Romney Hires Dirty Tricks Master

From Holly Robichaud of the Boston Globe:

Eight years ago Senator John McCain’s campaign was damaged terribly in South Carolina by a political consultant, Warren Tompkins, who resorted to negative push polls and anonymous attacks on the Senator. One such false claim was that the Senator had an illegitimate child.

Warren Tompkins is now a top advisor to Mitt Romney. New Hampshire and South Carolina voters can expect the same nasty attacks to be launched against McCain.

Click Here to read more . . .

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Stop Lying About Huckabee

An excerpt from Michael Medved's article Stop Lying About Huckabee and Evangelicals!:

Those who insist, over and over again, that the Iowa Caucuses reflected “Christian identity politics” or a “tidal wave of Evangelical support” are basing their analysis on feelings, not facts; on vapors, not voters. It’s dishonest to say that a guy who just won a crushing state-wide victory, without even winning the majority of his own religious group, displayed a one dimension appeal to Christian zealots only.

This endlessly repeated story line is not only tired, it’s a lie.

Click Here to read more . . .

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CNN Says Mitt Romney Is Dishonest

"WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Two negative ads recently launched by Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who has spent more on advertising than any other candidate, either misrepresent his rival's records or include distortions, according to a CNN analysis of the commercials." (Read more . . . )

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Romney Is Desperate And Dishonest

From MSNBC:

DES MOINES, Iowa - Appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press," Mike Huckabee called Mitt Romney a dishonest politician who can't be trusted with the presidency, turning up the heat Sunday in a close-and-getting-closer Republican race in Iowa. (Read more . . . )

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Mitt Romney's Misrepresentation Has Gone Too Far

From CBS News' Joy Lin:

OSCEOLA, IOWA -– Gesturing to a wild turkey that had been taxidermied, Mike Huckabee joked, “I thought that was one of my opponents.” He paused during the laughter, “That’ll make the blogs.”

Huckabee continued his quest to set his record straight today, shifting to a strategy of calling out Mitt Romney, by name, for misrepresentation as well as going too far in putting up attack ads against John McCain, who Huckabee called a “rival” but a “honest, decent…American hero.”

“It’s like Mitt doesn’t have anything to stand on, except to stand against,” said Huckabee.

“And I’m saying enough is enough. Ladies and gentlemen, what I’m going to say to you today is, if a person is dishonest in his approach to get the job, do you believe he will be honest in telling you the truth when he does get the job?" (Read More . . . )

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Enough Already With The Negative Campaigning

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If you are dishonest in getting the job . . .

by Serafin Gomez

Governor Huckabee took an indirect shot at his rival Mitt Romney, who has been shelling both Huckabee and John McCain with negative ads, or as the Romney campaign calls them ” contrast” ads, on both flanks. Huckabee was asked if he planned on going “negative” to counter these ads against him. Huckabee said he didn’t plan on going negative, but wanted to show that a “positive campaign works”.

However, Huck then then dropped the hammer with this phrase:

” If you are dishonest in getting the job, then you’ll be dishonest in carrying the job. I think that’s what is at risk here,”he said, alluding to Romney,but never specifically naming him. (Click Here to watch the video)

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John McCain's Response To Mitt Romney's Smears

Click Here to see John McCain's response to Mitt Romney's negative smear tactics.

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Mike Huckabee: Reject Negative Campaigning

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One Mom: Desperate Times, Desperate Measures

CLICK HERE to visit One Mom's post;

As Mitt Romney Drops In The Polls, He Launches Scurrilous Attacks Against His Republican Colleagues And Breaks Ronald Reagan’s 11th Commandment: “Thou Shalt Not Speak Ill Of A Fellow Republican.” (Read more...)

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Mike Huckabee: Not Your Average Underdog

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Romney's Dirty Politics Backfiring With Voters

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa -- With some of the strongest language he's ever used -- words such as "ruthless," "dishonest," "desperate" -- Mike Huckabee, the normally sunny former governor of Arkansas criticized his chief challenger in Iowa, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who has been attacking him fiercely in person, in TV ads and in mailings as Huckabee passes him in polls here.

"He's been attacking me just ruthlessly in the mail and on television and distorting the record," Huckabee told a throng of reporters in a mall parking lot. "And I think we need to get the record straightened up. And get the truth out. ... The attacks have been desperate, and I think they've been dishonest."

Asked if his and Romney's fighting might not create an opening for a third candidate, Huckabee smiled. "I don't plan to fight with him. He's throwing punches and I'm saying Merry Christmas." (Read more...)

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FactCheck.org: Romney attacks Huckabee again with false and misleading claims.

The following is an excerpt from FactCheck.org:

Romney attacks Huckabee again with false and misleading claims.

Romney launched another negative ad in Iowa this week, where the Republican presidential candidate has been battling the new front-runner, Huckabee. This time, Romney attacks Huckabee's record on methamphetamine laws and the clemencies he granted as governor of Arkansas. We found that:

• The ad says Romney "got tough on drugs like meth" while governor of Massachusetts, but the legislation he supported never passed, and his state's laws are much weaker than Arkansas'. Convicted meth dealers face both minimum and maximum prison terms in Arkansas that are four times longer than those in Massachusetts.
• The ad misrepresents news articles, implying that they supported Romney's actions as governor when that's not what the news organizations said. One article, in fact, gave critical views of Romney's refusal to issue a pardon.

I encourage you to CLICK HERE to read the FactCheck.org analysis of Romney's smear campaign. In no uncertain terms FactCheck.org details how Romney has manipulated and lied in his attempt to paint his opponents in the worst possible light.

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Tattletale Tactics Somewhat Responsible For Mitt Romney's Declining Popularity

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Ron Paul Paying People To Bad-Mouth Huckabee

According to the Arkansas Times:

"In this week's paper we reported that a group of Arkansas Republicans campaigning against Mike Huckabee in Iowa was getting outside support, but that the anti-Hucksters couldn't reveal their beneficiary. Former state Rep. Randy Minton now says that the moneybags funding the trip is...Ron Paul. I don't know that it's going to get Paul much above the four points he's polling in Iowa, but guess he needs some way to burn the millions he's collected."

Update:
Paul Brings Huckabee Critics to Iowa
By ANDREW DeMILLO

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Two former Republican legislators from Mike Huckabee 's home state are in Iowa this week criticizing Huckabee's record on immigration and taxes on trips paid for by Ron Paul, Huckabee's Republican presidential rival.

Paul's campaign said Thursday it was paying former Sen. Jim Holt and former Rep. Randy Minton about $5,000 each to go to Iowa for a series of radio interviews criticizing Huckabee's 10 1/2 years as Arkansas governor.

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Mitt Romney Snooping In Hope, Arkansas

It is being reported that Mitt Romney has a film crew in Hope, AR trying to did up dirt on Mike Huckabee. The below response in a comment thread was too funny not to share.

"Romney is known for changing his positions for political gains, so maybe he's filming his next ad in Hope.....he changed his mind and now is saying he's from humble beginnings and from the small town called Hope, Arkansas." ScottWatt

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Matt Drudge: An Attempt To Manipulate Republican Voters

Steve Kornacki of the New York Observer unveils Matt Drudges attempt to manipulate Republican voters with half-truths:

Something to keep in mind as Matt Drudge continues his effort to take down Mike Huckabee: Huckabee poses the most immediate and serious threat to Mitt Romney.

As John Harris of the Washington Post first reported in October 2006, Drudge has an unusually close relationship with a senior Romney strategist, Matt Rhodes:

Last year, a delegation of RNC officials flew to Miami Beach, where Drudge lives, for a dinner at the Forge steakhouse to introduce the Internet maven to Matt Rhodes, the party's new opposition research director.

During his time at the RNC, Harris suggests, Rhodes was the G.O.P.'s main conduit for funneling potentially damaging research on Democrats to Drudge.

A year ago, Rhodes signed on to Romney's campaign. Since then, Drudge-watchers have noted Drudge's consistent refusal to hype--and in many cases to even mention--negative stories about Romney. But now Huckabee threatens to blow Romney's nomination strategy. Since last week, Drudge has unleashed a torrent of screaming, anti-Huckabee headlines, culminating in today's "exclusive" (which cites one unnamed Democrat) about the Democrats' supposed hope that Huckabee will emerge as the G.O.P. nominee.

Read Jonathan Martin's take on it.

Romney Associate Feeds Drudge Report Smear Campaign

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Romney Bad For The Republican Party

From CBS News' Dante Higgins:

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Far away from the ice and snow in Iowa, John McCain campaigned with his mother Roberta, first at a speech to the Rotary Club and later they’ll ride together in a Christmas parade.

At the Rotary Club, he criticized Mitt Romney for attacking his fellow Republicans, whether via TV ads or pamphlets mailed to voters.

“I wish we could talk about our own qualifications and vision rather than attacking other candidates which apparently the Romney campaign seems to be doing rather frequently and I don’t think it helps,” said McCain. “I think the ultimate result is that we get low voter turnout and that’s the opposite of what we all want.”

McCain did have kind words for the new Republican front-runner in Iowa, Mike Huckabee: “I think Gov. Huckabee has proven that debates matter. He has performed well in debates... I like him. I have been very favorably impressed by him.”

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No Golden Rule In Romney's Faith

From Matt Lewis at Townhall.com:

In a phone interview with me today, Wasinger echoed what I've heard other operatives say to me off the record -- that he believes Romney's campaign is behind many of the recent attacks on Mike Huckabee:

"They've got a scorched-earth strategy, and it's not surprising they are now going after Huckabee," Wasinger told me.

According to Wasinger, the Romney campaign is a disciplined and efficient operation that effectively uses blogs and opinion leaders to disseminate negative information regarding Romney's opponents:

"They roll out these surrogates to attack other candidates ... They are particularly sensitive to anyone who questions Mitt's conversion," he tells me.

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Mike Huckabee Responds To The Huffington Post Smear

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