Push polling is a sleazy tactic. Why am I not surprised that Mike Huckabee supporters are doing it?

"It was a series of questions that you would associate with a push poll," Campbell said, referring to the negative campaigning technique of pretending to be a pollster gathering information from voters when really the intention is to spread negative information about a rival.

The automated machine, which identified itself as being with Common Sense Issues, threw Campbell questions about whether he'd be less likely to support McCain if he knew the Arizona senator opposed a federal amendment to ban same sex marriage, or that he'd hurt the anti-abortion-rights cause by leading the charge for campaign finance reform.

Campbell said the call ended before he could even find a pen to start taking notes on what was being said, once he realized he was in the midst of some shady campaign tactics.

Earlier this month Common Sense Issues -- which is affiliated with supporters of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee -- set up an organization called Trust Huckabee, which began making calls in Iowa praising Huckabee and disparaging Huckabee's opponents.

Huckabee, of course, denies any involvement in the calls (because if he or his campaign were involved, it would be a violation of federal election law against coordinating activity between campaigns and "independent" groups). But this pro-Huckabee group seems particularly intent upon smearing anybody who is not Mike Huckabee, the second-worst candidate in the GOP race (I can finally join with all the Ron PauLunatics in saying "Ron Paul is #1!"), having previously targeted other candidates.

For his party, Huckabee denounced those calls by the group earlier this month, but since the calls continue, so he clearly lacks sufficient moral authority with his supporters to be an effective leader. After all, if his supporters won't heed his words, what is there to make us think that anyone else will? He'd be even less effective on the world stage as president than Jimmy Carter -- another weak leader whose only discernible qualification seemed to be his Christian faith.

Posted by: Greg at 03:10 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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