All Blog Posts from Public Eye

It’s getting bumpy out there for Mike Huckabee.

After weeks of glowing coverage over his aw-shucksiness, the honeymoon for the Baptist minister is over – as predicted in this space.

And how is he dealing with the rise in critical coverage? Opening up the first page out of the political playbook and attacking the messenger.

Read full post…

The big headline story out of the YouTube debate the other night was how that Hillary Clinton adviser got the chance to pipe up and ask about gays in the military.

But the second biggest story? Mike Huckabee’s continued aw-shucks success story, complete with every network playing his quote where he answered someone asking ‘What would Jesus do?’ with the line “Jesus was too smart to run for public office.”

Upon watching the debate a second time – oh, man, is this writer a party animal or what? – I observed a small shortcoming of that made-for-TV witty answer. Like most sound bites, it didn’t really answer the question asked. But that didn't end up in most of the media reports.

(To be fair, he initially discussed his difficulties in meting out the death penalty during his time as governor of Arkansas, but when pressed for an exact response, he uncorked that highlight quote.)

Yes, the Southern Baptist Minister’s performance drew raves from all around MediaLand, including from CBNNews.com’s David Brody – who will be participating in “Meet the Press” this Sunday. (While attempting to “tivo church.” Good luck with that, David.)

I took a look at Brody’s accounting of the debate and thought it raised a few questions. So I reached out to him and had a chat.

One of the things that got an eyebrow raise? The passage where he suggested “Put aside the issues for a moment.”

Read full post…

Newton’s Third Law: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Campaign journalism works in much the same way. A candidate enjoys some positive press and then – with a precision you could darn near set a watch by – he or she starts to get criticized. It’s a little like Wack-a-Mole, where you pop up and get smacked. And it’s a little like skeet – you aim high for the sky, but then once you hit a certain trajectory, POW the shots start coming.

Two examples of late: Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. He was the media darling Cinderella story of the Iowa straw poll, way exceeding the expectations set by the media.

Based on those results and a great on-camera persona, Huckabee built up a little steam, started showing up on cable news political shows, had a “Real Time with Bill Maher” one-on-one and gained traction with his momentum and awshuckiness.

Then, Newton’s Law of Media Backlash took effect.

Read full post…

Heart Huckabee?: Mike Huckabee, following in the illustrious Bruno Magli footsteps of O.J. Simpson, has become the latest public figure to decry the blasted media's fixation on Paris Hilton and her ilk. “One of the frustrations is that there is more attention on Britney Spears getting out of a car without underwear than there is about who is going to be the next president,” he told the Associated Press. Who will be next to take this brave stance? Hiccup girl? Prince Harry? An ailing whale shark? Stay tuned!

Words Fail Her: You know what's not cool? Murder jokes! Reports CNN: "A Lebanese television anchor's comments and laughter regarding the assassination of Lebanese anti-Syrian parliamentarian Walid Eido have caused a furor and resulted in her firing." The unidentified anchor didn't realize the microphone was on when she made the comments, natch. At least she didn't go to the bathroom.

Swords, But No Shields: Unlike Indiana Republican Mike Pence and others, the White House says there is no need for a federal shield law for journalists. "History has demonstrated that the protections already in place, including the department's own rigorous internal review of media subpoena requests, are sufficient," Assistant Attorney General Rachel Brand told the House Judiciary Committee, according to the AP. Basic message: Chill out, journalists. Sure, potential whistleblowers may be less likely to share crucial information for fear the government will force you to reveal their identity. But who cares about all that, right? We're all a little whistleblown out anyway. Onto the more important issues!

For months, political commentators have been talking about how the field of Republican presidential candidates lacks a candidate to appeal to the Republican base – the social conservatives instrumental to the elections of George W. Bush. Rudy Giuliani is seen as too socially liberal. Mitt Romney and John McCain, meanwhile, have articulated relatively liberal positions on hot-button issues in the past. Though they have moved rightward, both are viewed skeptically by social conservatives.

Thus the conventional wisdom among reporters is that Republicans lack a strong candidate for the 2008 election. Republicans seem to feel the same way: Newt Gingrich, a man with dubious claims to the moral high ground, is trying to position himself as the candidate of social conservatives, while Fred Thompson flirts with a run based largely on the fact that he is a familiar face about whom most Americans know too little to have a problem.

Which raises the question: Why has there been so little press coverage of Kansas Senator Sam Brownback and Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee? Both candidates have the social bona fides to satisfy their base, a base that the media has long told us is instrumental to the Republicans' chances for success. I put the question to CBSNews.com Senior Political Editor (and former Public Eye editor) Vaughn Ververs.

"Up until now, they haven't gotten the attention because they haven't demonstrated that they have much support," said Ververs. "In order for that to be demonstrated, they need to have some tangible evidence – which would be polls, fundraising, things we can measure support by. And if you look at those measurements, they are far behind people that supposedly aren't that conservative."

Even conservative Republicans, Ververs points out, don't seem to be that excited about the two candidates, as the seeming endorsement of Gingrich by Focus On The Family's James Dobson and the excitement among Republicans over Thompson illustrates.

Still, there is plenty of time left for that to change.

"The fact that they're not getting attention a year out does not mean that one of them won't make a breakthrough in a state like Iowa, where there are a lot of social conservatives, and where they may end up making a splash," said Ververs.

That won't be easy, however, unless they can get the press corps to pay a little more attention to them and a little less to the candidates with better fundraising and poll numbers.