Not Over Yet

Imagine the GOP candidates in ideological order:

Giuliani-McCain-Huckabee-Romney-Thompson-Paul

They are listed based in their belief of Big Government. Depending on the issue, movement conservatives seem to favor the policies of Huckabee and Paul. That is, they prefer nanny-state measures on some issues, and a continuation of the wars in Iraq and on "Terror." Otherwise, they prefer the more Main Street/Wall Street economics of Romney and Thompson, and agree with Paul that government is just too big and want to be rid of the IRS. All four are against activist judges and want border patrol, and from my understanding, are pretty good-to-great on the gun issue. These may be contradictory positions, to be sure, but that's not the point.

The point is, McCain falls outside; he is definitely to "the left" (on this line, at least; please, no comments on what "Left" and "Right" really mean) in this group. Part of the neo-con wing, he is more likely to start more wars which, from what I can tell from reading the personalities of Huckabee, Romney, and Thompson, they probably aren't inclined to do.

Yes, Paul is too far on "the right" to get the nomination, but I think movement conservatives were hoping for somebody like Huckabee, Romney, or Thompson mold. But I mean like them; Republicans didn't seem crazy about these particular guys.

I don't think Huckabee's going to pass McCain in delegate count, but considering how McCain was overwhelmingly rejected yesterday, we may yet have a brokered convention.