Huckabee Hopes for 'Southern Surprise' on 'Super Tuesday'
Meanwhile, as McCain and Romney duke it out, the almost-forgotten man in the GOP race -- former Governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas -- hopes to pull off a "Southern Surprise" on both his main rivals on "Super Tuesday" by taking the four southern states in play -- Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and his home state of Arkansas -- where his Christian evangelical voter base is most highly concentrated.
If he succeeds, Huckabee would complicate the GOP race even further -- especially for Romney. Just as McCain has problems with the party's hard-line right-wing ideologues, Romney has a problem with Christian evangelicals bothered by his Mormon faith.
In the South in particular, the overwhelming majority of Christian evangelicals are Southern Baptists -- the nation's largest Protestant denomination -- and Pentacostals. Both denominations consider the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, as the Mormons are known officially, a cult.
Evangelicals typically do not view Mormons as genuine Christians because of doctrinal differences on the nature of God and the rules of salvation. And so far in this contest, Romney has failed to garner much support among evangelicals.
And he's not alone. Mormons who have ventured into the political arena outside Utah -- particularly on the Republican side -- have found Christian evangelicals rising in opposition. Pam Roach, a Mormon who ran for governor of Washington in the 1990s, lost in the Republican primary after a telephone campaign led by evangelicals urged voters to reject her because she was not a Christian -- whatever that means to them.
Neither Party's Nominee May Be Known Until the Conventions
No matter what happens on "Super Tuesday," the eventual Democratic and Republican presidential nominees may still not become apparent. Late polls show Obama rapidly closing the gap with Clinton, making the outcome of Tuesday's vote totally unpredictable.
And while McCain is poised to deliver a knockout blow to Romney, the hard-line right-wing attack machine is working overtime against him -- which could persuade enough conservatives to vote for Romney. The "wild card," however, remains Huckabee: Will his Christian evangelical base stick with him, or divide their votes?
Some pundits, including this blogger, are forecasting that if McCain clinches the nomination, he may offer the vice-presidential spot to Huckabee, in an attempt to shore up support from the evangelicals and other conservatives.
Never before in the post-World War II history of the United States have Americans witnessed a presidential contest this wide open and unpredictable in both parties. And it's the first time since 1928 that no incumbent president or vice-president is in the running.
Of course, this blogger could be wrong, but it looks to me that "Super Tuesday" may prove to be not-so-super after all.
# # #
Volume III, Number 9
Copyright 2008, Skeeter Sanders. All rights reserved.
Meanwhile, as McCain and Romney duke it out, the almost-forgotten man in the GOP race -- former Governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas -- hopes to pull off a "Southern Surprise" on both his main rivals on "Super Tuesday" by taking the four southern states in play -- Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and his home state of Arkansas -- where his Christian evangelical voter base is most highly concentrated.
If he succeeds, Huckabee would complicate the GOP race even further -- especially for Romney. Just as McCain has problems with the party's hard-line right-wing ideologues, Romney has a problem with Christian evangelicals bothered by his Mormon faith.
In the South in particular, the overwhelming majority of Christian evangelicals are Southern Baptists -- the nation's largest Protestant denomination -- and Pentacostals. Both denominations consider the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, as the Mormons are known officially, a cult.
Evangelicals typically do not view Mormons as genuine Christians because of doctrinal differences on the nature of God and the rules of salvation. And so far in this contest, Romney has failed to garner much support among evangelicals.
And he's not alone. Mormons who have ventured into the political arena outside Utah -- particularly on the Republican side -- have found Christian evangelicals rising in opposition. Pam Roach, a Mormon who ran for governor of Washington in the 1990s, lost in the Republican primary after a telephone campaign led by evangelicals urged voters to reject her because she was not a Christian -- whatever that means to them.
Neither Party's Nominee May Be Known Until the Conventions
No matter what happens on "Super Tuesday," the eventual Democratic and Republican presidential nominees may still not become apparent. Late polls show Obama rapidly closing the gap with Clinton, making the outcome of Tuesday's vote totally unpredictable.
And while McCain is poised to deliver a knockout blow to Romney, the hard-line right-wing attack machine is working overtime against him -- which could persuade enough conservatives to vote for Romney. The "wild card," however, remains Huckabee: Will his Christian evangelical base stick with him, or divide their votes?
Some pundits, including this blogger, are forecasting that if McCain clinches the nomination, he may offer the vice-presidential spot to Huckabee, in an attempt to shore up support from the evangelicals and other conservatives.
Never before in the post-World War II history of the United States have Americans witnessed a presidential contest this wide open and unpredictable in both parties. And it's the first time since 1928 that no incumbent president or vice-president is in the running.
Of course, this blogger could be wrong, but it looks to me that "Super Tuesday" may prove to be not-so-super after all.
# # #
Volume III, Number 9
Copyright 2008, Skeeter Sanders. All rights reserved.
