about him with no real knowledge of what he has or does stand for. A substantial number of conservatives think that Huckabee is not a genuine conservative, falsely but perhaps fatally.


2. Second that it is time to start looking soberly at what the future holds with Super Duper Tuesday coming up, money no doubt dwindling fast and the really expensive advertising states on the horizon.


3. Huckabee may no longer be viable for the top spot, but could be a king-maker and a solid VP candidate (which is what I have thought for some time given his kid gloves approach to McCain)

While a McCain-Huckabee ticket may not be ideal, it sure beats having Romney or Rudy on the ticket. Evangelical voters (I think) can get behind McCain because of his generally pro-life stance and his notable service as a veteran. With Huckabee alongside, it becomes a ticket that will draw evangelicals, moderates and independents. It may not shake out that way, but Huckabee could be potentially one of the most influential VP candidates in a long time, delivering the evangelical vote while not scaring off the more secular middle.

I am not giving up on Huckabee yet, but he needs to win Florida REALLY badly or he better start picking out curtains for the Old Executive Office building. He is running in fourth in Florida according to Real Clear Politics, and a fourth place finish means the end for Huckabee's candidacy.

As a side note, Romney apparently spent $4 million in South Carolina and came in fourth behind Fred Thompson who never really started running. He may lead in the delegate count, but outside of states like Michigan where he has name recognition and Western states like Nevada and Wyoming with overwhelming mormon populations, he hasn't fared all that well. According to the Real Clear Politics national poll, despite winning three states outright, Romney is in a distant third nationally behind McCain and Huckabee. Rudy is fourth and his strategy to wait seems to be backfiring, which is just as well because Evangelical voters have a pretty visceral reaction against him.