Here's the article, apparently the Huckabee campaign created an attack ad against the Romney campaign and at the last minute decided to pull the ad in an attempt to keep the the campaign focused on the issues (so they're saying anyway).
Ok that sounds good, right? seeing your mistakes responding to them...the only problem is they had a press conference, where they told the reporters there what they were doing, and then they played the ad for the reporters...
There's no way to see this other than being cheap and childish and manipulative. I'm going to give Huckabee to the end of the week, but he may have just lost my support with this stunt.
All he had to do was stick to the message...he didn't even have to mean it, but he couldn't deviate from it, and now he has...
Looks like it's over for Huckabee. We'll see what happens. I think I might go on over to http://www.ronpaul2008.com/ and see what's going on there, I think they might still be on message....sigh...
[UPDATE]
There may be hope yet, here is an excerpt from another blog, quoting Mike talking to Wolf Blitzer. I like it...seems genuine...risky, honest, sincere...that is good...maybe it's just damage control, but he needs to do something...
Mike Huckabee’s comments to Wolf Blitzer a moment ago, about the ad he decided not to air.Here's some insight from Rick H:
“A lot of cynics are going to say this is all contrived and planned. I don’t care what they say.”
“If it costs me the caucus, it does.”
“I don’t want to run an ad where I feel like have to take a shower when I’m done.”
“We didn’t give out DVDs, which we were prepared to give out. We said ‘we’re just not gonna do it.’ …The video didn’t work, so it’s not usable anyway.
“If we’re going to wrap ourselves in the mantle of Ronald Reagan, let’s wrap ourselves in the tone of Ronald Reagan. Let’s remember his 11th Commandment, which said, ‘Thou shalt not speak ill of another Republican.’
Asked by Wolf Blitzer if he has a message to Mitt Romney: “He’s free to run his campaign any way he wishes. He can say anything he wants about his record, and.. he can say anything he wants about my record. We’re going to run a positive campaign.”
Smooth. I didn't see anything of the anger or wackiness in Huckabee that others described in his press conference appearance earlier today. And I think the "no negative ads" pledge will be catnip for exhausted Iowans. His rivals had better bring their A-game, because this guy isn't going to drop the ball as the clock winds down...
Huck's stock is in his pragmatism. Unless he loses that, he will still attract voters. People are sick to freaking death of the bitter partisanship that has denominated American politics for so long. They want someone that can speak in a manner that people relate with and give answers that are at least defensible to the average person. I guarantee you that not every Huck supporter believes everything the same way he does. They support him because they LIKE him. If he continues to give well-thought-out responses, is honest (which he needs to be very careful about) and is positive in his vision for leading this country then he cannot fail.I think he's right on, however I still think that integrity is key and that there is going to have to be some major damage control done here in order to fix this. Mike's gonna have to do some work to earn back my trust.
1 comments:
Good morning,
I've read your comments here, at Huck's Army and on the campaign website and would like to share my opinion with you. I personally don't believe that Mike's intention in showing the ad to the press was malicious. IMO, if anything it was perhaps naïve given the cynical nature of the press (especially in Mike’s case, the conservative press such as Fox, Town Hall, etc.) and the hostility from the Romney campaign. It seems that few, other than his supporters, are willing to take Mike at face value and/or willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
The press had already got word that Mike was going to go negative; Ed Rollins told C-Span that Mike went to church on Sunday to make peace with God for what he was going to do on Monday. The ad was made and the news conference was scheduled, IMO, Mike felt that he had to show the ad. Press from around the world had assembled because Mike had scheduled the press conference, I truly believe that Mike was trying to practice the Christian principle of transparency, which is where the naiveté comes in…Mike’s ememies and media cynics trying to turn his honest attempt at transparency upside down and try to make it something sinister.
In hindsight, Mike maybe should’ve just cancelled the press conference and announced that he’d decided to stay positive, but he put himself in a tough spot by making the ad and building media interest in advance. IMO, he decided to go the transparency route, which some are now calling slick or dishonest but I believe it was honest and anything but slick.
Thank you for supporting Mike, I hope that you will continue to do so in the future.
Post a Comment