Never Can Say Goodbye

Romney Wins Conservatives’ Straw Poll, After Dropping Out of Race

Ballots for the straw poll conducted at the Conservative Political Action Conference were collected Thursday morning through Friday afternoon. Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, quit the race in a midday speech to the conference on Thursday.

In the straw poll vote, Romney got 35 percent and McCain 34 percent. Mike Huckabee and Rep. Ron Paul of Texas tied with 12 percent.

Romney won the straw poll at the conference last year.

It's not surprising that the straw poll went to Romney - it is, after all, a great chance to make an anti_McCain gesture. But here's some news that should worry Gov. Huckabee:

On another question, two-thirds said they would vote for McCain if he’s the eventual nominee, two in 10 said they would vote for someone else and about one in 10 said they would not vote.

At the starting gate, 2/3's of Huckabee's natural constituency has defected while another tenth will sit this one out. Doesn't leave much for the man who's trying for the "true conservative" mantle.

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And We Think Britney's the Crazy One

The Corner on National Review Online

Dig this:

It Needs to Be Said [Kathryn Jean Lopez]

This McCain speech would not have been given today, if it weren't for folks like Mark Levin, Rush Limbaugh, Andy McCarthy, Sean Hannity, and Laura Ingraham. Can I thank them on behalf of America?

Umm, no, Kathryn, you can't. This minor revision makes it all ok, though:

It Needs to Be Said [Kathryn Jean Lopez]

This Romney speech would not have been given today, if it weren't for folks like Mark Levin, Rush Limbaugh, Andy McCarthy, Sean Hannity, and Laura Ingraham. Can I thank them on behalf of America?

(h/t Sully)

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The Increasing Irrelevance of the Radical Right

From the Right, Both Acceptance and Distrust of McCain
Sen. John McCain makes an appearance at CPAC today. Last year, he faced a hostile crowd that booed his talk. This year he's Sen. John McCain, Republican candidate for President. And there's a bloc within the Republican party uncomfortable with that.

Rush Limbaugh declared that a McCain triumph would "destroy the party." James Dobson, leader of Focus on the Family, said that he will not vote for McCain under any circumstances. Ann Coulter allowed as to how she would rather vote for Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton than for McCain.

Former and current Republican congressional colleagues joined in the attacks. Former House speaker J. Dennis Hastert cited what he termed McCain's lack of party loyalty by labeling him an "undependable vote," and Sen. Thad Cochran (Miss.) raised questions about his temperament for the Oval Office.

It's looking more and more like the radical right is feeling its influence fade away. The presidential picks favored by Rush Limbaugh were panned by actual voters. No one has kissed James Dobson's ring, and even now, Mitt Romney has dropped out of the race.

I think Phil Gramm has it right:

The incoming conservative fire against McCain has become a distraction, Gramm acknowledges. "Some people, in their own minds, think they have exerted a strong influence over the party, and now they are seeing that influence passing," he said. "There's some bitterness on their part. They're people who put their dogma in front of the interests of the country. . . . They don't like it that McCain is McCain."

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