Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s campaign accused Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee of “a backroom deal” that gave the early Super Tuesday win in West Virginia to Huckabee.
Romney, who addressed the state GOP convention in person Tuesday, comfortably led the first ballot at the convention, leading to a three-way second ballot contest between the three contenders.
Marc Ambinder of The Atlantic reported Tuesday that, after the first ballot, McCain’s campaign called his supporters there and urged them to vote in favor of Huckabee.
“Unfortunately, this is what Senator McCain’s inside Washington ways look like: he cut a backroom deal with the tax-and-spend candidate he thought could best stop Governor Romney’s campaign of conservative change,” Beth Myers, Romney’s campaign manager, said in a statement.
I’m an ex-West Virginian and ex-Republican. I voted in the WV GOP primary in ’92 and ’96.
This is a travesty and indicative of our broken primary system. There were about 1000 people who came-who can afford to take the day off! The thing was held in Charleston, which basically leaves out the panhandles, where you have to drive through other states to get there.
When I was living there, the WV GOP was a party run by grown-ups-well, except for a corrupt governor in the late 80’s. No longer.
Randall
Thought for the day:
“Grannie, do all fairy tales start with ‘Once upon a time…’?”
“No, dear, many start with ‘If elected I promise….’.”
Bad move, Mitt. Here in Illinois, we play at politics with our boxing trunks around our ankles, there is no such thing as a low blow, and we don’t like crybabies. The appropriate response to an opponent’s questionable tactics is to reciprocate.
Two points.
1. Caucuses are really relics of another age and are inherently undemocratic (caveat: Yes I am a monarchist… but still…)
2. As politics go this is pretty tame stuff. Its called strategy. I agree with #1 above. Would you like little cheese with the whine?
If only Hamilton had lived…
ooops my previous reference to #1 above should have been #3 above.
If Mitt can’t endure this without whining, he shouldn’t run.
Billary will play to win – even assuming there was some sort of backroom deal between McCain and Huckabee (and just because Romney accuses the pair of conniving doesn’t mean they did), this is nothing compared to the ploys, tricks, and strategies the Clintons will use against their opponent.
Mitt’s a whiner! He sees it as being aggressive and assertive. His boo-hooing would really go over great with the Iranians!
Of course, this is a plot by Karl Rove! [i] Everything [/i] is going according to plan.
Backroom deals…. that’s what I’m talking about… finally some real politickin’ goin’ on…
Backroom deals? In the good old US of A? I am shocked and chagrined. I do take solace, however, in the fact that although I now live in the East, I registered to vote and cast my first vote 35 years ago in the city of Chicago, which means that long after I am pushing up daisies, I’ll still be casting my vote. That’s not only a testimony to democracy, that’s resurrection unto eternal life….
— Civilized life depends on a multitude of agreements. How silly and opportunistic to single out this one for criticism. As though Romney himself had not done plenty of political deals.
— Political deals should be judged by their substance (e.g., honesty and prudence).
— “Backroom deal” is a redundancy. Ever tried to negotiate on an auditorium stage or over the radio?
— If you don’t like deals like this, then don’t use caucuses to select delegates. The potential for coalitions among candidates is built into the caucus system. If that’s a bad thing, then use primary elections. But Romney didn’t criticize the system until he lost.
“If only Hamilton had lived” —Ad Orientem [#4]
Hamilton made some fine political deals of his own. He and Thomas Jefferson agreed that the Federalists would support moving the capital from the Hudson to the Potomac in exchange for Jefferson’s party supporting Hamilton’s plan to refinance the public debt.