Personally, I see nothing wrong with this ad on its face. Huckabee is a Christian, and if he wants to use his campaign funds to wish America Merry Christmas, so be it – even if it’s probably not a genuine Christmas wish:
In fact, this ad is probably a more shrewd political move that you might think. You and I know there is no “War on Christmas”. That’s just silly. But all the talk about this ad from left leaning papers, Democrats – the controversy that is sure to come up over it – will certainly play into the irrational fearmongering by the right. They’ll see Huckabee as the person who’s not afraid, like so many candidates are, to come out and say “Happy Birthday, Jebus.” They’ll use the critical newspaper articles, blog posts, punditry, etc. to prove that there is a War.
On our side, we’d be much better off saying Huckabee has every right to air a commercial like this, and not give the right what they want. If you’re going to criticize the ad, do it by criticizing Huckabee’s obvious attempt to create a controversy using the partiarch of his religion.
You don’t think there’s a War on Christmas? Watch what happens when I do this ad!
He may be “Mr. Nice Guy,” but there’s no question in my mind that this is the motive.
Update: I already see this all over the morning news shows and newspapers. So yes, we’re playing right into it, aren’t we?
Mike Huckabee during the debate: “Jesus was too smart to run for public office.”
Mike Huckabee today: “Screw it! I’m recruiting him anyway!”
cleek
a.k.a., violating at least one of the commandments.
Jake
But Bildo Reilly already declared Victory in TWaC.
Leaving aside this “we” you’re talking about, do you think it would be possible not to “play right into it”? Assuming your premise is correct, let me tell you how it goes with assholes who think or pretend to think there’s a war on December 25th:
1. Mike runs this ad to show there’s a war on Jesus’ Birthday even though Dec 25th ain’t his birthday, and there is not one peep from the evil liberul MSM or blogs.
TWaC crowd says “ZOMG! They hate Jesus so much they won’t even acknowledge the ad!!
2. The ad gets some mention on the news (it is after all Christmas and sHuck is running for President) and the newscasters smile while telling the story (cos they smile during Christmas stories).
TWaC crowd: “ZOMG!! THEY’RE LAUGHING AT JESUS!1
And so on and so on. If they have to dig through the innertubes to find some obscure blog post that snarks on the ad they’ll be more than happy to say that represents the opinions of every single Librul Baby Jesus Hater in the world.
Get it? There is no action or inaction that these assholes won’t see as an ALL OUT ATTACK.
So fuck ’em if they can’t take a joke.
myiq2xu
Nothing in that ad should be controversial. Even though not everybody is a believer, Christmas is a religious holiday celebrating the birth of Christ.
Anyone who is offended by that commercial needs to go see a proctologist about having their stick removed.
But I still wouldn’t vote for Huckleberry.
Tom Shipley
He may be trying to stir up the left, but I think more to the point, he’s talking to those on the right who think the left will stone anyone who says Merry Christmas in public. To these people, this is a big F-U to the left by Huckabee. They’ll rally around it.
The most disdainful thing about this ad is when he says not everything has to be about politics, when this ad is most definitely a political move… and one can make the case exploits religion in the name of politics.
Just more proof that religion should be kept far away from politics.
STEVEinSC
The ad is calculating, cynical, and puts the lie to Huckabee’s projection of a kinder, gentler, conservative alternative to his opponents. Make no mistake, this asshole is used to the backstabbing world of state politics in a state that raises it to a fine art. Mike is correct, not answering it is by far the best course. The proper response is to keep the heat on about that fat, sadistic son of his. He’s hoping for a fight over religion because it helps him with the crowd he’s pandering to, the fundamentalists. He doesn’t give a shit if his own republicans (Villagers or Mormons) or the Dems do the tut-tuting, it accomplishes what he wants: The Iowa fundies flocking to defend baby jesus by voting for him. What a slimy, pistol packing, fucking hypocrite!
STEVEinSC
Let me mention another thing about the ad that puts the stamp on the cynicism. Normally at Christmas, the image of the cross is not used. It’s not on Christmas trees, not on door decorations, maybe as a cross-like star above the creche, but doing such a thing down here in fundie land elicits negative comments. The cross is a symbol for Easter, not Christmas.
Seanly
So if it’s all about little baby Jesus’ birthday, why does he have a big ole pagan tree behind him? Me so confused.
Here’s a much better ad:
Close of Huckabee’s face, background fuzzy. Says the same words, “blaa blaa blaa Jesus blaa blaa blaa birth of our Lord blaa blaa blaa”. As he’s finishing, the camera pulls back & focuses revealing that Huckabee is lieing in a manger! With Mary nearby (just close enough to get the Catholic votes, but not so close it frightens away the Baptists). Maybe his wife could play Mary & be sporting a big pistol. Joseph, the 3 Kings & Santa Claus are all nearby sipping on real eggnog. Huck’s son is also in the scene beating the animals with a 2×4.
Brilliant? Why yes! Sure not to offend.
curtadams
I don’t see anything objectionable about the ad. We have freedom of religion in this country, which means anybody can proselytize for their religion, including presidential candidates. Further, this is very soft-core proselytization. Airwaves in the South around Christmas are chock full of commercial ads very much like this from various companies. He is obviously Christian, and he can toot his religion’s horn as much as anybody.
There’s nothing in the ad questioning the separation of church and state, and nothing saying that law should be based on (cherry-picked) bible verses. While it’s possible Huckabee would push for these things, he’s not doing it in this ad, so considering this ad offensive is just paranoid.
Sam Hutcheson
While I suspect Micheal is right and that the Democrat’s best tactical response to this ad is to ignore it I tend to agree with Jake’s point that even that option isn’t going to mollify the WoXmas crowd. You don’t mollify neurotically obsessed victimization whores (and the political operatives who exploit them) with reason, no matter how reasonable your reason might be. These guys will find some offense because being the victim of that offense is what gives their lives meaning.
Elvis Elvisberg
In a smarter parallel universe, Christians would be upset to see a presidential candidate engage in this transparent abuse of Jesus’ name for political benefit. “Ceci n’est pas un ad (but vote for me anyway!) I like Jesus!”
It’s sad that people are so caught up in identity politics that they’ll instead take this as a sign that he’s On Their Side.
canuckistani
When a friend says “Merry Christmas” to me, I usually say Merry Christmas in return. But when Mike Huckabee, or any other demagogue says it, I hear “fuck you, atheist, and your Jew buddies too”. So fuck him, and his war on Christmas. Wouldn’t he be better off spending his time pardoning his family?
Seanly
Is Huckabee thinking that someone would make a big deal about the ad? Okay, he likes to think of Xmas as Jesus’ birthday. More power to him. No rational politician (oxymoron, yes) would attack the ad. He doesn’t attack, he just states his rather pedestrian position. I didn’t hear the audio very clearly, but he doesn’t even seem to have the obscure super-Christian code phrases Bush used to pepper in his comments.
Of course, it could just be only part political move & all geniune love of Baby Jesus’ Birthday.
Elvis Elvisberg
These guys spot a subliminal message in the ad. Don’t get your hopes up– the supposed subliminal message is pro-Christianity.
Pug
The ad is not really offensive and no reaction by “the Left” is called for unless you would like to play right into their stereotypes about liberals’ hostility to religion. It is just a simple wish for a Merry Christmas, regardless of the cynical political motives behind it.
Liberals don’t need to take on Mike Huckabee. The secular money cons and neo-cons, mostly from the blue states in the Northeast, are going to kneecap this guy themselves. They will alienate a lot of the evangelical Republican base in the South in the process.
Person of Choler
Well, he got some of the commenters here all riled up, so the ad is probably working as expected with others of the same mindset.
Phrases like “neurotically obsessed victimization whores” and “slimy, pistol packing, fucking hypocrite” are just the response he wants from the left to excite his followers.
Nice work, folks.
By the way, I dislike Huckabee and trust him as far as I could drop kick Michael Moore.
The Other Steve
Oh come on. This ad is going to be attacked by the right, and you know it. Those who are entrenched in Huckabee Panic.
4tehlulz
What TOS said. If anything, this is Huck telling the moneycons to choke on cock.
Any left-wing reaction is bonus.
ThymeZone
Fixed. It is not appropriate to talk about the birth of Jesus in a campaign for office in this country, because ..
“no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.”
Fuckabee fully intends to be the Jesus candidate, and he’s also a liar, because he claims just the opposite.
The religious agenda is the greatest proximate threat to the American experiment. Fuckabee and what he represents is the sharp point of that threat.
cleek
sadly, this ad just isn’t bringing the outrage for me. i’m just not offended by a guy in a sweater wishing people a merry Christmas. i thought it was actually kind of endearing. yeah, he’s doing as part of a campaign, but this one is like 5% as offensive as a typical political ad.
and he’s certainly more tactful about it than any of the screaming car dealers who beg me to come on down and “test drive a Ford during the season of the birth of our lord and savior, Jesus Christ” (ex. Crossroads Ford in Cary, NC).
Wilfred
More like ‘choke on ye olde yule log’, bitches.
Zifnab
Is it me, or is it fucking pathetic that a week before what was once everyone’s favorite holiday we’ve got to have a conversation about how to respond to a “Merry Christmas” campaign ad from a Presidential Candidate because the words “Merry” and “Christmas” have become so politically charged.
There was a day, way back in the day, when Christmas was a celebration of Peace and Love, when people from all walks of life, all creds and parties and factions, could come together in celebration of new life and a new year. The birth of salvation was what Christmas was all about, whether or not you want to believe in magical Jesus.
Now the Republicans have turned Christmas into being about “War”. I can’t possibly think of a more twisted and vile distortion of the holiday spirit.
myiq2xu
Oh Puhleeze!
BIRDZILLA
Liberals wont be happy till we no longer celebrate christmas and replace it with some secular poppycock bull kaka idea like EARTH DAY
PK
O.K. I am disturbed by this ad! As a non christian woman it makes me uneasy. He obviously does not give a flying fuck whether anyone has a happy christmas or drops dead! This is a message to his base! I do not care when anyone wishes me merry christmas, and this whole war on christmas thing is, and always has been total bullshit. But it is dangerous when a politician starts down this path. If he is such a staunch christian (and pastor)then he obviously believes that non christians are going to hell! What else does he belive? He clearly is not going to separate his religious beliefs from the decision making process if he is the president. So I don’t see this ad as benign. To me it says “I am going to be the first truly christian president, and the rest of you can fuck off!”
Wilfred
Nobody is going to out-Jesus Huckabee. The onus is on the other Republican candidates to come up with their own Christmas ads. My suggestions:
Rudy Giuliani – in Judy Garland drag, singing “Have Yourself a Merry, Little Christmas” to the troops at Walter Reed
Alan Keyes – Doing ‘White Christmas’ at an all you can eat barbeque joint in Des Moines.
Machine Gun McCain – Stock footage of Dresden with voice-over “Oh Little’s Left of Bombed Tehran”
Mitt Romney – leading the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in “Angels We Have Seen While High”
Fred Thompson – as King Baltazar in a tableaux vivant with Pat Robertson as King Caspar and Chuck Norris as King Melchior, with Reagan’s corpse as the baby Jesus, doing an a capela version of Blue Christmas.
Richard Bottoms
Heh.
Fe E
YOu’re not the real BIRDZILLA, are you? That post was almost coherent.
The Other Steve
Crazy KLo calls Huckabee a Divider, not a Uniter.
I guess she still thinks of GW as a uniter.
cleek
isn’t holding that belief pretty much essential to being a Christian ? there’s God, the son of God, his resurrection, and the promise that accepting Jesus gets you into Heaven. not accepting Jesus is a one way ticket to Hell, right ?
and given that every single one of the past 43 presidents have been Christian the fact that Huck believes in Hell shouldn’t be surprising.
he’s a lunatic, sure. but it’s not the common belief in Hell that pushes him over the edge.
Psycheout
You’re missing the whole point of this ad, Mike. It has nothing to do with the War on Christmas. It has everything to do with the war being waged on him by the other Republican candidates.
Right now, Mike Huckabee is surging in the polls in the early primary states. He wants this to continue at least up until the Iowa caucuses (and beyond if possible).
What he’s really doing here, is noticing that he is on top. “So let’s stop all this politicking, and celebrate Christmas. Leave me alone, stop all the negative stories, and let me cruise right into the nomination.”
It’s a smart move, but it probably won’t work. But he is immunizing himself to some extent. “Hey, I’m a nice guy, but these other bastards are attacking me, during CHRISTMAS. They suck, I rule. Vote for me.”
Shrewd.
This isn’t targeted at liberals, but his other opponents: those Republicans who can’t stand him.
DougJ
It’s eerily like a Budwesier commercial narrated by Kevin Spacey.
What next? An ad where Huckabee calls up Duncan Hunter and yells “wassupp”?
myiq2xu
Damn, I hate to say it, but I agree with Psycho on this one. When you’re winning, you want to be perceived as being above the fray. If you must be negative, let your surrogates do the dirty work.
Pan American
A fine essay on why this brand of well scrubbed Christianity should be challenged.
Dreggas
The new excuse for the republican platform not including a plank to fight poverty:
When asked whether the Republican platform also goes against Christian doctrine on issues like poverty, Morris replied somewhat cryptically, “There’s always a hierarchy of value. When there’s no life that’s permitted, poverty is not an issue.” Morris may have been trying to say that aborted fetuses don’t get the chance to be poor, so poverty doesn’t have to be addressed until after the abortion issue is resolved.
more here
myiq2xu
There aren’t any more trees – the “conservatives” in the current administration have been clear cutting all the forests.
Psycheout
Precisely. Huck’s had a bit of luck, but he does have Ed Rollins on his team now. That’s the guy who helped engineer Reagan’s landslide victory over Mondale in 1984. He’s got to campaign smart now in order to capitalize on that luck.
Who’d have thought a month or two ago that non-entity Mike Huckabee would find himself in this position:
I’m glad that he’s ahead of Romney and Giuliani. I hate those guys.
LITBMueller
I think everyone here is TOTALLY missing the point: clearly, Huckabee wants to turn the clock back 30 years, and return us to a time when a President could give us a nice, warm, fuzzy, meaningful message, while wearing a red sweater.
Yes, that’s right: Huckabee is the GOP’s 21st Century Jimmy Carter:
– Former Governor? Check.
– Christian conservative? Check.
– Has family members that have been in trouble with the law? Check.
– Wants to be President during a time of heightened tension with Iran? Check.
– Wants to end US dependence on Middle Eastern oil? Check.
– Will preside over a period of stagflation in our economy? Check.
The perfect retro candidate!!!!!!!! And the only person that can be put up against another Clinton.
Zifnab
Hehe. After visiting your site, I could hardly notice. But can you really support Huckabee until you know his position on triptitration(?) or whatever its called? Is he a three-nailer or one of those blasphemous 4+ nailers? I don’t know what I would do if we had an American President who believed that Jesus was held up by more than three nails on the cross. After Jimmy Carter… that was more than I could bare.
myiq2xu
Please don’t bare anymore. In fact, cover some of it up.
Cassidy
The cross is a symbol for the religion, not just one day.
Leave it to the BJ chorus line, lol. I thought this was funny, until I read TZ’s comment a farther down. Then it just made me sad.
I don’t know. I’d go with the leftist, socialist agenda as equally dangerous. Either way, I think you’re being a little too high strung on the rhetoric.
Psycheout nailed this one on the head. The people he’s talking to already believes the worst about Democrats and the MSM. There is nothing he can say on that subject. He’s making sure the GOP faithful know who is holding the hammer.
Giving Huck the benefit of a doubt, hypothetically, believing someone is going to hell and treating them like it is two different things. That’s where a lot of divisions in the multiple denominations comes from. While some are fire and brimstone and all about sin and hell, others do make an effort to seek out “sinners” and do what Jesus said should be done: convert them with love and by setting an example. The latter group isn’t as prevalent as they used to be, but they are still around.
Essentially, all your Christian friends believe, on some level, that you’re going to hell. Not everyone is tacky enough to tell you that.
Psycheout
I think you mean triclavian. I didn’t write the post, so I won’t comment on it, other than to say that Sisyphus is one heck of a writer. Agree or disagree with him, people certainly remember the stuff he writes about.
And I’m not necessarily pro-Huckabee. I am certainly anti-Romney and anti-Giuliani though. They would be bad for the country and bad for the GOP.
Psycheout
I am!
Pb
I’m eagerly awaiting Barack Obama’s counter-ad about how much he loves puppies and kitties and sunshine and moonbeams.
chopper
given what happened on the NY subway a few weeks back, it’s getting just scary.
srv
It seems most of you missed the cross in the ad.
Y’all would flunk at advertising and psychology.
Ed Drone
[ I have noticed that the lefties over at Balloon Juice can’t see the forest for the trees ]
“There aren’t any more trees – the “conservatives” in the current administration have been clear cutting all the forests.”
Of course there are trees! Or will be!
Future news article:
[Washington, DC 08/22/09 — AP] A display of examples of at least 24 species of tree are slated for the National Tree Museum, due to open in Salt Lake City in 2012 or later.
Opening of this museum is dependent on what Republicans call ‘budget realities’, given the effect of the new tax cuts President Guilromnabee has decreed and enacted (without Congressional action) under the Unitary Executive Doctrine of 2008. This Doctrine was announced, enacted, and ratified simultaneously by his holiness, George W. Bush (blest be his name, Amen).
Admission to the museum will be free for Congressmen of the approved party and members of the lumber industry, and $25 for the public.
Ed
myiq2xu
Will they pave paradise to put in the parking lot for this place?
Cindrella Ferret
Or like Spacey as Roger ‘Verbal’ Kint in The Usual Suspects. Reverend Huckabee has got that Kaiser Sozay thing going on in the video.
David Corn has a great piece on the Reverend. I highly recommend it because:
Yikes!
HyperIon
umm, i posted something on the previous thread about southern baptist beliefs but i gotta say that the symbol of the cross is not one SBs use AT ALL. thirty or forty years ago you would never see a SB wearing a cross because 1. it’s a symbol and thus an idol 2. catholics wear crosses.
another detail of the SBs: they say repeatedly that their christ is NOT on the cross, he is risen. so i don’t think the image in the video was deliberate…because it runs contrary to what used to be mainstream SB belief (and these idiots are nothing if not FIXED in their beliefs.) for example, they’ve been pushing that “wives must submit” bullshit forever.
cleek
i hope they can keep admission at a dollar and a half
Jake
Has Dan Savage started a new contest name that body fluid contest yet? I think Huck is way overdue and I have a few ideas.
Does the MuthaHucka consider himself a pornographer?
Guess so.
Not that there’s anything wrong with porn or protecting the environment.
p.lukasiak
I think that the proper “liberal” reaction to this is to point out that Huckabee is sending out to “evangelicals” a deliberate message with the lighted cross in the background that he is one of them, and Mitt (mormons don’t display crosses) and Rudy (catholic, crucifixes, not crosses) are not.
In other words, make Huckabee’s obvious religious appeal a GOP controversy, not some kind of “liberal/conservative” one…
ThymeZone
Playing into it? WTF do you think Article 6 means?
Standing up for what’s right isn’t called “playing into it” where I come from. It’s called “standing up.”
Religious solicitation as part of a campaign for office is wrong in this country, and it needs to be opposed.
Asti
Exactly, they say there’s a war on Christmas, but the fact is they WANTED this war, and they bring it out every year right on schedule now. They are the ones who are ruining Christmas, not anyone else.
Asti
Oh, but that’s just so 1776!
Asti
The evil that men do and they don’t even realize it.
jrg
Has anyone in the “Christian” right considered that “Thou shalt not take the name of the lord thy God in vain” might mean “Thou shall not use the name of the lord for selfish, crass, political purposes”?
I doubt it.
Jamey
Michael: Fuck you. Seriously. With a barbed harpoon.
—Signed, an American non-Christian patriot
Johnny Pez
Concern troll much?
Psycheout
With a melon?
JC
It’s a shrewd ad, actually. Brilliant, in it’s way. A nice cheerful Merry Christmas wish. Works on quite a lot of levels, many of them detailed here.
Mainly, it’s a very, very, good, checkmate. All you can do is roll with it, not oppose it. A little judo, because to complain/oppose this message, you basically crap on someone’s “obvious good will” or at least the perception of the same. Whosoever is churlish enough to not graciously accept a xmas wish?
If I were a republican contender, it would be best to ignore the ad, just get on with my strengths, and go in a different direction.