Smart Like Huckabee

A reader writes:

My initial reaction to that ad was probably similar to yours: yes, we know Mike, you are a Christian. The Christian candidate. The conservative candidate who is an authentic Christian. In other words it got my hackles up.

My second reaction, though, is that this could be quite effective. People in that part of the country, especially Republicans from there, are probably not too worried about this. Coming from neighboring South Dakota, I know that a liberal view of religious neutrality (in the classical sense) doesn’t seem to be the analytical framework through which people view this. The problem isn’t that most people don’t agree with our separation of church and state (I think they basically do–at least a lot of them), but I don’t think that this thought will be triggered by the ad. I think they will see it more like, hey, he’s wishing me a Merry Christmas, and isn’t that what’s really important this time of year? Moreover, after being inundated for months with political ads, it gently mocks all of the other ads. This might prove effective. It uses that anti-politician sentiment that has built up (as well as frustration and unhappiness with the Republican Party generally among Republicans) to distance Huckabee from all of that and put him on the right side of things. Pretty smart ad buy, I’d say.

“Tried And True”

A reader writes:

With respect to your post on Mark Levin’s description of torture techniques opposed by McCain: Note that the definition (from http://www.m-w.com) contains an element of not just efficacy but also moral merit:

: proved good, desirable, or feasible : shown or known to be worthy <a tried–and–true sales technique>

Desirable, huh? I used to think, in the ’80s, that people who supported, e.g., the Argentine Junta did so despite their human rights abuses. Now I think they did so, on some level, because the Junta was manly enough to torture people.

This is now mainstream American conservatism.

Huckaspin

Some Cornerites worry they may be shooting their wad too soon:

These past couple of weeks, I’ve been of two minds about Mike Huckabee. Mind number one: We’ve all been too hard on him. As conservatives, we’re meant to display a certain humility before the judgment of the voters, I reasoned, and the good people of Iowa have seen one whole heck of a lot more of Mike Huckabee (and of Mitt Romney) than has any blogger on this happy Corner (with the single exception of Byron York). And if Iowa Republicans like what they see in Huckabee, we ought to make good and sure we understand just what that is before permitting ourselves too terribly many denigrating snickers at his expense.

But Robinson is nonetheless appalled by Huckabee’s criticism of Bush’s war policy. And that counts more – if you’re still in Washington.

O Frabjous Day!

Jonah Goldberg’s party might be dragging citizens off the street, incarcerating them without charges for four years and torturing them (if you haven’t heard of Jose Padilla, you’ve been reading too much NRO), they might have suspended habeas corpus indefinitely, they might be wire-tapping your phone without warrants, they may be claiming presidential authority to ignore laws and treaties … but the real fascism can be found in:

a female grade school teacher with an education degree from Brown or Swarthmore.

Be afraid.

Face Of The Day

Ancalexanderjoegetty

Supporters of African National Congress (ANC) deputy President Jacob Zuma are reshowing their support to their candidate on the second day of the ANC 52nd National Congress in Polokwane, 17 December 2007. Jacob Zuma, sacked by Mbeki as deputy head of state in 2005, is the hot favorite to overthrow the incumbent in a move which would severely dent the president’s authority in his last two years as head of state. By Alexander Joe/AFP/Getty.

What’s Wrong With Publishing

Andrew Wylie (full disclosure: my agent for 20 years) , tells it like it is:

"The key point in the business is that the investment is made in the wrong areas in the business, and I think that quality — which is more valuable over time — has been undervalued, and quantity — which is less valuable over time — has been overvalued. And I think this is a reaction to the dominance of the influence of the chains. In England right now, this is a catastrophe. The retail side is leading the business by the nose, and publishers have not reacted with sufficient strength, and they should have. And so the business in England is just in the tank basically."