Example of Anti-Thompson Push Polling

Here's an example of push-polling...often as informational as cotton candy is nutritional, being used in South Carolina in a Pro-Huck, Anti-Fred call.

The Huck Makes Another Move

Mike Huckabee made another move showing that he at least intends to play with the big boys.

Jim Pinkerton, who the news-obsessed may know as a regular panelist on Fox News Watch, has signed on with the campaign.

He's a writer for Newsday and is also an alum of the Reagan (with campaign head Ed Rollins) and 41 administrations.

The real question...does this mean that Rich Lowry can switch from an occasional fill-in to a regular panelist on FNW?

A Classic Iowa Caucus Moment

Yesterday, we had a zinger for the ages out of the Huckabee campaign.

We also found out why the other guy from Hope is paying Ed Rollins the big bucks to run the show.

The narrative of the last week or so in the Hawkeye State has been that the Huckabee campaign may have already crested. A combination of the political media's perverse love of building a candidate up only to tear him down along with the effectiveness of a few negative/comparison ads out of the Romney campaign have coincided with a dip in the polls for him.

So yesterday, the Huck came out to the press corps and told them that he and his team had spent Sunday (when he was largely absent from the public eye) making an attack ad against Romney...because that's what conventional wisdom told him to do.

But his better angels took over and, at the last minute, he'd decided to pull the ad that he's already sent to some TV stations. So if it's shown, it's only because it might take them some time to get it out of rotation. Other than that, he's simply not going to show this attack ad because that's the wrong thing to do...except this one time. He shows the ad to the press here so they can understand what he's made but decided not to run with.

Obviously, the press is in on the game and laughs along with him because now he's gotten the ad up on the evening newscasts (for free) and it's probably not played with the mandated "I'm Mike Huckabee and I approve this message" at the end.

And I love how the Huck says that he's pulling the ad, lest the public become even more cynical than they already are.

Elect Me! I Like Killin' Shit!

While I have to stop just short of categorically calling hunting an immoral or moronic hobby, I feel no guilt in expressing disgust that participation is probably an effective campaign ploy.

I get the whole macho thing and how we want a 'daddy' in the office who will protect the homestead, but running around looking like Elmer Fudd, shooting creatures that aren't that bright to begin with, doesn't exactly inspire me.

If you want to show us what a badass you are, win an Ultimate Fighting competition or something.

Unfortunately, this left hand picture is going to win (or at least solidify existing) votes for Huck, while the right hand one cost John Kerry some because people thought he looked like an idiot in the picture.

Go figure.

Jesus Christ Died So You Could Vote for Huck

This is great...check out the subliminal cross in the background...

Huckabee Fires Back at Michael Moore

Well, I guess you gets what you gets when you stick your necks out in the public sphere preaching to us about a social ill.

I have yet to see Michael Moore's new Sicko, so I won't comment on the content, but it points out a number of structural flaws in the system...flaws with the providers/distributors, that is.

GOP Presidential candidate, former Arkansas Governor and weight loss champion Mike Huckabee is claiming that people with life- and body-styles like Moore are also part of the problem!

On a very high level, it seems only fair, if you really are serious about solving the healthcare "problem," to look at the whole picture, not just what the other guy is screwing up.

If I just threw all my loose trash out in the street, rather than packing it up in bags and cans to pull out to the curb every Wednesday morning, my complaints about the damned garbagemen not making my neighborhood look prettier would be shallow.

Hopefully this discussion will bring something out that's more original than, "the government needs to do more on the reactive side of the equation."

Not Sure How This Bodes for the Junior Senator from New York

Hillary is not looking so hot, head-to-head with some GOP trailers.

Democratic frontrunner Hillary Rodham Clinton now leads former
Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee (R) 48% to 43%. Senator Clinton also leads
Republican Senator Sam Brownback 49% to 41%.

Mike Huckabee Hijacking the Straight Talk Express?

I've enjoyed what little I've seen so far of Mike Huckabee.

While I'm not sure he has a snowball's chance in Hades of making the final cut, stranger things have happened and, if nothing else, he's holding the feet of current GOP candidates to the fire.

The latest example came yesterday when he appeared on Face the Nation and spoke about Elmer-Fudd-Come-Lately, Mitt Romney:

“He certainly wants to appeal to a lot of the voters that I naturally
appeal to … who truly value their Second Amendment rights. It would be like me
saying I’ve been a lifelong golfer because I played putt-putt when I was 9 years
old and I rode in a golf cart a couple of times."