The Many Cheeks of Mike Huckabee
Mike Huckabee just held a press conference where he announced that he made a negative ad against Mitt Romney -- Lord forgive him -- but at the last minute he decided to turn the other cheek and not broadcast it. But just to show he wasn't sh*ttin' y'all, he decided to show it to a few of his closest friends at a press conference that included Tim Russert, Joe Klein and a few hundred journalists and bloggers of varying degrees of notoriety.
The ad attacks Romney for his multitude of ever-changing opinions, his healthcare plan, being mean to John McCain and just being Mitt.
Campaigns make ads all the time that they don't air, but they rarely feel compelled to show them to people. It seems like Camp Huck was answering a question that nobody is asking -- would anybody have asked for proof that the ad had been made, or demanded to see it?It raises the question -- what was he thinking, doing something quite this wacky three days before the caucus? Does Huckabee not have enough money to run the ad? Is this a cheap way to get the message out there, and still make a claim to have (*ahem*) clean hands?
The Romney campaign was instantly spinning the Huckabee presser as a "meltdown," even as the Huckabus made its way over to his campaign headquarters where the sideshow included anti-war protesters singing "who would Jesus bomb," a throng of supporters waiving signs for rival Ron Paul and a Minuteman in a wheelchair.
The Huckabee campaign called the police and three anti-war protesters from Iowa Occupation Project and Voices for Creative Nonviolence were arrested and taken to Polk County Jail.
Huckabee was on The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer shortly thereafter and he seemed shaken. I guess he wasn't prepared for the guffaws that arose from the press who saw a little more Elmer Gantry than Jesus Christ in all of his schtick.
Huckabee reiterated his decision to put an end to negative campaigning. "Let it begin here," he said. "If it costs me the Iowa caucus, so be it."
Amazing that some might doubt his sincerity.
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How ethical is it to make an ad, decide not to pay to run it, but expose it to "friends", like the media. If he can't win on his jovial country style behaviour, he resorts to smearing? Neither of these flip-floppers have my vote. Nor any of the religious touters, nor the war mongers, or the same-old, same-old, cozying up to lobbyists and big corporations. Check out Kucinich's plan. Maybe we can get more ethics back in the Legislative body, and our constitution restored.
These two Gentlemen, who are representatives of "GOD", Huckabee and Romney, are members of a fraudulant religious direction. There are only two reasons one could believe in such Mythology, either one is stupid or very intelligent. Since these two are intelligent, there is no excuse for their arrogance.
What excuse could each one of these people have for ignoring common sense? Each one believes into a certain "BOOK", one more idiotic than the other. Having plates of Gold delivered to the founder of this ridiculous religion by an ANGEL, is the top of all miracles performed - EVER. Does one have to say more?
Mike Huckabee tries to capture the "sore loser" vote with a brilliant bit of reverse engineering.
NOT.
Thanks for deconstructing his inelegant attempt at getting a smear message out, Jane.
Huckabee is trying to paint Romney as a flip-flopper. In other news, WATER IS WET.
This just in, reporter in Iowa determines that water is, indeed, STILL WET there.
There, we've got the message out, but if Romney is attacking flip-floppers isn't he really going after a flip-flopper's perceived vote?
Market futures on water remain optimistic.
Huckabee still yearns to spin yarns of the deconstruction, for the reconstruction party.
And the farmer hauled away another load.
"Waiving" signs, Jane? Interesting Freudian fat-fingered slip...
Poisonally, I'd like to "waive", not only the signs, but the whole damned bunch of hypocrites' first 9 months of useless campaigning and media-hogging. I'd rather track Brit's haircut.
Yeah, relax, people.
Huckabee is the right-wing's biggest fear: the embodiment of the Holy Roller type whose votes they have been prostituting themselves over for decades.
Anyone who's name rhymes with "Fuck-a-Me" simply cannot be taken seriously.
If he wins the GOP nomination (and he won't), I say we throw him in a cage with Hillary and let her kick his hillbilly ass back to Hicksville.
I am tired of Huckabee's "aw shucks" folksy manner. It wears thin pretty quickly. He is a cartoon character, and we have had a clown as president for almost 8 years. It is time we have a real live person who at least reads a daily paper or listens to the news. My feeling is that Mr. Bush is so insulated and protected that he is happy in his ignorance and even his closest aides don't want to disturb him. Huckabee's little ploy with the ad was silly. Surely he didn't believe the American people were so stupid we wouldn't see through this.
So full of it. Bet even the Pharisee's and Sadducee's would run from Husktasee!
Elmer Gantry perhaps, but Elmer Fudd is a close second.
I agree with your speculation that pulling it after it made the media rounds was a cheap way of getting the message out. Cheap as in inexpensive, and cheap as in dirtball.
That was what Bush did to Kerry. Bush couldn't openly call Kerry a coward, given Bush's no-show cowardice during Vietnam, so he had someone else do it for him.
And that reminds me to check to find out where Huckabee was during the Vietnam era. Huckabee already seems to be freefalling without a chute. He's going to make a mess when gravity reunites him with earth.
It was a confused mess. Huckabee's blog posters don't all like this: they think Huck should have fired away at Mitt. But some of them applaud his anti-smear statement. Mostly they approve. I posted that he should have carefully enunciated his attack and should still do it. I am still for him although I have my Dem favorites too, notably Biden and Dodd. I always have supported the losers, too bad for me and them.
Relax, everyone! Not even the "hicks" of the BUSHREDNECK type in flatland Iowa are gonna be able to choke down much more of this "HUCKELBER
Actually, Huckabee has a tiny office on the FLOOR Dr. Paul has rented. There’s no way Huckabee’s people can avoid the HUNDREDS of people streaming in and out of Dr. Paul’s offices. The people who were arrested were NOT Paul supporters. We understand though - it must be very humiliating seeing the polls favor you and yet having to face the OVERWHELMING EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE of Dr. Paul’s support. Sorry about that, we’ll try to be gentle.
Jane Hamsher is a national treasure - a modern Dorothy Thompson & heir apparent to the late great and sorely missed Molly Ivins.
This is exactly what a candidate would do when his internal polls show that he peaked last week -- do something "bold" that appeals to the Villagers and might also "cost him the election" on Thursday.
Betcha the Beltway Press Corps falls for it hook, line, and sinker. It sounds so principled and -- gasp -- bipartisan. Right up their alley.
Stay warm, Jane!
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Posted December 31, 2007 | 05:12 PM (EST)