Posted by
Dwayne Horner on Friday, December 14, 2007 2:46:56 AM
Bigotry goes both ways, and so does baiting the press to keep it alive. In what can easily be described as the most antagonistic week of campaigning for the '08 Republican nomination, faith and religion have begun to take center stage and only one candidate seems to want it to exit stage left. Or at least he has apologized for his words.
Mike Huckabee’s infamous question about whether or not Mormon’s believe Jesus and Satan where brothers drew the ire of Romney supporters and the candidate himself. So much so, Huckabee sought Mitt on the stage after the last debate and immediately apologized…ignoring the fact that Mormon Theologians have said that same thing in the past as well. So, end of story, right?
Not if you are Mitt Romney. In an interview in today's Dallas Morning News, Mitt Romney said "Governor
Huckabee will be a serious competitor in a heavily evangelical state
like Iowa, but I don't think long term he emerges as the major
challenge."
"Heavily evangelical state?" Where is the apology for saying, basically, the only reason the people of Iowa support Huckabee is because they share the same faith. Question: Who is now trying to bait a reporter into continuing to keep religion a part of the debate? Who is now over simplifying the race for President of the United States? Imagine if Mike Huckabee said, "Governor Romney will be a serious competitor in a heavily Mormon state like Utah, but I don't think long term he emerges as a major challenger." How long would it take to have the Bigot Label plastered on every blog in America?
Understand Romney did not make this statement before Huckabee's comment, but instead after his apology. Asked on the Today Show if he believed Huckabee was speaking in a coded language to
evangelicals, Romney said, “I don’t believe that the people of this
country are going to choose a person based on their faith and what
church they go to.” Apparently not when he makes a statement that says the only reason Huckabee is getting any support from voters is because they're choosing a man of the same faith.
Others can say that Hucakbee knew what he was doing when he spoke to the New York Times, hoping to bait the reporter. What's the difference between that and continuing to say that the only reason Huckabee is doing so well is because evangelicals don't know any better? There is no difference, which is Mitt Romney's surrogates should ask for him to apologize. They should demand it be done in the same expeditious manner for which Huckabee apologized. Nothing short of an apology is bigotry.
But it also shows a total lack of understanding for what is going on nationally by a man who wants to be the Republican Presidential Nominee. Right now, Huckabee is leading all candidates according to the Rasmussen Daily Tracking Poll. State by state, with the exception of New Hampshire, he is either first or second in the polls for states voting before Super Tuesday. That's just a fact, Mitt.
Bill Kristol said it best, "But I think there's an awful -- kind of a patronizing tone about the
Christian evangelicals and about Mike Huckabee. Mike Huckabee is second
in the national polls. He's not just popular in Iowa where there happen
to be, according to people inside the Beltway, a lot of wacky Christian evangelicals. Huckabee is rising everywhere. He has been a very good candidate. He's
not particularly my favorite. But you've got to give credit where
credit is due. He is running a heck of a campaign, and it's not just in
Iowa. He's second in every national poll since Thanksgiving. Romney's problem
is that he hasn't been able to rise in the national polls, though
spending about, what, 20 times more money than Mike Huckabee." Remember, Kristol said Huckabee isn't particularly his favorite. What's the old phrase, don't shoot the messenger. In this case, don't shoot the better campaigner. It's not his fault you haven't got the bank for your bucks.
That's the real issue here, isn't it? Romney has far outspent Huckabee and hasn't been able to see his national poll numbers rise. For a supposed very successful
successful businessman, he simply isn't getting much return on his investment. When you add in all the free publicity he gets from one well known west coast Talk Show Host, it makes it even worse.
So bottom line, when Romney continues to say "evangelical" he should be called to the carpet with the same accountability that Huckabee has forced to surrender to these last two weeks.