Huckabee Won’t Go Negative… Well, Won’t He?
Filed under: 2008 elections — Michael van der Galien, Editor-in-Chief on December 31, 2007 @ 9:46 pm CET
OK, this is extremely awkward: Governor Mike Huckabee held a press conference today in which he would, among other things, show a new ad that would air all throughout Iowa. In the ad, he attacks Romney: not a bit, but very aggressively.
Reporters ran to the conference, looking forward to seeing the ad. However, when they arrived Huckabee said that he had changed his mind and that he had decided not to air the ad in Iowa. He did, however, show the ad to reporters who then happily reported it, which means that it’ll be broadcasted, for free, nonetheless.
Huckabee explained that he didn’t want to go negative. But, because he showed the ad to reporters anyway, they all started laughing, clearly believing that he’s playing politics (and that in a very cynical manner).
The question is, of course, whether it’ll work. Hot Air’s Allahpundit (who has declared war on Huckabee) doesn’t think so. “It’s his entire cynical faux nice guy style of politics in microcosm — the man who’s so innocent and virtuous that he doesn’t even recognize the Machiavellian gambits he somehow keeps stumbling into,” he writes. Adding that “[i]f there’s any justice the media will tear him to pieces for this, if only for treating them like they’re stupid.”
The text of the ad can be read at First Read:
It starts off with Huckabee speaking to the viewer: “I’m Mike Huckabee, and I approve this message, because Iowans have a right to know the truth about Mitt Romney’s dishonest attacks on me and even an American hero, John McCain.”
Next an announcer takes over saying: “Romney’s record? Over $700 million in new taxes. Left office with a deficit. No executions. Supported gun control. And Romney’s government mandated health plan provided a $50 co-pay for abortion.”
Then Huckabee himself delivers the final blow: “If a man is dishonest to obtain a job, he’ll be on the job. Iowans deserve better.”
When reporters asked him why he showed them the ad nonetheless Huckabee gave the lame answer: “If I didn’t show it, you’d say I never had [the ad].” They then asked him whether he thought this would help or hurt him. Huckabee’s answer: “If it hurts me, it hurts me… I’m taking a risk here. I know I am. If it completely makes it so he pulls away in a dramatic way, then I’ll probably be the last guy to ever do this. But I’d like to be the first one to ever try. Thursday night, I will let you know if it was smart.”
Frankly, I’ve got no idea what to think about this move. It comes across as utterly silly and cynical to me. If he didn’t want it to be aired, he wouldn’t have shown it to reporters. If he believes that going negative equals him selling his soul, he wouldn’t even have mentioned the ad, at least not in this manner.
Instead of being moral he acts like someone who donates thousands of dollars to charity and who, instead of doing it knowing that he’s doing the right thing and leave it at that, goes on to tell everyone how generous he is and how much money he exactly gave to those charities.
Will it work? Not sure. If the media blast him, it’ll probably blow up in his face. If they, however, herald him as a genius it’ll probably help.
UPDATE
The New York Times isn’t willing to play along:
In an act of political jujitsu, Mike Huckabee has halted a negative ad that he was about to broadcast on television Monday against his Republican rival, Mitt Romney. But while claiming the moral high ground, he proceeded to show the ad to a roomful of reporters, photographers and television cameras who are repeating his anti-Romney message for free while Mr. Huckabee declares that his hands are clean.
Via the Washington Post comes this video:
1 Larry
December 31, 2007 @ 9:57 pm CETMcCain and Huckabee are the desperate ones…they don’t want anyone to know or ask about their records! Romney has been having "Ask Mitt Anything" meetings for over a year he’s not afraid to discuss his past or his positions. Has Huckabee or McCain been so open?….NO, in fact they won’t even address what Romney has brought to light! They’re just side-kicks for one another and their only rebuttal to Romney is "Liar".Romney is by far the best candidate, he will provide the kind of leadership, knowledge, and rational needed to erase our trade deficit, ween our foreign dependency of oil, and strengthen the family (his family looks pretty exemplerary to me).
Huckabee is having a political meltdown….say good bye.
2 Van
December 31, 2007 @ 10:29 pm CETwouldn’t happen to be any of these "ask Romney anything" sessions on youtube would there?
3 Will Argyle
December 31, 2007 @ 10:31 pm CETWhat a sneaky, clueless move.Huckabee just broke the first rule of politics: If you’re gonna be an ass, don’t get caught wearing the ears.Do I hear an egg timer?
4 Blogs of War
December 31, 2007 @ 11:50 pm CETMike Huckabee Melodrama: Pulls Negative Ad - Then Runs it for the Media…
A bizarre bit of political theater from the Huckabee campaign:
Talk about political jujitsu!
Mike Huckabee is holding a press conference right now in which he was supposed to unveil a new negative ad against arch rival Mitt Romney.
But Mr. Huckabee …
5 Tyler
January 1, 2008 @ 1:00 am CETOk everybody, I was gonna go against all my previous promises and go negative on Romney anyway, and I even filmed a new ad and called everyone to this press conference, but alas, God told me not to show you THIS AD THAT YOU WILL SEE ON THE BIG SCREEN RIGHT NOW! PRESS PLAY! REPORTERS, GOT YOUR CAMERAS READY??
6 Michael van der Galien
January 1, 2008 @ 1:12 am CETTyler: one gets the impression that the media aren’t quite willing to let Huckabee get away with this trick.
One truly wonders who the heck decided to pull this stunt.
7 Tyler
January 1, 2008 @ 1:19 am CETI’ve gotten so tired of Huck silently pandering to religious bigots who will vote for him only because he’s not Mormon. Oh brother. I hope that something this ridiculous will finally sway everyone - bigots and nonbigots alike - away from this clown of a politician.
8 Jeff
January 1, 2008 @ 4:43 pm CETVan, there are dozens of "Ask Mitt Anything" videos on youtube — just go to youtube and search.
It’s pretty impressive that Mitt will open up and address such a wide range of questions on the record.
9 politicalpartypoop.com » Blog Archive » Suckabee the slickster
January 2, 2008 @ 6:46 pm CET[…] PoliGazette » Huckabee Won’t Go Negative… Well, Won’t He? […]
10 DLounsbury
January 3, 2008 @ 4:06 am CETHuckabee manipulated the media in the exact same way earlier. This is a macrocosm of the earlier interview with the NY Times reporter when Huckabee asked him, "Don’t Mormons believe Jesus and Satan are brothers?" Huckabee later explained, "I didn’t expect the reporter to write that–I thought we were off the record…" (yeah right….). So Huckabee got to drop a bomb and look innocent at the same time. The fact is Huckabee knew the answer to the question, having a theology degree, being Chairman of the Baptist Convention and having proselyted Mormons in Utah. Talk about dishonest.
11 Mike Huckabee’s Passive-Aggressive Advertising Scam : The Sundries Shack
January 3, 2008 @ 4:36 am CET[…] it to reporters so they could see just how he had pulled himself back from the brink of perdition. And so he did. Of course, the reporters, seeing an ineptly crass political move, giggled and winked and played […]