Huckabee Spokeswoman Denies Deal

[Brad Zink]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080205/ap_on_el_pr/campaign_west_virginia

http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20080204/capt.cf31b45a059b42e4adf068a1e0d60b19.huckabee_200 8_ardj110.jpg?x=180&y=122&q=85&sig=sjoL1GElFJIKDnCAwAiOiQ--

Huckabee wins W.Va. GOP convention

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee won 18 delegates Tuesday as backers of rival John McCain threw him their support to prevent Mitt Romney from capturing the winner-take-all GOP state convention vote.

In the first contest decided on Super Tuesday, Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor, bested Romney on the second ballot with 51.5 percent of the 1,133 delegates attending the state GOP's first presidential nominating convention. Romney was backed by 47.4 percent.

Romney, a former Massachusetts governor who poses the biggest threat nationally to front-runner McCain, had entered the event with the largest pledged bloc of delegates and attracted the largest vote — 41 percent — on the first ballot. Huckabee captured 33 percent on the first tally; McCain, 15 percent and Texas congressman Ron Paul, 10 percent.

Because no candidate had a majority, Paul, the last-place finisher, was eliminated for the second vote. The defection by McCain's delegates to Huckabee allowed Huckabee to prevail over Romney.

Paul's supporters claimed Tuesday evening that Huckabee's campaign bought their support with the promise of three West Virginia delegates.

"That's not true," said Huckabee spokeswoman Alice Stewart in Little Rock, Ark.

But John Tate, Paul's national political director, insisted there was a deal even after learning of Stewart's denial.

Romney, Huckabee and Paul made personal appeals to the convention before the vote for the state's 18 at-large GOP national convention delegates.

Another nine GOP national convention delegates from West Virginia will be distributed based upon the outcome of a May 13 Republican primary. The winner in each of the state's three congressional districts will get three delegates. Of the three Republican National Committee members from West Virginia who each have a vote at the national convention, only one has declared a preference — for Romney.

http://l.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/nws/p/ap_logo_106.png

[itshappening]

hmmm !

[Agora]

dishonesty in well accepted wise guys' manner

[josh24601]

Somebody has their head up their ass and it better be that chick and not us.

[freelance]

Well, I suppose that's the last time we'll make a deal with the devil, huh?

[goldstandard]

http://people.ronpaul2008.com/campaign-updates


I spoke to one of our West Virginia organizers — he tells me that three Huckabee delegates will step down and be replaced by Ron Paul delegates, and the Huckabee delegate who brokered the deal has, I’m told, subsequently appeared on television in Huntington, West Virginia, and reiterated that the deal took place. Maybe Huckabee national hasn’t heard, but that’s what happened in West Virginia.

[Jeremy]

She's in Arkansas talking about WV? lol

[Redcard]

Told ya :P

Nothing is in stone except Huck won WV and has 18 delegates.

[Staupostek]

Speaks volumes about trusting someone who wears Christ on his sleeve.

[wfd40]

http://people.ronpaul2008.com/campaign-updates

well, that settles it??

:confused:

[Molly1]

Huck should really learn to tell the truth if he's going to claim to be a Christian.

[josh24601]

Speaks volumes about trusting someone who wears Christ on his sleeve.

The woman is just misinformed.

[raiha]

OOPS. we've been out dirty-tricked and helped the Huckster.

[ambiguousscion]

Don't jump to conclusions yet, we'll see...

[Paul10]

....

[Menthol Patch]

What did we expect when me made a deal with the devil?

If we voted for Huckabee we deserve to lose these delegates.

[Menthol Patch]

OOPS. we've been out dirty-tricked and helped the Huckster.

We deserve it for voting for Huckabee.

[Redcard]

I don't even know if they CAN make that promise, anyway.

[dante]

The Ron Paul campaign put out a press release to this effect... and I doubt they would have done so if it wasn't true

[Goldwater Conservative]

If this deal was made on the ground in WV, it's reasonable that Huckabee's national spokesperson wouldn't know about it, especially on such a busy night.

Then again, I wouldn't put this above them.

[MortaLiberty]

It's probably true because only 10% of the Paulites went to Huck. Some Paulites would choose Huck as their 2nd choice and others Romney and others none. It was a rumor and that's all.

I was a delegate. The deal was made. Period.

[Ex Post Facto]

This was a State Convention very different than a caucus, and deals can be made from what I understand.

[Paul10]

....

[IPSecure]

Huckabee is: "One Of The Top 10 Most Corrupt Politicians Of 2007"

- Judicial Watch

http://www.judicialwatch.org/judicial-watch-announces-list-washington-s-ten-most-wanted-corrupt-politicians-2007



Why the HELL are we dealing with this clown?

[purepaloma]

politico has a story with the deal mentioned.

[Brad Zink]

I was a delegate. The deal was made. Period.

The Huckabee camp needs to publicly correct their spokeswoman to reflect this.

[Redcard]

I was a delegate. The deal was made. Period.

Well, guess what?

It sounds like it was UNMADE.

Welcome to politics.

[Melissa]

I was a delegate. The deal was made. Period.

thank you and great job

[MortaLiberty]

The Huckabee camp needs to publicly correct their spokeswoman to reflect this.

Yeah, I was there in Parlor room A when one of the campaign staff had proposed the idea to everyone. They told us to consider it; we didn't have to vote for Huckabee if we didn't want to. Many chose to leave the convention after that proposal because they couldn't vote for someone else. The others, especially in my county--Monongalia County--went to Huckabee when Paul had carried it with 20 delegates in the first round of voting.

[ProBlue33]

For just 3 lousy delegates they would be crazy to burn all their bridges with all the Ron Paul people. If they backout of this they will have burnt that bridge for good. They would be very stupid to do that.

[josh24601]

Well, guess what?

It sounds like it was UNMADE.

Welcome to politics.

Actually it sounds like Huckabee's national campaign isn't all on the exact same page at the exact same moment about all of the details about how each state is being voted on in the middle of Super Duper Tuesday.

Welcome to politics.

[literatim]

They can't legally back out.

[Carole]

Listening to Ron Paul Radio. They are talking about all the deals Ron Paul is working on today.

Everyone be calm. WVa will report 18 for Huckabee on television, but Paul actually has three of those. Confirmed. Do not pay attention to what some lady said.

Dr. Paul is working toward the brokered convention. Even as one guy said Super Tuesday is being brokered LOL :D

They are optimistic. Let us all remain optimistic. Do not be too concerned about the popular vote results. Delegates matter in the end. Jesse Benton was on radio today I think. I did not hear that though. All are optimistic. Listening to charlotte Brown now.

We will continue to fly below the radar for now.

[RonRules]

Things are real tight in Georgia. Huck better play nice if he wants us to do this again !

[Eponym_mi]

I was a delegate. The deal was made. Period.

I hope you have names, addresses, phone numbers, etc. of the people that made the deal.

[Danny Molina]

If this is true I propose we pass legislation to declare war on HucksArmy.

[UK4Paul]

If this is true I propose we pass legislation to declare war on HucksArmy.

That's for Congress to decide :)

[nimo]

So much for those reaming people saying others don't know the politics game. We just got played like a fiddle!

[Redcard]

They can't legally back out.


"They don't have the authority to make such a promise"

Boom. Any threat of a verbal contract breach suit is out.

[MortaLiberty]

From the way it seemed to be handled, this did not seem like a deal made from the top down. It seemed that local campaign staff from WVA from Huckabee and Paul camps made the deal themselves. It doesn't seem without reason that a national spokesperson from the Huckabee campaign wouldn't know of the plot. McCain supporters were apparently made a similar deal for merely keeping Romney from winning.

[kickzman]

Fuck this and I can't believe Jesse Benton bought it.

[RonRules]

Huck is ahead in Georgia (72 total delegates).

Is that winner take all?

That would be great towards a brokered convention.

[devil21]

I just hope theres some kind of record of this deal that would hold up in court if necessary. I dont know enough about politics (nor do I think many of the people posting in this thread do either) to make a judgment on the deal itself.

[TonySutton]

We deserve it for voting for Huckabee.

My 14 year old son shows more self control than you. Take a chill pill...

[raiha]

The Huckabee camp needs to publicly correct their spokeswoman to reflect this.

Keelhauling would be more in keeping with popular opinion. :D