Huckabee's (Sort of) Change of Heart
From CBS News Director of Political Coverage Steve Chaggaris:
DES MOINES, IOWA -- 75 reporters and cameras packed into a conference room at the Des Moines Marriott today to hear Mike Huckabee say he was fed up with Mitt Romney's attacks on his record. All signs pointed to Huckabee intensely going after Mitt Romney's record and to unveil new TV ads attacking Romney.
Well, it didn't exactly play out that way.
Flanked by his wife, Janet, Huckabee took to the podium and announced an about-face: he pulled the negative TV ads he was to air beginning today.
“We prepared it, sent it to the stations, supposed to start running at noon today. This morning, I ordered my staff to pull the ad; I told them I do not want it to be run. If it was run at all, it would be until the stations pulled it off their schedules. And we are now committed, from now through the rest of the caucuses, that we will run only the ads that talk about why I should be president, and not why Mitt Romney should not," said Huckabee, standing in front of a sign that said "Enough is Enough."
"I know that some are up saying, well did you really have an ad? Well, I’m going to show you the ad. You’ll get the chance to find out,” he continued as the room erupted in laughter.
It was a bizarre scene. The backdrop was setup to reflect a new tough, take-no-criticism Huckabee. Five placards with contrasts and criticisms of Romney's record were set up next to the stage. And a projection screen was at the ready to show everyone the new TV ads.
What was most odd, however, was not the fact that Huckabee announced his change of heart to pull the ads. It was his announcement that he was going to show one of the ads to the press anyway, to "prove" that they had made one and pulled it.
Quite an interesting idea - produce an attack ad, tell the public you've decided last-minute you don't want to go negative, regardless of the consequences, but then show the public the ad anyway, getting your attacks out for all to digest.
After several attempts by his audio-visual assistant to get the ad to play correctly, it finally premiered, to his exclusive audience: campaign reporters.
"If a man is dishonest to obtain a job, he’ll be dishonest on the job. Iowans deserve better,” the pseudo-invisible ad says.
Of course, it remains to be seen how this all plays out just 3 days before the Iowa caucuses. Even Huckabee acknowledged this is a serious roll of the dice.
"I'm taking a risk here," he said. If this tactic doesn't work out for him, he added, "then I'll probably be the last guy to ever do this."
CBS News' Joy Lin contributed to this report.
DES MOINES, IOWA -- 75 reporters and cameras packed into a conference room at the Des Moines Marriott today to hear Mike Huckabee say he was fed up with Mitt Romney's attacks on his record. All signs pointed to Huckabee intensely going after Mitt Romney's record and to unveil new TV ads attacking Romney.
Well, it didn't exactly play out that way.
Flanked by his wife, Janet, Huckabee took to the podium and announced an about-face: he pulled the negative TV ads he was to air beginning today.
“We prepared it, sent it to the stations, supposed to start running at noon today. This morning, I ordered my staff to pull the ad; I told them I do not want it to be run. If it was run at all, it would be until the stations pulled it off their schedules. And we are now committed, from now through the rest of the caucuses, that we will run only the ads that talk about why I should be president, and not why Mitt Romney should not," said Huckabee, standing in front of a sign that said "Enough is Enough."
"I know that some are up saying, well did you really have an ad? Well, I’m going to show you the ad. You’ll get the chance to find out,” he continued as the room erupted in laughter.
It was a bizarre scene. The backdrop was setup to reflect a new tough, take-no-criticism Huckabee. Five placards with contrasts and criticisms of Romney's record were set up next to the stage. And a projection screen was at the ready to show everyone the new TV ads.
What was most odd, however, was not the fact that Huckabee announced his change of heart to pull the ads. It was his announcement that he was going to show one of the ads to the press anyway, to "prove" that they had made one and pulled it.
Quite an interesting idea - produce an attack ad, tell the public you've decided last-minute you don't want to go negative, regardless of the consequences, but then show the public the ad anyway, getting your attacks out for all to digest.
After several attempts by his audio-visual assistant to get the ad to play correctly, it finally premiered, to his exclusive audience: campaign reporters.
"If a man is dishonest to obtain a job, he’ll be dishonest on the job. Iowans deserve better,” the pseudo-invisible ad says.
Of course, it remains to be seen how this all plays out just 3 days before the Iowa caucuses. Even Huckabee acknowledged this is a serious roll of the dice.
"I'm taking a risk here," he said. If this tactic doesn't work out for him, he added, "then I'll probably be the last guy to ever do this."
CBS News' Joy Lin contributed to this report.
The secrets of tennis legend 
While at Bain Capital, Mr. Romney used offshore corporations to avoid U.S. taxation, and fee-milked acquired businesses before firing workers and taking them into bankruptcy ( http://snipr.com/romneyoffshore ), to amass his great $250,000,000 wealth. (I have heard nothing about this until I discovered it quite by accident this evening.)
So, when you compare how Mr. Huckabee''s visionary FairTax advocacy ( http://snipr.com/nextrung ) compares to Romney''s interest in the current tax system, it''s pretty easy to see who will lead us out of tax slavery ( http://snipr.com/taxburden ) - $265 billion annual tax code compliance costs representing 5 billion wasted hours, annually.
The housing report, which was weaker than economists had expected, also bolstered the case for more Federal Reserve interest rate cuts in 2008. Earlier this week, the S&P/Case-Shiller index showed a record decline in U.S. home prices in October.
This is what''s happening to YOUR house. All the ''money'' and ''equity'' you thought you had saved - eliminated! The equity through falling house prices - and the money because we are DEBASING OUR CURRENCY. That low fed rate you''re reading about gets created by printing money and lending it to people. With more money, the money YOU have is worth LESS. So your money is worth less and your property is worth less - where can you turn to keep ahead of inflation? I think you BETTER turn to Dr. Paul. He''s the ONLY one running that has a HOPE of being able to deal with this.
FACT: Mike Huckabee stole over $70,000 worth of furniture from the Arkansas governors mansion.
Google: Counting the furniture Huckabee takes his office furniture; a conflict on Mansion gift. (Source: Arkansas Times 12/14/06 Leslie Newell Peacock)
Ron Paul is the ONLY sane choice for president because he is the ONLY one for the sovereignty of this nation. Huck and the others are adulterous ************ with the globalists.
MIKE HUCKABEE IS MAD BECAUSE IT IS TRUE..
The so-called "Negative Ads" are not "Negative" they are contrast ads that state factual information.
All of the contrast statements in the ad include the source of the statements.
Instead of addressing the statements about his record Mike Huckabee resorts to name calling.
MIKE HUCKABEE A FISCAL CONSERVATIVE
FACT: Mike Huckabee''s substantial tax hikes far surpassed his modest tax cuts, with the average tax burden increasing by a whopping 47% over his tenure. (Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 10/09/07)
FACT: Mike Huckabee raised more taxes in 10 years in office than Bill Clinton did in his 12 years.
(SOURCE: The Leader, Who''s biggest tax raiser 11/30/2007)
- by woman76 December 31, 2007 6:15 PM EST
- Laughable. Huckabee states, "If a man is dishonest to obtain a job, he%u2019ll be dishonest on the job."
- Reply to this comment
See all 11 CommentsDid he really spend $30,000 to produce an ad that he wasn''t going to use. Perhaps he doesn''t have the funding to air the ad, so he lied to reporters to bring them in so they could air it for him - free of charge. Can he honestly not make up his mind? Huckabee''s move was either dishonest or he''s an idiot.