Posted by
Sheila J Murphy on Friday, February 01, 2008 5:59:04 PM
On the eve of Super Tuesday, I find myself feeling sympathy for Huckabee supporters. They're nice, sincere people as a rule, largely driven by deep religious belief. They see their candidate as a charismatic leader. They cannot see that he is now wearing a new hat- that of the ambitious politician. They truly believe that their leader is an innocent victim at the hands of negative attacks. Yes, Mitt Romney did put out contrast ads. But these ads focused only on issues, whether you liked them or not, and never on the personal. Meanwhile via my home phone line I was consistently hammered by very personal, vicious anti-Romney attack calls. They questioned Romney's patriotism, integrity, religion and personal authenticity while they told lies about his stands on various issues. And after savaging Romney they praised Huckabee and directed listeners to Huckabee websites. They were paid for by pro-Huckabee groups like Common Sense Issues. Huckabee just shrugs and says he can't control his supporters. How sad for this onetime man of God. Now, thanks to his political ambition , he has stood by and watched another good man trashed in his name and not so much as raised a hand. He, himself, has repeatedly and knowingly mischaracterized this same good man's stands on issues for political gain. I've grown to suspect that he has made a deal that will result in his own political advancement while his supporters end up in defeating the conservatism they thought they embodied. This is sad for this man and for the well-meaning people who support him.