Huckabee and Dukakis -- Targets of the Republican machine are treated the same.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

David Schuster on MSNBC just did a pretty shockingly shallow hit piece on Huckabee's looks. They were breathlessly awaiting footage of a Huckabee pheasant hunting photo-op that was going to damage his campaign. He was described as looking 'goofy', wearing a 'silly hat', in an 'Elmer Fudd' looking get-up. It is sure to damage his campaign!

The footage comes in, and it is of Mike Huckabee wearing perfectly normal, contemporary cold-weather hunting clothes.

Then Schuster starts talking about how Huckabee looks fat bundled in winter clothes... seriously. He went on to say that Huckabee's face looks "chunky."

David Schuster covered Huckabee in Arkansas, and really dislikes him. Fair enough. There's not much to like about Mike Huckabee. The question isn't Schuster's attitudes, but why they were aired as news. (Surely there are people at MSNBC with equally harsh views of other Republicans that are not made into stories.) MSNBC decided that the Huckabee hit was newsworthy because hits are always good TV, and it's a safe hit because the national Republican machine has declared war on Mike Huckabee.

It is not that MSNBC is consciously assisting the RNC. It is that they know that the RNC wants to take down Huckabee, so there will be no blow-back from hitting Huckabee. He's fair game, in the way Paris Hilton is fair game. For the time being, Huckabee is an honorary Democrat, subject to the same kind of outlandish crap that Democrats face every day.

The question isn't why MSNBC airs purportedly silly-looking pictures of Huckabee. The media will air any sort of unfair crap they can get away with because it's entertaining. The question is why they do NOT air silly pictures of "serious" candidates, as defined by the RNC. Rudy in drag is a lot sillier than Huckabee hunting, but the MSM is intimidated from making an issue of Rudy's transvestitism.

Bottom line: It is always "safe" to promote the national Republican machine point of view. Sometimes it's that Mike Dukakis looks silly. Sometimes it's that Hillary looks wrinkly. And sometimes it's that Mike Huckabee's face looks "chunky." The point is that the RNC always somehow manages to define who is fair game.

[OKNancy]

1. I've heard Schuster say some nice things about Huckabee

too. Not that it means much, but he has complimented his political skills.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

2. I have never heard a Republican say Bill Clinton isn't a brilliant politician.

"Political skills" is an explanation of how someone you view as a horrible person keeps winning elections.

(Think of all the Democrats who have praised Karl Rove's political skills.)

Having seen him up close for so long, Schuster seems to be afraid of Huckabee. He said that Huckabee will beat Hillary, a very rare view. Republicans don't think that. That's part of why they want to take Huckabee down. SO I'd say that Schuster has an unusual attitude toward the Huckster. Not that he's wrong... just that he thinks Huckabee is more dangerous than most people think.

[Didereaux]

3. Huckabee+Dukakis=DOOFUS I could add acouple dozen others n/t