Editorial on the news of the Day and Review of the Gridlock around the world.

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

How to Generate Press About Not Running and Attack Ad by Mike Huckabee

So this situation is one of those "it's so stupid, its nuts, and that makes it newsworthy?"

Here's Mike Huckabee's news Conference showing the attack ad that he will not show

Mike Huckabee put together an attack ad to fight off Mitt Romney's attack ad about Mike Huckabee.

OK, no problem so far, that's politics as normal.

Well, then Huckabee decides to pull the cufflinks off, roll up his sleeves, and get mean by being nice.  He decides to pull the ad before it ever runs.

That means that he will never have to apologize for the ad after it ran.  He can also show that he was the good guy for never running an attack ad.

Yet he still has a problem.  In politics if you do not respond to an attack ad, the attack works (just ask John Kerry about the Swift boat ads and his 2 week delay in response and how well that worked for him.)

So Mike Huckabee, calls a press conference to tell the press about the fact that he is pulling the ad, but that is not enough.

He opens the press conference by showing the reporters (most of them with cameras rolling) the attack ad, so they can now broadcast the attack ad that would have been, not as an attack ad on a paid spot (Huckabee needs the money) but as a news item about all of the above.

Well, for once the press saw right through this game and laughed directly at Huckabee. 

Rodney Dangerfield would get more respect.

Huckabee then takes the defensive saying that if he hadn't shown the video the press would have beaten him up for trying to hide it or something.

 

Solution

If you really want to take the high road, then do not make the attack ad in the first place!

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