Anti-Huck 527's Brutal Ad Stars Mother of One of Dumond's Murder Victims

Comments (58)

wincheck wrote on January 10, 2008 4:03 PM:

Willie Horton comes home to roost?

Michael A wrote on January 10, 2008 4:03 PM:

This is really, really pathetic. Willie Horton Episode 5000. The republican pols are pigs. I hope there is a slaughter in November. I like the huckster and this really isn't fair.

chisholm wrote on January 10, 2008 4:11 PM:

They're going to show Democrats how it's done.

Instant Dogma wrote on January 10, 2008 4:13 PM:

Hehehehehehehehehe...
Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.
Pax, Steve

Mimikatz wrote on January 10, 2008 4:13 PM:

The Dumond think was poor judgment and a scandal, but this is brutal. Shades of Willie Horton! Talk about what goes around coming around. These people would literally eat their family to win.

Nick wrote on January 10, 2008 4:15 PM:

Hardball is an understatement. I hope it gets tied to Saint McCain ...

john wrote on January 10, 2008 4:19 PM:

This smell Fred Thompson campaign signature. He is the only one in the field who will have to drop out if he looses in SC.

JGabriel wrote on January 10, 2008 4:20 PM:

Micaheal A:

This is really, really pathetic. Willie Horton Episode 5000. The republican pols are pigs. I hope there is a slaughter in November. I like the huckster and this really isn't fair.

Actually, it is fair. On the other hand, it's pretty ironic to see the Republicans playing this card.

Why? The Republicans were the ones who clamored for Dumond's release. They built, advocated, and advanced a false narrative in which Dumond was an innocent victim of the Clinton machine, because the woman raped was a distant cousin to Bill.

So, ironic and sleazy, sure. But definitely fair game. Though I'd bet dollars to donuts that the people attacking Huckabee over this are the same people who originally sold him on releasing Dumond in the first place.

Mr. Limpit wrote on January 10, 2008 4:21 PM:

Remember, the first rape victim was a cousin of Bill Clinton's. There was a push among the Far Right to release Dumond as a way to get back at Clinton.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/12/07/how-anticlinton-zealots-_n_75833.html

Praedor Atrebates wrote on January 10, 2008 4:22 PM:

Michael A.

Too bad you don't like it. It is the objective truth. Huckabee IS directly responsible for getting that lowlife out of jail so he could, as fully expected, go on to wreck more havoc.

The Willy Horton crap was made up nonsense but this is not made up. It is historical fact. Pray tell what is inaccurate or unfair about talking up the objective facts?

I don't give a crap what the GOPers do to each other. The more damage they do to each other the better for them and the better for the country. The Huckster is not going to be President, no matter what, and neither is the only possible alternative, McCain. Good riddance to the most disastrous political party to ever exist in American history.

moondancer wrote on January 10, 2008 4:23 PM:

That will play well in SC. Mimikatz- his motivation makes this valid. Remember he got involved because the first victim was a Clinton relative. Against all advice he ran with this.

Dan D wrote on January 10, 2008 4:24 PM:

I'm torn, obviously SC is the dirtiest campaign state for Republicans every cycle, and I hate their attack machine, but they have a very good point.

Huck working to free dumond is utterly indefensible. He swallowed the KKKlinton conspiracy theories whole, and freed a very bad man for no reason other than that his victim was related to the Big Dog.

I do hate attacking politicians for people paroled or freed under their administration (like Willie Horton) because it tends to push for a more regressive justice system, but this case is one of explary poor decision making by Huck.

He really shouldn't be president, and this alone is reason enough why.

Keith wrote on January 10, 2008 4:26 PM:

This is pathetic. And I don't even like Huckabee.

But here's the question, why does this crap play well in South Carolina?

Elizabeth wrote on January 10, 2008 4:27 PM:

Eric, I think you've misplaced your adjectives in the headline. It's not the ad that is "brutal", but the crime. It should read:

Anti-Huck 527's Ad Stars Mother of Victim of Dumond's Brutal Murders

Oh, and murders, plural? Yeesh.

willyjsimmons wrote on January 10, 2008 4:28 PM:

Pass the POPCORN!!!!

Might have to watch Fox just to witness it all live...

ROFLMBAO!!!!!!

NCSteve wrote on January 10, 2008 4:29 PM:

It's fascinating how every time the Republicans tell this tale, the insane Clinton-hate part of the story gets neatly excised and dropped down the ol' memory hole.

crys wrote on January 10, 2008 4:32 PM:

www.hillarythemovie.com

it's definitely worth a look. dick morris may hate hillary clinton, but he sure does not lie.

Steve LaBonne wrote on January 10, 2008 4:33 PM:

Huckabee is a slimeball. He richly deserves this. Sympathy for him is WAY misplaced.

Michael A wrote on January 10, 2008 4:34 PM:

I actually didn't know about the clinton tie in. That's really, really disgusting. I still stand by my prior comments though. This is pathetic. Keith is right, why does this type of stuff play in south carolina?

Marc wrote on January 10, 2008 4:37 PM:

That is a really disturbing ad. I think it's fair to criticize him for a lack of good judgement in giving in to the nutso Clinton haters in Arkansas and pushing for Dumond's release, but this ad acts like Huckabee drove the guy to Carol Sue Shields' house to rape her. I mean putting their pictures side by side?

The GOP eats its own once again. Whatever happened to that 11th comandment stuff?

RJP3 wrote on January 10, 2008 4:38 PM:

HURRAH !
This is a great ad.

This man released a violent rapist from prison for POLITICAL REASONS.

He is SCUM and his poor judgement is 100% responsible for Sue's death.

He listened to ANTI-CLINTON Christianist ministers who wanted the rapist let out early because his victim was a cousin of Bill Clinton. It does not get sicker than this and this crowed.

Who is ever is smearing this anti-secular Christianist with this TRUTHFUL advertisment is a hero whatever their (corporate one world Republican establishment) agenda.

JGabriel wrote on January 10, 2008 4:40 PM:

Dan D:

"Huck working to free Dumond is utterly indefensible."

Yes, that brings up another point, another reason that this attack is fair.

The Horton ad was based on a furlough program. It didn't involve Dukakis's personal judgement, or any active decision to personally intervene on Horton's behalf.

Huckabee, by all accounts, actively sought and supported Dumond's release, going so far as to override his own parole board and pardoning committee to grant Dumond's pardon.

In other words, it's not some incident that occured as a tragic anomaly in an otherwise successful program, but one that occurred as a direct consequence of Huckabee's *personal* intervention.

Despite the irony I noted above, the GOP would be damned fools not to attack Huckabee on this issue before the general election, because if he gets that far the Democrats surely will.

Michael A wrote on January 10, 2008 4:41 PM:

Hey crys, I'm not a clinton fan and I am sure not interested in that stupid movie. However, to claim that dick morris does not lie is really beyond the pale. Come on, enough already.

RobbyLove wrote on January 10, 2008 4:45 PM:

Didn't Dumond claim he'd discovered Jesus in prison and was a believer, and that's one of the reasons Huckleberry wanted him paroled?

mcc wrote on January 10, 2008 4:46 PM:

I would be very much in favor of attention called to Huckabee's involvement in the Dumond case, but I am disturbed that we don't know who's funding this.

CT Voter wrote on January 10, 2008 4:49 PM:

People have asked "Why does this work in South Carolina"? Hey, don't be so unkind to South Carolinians. This ad will work everywhere.

And let's find out who's behind it.

I think it's a brutal ad, and I deplore it, but honestly, I'd have to work hard to gin up righteous indignation on behalf of any Republican--they've been sticking it to Dems for so long with these kinds of attacks that it's sort of amusing to see them turn on their own.

Addison wrote on January 10, 2008 4:51 PM:

This ad has been around for over a month. It was on YouTube for quite a while (or at least I saw it during the first week of December last year). So I am guessing the person who made it is running it with donated funds...

rational wrote on January 10, 2008 4:54 PM:

This ad is not a big deal compared to the Swift Boat. They managed to cast doubt on a vietnam war hero's honorably won medals (issued by the US Navy) using "free speech" as cover.

what about the dog wrote on January 10, 2008 4:57 PM:

I think if they ran an ad about the dog torture, and how Huckabee got his son off whould be a good ad as well.

That is unless you think it is ok to torture dogs.

Annette wrote on January 10, 2008 4:57 PM:

I think it is a fair criticism. For those of you unfamiliar with this case, Huck was listening to right-wing bloggers and radio-hosts who were saying that Dumond was a "political prisoner" due to the fact the 17 year old cheerleader was a distant cousin of Bill Clinton.

Huck brought Dumond out to score some political points. The info is out there...

The Facilitatrix wrote on January 10, 2008 4:58 PM:

What's this about?

I followed the link for Victims Voice and looked at their About page. They have this:

Blogroll

* Drudge Report
* Arkansas Times Blog
* Huffington Post
* DailyKos
* National Review

The post with the video is the one and only post they have on the site.

Phillip wrote on January 10, 2008 5:01 PM:

This ad looks like it has been funded by the Republican establishment. They are scared of Huckabee. He is off message by being a populist....

kaspian wrote on January 10, 2008 5:01 PM:

Michael A. -- If you're interested, it was a Huff Post reporter who broke this story about how the impetus for Dumond's release originated among anti-Clinton Arkansas Republicans, then spread through the red-hot right-wing circles of the day (this was back in the 90s, remember).

Huckabee came in fairly late in the game, but of course his involvement proved decisive.

I agree that this makes the topic fair game in this particular context. We can be thankful the GOP is willing to have this fight "over there," so we don't have to raise the subject on our side in the general election, should this rube get the nod.

ArkPanda wrote on January 10, 2008 5:03 PM:

Where's the TV money coming from? The original video has been claimed by an Arkansas man who said he made it with some friends, which is certainly possible. But running on TV during the debates takes serious cash. That's the big question.

Amit Joshi wrote on January 10, 2008 5:03 PM:

Strange comments, above. Me, I found the ad very touching. That poor lady, I can't imagine how painful this must be for her.

Huckabee is an evil tool. Bad enough that he released Dumond just to stick it to Clinton. Even worse that he's now been spinning his sorry ass over this. The least he owes the family of Dumond's victim is to come clean and apologize.

CT Voter wrote on January 10, 2008 5:04 PM:

One other comment: how's he going to defend himself? He can only say "I didn't push for his parole" and then the snake will come leaping out of the can o'nuts....He can't say that only vicious enemies would put this ad on, because then more people will want to see the ad...he can't say this is being blown out of proportion because someone died. What's he going to say?

That he looked into the case, believed that Dumond had truly rehabilitated himself, and that's why he thought he should get paroled early? Then that raises the question of his judgment...

Huh. I'm interested in the reaction from the Huckabee campaign. He has to respondo somehow.

jalbert wrote on January 10, 2008 5:13 PM:

"They're going to show Democrats how it's done."

And then they're going to do it to the Democrats come election time. They're just warming up.

Tom wrote on January 10, 2008 5:15 PM:

I'm sure Huckabee will whine about 527s attacking him, but this ad points out why Huckabee can never be President.

Anonymous wrote on January 10, 2008 5:20 PM:

McCain is behind this! I have no proof, but so what? Anything to stop the Saint, the GOP's only hope. Well, except for Hillary.

Keith wrote on January 10, 2008 5:30 PM:

CT Voter:

How he (Huckabee) handles this will be interesting. As for my earlier question, it just seems that every election cycle this type of ad gets rolled out in South Carolina (at least first). Just curious as to why the political operatives choose it, instead of say California.

pseudonymous in nc wrote on January 10, 2008 5:40 PM:

Well, this may be putting the 'club' in Club For Growth.

MadamPince wrote on January 10, 2008 5:42 PM:

Sorry, but telling the truth -- and this truth IS brutal -- is NOT "negative campaigning." Not only did Huckabee intervene DIRECTLY in this case, as several commenters have pointed out above, but this is only ONE of the times he intervened inappropriately. See: http://www.salon.com/opinion/conason/2007/12/14/huckabee/index.html?source=rss&aim=/opinion/conason

Moreover, just a little research on Huckabee and ethics will show that good ol' Huck isn't quite what he claims to be. Bringing these things to light is legitimate. We all hate distorted campaign tactics and downright lies. But well-documented truths about candidates are precisely what voters are supposed to get, even when those truths are horrible to hear.

Michael A wrote on January 10, 2008 5:58 PM:

Well, that salon piece isn't good and this guy sounds like a huge problem. I still don't like the ad, but the info is not good at all. The salon article kind of cuts against the clinton tie in above. He sounds like a loonie in the article bent on freeing prisoners that were "saved." Me thinks, this guy will not get the republican nomination. I just hope its mitt the flip.

JGabriel wrote on January 10, 2008 5:59 PM:

Keith

How he (Huckabee) handles this will be interesting.

Huck will claim it's a lie, and that he had little to do with the decision, if his past comments are any guide.

Since it's pretty well documented, though, his supporters - who are about 50-60% evangelical/fundamentalist - will have to decide whether to the preacher or their lying.

I suppose that could provide some amusing episodes of cognitive dissonance.

Anonymous wrote on January 10, 2008 6:03 PM:

CT Voter and others:

This ad already ran, I think back in December not long before Christmas (that's why it's about Christmas and the mother of the victim puts the ornament on the tree), and Huckabee already explained himself, although entirely unconvincingly in my opinion.

If I recall correctly, he blamed it all on the parole board who formally let Dumond out, but the parole board all told the Arkansas newspapers at the time that the only reason they did it was b/c they knew that Huckabee wanted them to do so. I think some of them wanted to retain their paid positions on the parole board, and one either got reappointed or got appointed to some other position by Huckabee shortly afterward, giving the appearance of a conflict of interest or some sort of quid pro quo. Huckabee had a meeting with them where they say Huckabee advocated for Dumond's release but Huckabee claims he did not do so directly. Read the Huffington Post articles, they explain the whole thing in massive detail.

Frankly, I'm shocked that the ad didn't work the first time around and push Huckabee out of the race in Iowa. Maybe it didn't run enough. Maybe they have bigger donors now.

Richard L. Adlof wrote on January 10, 2008 6:08 PM:

Phillip,

Huckleberry is a populist?

Huckabee is a fascist Rapturarian Paulite who attacks other candidates' faiths through third parties while claiming piety.

Huckabee preaches that dieting will solve all of America's problems including healthcare, bad ecomony and homelessness.

Huckabee's platform is 'Vote for me or Chuck Norris will kick you in the head'.

Where is the populist?

opulent wrote on January 10, 2008 6:12 PM:

Wow.
Is this ever a powerful ad.
Hucklebee would not get my vote after seeing this.

This ad is a killer.

I wonder who the GOP wants to head their ticket cause I can't even imagine the evangelicals going for this.

The subtext of Christmas being Christ's birthday was also a powerful subliminal message aimed at Christians as well.

Who would miss this mother celebrating Jesus' birthday without her own child their with her.

It was a heart/gut wrenchingly negative ad.

Bye bye huck

LongTom wrote on January 10, 2008 6:22 PM:

If anything, this ad downplays Huckabee's culpability and cynicism. He was under pressure from right wing groups to release Dumond because the girl Dumond was convicted of raping was a relative of Bill Clinton.

Huckabee is a piece of shit. This isn't remotely like Willie Horton. Dukakis had never heard of Willie Horton, and the program Horton was in when he escaped was established by Francis Sargent, a previous REPUBLICAN governor.

Where is the outrage wrote on January 10, 2008 6:32 PM:

ok, lets suppose Chelsea Clinton

tortures a dog.

The sherriff is about to press charges,
at which point then governor Clinton intercedes and gets Chelsea off and tries to cover up the "episode".
Do you thing the media would go absolutely ape shit if they found out ? -
of course they would.

Well it wasn't Chelsea -
but it was Hucckabees son -
and Huckabee did get him off and did try to cover it up.

So why the double standard?
cmon main stream media!!!!!!!

Jazzylady wrote on January 10, 2008 7:21 PM:

I call him MurderbyproxyMike, a man who used the system to free criminals who committed more crimes or who simply disappeared. No one can convince me that he didn't release Dumond because of who he was associated.

Anonymous wrote on January 10, 2008 7:31 PM:

I bet Huckabee gets fat again after he loses this race.

anon wrote on January 10, 2008 10:43 PM:

Dumond was an error and/or a political ploy. The Huffington piece reports that victims previously attacked by Dumond lobbied Huckabee to keep him in prison. One of these victim reports that Huckabee questioned her ability to identify Dumond. (This is not as crazy as it sounds: there have been incorrect good faith identifications in rape cases as shown by DNA.) Huckabee forced the Parole board to let Dumond out on Parole by implying that he would out right pardon Dumond if they didn't.

Huckabee had a pattern of personally considering all applications for pardon and granting quite a number of them. Essentially he claimed that he was trying to treat these least of us the way you would want your own child treated (some irony here.) He tried to keep his decision criteria quiet so that the applicants couldn't cater to it. He was concerned about unequal and unfair treatment in the court system, unequal penalties, and whether or not the felon had reformed. He seems to have leaned rather heavily on religious repentance in deciding the latter -- so in practice it was probably almost the existence of a religious test. Sometimes he would listen to victim's families who wished to talk to him, sometimes not. An aide of his said that he had found that the victims families were torn up by the procedure regardless of whether they got to talk to the Governor.

So it is unclear whether Dumond was a callous political pander or a gullibility as to reform or a law of averages mistake if you are willing to take a chance on pardoning people.

With few exceptions such as Dumond there was little or no political gain from Huckabee's practice and great political risk. I find that I admire Huckabee's polical courage shown his willingness to take the risk of pardoning those who he believed deserved it. I do so particuarly when I contrast this with those politicians who were willing to see someone executed who probably should not have been by the criteral of the capital punishment systemif it would advance their politcal career. I oppose capital punishment but you have to have life long incarceration for people such as Dumond.

Anonymous wrote on January 11, 2008 12:05 AM:

Haha, Huckleberry is a goddamn fool.

News Nag wrote on January 11, 2008 1:44 AM:

Michael A:

What would be pathetic is if Huckabee had managed to successfully hide his abominable political behavior and broken instincts (and warped compassion).

What would be pathetic is if Huckabee could continue to pretend to be a good Christian and simultaneously try to shift the blame for the parole elsewhere.

What is pathetic is that Huckabee has never performed a true contrition in this matter, and, not only that, but today actually denies that he did what he did, which was to personally persuade the pardons board to release Dumond.

What would be pathetic is if such a pathetic phony and serial liar - about matters of suffering, life, and death - such as Huckabee would gain higher office by people refraining from telling the truth about him.

What also is pathetic is when people (if the shoe fits) don't know how pathetic they are when they think important information like this is denied to the public.

Love,
News Nag

johnny drama wrote on January 11, 2008 3:52 AM:

The problem with the ad is that governors make mistakes sometimes. I'm sure others have done similar things.

The difference here is the reason that Huckabee advocated for his release, the Clinton factor and the found Jesus factor.

But noone's going to mention Clinton in an ad like this, and nobodys going to go after Huckabee's religion.

So you end up with an ad that doesn't tell the real story.

The scariest part about Huckabee that he probably does believe that if somebody finds Jesus, it washes away the most henous of crimes.

Wake Up wrote on January 11, 2008 2:29 PM:

The REAL story is that Huckabee pardoned people including Dumond if money was contributed to one of his many funds.

The Truth Will Set You Free wrote on January 12, 2008 4:28 PM:

Hey Huckabee. . . .

At least have the courage to stand up, face the truth about this situation & own up to it. Instead, you make excuses, pass the buck, lie & deceive in an attempt to try to cover it up. For political gain? To cover your butt? You're seriously pathetic to say the least.

Don't forget. . . .God (Who you claim to know & profess) knows the truth about the situation. You won't pull the wool over His eyes no matter what kind of lies you tell or excuses you make.

Some people who DESPERATELY want to believe that your "hands are clean" in this situation may in fact be blindly sucked into the cowardly lies & deception. However, I can promise you that the Lord isn't persuaded or moved from the truth by your political speak (forked tongue) nor is anyone out there with an ounce of discernment who's willing to look at the facts.

It's my sincere hope that many of your "followers" will wake up, smell the coffee & vote for somebody else.

Hayjade wrote on January 13, 2008 1:29 AM:

Here is a link to another story which gives some insight into this hucksters character. This is a petty, thin-skinned, dishonorable man.Please cut your losses and move on people, there are much better conservatives in the race!!
http://www.newsweek.com/id/78241

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