Spinning to Victory

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee scored a solid second place 'victory' in the GOP Iowa straw poll last weekend, placing him in strong contention as the leading top tier bottom tier candidate. One has to wonder if the sound of "President Huckabee" is working against him. It would seem like a "President Huckabee" would have an administration with Barney Fife as Attorney General and Gomer Pyle as Secretary of Defense, but maybe it's just me. Not sure how far Huckabee can go with his human interest story of losing 110 pounds, although he is now the front runner for Jared's spot in future Subway ads. His quick, self-deprecating wit, much like Bruce Babbitt's from 1988, will play for a few more campaign episodes before he gets cancelled by a lack of name recognition. Marra and I will still read up on him, though. Seems like a smart, sincere fellow. He's probably a very good minister.

The real story, however, is Ron Paul - if you listen to Ron Paul. He scored an under-reported landslide victory over Mitt Romney in today's Strafford County, NH GOP straw poll, with a whopping 73% of the vote. Romney was a sad second place with a mere 26 votes.

Wait a minute. If Romney was second with 26 votes, how big was this straw poll? Facts are these: Strafford County has approximately 43,000 households (97% white, but I did say it was in New Hampshire), and Paul motivated 208 voters to cast their lot with him. Impressive.

But he not only swept to victory in the Northeast, he dominated in the South on the same day!!! The West Alabama Republican Assembly picked Paul as their candidate of choice by a margin of 202 votes. Sounds close, but the totals were Paul 216, Romney 14. A veritable landslide. Good lesson, Marra - statistics can support whatever story one chooses to tell.

I kid these longshots, but I am glad that they are in the race. It's good for America to have a Republican in the debates who is against the war in Iraq, and expresses his view passionately and coherently (Ron Paul). It is good for America that we have a solid citizen like Mike Huckabee running, and we get to hear his genuine sincerity and reasonable viewpoints. I wish the money would hold out for these guys. While we can question all day whether or not either could handle the daunting responsibilities of Leader of the Free World, we should not question the importance of considering their opinions, and following their examples of public service with honor.

Sure, access to the top candidates in NH will be tough for Marra and me. But seeing, meeting and talking with candidates like Paul and Huckabee (and Kucinich, Dodd and Biden) will make the journey meaningful and profitable for both of us.

Two months to go.

JS