Wow... Huckabee 39%, Romney 17%, Rudy 9%

[MonkeyFunk]

in a new Iowa Newsweek poll. Chris Matthews reporting it now.

[sniffa]

1. fascinating

[MadBadger]

2. This poll was taken before Romney's BS speech

[MadBadger]

6. Also, Huckabee has had a rough week

That probably isnt included with the poll numbers. He didnt know about the NIE, but mostly that parole case in Arkansas could hurt him a lot.

[polichick]

3. God is behind that surge, don't ya know?!

Yep - the big guy himself has endorsed Huckabee (according to Huckabee).

[Renew Deal]

4. Praise the Lord.

O8)

[Botany]

5. Rudy's gonna need a hug

[Ian David]

7. Shit. I was hoping Adolf Ghouliani wouldn't implode until AFTER he won the Primary. n/t

[Lucinda]

28. Meeee toooooo. But it was just a hope. Mitt and the Huckster will really have to screw-up

for Rudy to take it now...

[TwilightGardener]

8. I hope Huckleberry's the nominee. He's a dead man walking--he just doesn't

know it yet.

[MadBadger]

9. I think your dead wrong

I think hes the one that will give us a good race.

[TwilightGardener]

11. Nope--he's being exposed as a lying charlatan even in right-wing circles.

He's an intellectual and policy lightweight, he doesn't understand what's going on in the world, he was softer on crime and raised more taxes than Bill Clinton did, and most of all, Wayne Dumond will sink him.

[MadBadger]

12. I do think Duman will sink him now

But I dont see republicans staying home over economics issues. I see evangelicals staying home because they wont vote for a social liberal.

[D-Sooner]

32. I agree with this

As far as the Wayne DuMond, I don't think it will do that much damage.

[tridim]

13. Meh.. I'm with wienerdoggie

Huckleberry is a lightweight. Not that I would get complacent, but I'm also not too worried about him. I don't even think my life-long republican parents will vote for him, they represent the non-fundie wing of the GOP.

[MonkeyFunk]

14. Bush was a lightweight, too

Didn't stop him from getting the nomination.

And I agree with the poster above - Huckabee would be one of the most formidable candidates they could nominate. No single issue like the parole thing is going to sink him. Hurt him a little? Maybe.

[tridim]

15. Bush's political machine wasn't a lightweight

Who does Hucky have?

[MonkeyFunk]

18. He's got 39% in Iowa

and that's all he needs right now.

[Kahuna]

22. If he's the nominee he'll have bush's people.

nt

[tridim]

25. Really? I'm not so sure about that.

But I don't watch the M$M, so maybe I missed something. Fill me in. Who does he have on his team now, besides the media?

Last I heard Rove was on Fred "nap time" Thompson's team, and Poppy likes Mitt.

[TwilightGardener]

19. Had he apologized and came clean on the whole Dumond issue

a long time ago, it might not have hurt him too much. But he's lying about it and blaming others daily now, on every media outlet, and even Republicans aren't believing him. I heard him today with my own ears, as he told a sob story about how Dumond was forced to have oral sex with the men who castrated him, and thus Dumond deserved his mercy. It was bizarre. And then he said that he should be the nominee because Hillary Clinton won't be able to use the Dumond case against him, because the Dumond case was all Bill Clinton's fault. This man is a delusional, pathological liar, and Pat Buchanan and Sean Hannity agreed that he was toast over this new "Dukakis". He might win the nom (though I doubt it), but I think he'll be crushed in the general.

[MonkeyFunk]

20. It doesn't matter

It's an issue that might hurt him a little, but it's not a deal-breaker. It's also come out far enough before the primaries, and certainly far enough before the general, to have little effect.

[TwilightGardener]

23. Well, we'll have to disagree--it takes a long time for news to filter

down to the masses and affect poll numbers. This is a HUGE deal for him--he interfered with the criminal justice system in his state, and two women are dead because of his insistence that Dumond go free. When all of this sinks in, and it will, he'll be toast. It might not be a deal-breaker for YOU, but it would be for me, if I were a Republican. Even as a Dem, I like law and order and public safety. Huck also has many, many other problems. He's ultimately a dead man. He can't hold a candle to our candidates.

[cali]

35. nah. you're wrong. It's a deal breaker for a lot of folks.

And it's hardly the only thing. Plus, as wienerdog pointed out, he doesn't have the backing of the party poobahs; they really, really don't want him. Club for Growth is starting to run a TV ad campaign against him in Iowa, SC and on Fox. He's toast.

[terrya]

40. Same here.

I will not make the mistake of writing Huckabee off.

[dugggy]

10. Carol Sue Shields is the end of the Huckster...

Huckabee's new prominence revived the wrenching story of Carol Sue Shields, a Missouri woman raped and murdered
in 2000 by a former Arkansas inmate, Wayne Dumond. He died in prison before being charged with the murder of a
second Missouri woman, Sara Andrasek. As Governor, Huckabee supported Dumond's parole.

[Catherine Vincent]

16. CNN just did one of there "Just In" breaking news blob.

Did they not hear about Huckabee letting that rapist out of prison?

[napi21]

17. Wolf and Cafferty were just talking about that too. Wolf was shocked,

and Jack said he wanted to wait for some similar results from other polls first. I agree with Jack, but I can't help laughing at Mittens and how upset he must be after spending a lot of his own money in an effort to "buy Iowa" but it doesn't seem to be working!!!!

[MasonJar]

21. The Pug candidates are a frightening group of hypocritical liars.

The ones who are not even bothering to be hypocritical are truly frightening. Some of these GOPer freaks do NOT even believe in evolution; despite unerring scientific proof, they think the world is 6000 years old. Please, God, do not let any of these braindead fanatics win the Presidential election.

[polichick]

24. What's even MORE frightening is that...

...about 50% of this country will vote for them!!!!!!!

[goodhue]

26. Huckabee scares me

As I fear he will win the general election.
Authentic, personable, regular guy, etc.
Democrats worst nightmare IMHO.

[Virginia Dare]

27. He'll have a little difficulty explaining..

why he thinks the Earth is only 6,000 years old, but I guess a good percentage of Americans think the same thing, so you never know.

[dugggy]

29. Huckabee is a cock eyed Elmer Gantry revisited

He is not to be taken lightly.

[jzodda]

37. Huck is an interesting individual

I think he would give us trouble in the general. Hes right wing on some social issues, but left wing on some others including issues like the environment, using government to combat poverty, raising taxes on the wealthy when needed, etc. Add to that he is a preacher, charismatic and likable I think he would be dangerous. The wingnuts will come out in force for him because he's with them on the only issues that matter to them: Gays, God and abortion. With an almost left leaning economic background he could pick up the independents too. If Rudy or Mitch win my assumption is the right will just stay at home or do a 3rd party. If Mcain had won he could get the indepdendants but the right would boycott him as well.

This is the guy I am afraid of. He's politically all over the board which makes him very unpredictable. He's also hard to hate, and I like opponents that I can really not like :)

[antiimperialist]

31. you think extreme right-wingers are regular guys?

Wow.

[goodhue]

34. I don't think he is a regular guy

But the media will say he is, weight loss, and all

[sampsonblk]

30. If Huckabee wins, this will be one for the history books

He hasn't won anything yet. But this is very interesting.

It may be the last hurrah for the religious right.

[mtnsnake]

33. Huckabee is George Bush with a brain, he's that friggin dangerous

[cali]

36. that doesn't matter. The powers that be are not going to let him

get the nom. And the dirt on him is just spectacular. Almost as good as Rudy. The Club for Growth is putting on TV ads slamming him in Iowa,SC and on Fox. Grandpa Fred is also slamming him in Iowa with mailers comparing him to Clinton

[dugggy]

38. He is better than Elmer Gantry

Gantry was the fast talking preacher, from south I believe, and who
fooled a whole lot of people.

[Yukari Yakumo]

39. Linkage

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSN0732744920071208
http://www.newsweek.com/id/74215