Saturday, January 26, 2008

House Speaker Out of Touch with Voters

Rep. Lance Cargill, a Republican and Speaker of the Oklahoma House, made news earlier this week when it was revealed that he had failed to file his state tax returns for two years.

Cargill has now rectified that problem, solving one political dilemma but creating another one for himself and his party.

Cargill's new problem is his support of Arizona Sen. John McCain, who has little support among Oklahoma's conservative Republicans. Despite his long and distinguished service in the Senate, McCain's views on a range of issues have made him a pariah among a wide swath of Republicans.

To put it bluntly, Oklahoma Republicans are unlikely to follow Cargill's lead.

We predict Mike Huckabee, former Arkansas governor and Southern Baptist minister, will win the Oklahoma Republican primary, a sign of deep divisions between Oklahoma's Republican leaders and the grassroots voters.

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