John McCain, having “won” in South Carolina with 33% in a field of seven became the ostensible “front runner” for the Republican nomination according to many pundits in the mainstream media.  (McCain’s two “victories” were in states, New Hampshire and South Carolina, where Independents can easily participate in the Republican primary.  Did McCain really win the Republican vote?  As he competes in states with more restrictive rules, his frontrunner status will be a liability.)  The “Palmetto State” was an important state for Governor Huckabee since there was the expectation that he should win due to the large number of evangelical Christians.  It was the “make or break” state for Fred Thompson, who by waiting until after the South Carolina primary to leave the campaign may have, unintentionally, done conservatives a huge disservice in this election.  But what’s done is done, and we have to move on.  January 29th is very close and we must make every day count.

As Huckabee supporters in Florida, what does Mike’s South Carolina 2nd place finish mean, now that it is combined with Fred Thompson’s leaving the race, and a generally left-leaning, somewhat hostile press in the Sunshine State?  Plenty.

First, the facts on the ground for the Florida primary are the following:

1. It is a “winner take all state” in terms of delegates.  Second place means nada in terms of delegates.  However, a second place finish for Mike would still be considered “a victory.” The Republican Party is reducing the number of delegates from Florida as “punishment” for our early primary this year, but we still have a considerable number.
2. Although the reduced number of Florida delegates and the fact that second place equals zero delegates, the political and symbolic importance of Florida is enormous.  Florida, unlike other Southern states, is seen as a more diverse, and liberal, state especially in terms of its Republican primary voters.  This is why Rudy Giuliani thought waiting until our primary was a viable strategy.  (He probably doesn’t think so now.)  If Mike were to do well here, it would enhance his perceived “electability” for the national election enormously — a viable candidate outside of the Southern “Bible Belt.”
3. Florida is a LARGE state, in other words it is EXPENSIVE to campaign statewide.  There are many major media markets, multiple large circulation newspapers, etc.  “Door-to-door” campaigning by any candidate is just not possible at this point with very little time left before the election.  Governor Huckabee’s ability to leverage campaigning at public events has even caught the attention of the of liberal New Republic, in their article: “Huckabee’s Effective Mooching Strategy.”
4. The press is already salivating over the possibility of Governor Huckabee’s abandoning Florida to concentrate on states where his limited financial resources, smaller mass media markets, are more likely to win Huckabee delegates.  Of course, the liberal media would portray this as a conservative “retreat.”  Even if only partially true, this makes our role as Mike’s grassroots supporters even MORE important.  (Miami Herald, PowerLine blog)

So, how should we proceed in these final days leading up to the Florida primary?

1. Go online and contribute, get your family members, friends, etc. to do so — challenge them to do so.  No, you may not be able to contribute enough to offset the huge financial advantages of Mitt Romney and other candidates, BUT DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE IMPORTANCE OF A $5, OR $10, CONTRIBUTION.  First, pundits, FEC reports, etc. also report the NUMBER of contributors, not just the amounts.  Large numbers of small contributors are seen as indicators broad grassroots support and increased “electability.”
2. Educate yourself thoroughly about Mike’s record.  Be familiar with the most common attacks and “charges” leveled against Governor Huckabee.  The campaign website position papers are excellent sources as well as the “Truth Squad” reports.  Obviously, it is impossible to know “everything” on every issue.  However, in many cases, just pointing out that Mike was the first Republican governor in Arkansas since Civil War reconstruction which put him in the position of having to lead while dealing with a frequently hostile Democratic legislature for over 10 years makes the point that he had to reach compromises in order to successfully govern — a similar position to what may be the case for Mike on Innauguration Day 2009.  Many times his “tax increases” that he is accused of engineering — were prompted by voter referendum in response to decaying state infrastructure and an educational system that ranked near the bottom of all the 50 states.  He cut, or eliminated, taxes nearly 100 times while governor.  As Latino supporters, be up to date on Mike’s immigration policy and record.  (See our post on in-state tuition for illegal aliens.)
3. Do not be disheartened if Governor Huckabee does not spend every waking moment on winning Florida — a large, winner take all state, as previously mentioned.  The presidential primaries occur in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and Gaum.  His advisors have to figure out how to get as many delegates as possible.  At some point, it may be to his advantage (and ours) to concentrate elsewhere.  This should not derail our efforts.  The more delegates that Mike can gather, the better his chances of achieving the nomination.  There is a very real possibility of NOBODY having enough delegates for the nomination outright which will lead to a “brokered” convention.   (Does anybody remember Latino actor Jimmy Smits, playing candidate Matt Santos, and the “brokered convention” episode in West Wing?  It’s worth renting at Blockbuster.)  The more delegates Mike has, the better position he’ll be in at the convention to promote his candidacy and conservative principles.
4. Many of us have concentrated our personal efforts on those people with whom we are most comfortable discussing the volatile subject of politics.  For many of us, these are people we have met and known through church.  This is wonderful.  However, we must stop “preaching to the choir.”  The media has frequently portrayed Governor Huckabee as one-dimensional candidate with support only among evangelical Christians.  A strong showing in Florida would go a long way toward dispelling this image.  Likewise, we must broaden our efforts to reach Florida’s largely secular electorate.  The issue that immediately comes to mind is Governor Huckabee’s support of the “Fair Tax.”  “Eliminating the IRS as we know it” differentiates Mike from the other candidates and has widespread appeal.   Familiarize yourself with the Governor’s tax policy and the Fair Tax.

There’s less than a week to go to the Florida primary.  We cannot stop now.  Now, go make that contribution. 

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008 at 11:42 am and is filed under Election 2008, Florida, Huckabee, Primaries. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.