Obama and McCain Make it Clean Sweep

Potomac primary proved positive for Barack Obama and John McCain. Barack Obama continued his sweep last night winning all three Democrat contests in, Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. Likewise, John McCain run all three contest on the Republican side holding off Mike Huckabee. The night was particularly good for Barack Obama as he continues his winning streak over Hillary Clinton. The count for him is now 21 states to her 10. He is expected to be strong in the next round of contests in Wisconsin and Hawaii. Clinton has all but officially established Texas and Ohio as her firewall against Obama's momentum.

Delegate Count

Democrats
Obama
Pledged Delegates-1004
Total Delegates-1144

Clinton
Pledged Delegates-925
Total Delegates-1138

Republicans
John McCain-724
Mike Huckabee-234

Courtesy of www.realclearpolitics.com

Fight Still Left in Huckabee

Mike Huckabee apparently did not get the memo that he was not going to win the Republican nomination for President. But despite that he continues his campaign against John McCain, the all but officially declared nominee. Huckabee was able to perform admirably this past weekend winning two out the three contests. The former Arkansas governer was able to win in Kansas, Louisiana, and lost a closely contested contest in Washington. It appears for now that John McCain's official coronation will have to be put on hold for awhile. Republicans are now in the process of trying to unite the party around John McCain, this is more difficult with reservations about McCain by conservatives.

Not So Fast Mitt Romney

Mike Huckabee has now been projected as the winner of the West Virginia caucus. Mitt Romney had led after the first ballot but had not reached the required 50%. A second ballot was cast without Ron Paul with Mike Huckabee as the winner.

Romney Close to Winning West Virginia

Romney heads up the West Virginia polls but has not secured a win. Mitt Romney has not secured the 50% needed so another ballot will be cast. The first ballot results were: Mitt Romney 43%, Mike Huckabee 33%, John McCain 16%, and Ron Paul 10%. Ron Paul will be removed and the other three candidates will compete on the second ballot. West Virginia is a winner take all state and 18 delegates are up for grabs. The day will be long as 24 states will hold contests today.
www.race42008.com

McCain Wins South Carolina

Everyone is now ready to declare Senator John McCain the winner in South Carolina. McCain wins the hotly contested contest in the Palmetto state. This is somewhat of a disappointment for Huckabee who had the edge in evangelical support which makes up a large part of South Carolina. The candidates will now turn to Florida and join Rudy Giuliani in the battle to become the front runner.

Race Day

Today is the day as we wait on the results of the South Carolina primary and Nevada caucuses. In a divided race so far no clear cut frontrunners have emerged on either side, especially for the Republicans. So these two contests today might clear the mud a little more and reveal a leader of the pack. It appears as if McCain and Huckabee are fighting it out in South Carolina. As has been stated before many feel this is a must win for both. Another story has been the fall of Giuliani who has fallen in the Palmetto state polls and nationwide. Will his wait for the sunshine state pay off? Nevada will be a race between Obama and Clinton. Obama is trying to slay the political giant and emerge as number one. Clinton lost out when the courts ruled in favor of allowing voting in the casinos. This ruling will appear to help Barack Obama after winning the endorsement of the culinary union. So it will be a battle of the unions and Obama will be singing one tune today, just get them to the casino on time.

Michigan Primary Coverage

NBC News is declaring Mitt Romney the winner of the Michigan Primary. John McCain will finish second with Mike Huckabee third.

Carefully Consider Compassion

Compassionate conservatism came into our vocabulary with the election of President George W. Bush as our 43rd president. It was a new way to define that particular brand of conservatism that aims itself at helping the lowly and disadvantaged. The problem is that this philosophy inevitably leads to government solutions that look like government solutions. With issues like healthcare and immigration compassion clouds judgements and can result in failed policies. You end up with the government trying to solve problems by putting it on its credit card. The time comes to pay up and while shouts for more hand-holding across the aisle pierce our ears, it is those unholy unions that lead to ruinous legislation. One has only to look at Medicare entitlements and the continual attempts to open up our border and bestow amnesty to those who entered our borders illegally.

We may not have recognized this brand of governing in President Bush but we have become familiar with it and are now able to see the problems with it as a governing philosophy. We fool ourselves by believing that by diluting our true conservative roots with muddled philosophies that claim to be aimed at lifting up those down in the muck and mire. This Prince Charming attitude of coming to the aid of the citizen in distress with entitlements and monetary promises is what conservatives have argued against. It used to be that liberals wholly owned such views on governing but it has crept into the thinking of some Republicans, while calling it heroic.

We now have a candidate in the form of Mike Huckabee who seems to want to continue the legacy of compassion. The former Arkansas governor has defined himself as socially conservative, but it is on other issues like fiscal politics where things get murky. Some are weary of him because of his fiscal approaches in his state which included raising taxes in numerous areas, including taxes on purchases made on the Internet. His spend and tax attitude has turned off many from his own state. While he may be solid on social issues, his moderate tones on issues like taxes, the environment, and immigration make you wonder if he will come up heads or tails when political decision time comes.

Rush Limbaugh has it right when he talks about changing conservatism to fit the candidate. Do we want someone who will agree on one set of issues but match the liberals word for word on others? As a proud conservative who has yet to see a liberal solve a problem with their philosophy you can guess how I would respond. Having compassion is not a negative character trait. In fact I think it is conservatives who truly have compassion for the people of this country. But that compassion does not involve doling out entitlements and wasteful government spending on worthless government programs. You truly help someone succeed for the long term with a hand up and not a hand out, a cliche I know but very true.

Mike Huckabee might seem like a long shot to win the Republican Party's nomination. With his win in the Iowa caucus it does not seem as long a shot. But for those who are still deciding on who they will support you should ask yourself the following. Do we want someone who mirrors the Democrats on many critical issues? I would presume the answer would be no considering the election in 2006 which resulted in many Republicans losing office because they forgot their conservative roots. We have already had one man from Hope lead this country do we really want another?