The end of the road has come for the Presidential candidate I preferred, one who was the most conservative in the race according to the American Conservative Union ratings (lifetime rating of 92.)
After a poor showing in the caucus state of Iowa, it was the media that truly put an end to his campaign by excluding him from debates in New Hampshire and afterwards. As the inverse of success breeding success, ignorance bred ignorance and most who may have considered Duncan Hunter as a conservative alternative to the McCain/Huckabee cabal assumed he had dropped out.
FOX News quotes campaign spokesman Bob Bevill:
“We thought we’d do much better in Nevada, but the numbers weren’t there. We were not able to get any traction.”
In recent weeks Hunter, a California congressman, was forced at every stop to dispel rumors that the campaign was already dead and was unable to talk about the issues, Bevill said.
“The media has a ‘vote someone off the island’ mentality and Duncan Hunter was a casualty of that,” said Bevill.
For his part, Rep. Hunter noted:
“The failure of our campaign to gain traction is mine and mine alone. But we have driven the issues of national security, the border fence, the emergence of China and the reverse of bad trade policy.”
I tend to disagree to some extent on both counts as the partisan media ignored Hunter’s campaign pretty much from day one in favor of more moderate alternatives like John McCain and Rudy Giuliani; moreover I feel the so-called frontrunners have maintained positions much weaker on the issues Hunter cites, particularly John McCain and his stance on the immigration issue. Unfortunately, Republicans still smarting and dispirited from the 2006 election are playing a prevent defense in order to stop Hillary Clinton from winning, rather than voting closer to principle and supporting the more conservative candidates.
So, with a goodly amount of help from the partisan media, another conservative bites the dust. It’s unclear who Hunter will endorse should he decide to do so, but I’m likely going to place myself in the Fred Thompson camp, with some misgivings of course.
Meanwhile, I hope the other candidates give serious thought to at least a security- or defense-related Cabinet post for Duncan Hunter, who also would make a fine Vice President.
Crossposted on Red Maryland.
Update: Michelle Malkin has Hunter’s full remarks.
