"Shock the World"

Pretty much no news on Huck anywhere. Only a guy writing for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Dave Umhoefer, seems to have followed him at all. The same article that included the statement by Huck that it would "shock the world" if he should happen to win also included this:

He has not predicted victory here but has drawn an enthusiastic conservative following that he thinks the Republican Party ignores at its own peril....

A "growing chorus" of the GOP establishment and Washington-based officials want him to quit the race, he acknowledged. And former President George H.W. Bush is set to endorse McCain today in Houston. "I think it's going to backfire," Huckabee said of attempts to cut the primary competition short before one candidate amasses enough delegates to win.

I certainly agree with his sentiment. I have as little faith that the Republican heiarchy is democratic as I have that the Democrat leadership actually cares about expressing the will of the people. In each case they're simply of the leadership class that happens to be saddled with something called "the democratic process" and they have to game it to get more votes than the other guy so that they can be in power to do whatever they chose. I do see a separation of the leadership from the people that I've never sensed quite so powerfully before. Always leadership will be separate, but never before have I felt so strongly that leadership is contemptuous of its constituents. McCain has the nomination in his pocket, social conservatives can suck eggs. This is what I see anyway. That's why Huckabee is a hero. He's insisting that because he stands for a particular political view not so clearly held by McCain, it's necessary that the people have an opportunity to express their support for that view. If only McCain remained in the race a vote for him would seem to be a support for his values and program. In fact it would be a vote for him in preference to either Obama or Hillary, but it emphatically would not be an endorsement of all he stands for. With Huck in we have another shade, a "message", and that's a message I want to see sent. --And part of that message to the party elders is this: Screw you, two can play this game.

I like this poll:

Wisconsin
American Research Group, Inc.
Likely Republican Primary Voters

------Feb 6-7 --Feb 15-16
Huckabee -4% ------42%
McCain --51% ------46%
Paul ------7% --------4%
Romney -29% -------ni

It's the most favorable poll for Huck that I've been able to find. It also shows him trailing McCain 3% among Republicans, 8% among independents, but with twice as many Republicans than Independents likely to vote in the Republican primary. And it suggests virtually all Romney supporters switched to Huck and not McCain. That fits with what I would presume: Romney supporters all listen to talk radio, they've been programed to hate McCain, they probably actually believe Romney was a conservative, and so they've got no option but Huck.

I don't know that I place much faith in this poll, but I'll take good numbers where I find them, and it certainly does argue that the movement is in the right direction and that it's been extraordinarily rapid.
(Note: the link has changed, and the newest poll shows McCain 51%, Huck 43%)

In his last appearance in Applelton Wisconsin before heading to Little Rock to watch the returns there was this:

"If Wisconsin comes forward in good numbers for me, it changes the dynamics of the race," Huckabee said at a local bar and ballroom before addressing about 250 supporters.

Huck is absolutely right, but he was speaking at a bar and ballroom to about 250 people. We'll see.