Huckabee Comes Out Against Negative Campaigning With a Negative Ad [VIDEO]

Posted by Paddy , Cliff Schecter's Blog at 6:40 AM on January 1, 2008.

Read about this a bit ago on FDL, then CNN just ran a thing about it. My reaction? Brilliant.

DES MOINES - 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.

The display unfolded at the Marriott Hotel here to the mirth of the media who watched Mr. Huckabee's legerdemain even as the media itself became the conduit for his attacks against Romney.

At the same time, he pointed to media cynicism as the reason he felt compelled to show the ad, saying that unless he showed it, reporters would not believe that it really existed. It criticized Mr. Romney's record as governor of Massachusetts, saying he supported gun control, allowed a co-pay for abortions in his health plan, raised taxes and ordered no executions.

Get that. He manages to act holier-than-thou, diss the "media", get all his negative points across AND all the news outlets are carrying it.

Check out how many videos are already up at YouTube about it!! And he didn't even have to spend a dime. Freaking brilliant.

Added- Wow, it's just viral. Look at all the links Memeorandum has on it. Even the foreign press is covering it.

Tagged as: romney, iowa, huckabee, negative ads

Paddy is a regular contributor to Cliff Schecter.com.