More on Huck and Romney

Romney Attacks Huckabee on Crime


Romney attacks Huckabee on Immigration

Here are the first attack ads of the Republican Presidential Primary, (if you don't count McCain's push poll calling in Iowa) and they may undermine Huck's lead in Iowa. In a state where the caucus-goers are focusing on immigration and crime, it will remain to be seen if Huck's support is truly based on issues and his elect ability or just an emotional (and religious) response to Huckabee's Evangelical background. By the way, I'm sorry for ripping on Huck so badly, but his surge in Iowa complicates the Republican primary and would ensure a Democrat (Hillary?) in the White House. Huck's soft stance on crime, immigration, and yes, foreign policy place Huck at the top of the Democrat's Christmas Wish List. Again, I am rather reluctantly supporting Romney, but his managerial skills are beyond peer. Beyond the Salt Lake City Olympic "Miracle," Romney's work in Massachusetts is admirable. The issue with Romney is that he is so intelligent, he has a JD/MBA from Harvard, that he often speaks above his audience and plays semantics that confuse the common voter. For example, in Massachusetts, he promised not to raise taxes, ad did not. However, specific use fees were raised significantly, leading to the criticism by some that Romney raised taxes by applying broad-based "fees" that worked as taxes. Romney's explanation on Meet the Press may have made sense to the members of a Senate hearing and those thoroughly involved in politics, but to the average voter, he looked much like Kerry in the 2004 Presidential Election, attempting to hide wide policy preference changes under the guise of misunderstanding. On the other side, the endorsements of Robert Bork and Bob Jones show that Romney may be able to appeal to a broader conservative audience. Hope may not be gone for Romney though, if he loses Iowa, where in some polls he now trails Huck by 10 points. By portraying himself as tough on crime and willing to take a stand, he may be able to close the gap in South Carolina, hold onto New Hampshire, and eek out a win in Michigan. The loss to Huck in Iowa may be but a speed bump on the way to a Romney win. The question is whether Romney waited too long to break his plastic mold.