FOX NH GOP Debate: Mitt vs. Huck
By Nicole Belle Sunday Jan 06, 2008 2:01pm
Download | play 
Download | play (h/t David)
Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney must be feeling very nervous going into the New Hampshire primary. First he lost to Huckabee in Iowa after outspending him by a significant margin, and now he is falling in the polls in NH as Huckabee is rising as well, though McCain still leads both. Clearly feeling a little feisty, Mitt decided to wrest control of the debate from moderator Chris Wallace and go on the attack over the great Republican bogeyman of taxation. Not sure that Romney actually did as well as he would hope because Huckster did get in a good dig right back:
MR: Now let me go back to the question that I’ve asked you, that you’ve refused to answer three times: did you raise taxes—net—in Arkansas by $500 million dollars?
MH: By a court order that said we had to improve education…maybe, maybe you don’t have to obey the court in Massachusetts. I did in Arkansas. And you know something? Education is a good thing for kids….
MR: I agree..
MH: …because kids like me wouldn’t be sitting here if it weren’t for education.
CW: Perhaps I should break in here. This reminds me of Admiral Stockdale, who asked ‘who am I?’ and ‘why am I here?’…
For what it's worth, at the Iowa debates the previous night, there was almost unilateral disapproval when the candidates took personal shots at one another. Ah heck, what does it matter? At least Mitt looked good.
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A graph of the 2008 Presidential candidates net worth in which a picture of each candidate is sized relative to their wealth.
Don‘t miss the rant that follows the pics and links
http://thememlingindex.com/2008_presidential_candidates_net_worth_graph....
Tax Cuts-Terror
These debates are putting me to sleep.
Ya'll really need to post some of the post debate video. Fox News was so transparently pro-Romney it isn't even funny. Frank Luntz's focus group was just hilarious. I think that even the most Fox brainwashed Republican would admit that they were cheerleading for Romney.
Sitemonitor: Did you try scrolling down the page? We have a post on Luntz up.
patrick @ 4:
The medias shifting back and forth to whatever gets the most eyeballs.
Hillary Tears is the hot one today.
"raised fees" - Is this newspeak for raising taxes?
"net net" - wtf? is he from the department of redundancy department?
can you believe the regs even have a chance? truly amazing .
So which is Injun Joe?
Enough with the debates. By now we know what the candidate will say better than they do. If you put the intelligence of everyone running on the repub ticket into a pile, it would not match that of any one of the dem. candidates.
I feel sorry for the moderate republicans, if there is such a thing. I mean just look who they have to choose from. It's pitiful.
D-oh! I see the Luntz thing up now.
I really wish someone would publish what the Fox News marching orders were. I bet it would be hilarious to read.
Wow. I had no idea that Huckabee hated Romney so much. Those looks. Yeow.
MH: …because kids like me wouldn’t be sitting here if it weren’t for education.
Oh, sure, blame the schools.
Actually, it would have been nice -- and more precise -- if Huck had said "public education," which most free-market Repukes abhor.
Preacher Wars.
Fox Sux.
-G
Candidates making stupid charges sadly isn't limited to the Republican side.
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/01/clinton-slams-o.html
I say, sit back, pop in a movie (grab some popcorn) and enjoy the repugs go down in flames.
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/01/07/6221/
Here is a story of a REAL hero fighting against the terrorists!
And here in safe, blog world...you pathetic americans talking about how evil their own government is, all the while doing absolutely nothing to stop the madness...while at the same time, trying so depirately to foist that same system down the throats of the rest of the world. Doing absolutely nothing to stop your own attrocities.
How long has your state sponsored killing spree in Iraq been going on for?
You are all guilty with the blood of innocents on your hands...just as the germans were for what their govenrment did in their names.
Iraq needs more REAL patriots like the gentleman in the story. Many many more. He is a hero, and should be given a medal!
Every american terrorist that dies in Iraq, DESERVES to die in Iraq.
I thought the better dig was Saturday night. Romney said something like, "You're mischaracterizing my position on issue XXX." Huckabee said "Which one."
O.T.
The sliming of Barak Obama's church has begun.
http://www.newsmax.com/kessler/?s=al&promo_code=4274-1
<>
Fox News and Frank Luntz are caught on video using the same focus group
person in the New Hampshire debate last night as the Florida debate in
September.
I guess these unaffiliated undecided Republican focus group voters tool
around the country with Fox waiting to be a part of the next focus
group. Hmmm... Nothing suspicious here... Move along...
To see, watch the video at:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=KrpES1Lk7X4
Johnny!
Just to think of any one of these guys being president for four years gives me an upset stomach.
We have Rudy the "protector" with the bug eyed expressions. He's running tons of ads on Fox news and in one of those ads it shows a still of his face with his eyes normal and his mouth closed. I didn't recognize him at first.
We have Huck who is so fu*king stupid that he thinks Chuck (whoever the hell he is) Norris will help his campaign.
We have Mitt, who knows how to squeeze money out of his own pocket to try to buy his way into the white house.
Then there is Funky old grand pa, McCain. Who apparently was the only POW to be rescued alive from a Vietnam prison. He says crazy things but because he was once a POW we just try to ignore the fact that due to age or something he has lost his mind.
Finally the other Funky old grand pa, Fred. Fred is too tired to run for president so he would appreciate it if someone would just hand him the keys to the oval office.
I'd love to see Huck raise taxes while in office when he "promised" to eliminate all of them across the board and replace them with a flat tax on all goods. No problem for Huck, he will just hike that flat tax to 50% or higher. Huckabee must be taking his tax strategies from the likes of Hugo Chavez.
I can barely watch the democrats posturing.
Thanks for watching the republicans...
i am a evolution-positive, science-loving, equality preachin, agnostic type of guy, who would never--in a bajillion years--vote for mike huckabee....
that said, if my only other choice was mitt omni-position, i would vote for huck.
i am not sure who scares me more mitt or rudy. one thing is for certain, these guys would fit right in with the einstazgruppen. their ahistorical rants, their i-can-torture-better-than-pol pot, their pandering, their duplicity, their anger, their militancy, and their ideological certitude of the fictional "free" market are all truly horrifying.
Mitt blew it, should have come back with
"the courts also didn't send me anyone to execute"
oh well, maybe next time.
I forgot about Duncan Hunter when I made my list above, but I don't think I'm the only one who has forgotten about him.
I wonder what first word(s) pops into a foreign leader's head when they look at those two. My guess would be: Huckabee-stupid or a fool. Romney-easily bribed or greed.
this is such garbage. the new style of presidential campaigning thats in vogue is to "run a positive campaign" because "negative advertising doesnt work." and all huckabee and romney do on this "forum" or whatever the hell you wanna call it, (I call it free face-time for republican candidates), is bicker and argue over each other's voting records on and try their best to make each other look bad. Also, the framing of these questions kills me. FoxNews bar reads "Who has 'stronger' stance on national security?" Roughly translated, whos the guy who will steer us headlong into another war? Nonsense.
MS @ 13:
Still, I would of thought a body slam would of been more interesting....
Onslow @ 1:
Thats the funniest thing ive seen all week.
Jeez, we have about nine and a half more months of this. I'm not sure I can take it.
MS @ 13:
Sissy slap fights?
'Mitt' vs. 'Huck' is a presidential debate?
I can't wait to see 'Daffy' and 'The Dipsh*t' go tooth and nail for the Vice-Presidency.
Joementum @ 12:
Which Repukes have said they don't like public education?
Some of them have stated they want the federal government out of public education, but that isn't the same as saying they abhor public education in general.
who cares what they really say ... a huckster preacher, mr. 911, a used car salesman, and sleeping ugly, and bamboo boy... they are all wrong just vote for some demo that will at least throw you a bone, not to one that just promises one ...
Joe O. @ 22:
"Forget about your algebra and calculus
you can always do your homework on the morning bus
Can't tell a verb from a noun
They're the nicest kids in town"
/s
Not for anything, but those tax increases brought Arkansas out of the dark ages where they sat side by side with Mississippi. Arkansas was at the bottom of the barrel when it came to education, at least now they have half a chance to improve their wage earning capacity. It is deceiving to pull out a figure in tax hikes, when the two states in question, MA and AK are worlds apart in everything from infant mortality to healthcare, from education, to per capita income. Low education = slow economic growth. A uneducated workforce is no workforce at all.
.
I rather liked it when these two Governors bragged about being Christians and who put the most people to death in their state.
.
I'll bet 'god's' throwing the dice to decide between these two.
And I'll bet he loads them so neither 'Mitt' nor 'Huck' wins.
Hey Mitt, what do you say we find some common ground? Errrr.... flowers are pretty?
Ah, just a minute, Huck, when most folks talk about 'education' they don't put the word 'bible' before it, and they generally want folks to read more than one book.
Among intelligent folk you would not be considered 'educated', so don't blame your misfortunes on 'education'.
And if you think you were created by a 'designer', he was definitely not an 'intelligent' one, unless he was drunk or stoned out of his mind when he worked on you.
Preacher Boob @ 39:
'God does not play dice.'
- Albert Einstein
It will be deliberate and swift, like hammers from the sky falling on their heads or turning Chuck Norris loose on 'em.
I thought Huckabee looked like a clone of Bush when he would not answer Romney's question. Bush never answers any of the reporters questions asked but the media never get to go back and challenge him. When Romney kept repeating the question, Huckabee still refused to just answer it and looked like the opposite of what he is trying to portray himself as. Also when he tried the other putdown of ROmney by saying that Chris is the moderator etc., he looked like a petulant little kid. Sorry, but Huckabee doesn't always show he is the kind mild mannered minister type and that debate showed a couple of moments he is just as coniving as all the rest. I still wish if he is so boastful of all the places he has visited and of all his experience, maybe they could ask him if Canada got their igloo over our Parliament Buildings straightened out since he seemed to believe it so easily when originally asked.
the ozone layer is being destroyed from Mitt's Aqua Net hairspray usage. Think of the planet you fake ass Reagan
Oh no he's asked me 3 times!
How many smug asshat Repugs does it it take to answer a question?
Nicole,
I think you are one of the best bloggers on the web. (Observant, Incisive, pertinent, important, and often not duplicated elsewhere). I think you may have meant "unanimous" as opposed to "unilateral". Please don't burn-out and leave us. I'm certain my thoughts are not unilateral.
JK
Mitt looks like a petulant schoolgirl. Huck came off better, spookily enough. But the only hard conclusion I can draw from this is that Chris Wallace is a slimy sack of shit.
He really should be fired. In the words of John Stewart, "Stop hurting America."
eek! Mitt's got him on debating skills. Huckabee should have said the court order about education right from the start.
and yes, chris wallace is the worst of the worst of the worst.
Chris Wallace is a joke and a dumbass. That was nowhere near an Admiral Stockdale moment. I'm old enough to remember that moment, and to suggest that this exchange somehow resembled Admiral Stockdale's comments is totally off the mark. WTF did Wallace mean? Can someone please inform me?
Go Miitt! I would love to see Mitt as the nominee...to get easily trounced by the dem.
Gotta love Guiliani's cynical laugh always creeping in.
Controversial Book Blows Lid Off Romney’s “Soft Secrecy” Campaign
Revelation Press’s New Book Fans the Flames Ignited by Sunday’s New York Times Article: “What Is It About Mormonism?”
Washington DC, January 8, 2008: On Sunday, the New York Times Magazine published Noah Feldman’s hard-hitting article that tore back the curtains on what Feldman calls the “Soft Secrecy” that has shrouded the Mormon Church for more than 50 years. This soft secrecy has let the Mormon Church appear to assimilate into mainstream Christianity while preserving their own secret, controversial beliefs, secrecy that protects Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney’s Presidential campaign.
By publishing this revealing expose of Mormon beliefs and the Mormon’s organized secrecy, (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/06/magazine/06mormonism-t.html?_r=1&oref=...) Feldman – a contributing New York Times writer, a Harvard law professor and adjunct senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations – legitimized what the Mormons, and Romney, have long tried to stigmatize … the public exploration of the controversial tenets of the Mormon faith.
Among the key points that Feldman made is the struggle that the Mormon Church has made to assimilate into the American religious community without revealing to mainstream America their own beliefs. As Feldman wrote: “Faced with the allegation that they do not believe in the same God as ordinary Protestants, or that their beliefs are not truly Christian, Mormons find themselves in an extraordinarily awkward position. They cannot defend themselves by expressly explaining their own theology, because, taken from the standpoint of orthodox Protestantism in America today, it is in fact heterodox.
“What is more,” Feldman continued, “what began as a strategy of secrecy to avoid persecution has become over the course of the 20th century a strategy of minimizing discussion of the content of theology in order to avoid being treated as religious pariahs.”
“This well-reported and strongly-substantiated article has paved the way for the release of my own book, ‘Mitt – Set Our People Free!’ (http://www.therevelationpress.com),” according to author Michael D. Moody who, like his college fraternity brother and Mormon Bishop Mitt Romney, is a seventh-generation Mormon. “The very beliefs Noah Feldman illustrated – especially their sacred Mormon oaths – are in conflict with the Presidential oath of office. Mitt Romney swore these oaths when he assumed the mantle of Mormon Bishop, pledging him to follow unquestioningly the revelations of their Mormon President and “Living Prophet.” They believe he talks directly with Jesus Christ, who commands His followers through this Prophet.
“Should Romney become U.S. President,” Moody explained, “his oaths create an inevitable conflict of interest. Just as an Army private is not free to question his General’s orders – and does so only at the risk of a dishonorable discharge – Mormons such as Mitt Romney question their Living Prophet’s revelations and edicts only at risk of excommunication. This penalty is unthinkable to any faithful Mormon – and in Romney’s December 6th speech, he swore to remain faithful to his religion.
“As Noah Feldman pointed out,” Moody pointed out, “since the days of founding Prophet Joseph Smith, Mormons have held their secrets close – including their ‘White Horse Prophecy:’ one day a Mormon leader will literally ride in to save the U.S. Constitution – and to transform America into the base for the institution of a world-wide Mormon theocracy. Since his college days, when I was Mitt’s fraternity brother at Brigham Young University,” Moody said, “Mitt’s made it clear to his intimates that he was pre-ordained to fulfill this prophecy, to become the Mormon President who would save our Constitution and transform America as Joseph Smith prophesied.
“Romney’s sworn commitment to the Living Prophet,” Moody said, “as well as his adherence to the belief that he was the leader chosen to transform America, is why Mitt Romney – while a skilled leader and very likable man – finds himself in a conflict he can’t resolve. His sacred Mormon oaths both precede and supersede the President’s oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution. Given that choice, any faithful Mormon would have to put his family and his Church first, which is something that no U.S. President can afford to do,” Moody concluded.
The release of Moody’s book, “Mitt – Set Our People Free!,” which followed so closely on Noah Feldman’s landmark New York Times article, has legitimized America’s first close political look behind the hazy curtain of what Feldman called the Mormon’s half-century of “soft secrecy” that has hidden details of their beliefs even as they have inserted themselves into the American religious mainstream. Moody’s controversial book closes the loop on Romney’s dilemma.
Moody’s book, “Mitt – Set Our People Free!,” (ISBN 978-0-615-18560-6) is available at www.revelationpress.com later this week on Amazon.com, and can be ordered through all major retail bookstores.
Media only: Mike Moody, a former TV broadcaster, is available for guest appearances and interviews– contact Daryl Toor: 404-483-8222 or dtoor@attentiongroup.com or Ned Barnett: 702-696 -1200 or ned@barnettmarcom.com.
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