New Romney Ad Against Huckabee: "The Choice Matters" On Illegal Immigration
Here's Mitt Romney's new ad against Mike Huckabee in Iowa, hitting Huckabee on illegal immigration:
The ad is clearly meant to drive a wedge with Huckabee's conservative supporters — it tells people that Romney and Huckabee are the same on most issues, but that they won't actually like Huckabee on a big one. The ad is Romney's first negative ad against another Republican, a clear sign that his campaign is worried about Huckabee's rise.
Comments (13)
DCCyclone wrote on December 11, 2007 8:57 AM:The first part of that ad is objectively terrible because it completely muddles the message. Is the ad about the candidates' own family loyalty, abortion, and gay marriage, or is it about immigration? Why is Romney paying for an ad that gives Huckabee credit for being a family man and on two key issues? You never credit your opponent in an ad; where there's agreement, you simply don't mention it. The ad should have stuck with immigration alone to establish contrast.
Rob Mac wrote on December 11, 2007 9:33 AM:Maybe this message will resonate with the immigrant hating wing of the Republican Party, but even on those terms its incredibly tepid stuff.
Lee Stranahan wrote on December 11, 2007 9:39 AM:It is tepid....
Huckabee's attack ad has more sting..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuWUdUDUIDQ
Gaines wrote on December 11, 2007 9:50 AM:DC, I think there is another way to look at this ad. First let me start by saying, I find both men wrong on just about everything. So, I am looking at this strictly from a strategy standpoint. Really, this ad is a two-fer for Romney. By comparing himself first to Huckabee in a positive way, he basically is saying "Huckabee [the evangelical] and I are a lot a like [thus, I am not a scary Mormon, I am just like you, the Republican Party base]" Then, he says "Here is a reason [immigration] to chose me over Huckabee." Actually, I think it is one of the more clever attack ads I have seen. When the audience focuses on the attack aspect of the immigration issue, it essentially is a tacit admission that Romney IS a lot like Huckabee. That may be obvious to you and me who are probably voting for Clinton, Obama or Edwards next fall, but that isn't such an obvious forgone conclusion in the GOP base.
kc wrote on December 11, 2007 11:27 AM:Actually, the first part of the ad is pretty good. It helps Romney cover up this flip-flops and Mormon background, giving him a step up. Then he zings Huck for not hating brown people enough. Should go over well in Iowa.
Joy wrote on December 11, 2007 12:11 PM:If only all politicians ads that were considered attack ads like this. This is not your standard mud slinging impugning anyone's character, so I think this ad will go over pretty well. I don't like that they refer to undocumented workers as "illegal" but that is the Republican rhetoric both candidates use. This is an ad that clearly defines a difference between Huckabee and Romney, so Romney does ok with this in my eyes. Not that I'd vote for either one - I think they are both nuts - and are trying to "outnut each other".
I'll guarantee you though, that if this was a Romney vs. a Democrat, this ad would be a lot less civilized.
Jim Pharo wrote on December 11, 2007 1:43 PM:This is just bizarre -- these guys are fighting over whether or not "illegal aliens" should pay in-state tuition vs. the regular tuition?
On the shoulders of such mice we're supposed to build a nation?
The Republican primary is like a heated contest for Middle School Student Association Treasurer, only dumber. These guys, by definition, are not going to talk about anything that matters. From school prayer to bussing, to flag burning to gays in the military, and now, from gay marriage to inflicting maximum pain on Latinos, the Republican Party has long stood against public discussion of any issue of substance by obsessing on trivia.
Why, their biggest issue has to do with female reproductive freedom!
We are sullied by considering the substance of their non-sense.
eli wrote on December 11, 2007 2:56 PM:What kc said.
"I love Jesus just as much as Huck does (factual history notwithstanding), but I hate Mexicans 'way more."
Remember, Willard's got three different kinds of Republicans he needs to pander to, the Thumpers, the Xenophobes and the Plutocrats. Versus Huck, he's got the plutocrat vote sewn up already, but Huck's killing him with the Thumpers. This ad aims to blur Willard's Thumper gap, while pushing his superiority on xenophobia.
It's a tricky finesse, running one commercial that different people will see in different ways, but I'm sure that the highest-priced marketing minds have consulted on this one.
votenic wrote on December 11, 2007 5:08 PM:2008 Presidential Candidate Weekly Poll
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Just watch the makeover when the GOP nominee is selected! From base extreme evangelism to MR. Moderate.
The most disgusting part is how the media plays along, promptly flushing anything which conflicts with the Jesus-Eisenhower-Reagan amalgam the Rethug has become.
So there's not really any point in taxing the Repubs with anything they might say during the primary season. It'll all be washed away at the convention.
And with the most contentious issue, the War On Iraq, won, the only issue will be how rich Americans will get under continued Republican leadership.
Mooser wrote on December 11, 2007 5:33 PM:How rich and how Godly, I meant to say.
mkolb wrote on December 11, 2007 11:48 PM:Please, Mooser, leave Eisenhower out of this! I can't imagine he'd have much good to say about either of these people.
The GOP doesn't yet realize that EVERYTHING is online. Their eventual candidate will not be able to tack to the center because everything he's said or done during the primary season is quite available.
The trick will be to make sure that voters see it and I think the Democrats will take care of that - the MSM certainly won't except for Keith O.
JNagarya wrote on December 28, 2007 8:19 PM:Romney is correct, of course: Huckabee would likely pay illegals better than Romney has been found to do.
(It'd simply a economic/job competition: Romney knows from experience that the more the other guy pays the illegal, the more Romney will have to pay the illegals he hires.)
