Huck 'n' Chuck

This an actual, no-foolin' ad for Mike Huckabee: Not a YouTube gag, not for cable.

The Huckabee campaign has purchased $60,000 of Iowa airtime to bring the gospel of Chuck Norris to potential caucus-goers. Says Huckabee:

Reaching new voters and reminding folks that politics doesn't have to be a bloodsport were some of our goals for this first ad. Running for President is serious business, but I am not afraid to have some fun while I am doing it.

I know Huckabee has a great sense of humor and some savvy for pop culture, but he's still a conservative ex-pastor whose wife led a campaign against internet predators. And he's appealing to Iowans with an... internet meme that started in 2005. It's not goatse or LOLcats or anything super-obscure, since Norris himself has gone on TV and joked about the facts, but it's really something to hear a presidential candidate say "There's no chin behind Chuck Norris's beard. Only another fist"—and assume that everyone will get it. And if it wasn't for that meme, Norris might be too much of a has-been to be worth playing up in an ad. If Huckabee ran in 2004, would he be appearing with the guy from the Total Gym ads?

Jonathan Martin gets a worthy response from the Fred Thompson team:

With his new campaign ad featuring Chuck Norris, Mike Huckabee has confused celebrity endorsement with serious policy.

You heard it from Fred: Celebrities and serious policy don't mix!

Comments

Fluffy | November 19, 2007, 10:46am | #

LOLCats is not obscure.

Bingo | November 19, 2007, 10:48am | #

Anyone need a refresher on goatse?

joe | November 19, 2007, 10:50am | #

Suddenly, Fluffy's handle makes sense. ;-)

Huckabee and Brownback were the candidates of the religious right, and verily Huckabee hath smitten him.

And he did it by being postive, optimistic, and friendly, while Brownback was all about religious war, at home and abroad.

This ad fits into that.

de stijl | November 19, 2007, 10:51am | #

Q: What's behind joe's hippie poncho?
A: Another five year plan.

(A replay of one of my favorite H&R jokes featuring our own liberal Democratic regular joe.)

Reinmoose | November 19, 2007, 10:52am | #

Fortunately for Huckabee, none of the people who would support him, like, know how to use the internet 'n stuff.

jimmydageek | November 19, 2007, 10:54am | #

Hell, it would have been better if he had joined the girls in the "two girls, once cup" video...

:s

Lurker Kurt | November 19, 2007, 10:56am | #

Reinmoose,

You may be joking, but I believe there is quite a bit of truth in what you are saying.

I'm guessing most Huckabee supporters are just know receiving the 'facts' about Chuck Norris in their emails.

Bingo | November 19, 2007, 10:57am | #

Giuliani could probably get away with an "All Your Base" series of ads without changing his talking points too much...

Reinmoose | November 19, 2007, 11:00am | #

Oh, I wasn't joking :)

I'm not quite sure I get what you're saying about how Huckabee supporters are getting info on Norris in thier email though. Could you explain?

I also didn't catch the part of the article where he's actually airing these ads in Iowa! I thought they were just going to be on the internet.

joe | November 19, 2007, 11:01am | #

Dennis Kucinich with a grouchy look looking at the Penatgon, saying "Do not want!"

the innominate one | November 19, 2007, 11:02am | #

Huckabee puts out a campaign ad like this, and yet Mona Charen calls Ron Paul unserious?

jd | November 19, 2007, 11:05am | #

I'm all for anything that cheapens the political discourse but this is ridiculous.

I'd rather have some politician saying he was looking to bring back price controls on gas and laws against contraception than to hear this bullshit.

jaybird | November 19, 2007, 11:05am | #

Who will be the fisrt Presidential canidate to drop a reference to "2 girls, 1 cup" in a debate or ad? My money is on McCain.

Pro Libertate | November 19, 2007, 11:06am | #

I'll vote for the first candidate to run an ad that incorporates the statement, "Somebody set up us the bomb."

Pro Libertate | November 19, 2007, 11:08am | #

Sorry, Bingo, I was typing that post and got interrupted before hitting "submit".

For great justice.

Lurker Kurt | November 19, 2007, 11:12am | #

Reinmoose,

When I say the 'facts' about Chuck Norris, I mean 'facts' like "There are no lesbians, only women who haven't had sex with Chuck Norris, yet".

The Chuck Norris stuff that ran wild on the internet a couple of years ago.

Reinmoose | November 19, 2007, 11:15am | #

ohhhhhhhhhhh
I'm not entirely familiar with that, but that sounds great.

Bingo | November 19, 2007, 11:17am | #

Only Rudy can protect us from the islamo-fascist CATS. Operation Move Zig, a pre-emptive strike on Iran.

Reinmoose | November 19, 2007, 11:22am | #

Only Rudy can protect us from the islamo-fascist CATS. Operation Move Zig, a pre-emptive strike on Iran....

For great justice!

Episiarch | November 19, 2007, 11:23am | #

If only Bruce Lee were still alive to endorse Ron and kick Chuck's ass, like in Return of the Dragon.

joe | November 19, 2007, 11:42am | #

Google it, Reinmoose. There's some funny stuff.

gamama | November 19, 2007, 11:45am | #

The new ad for Mike Huckabee is "a hoot"!

He's exactly what America needs at this time. In fact, I believe he is the only candidate who can effectively "bridge the gap" between the two bickering and polarized parties - a sad condition which is only causing to further fracture the unity imperative for the survival of our great nation.

As a supporter of Gov. Huckabee, I appreciate fairness, discernment and compassion for all coupled with his "creative" sense of humor. I find all these traits genuinely rolled into Mike's character. In addition, his ability to articulate the serious issues facing the world today with a "down to earth" dialogue that speaks humility, is an added plus.

This is an attention-getting commercial that once more, fosters the notion that Mike Huckabee is a different kind of candidate and depicts his personality as demonstrably "likeable".

zig zag man | November 19, 2007, 11:53am | #

So, when is Clint Eastwood going to stump for Guiliani?

You feel 9-11 punk, do you?

Bingo | November 19, 2007, 11:54am | #

I for one do not welcome our happy, gap-bridging, passing-laws-with-astonishing-efficiency, bi-partisan nanny-state overlords.

Cesar | November 19, 2007, 12:21pm | #

Don't worry, I'm sure Quinn Mallory will endorse Ron Paul.

D. Joseph | November 19, 2007, 12:23pm | #

I almost caught all the references on this thread, and felt pretty smart at the time. But the "2 girls, 1 cup" thing threw me.

Do I really want to ask about this? For fear of what I might find, I'm a little afraid to google it...

Anon | November 19, 2007, 12:23pm | #

So should we expect to see CHG in a lp campaign ad?

Episiarch | November 19, 2007, 12:26pm | #

So who will Gaius Baltar endorse? Who, I ask?

jimmydageek | November 19, 2007, 12:32pm | #

D. Joseph,

Unless you have great intestinal fortitude, I suggest you forget all about the "2 girls, 1 cup" thing.

I take pride in usually being able to stomach "gross" stuff...even keep a straight face through most...but this almost made me want to puke (almost) :)

kcjerith | November 19, 2007, 12:35pm | #

yes 2 girls and a cup is pretty sick, it has been floating around KU for a while now, maybe huckabee can use that for his next tv ad

Grignr the Ecordian | November 19, 2007, 12:37pm | #

Mike Huckabee ATE MY PAULS---

Pro Libertate | November 19, 2007, 12:40pm | #

Episiarch,

What's the deal with BSG, anyway? Is this the longest hiatus ever? I see that some two-hour flashback movie is coming this weekend. Weird.

Taktix® | November 19, 2007, 12:42pm | #

I didn't know what 2 girls 1 cup was until today. Sadly, I didn't give pause before googling it.

jimmydageek | November 19, 2007, 12:49pm | #

So, Taktix®, did you puke up your breakfast?

Randolph Carter | November 19, 2007, 12:55pm | #

So pumped for the BSG movie this weekend, and the finale of the series. Even more pumped for the Futurama movies! Fuck Yeah.

Oh btw

Quick! Close the gates! The Memes have escaped!

VM | November 19, 2007, 12:56pm | #

two pukes of raisins.

just wait to see the film of that.

Taktix® | November 19, 2007, 12:58pm | #

Couldn't distinguish that puking from the others, as I am home sick today...

Episiarch | November 19, 2007, 1:00pm | #

What's the deal with BSG, anyway? Is this the longest hiatus ever? I see that some two-hour flashback movie is coming this weekend.

They are doing that "movie" this weekend (it's really two episodes or something like that), and it is some looking back to events on the Pegasus prior to meeting back up with Galatica and the fleet.

Then, sometime in (I think) the spring they will start the final season, do half of it, wait a few months and finish the second half near the end of next year.

You should be used to their crazy-ass scheduling of this show, it's been nuts since day 1.

TLB | November 19, 2007, 1:08pm | #

Now, should Weigle decide to do some real reporting for a change, he can start by looking into the real Huck.

Of course, doing so might cost major chicken producers their corporate subsidies, so don't expect the "libertarians" at Reason to look into it.

Pro Libertate | November 19, 2007, 1:09pm | #

Episiarch,

True, it has been odd. But this season has been odder still. Is it Sci/Fi, or is it the people producing the series? I thought it was doing well and was getting critical acclaim? Why not make it and show it?

Walrus | November 19, 2007, 1:22pm | #

Mike Huckabee help meh git mah bucket bak.

Fluffy | November 19, 2007, 1:31pm | #

I'M ON YOUR TEEVEE

MAKIN' YOU PUKE

Episiarch | November 19, 2007, 1:41pm | #

Is it Sci/Fi, or is it the people producing the series? I thought it was doing well and was getting critical acclaim? Why not make it and show it?

I'm pretty sure it's SciFi. They are worse than Fox when it comes to pulling shows and changing schedules.

Pro Libertate | November 19, 2007, 1:46pm | #

And the bastards didn't pick up Firefly. How stupid was that? Maybe Sci/Fi's just a tax dodge.

sage | November 19, 2007, 1:54pm | #

More like Hack 'n' Yack.

Episiarch | November 19, 2007, 1:55pm | #

Well, not picking up Firefly was not necessarily their fault. As I understand it, the idea was floated but Fox is obnoxious about holding on to stuff, so I think you should blame Fox. SciFi picked up Stargate from Showtime and added 5-6 more years and plenty of profit for themselves--they are clearly willing to do it in the right cases.

SciFi is a wacky channel. They produce some really great stuff and take chances on things that nobody else will, often to their benefit. They also produce some real shit. Like the new Flash Gordon.

Pro Libertate | November 19, 2007, 1:59pm | #

Episiarch,

I think you're right--I seem to recall hearing that Fox wouldn't let go, now that you mention it. B-b-b-b-b-bastards!

Neu Mejican | November 19, 2007, 2:20pm | #

Ads like this are why Huckabee will poll better than Ron Paul (5 points ahead last I saw).

Ron Paul needs the Johnny Rotten version of this ad.

T | November 19, 2007, 2:37pm | #

Episiarch,

Bonnie Hammer is a moron with no feeling whatsoever for the genre. All problems with SciFi can be traced back to the root cause.

And the new Flash Gordon pales in comparison to such gems as Black Scorpion and Mansquito.

Pro Libertate | November 19, 2007, 2:58pm | #

You know what would be cool? A series based on The Caves of Steel, kicked off by a mini-series based on the novel. And I mean based, not vaguely influenced by. I see it more as a mystery show, focusing on Baley solving various crimes (sometimes dealing with the Spacers but not always). Or maybe even another cop, if that would help avoid being locked into what comes in the later novels.

Movies have universally screwed Asimov, so this is the last hope ☺

abu hamza | November 19, 2007, 3:11pm | #

I loved the lever conan used for chuck norris clips at-will.

Johny Rotten for Ron Paul is that for real? awesome.

Episiarch | November 19, 2007, 3:12pm | #

Bonnie Hammer is a moron with no feeling whatsoever for the genre. All problems with SciFi can be traced back to the root cause.

Yes, but she is willing to take risks. I doubt she greenlights shit based on SciFi pedigree; my guess is that SciFi has various producers who bring projects/ideas to her and she lets them try a lot of them. So you get them grabbing Farscape, and Black Scorpion, and then fill in the middle with First Wave and Invisible Man, etc.

SciFi has put out some good shit that would never have seen the light of day if there wasn't a science fiction channel. This more than mitigates the absolute drek they also produce.

Episiarch | November 19, 2007, 3:15pm | #

ProL, Asimov's stuff is not particularly conducive to visual media in the first place, and secondly, there seems to be some curse that every person who has the clout to bring Asimov to the screen hasn't the capability to understand or feel his work. See Smith, Will.

Will Smith FUCKING SUCKS. He is now on track to ruin one of my favorite books, I Am Legend.

Pro Libertate | November 19, 2007, 3:34pm | #

Don't forget ruining Wild, Wild West.

Yes, the Asimov curse is a mighty one, but I believe a few of his books could be done in miniseries format. Especially The Caves of Steel, which would work on TV better than any of his other books, I think. And some new stories in the City setting could be fun, if done well.

Don't get me wrong, I'd be half dreading any such effort, but there's at least a chance of something decent being done.

Mo | November 19, 2007, 4:14pm | #

This is just the 21st century version of Hart to Mondale, "Where's the Beef?"

de stijl | November 19, 2007, 4:32pm | #

BTW, Chuck Norris does not endorse. He merely tells us the way is going to be.

sixstring | November 19, 2007, 4:43pm | #

Huckabee's money bomb is scheduled for tomorrow:

Do it, for the children

Taktix® | November 19, 2007, 4:58pm | #

According to the website, tomorrow is the U.N. sanctioned "Children's Day"

I am going to scowl at every child I see tomorrow.

kwais | November 19, 2007, 5:13pm | #

Honestly, I like Huckabee a little more now.

Winghunter | November 19, 2007, 5:54pm | #

In my view in choosing a President of the United States, I would name this video 'Chuck a Huck'.

Middle Income Americans are not going to go for paying 34% of their income to taxes and that's exactly what the Huckster wants out of your pocket....and he's proud of it.

Pro Libertate | November 19, 2007, 6:01pm | #

Mother Hucker.

VM | November 19, 2007, 6:16pm | #

Taktix® | November 19, 2007, 4:58pm | #
According to the website, tomorrow is the U.N. sanctioned "Children's Day"

I am going to scowl at every child I see tomorrow.

just tell the kids that Santa flew his sleighs into the twin towers. cuz the Tooth Fairy ran off with the Easter Bunny while Christ drove their cab to the airport and engaged in a rollicking threesome that was filmed by BILLY MAYS.

It'll pretty much work on about 75%.

Johncjackson | November 19, 2007, 6:26pm | #

60,000? haha

stephen the goldberger | November 19, 2007, 6:27pm | #

I thought it was funny/cute. Not every candidate can be about the Ron Paul supporters' self righteous indignation. It was better than Hillary and Bill's sopranos parody at least.

Kenny | November 19, 2007, 6:46pm | #

SciFi is a wacky channel. They produce some really great stuff and take chances on things that nobody else will, often to their benefit. They also produce some real shit. Like the new Flash Gordon.

Or anything with a title that contains an animal name or even worse, a modifed animal name

Kenny | November 19, 2007, 6:48pm | #

I see T has already made my point for me

Ricky Andrews | November 19, 2007, 10:38pm | #

I checked out Chuck's weekly column and it's really good! I didn't know he wrote a weekly article-- and he actually defends Huckabee's various positions very well...

http://worldnetdaily.com/news/archives.asp?AUTHOR_ID=274