News from Iowa's Romper Room Playground/Huck Supporters

As many of y'all know, there is stupid little boy playground tactics going on between Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney. As many of ya know, I used to be a Huckabee supporter. Part of what moved me away from the Huckabee support is some of the supporters who came out of the woodwork, since when I began supporting Mike Huckabee. While I never intended to dis on Huckabee when I turned to Thompson, I will try not to dis on him but give links to articles about Huck's supporters regarding the pseudo-attacks on Romney. I have to thank Sloane Reality for some of these links. While this is not the same format and subject of his post, check out his post here.
Here are some of the stories that show what his supporters are up to that show why Mike Huckabee's supporters turned me off from him, and links.

• Romney to Huckabee Supporter: Pizza?

• By Michael Luo
• Mitt Romney stopped for pizza in Independence, Iowa. (Photo: Beatrice de Gea for The New York Times)
• INDEPENDENCE, Iowa—The Romney-Huckabee spat is starting to take on an aspect of the bizarre, even if it is great political theater.

Bizarre, I sure would say.

• Mitt Romney stopped this afternoon at a pizza joint here to grab a slice for the road before heading on to his fifth campaign event of the day in Waterloo.
• His campaign organized a brief news conference with members of the traveling press corps following Mr. Romney in a bus so he could comment on Mike Huckabee’s news conference and switcheroo decision not to air an ad attacking Mr. Romney but to still show it to reporters.

• But after Mr. Romney delivered a statement, a former Arkansas state legislator, Jim Bob Duggar, and a Huckabee supporter materialized to confront Mr. Romney about the coverage of abortions under Massachusetts’ universal health care plan.

• Huckabee supporters have been trailing Mr. Romney at his events over the past week, lurking in the crowd and offering up comments to reporters after events, saying they only want to clarify aspects of Mr. Huckabee’s record that they say Mr. Romney has been distorting.

Umm, can anyone say creepy, bordering on stalking?

• Outside the Mitt Mobile here, he delivered a short statement:
• “You know in reaction to the press conference Governor Huckabee had today I think that I’d note that I’m running a serious campaign, that there are serious issues that face the country at this time. I want to bring change to Washington, that’s what my campaign is about. The press conference which Governor Huckabee had today I think is confusing to the people of Iowa. On the one hand he wants to run a positive campaign and on the other hand he shows a negative campaign ad and hopes that people promote it and provide it to the public through the earned media. And I think that’s a very confusing and puzzling message. With that, who wants a slice of pizza?”

• At this point, Mr. Duggar, dressed in a brown leather jacket, stepped out from the cluster of reporters and pressed Mr. Romney about the “$50 co-pay for abortions” in his health-care plan in Massachusetts.

• Aggravated Romney aides demanded to know from Mr. Duggar if he was a member of the media. When several reporters began to cluster around him, Eric Fehrnstrom, Mr. Romney’s traveling press secretary, offered him a slice of pizza. [more here]
  

Let's get back to the subject of this article, Mr. Duggar. This is the first time I have ever really followed any election. I may be some dumb broad from Michigan who doesn't know a whole lot about the protocols of campaigns, but I am safe to assume that this is not protocol. Maybe it could be excused if Mr. Duggar were just some average Joe. But let's remember, he is a former state legislator from Arkansas. He really should know better.
I am not defending Mitty. That is what's killing me. As a newly founded Thompson supporter, I am going to be neutral and view this from both sides. I have to side with Romney on this.

And here is another gem regarding Mike Huckabee supporters. Y'all remember about the "Trust Huckabee" push polling? They're up to it again. From the Politico.

• Pro-Huck group sends out calls hitting Mitt on abortion
• The third-party group backing Mike Huckabee rang the phones of Iowans again Saturday night with an automated call attacking his rivals.
• Trust Huckabee Executive Director Patrick Davis confirmed the calls were made and let me listen to one.
  

• The ID questions at the start and finish mean one of two things. Either, the group wants the Iowans who get the call to believe that this is some sort of semi-legitimate poll and not just an attack. Or Trust Huckabee is actually sifting through their list to determine who to ring again with GOTV calls later in the week.
  

Read here about the dialog mock call.

Now i have gotten out about some of the Romney/Huckabee fight. Here is some just about Huckabee supporters.

• EXPOSED! Mike Huckabee with Bill Gothard Last Week in Houston

• 
  
• by The Dean of Cincinnati | December 23, 2007 at 06:13 pm | 367 views | 1 comment
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• Original photo here; hosted photo here.
  
  As recently reported by The Cincinnati Beacon, presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee has close ties to fringe evangelist/tycoon Bill Gothard, who runs the little-known Chicago-area Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) and a string of affiliated businesses. It's been widely reported that Gothard's organizations advocate strict authoritarianism and blind obedience. Allegations of child abuse such as locking kids for extended periods in "prayer closets" and other misconduct have led to investigations.
• According to a recent In These Times cover story, "The Cult of Character," Gothard oversees an evangelical empire "which brings in an estimated profit of at least $63 million annually." For example, see these photos of "IBLP's beautiful Guadalajara Training Center property" which looks like a 5-star resort. Among the many hats Gothard wears, he's "Chancellor" of a non-accredited school and founder of the "Medical Training Institute of America" which recommends such unconventional treatments as calling "elders of the church for prayer before receiving medical treatment for a serious illness" and annointing with oils.

• Meanwhile, Gothard himself remains relatively unknown outside his gilded realm. He rarely speaks to the press and photos of him in mainstream publications are hard to find. So this photo from just last week of Gothard with Mike Huckabee at what is identified as a private campaign luncheon in Houston is noteworthy. The photo comes from "Huckabee in Houston" by Robert Staddon on the Steddon family blog. (The Steddons are apparently devoted Gothard followers. Son Robert Staddon says he previously travelled to Mexico with Gothard as his "assistant.") [more here]

And I thought Joseph Smith was odd.

Some of you may be saying, "but these people are supporters, it's not Mike Huckabee himself." True, but look at it this way. Supporters can be the front for the candidate. Who you associate with shows a glimpse of who you are. When I lived down state, I had a roommate who was into partying and her dad always told her to "find a better class of losers while she was growing up." This is the same advice I have for Mike Huckabee. Well, anyways check out Sloane Reality's blog and he has more links to other items.