Huckabee touts ‘the celebration of the birth of Christ’ in ad

December 18, 2007

By all indications, American presidential campaigns have featured television campaigns for about six decades. Over that period, presidential hopefuls have made just about every appeal imaginable, but it appears that none have ever actually used the word “Christ.”

In this sense, Mike Huckabee, whose first TV ad boasted that he’s a “Christian leader” (in all caps), has become a bit of trailblazer with his latest spot.

For those of you who can’t watch clips online, the ad is very straightforward: Huckabee speaking to the camera, Christmas tree in the backdrop, “Silent Night” playing subtly in the background, says, “Are you about worn out of all the television commercials you’ve been seeing? Mostly about politics. I don’t blame you. At this time of year sometimes it’s nice to pull aside from all of that and just remember that what really matters is the celebration of the birth of Christ and being with our family and our friends. I hope that you and your family have a magnificent Christmas season. And on behalf of all of us, God bless and Merry Christmas. I’m Mike Huckabee and I approve this message.”

I’ve done some cursory digging, and asked a few knowledgeable friends, and there’s no record of any major-party presidential candidate every mentioning Christ in a TV ad. That includes TV preacher Pat Robertson, who ran for the Republican nomination in 1988 (and came in second in the Iowa caucuses).

Purely at face value, what’s the harm in a presidential candidate wishing voters a merry Christmas? Nothing. Is there something wrong with an evangelical Christian, who worked as a Baptist preacher, remembering the “reason for the season”? Nope.

But there’s quite a bit more to this ad than that.

First, Huckabee is playing a little game. He’s running this ad in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, lamenting ads “about politics,” while hitting a political note — targeting evangelical voters and the Fox News crowd with heavy-handed religious rhetoric. As Michael D. put it, “They’ll see Huckabee as the person who’s not afraid, like so many candidates are, to come out and say ‘Happy Birthday, Jebus.'”

Second, it’s hardly a stretch to think Huckabee is being intentionally provocative. By becoming the first candidate to reference “Christ” in a TV ad, Huckabee is hoping a) that the media finds the spot newsworthy and gives his ad lots of free airplay; and b) that religious minorities, secularists, and advocates of church-state separation raise a fuss, which would only make him more popular with the GOP’s religious right base.

Third, the ad is rather crass. Not to get too Book of Matthew on Huckabee, but Christ’s name, for the devout, isn’t supposed to be used as a campaign talking point. As I understand it, the faithful don’t perceive the birth of the Big Guy as being about scoring points a few weeks before the Iowa caucuses.

And finally, the whole thing seems to be terribly gratuitous. Does Huckabee really need to go there? Are there still evangelical voters in the early primary/caucus states who don’t know about Huckabee’s religious background? He’s presented himself as a “Christian leader,” he’s explained his belief that he’s God’s anointed candidate, and he’s taken his obligatory shots at Mitt Romney’s faith. Now, he’s talking about Christ in a TV ad.

Way to swing the Jesus Bat at the electorate, Mike.

Update: Commenters and emailers add that the campaign commercial also features a subtle floating cross. I didn’t notice it while watching the ad, but it’s apparently causing a stir as well.

As I understand it, the faithful don’t perceive the birth of the Big Guy as being about scoring points a few weeks before the Iowa caucuses.

You’re confusing Christians with the faithful, and the Christians far outnumber the faithful.

  • You failed to mention the very visible lit window pane in the background that has the unmistakable image of a cross.

    This was it, Huckabee will fade from here on out.

  • When Herald-Journal readers turn to Lane Filler’s column each Sunday, they do so not knowing which Filler they will find.
    Will it be their intensely local neighbor, breaking down the realities of race, class, property values and charter schools in the city’s most conflicted school district?
    Will it be the biting satirist, totally recasting No Child Left Behind to expose its flaws to even that law’s most virulent supporters?
    The aggressive journalist with his feet on the street, convincing Mike Huckabee to let him thumb through his wallet and report the contents to give readers a glimpse of one presidential candidate’s inner life?
    The social commentator, out in the community to learn about a black cultural giant he’s never heard of and share his findings, and thoughts on what they mean, with readers?
    The policy wonk gone mad, taking on John McCain on health care and throwing leeches and laughter into the mix?
    The off-beat philosopher, mixing childhood reminisce and common sense to repudiate social activists gone horribly wrong?
    The whimsical husband and father, nearly killed by an everyday home repair gone horribly wrong?

    Readers don’t know which Filler they will find, but they have learned that they need to look, because he never fails to engage their senses, whichever senses he’s addressing that day.

  • You failed to mention the very visible lit window pane in the background that has the unmistakable image of a cross.

    To be fair, it appears to be a shelf of some sort (complete with ornaments sitting on it). But it sure looks like a brightly lit cross. “Accidentally” I’m sure.

  • Second, it’s hardly a stretch to think Huckabee is being intentionally provocative.

    And a candidate appeared to them. And the sheep were sore afraid. But the candidate spoke and said, “Fear not. For behold, I bring you tidings of highly-calculated joy that will be unto all fundamentalists who think that Rudy stands for the Bible and its teachings or that Mitt isn’t really a member of the occult.” And the sheep did lap it up.

    That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.

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  • I’m wondering why he didn’t repeat the Republican prayer:

    Bu$h is my emperor, I shall not want. He layeth me down in fields of greenbacks, he leadeth me besides mercury and arsenic
    filled waters; he restoreth corporate welfare and tax cuts for the wealthy, he leadeth me in paths of self-righteousness, greed, and intolerance of others;

    Yeah, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evildoers (all non-republicans), for he is with me; thy Cheney and thy Rice protect me.

    Bu$h preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies (all non-republicans), he anointest my head with Iraqi oil and American blood; my Humvee’s gas tank runneth over. Surely wealth and piety shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the white house of Bu$h forever.

  • This was inevitable, someone would, given the way the GOP is trending. Just extending the trend a bit, Huck just got there first.

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  • I don’t find the ad terribly offensive, and unless whipped up by media or interest groups (yes, you, Mr. Donahue) doubt many Iowans will either. Due to the timing of the caucuses and the closeness of the races, candidates are faced with an unusual and not-very-precedented problem: how to keep campaigning over a holiday when many voters would find the campaigning off-putting. Given who Huckabee is and his target audience, this actually seems a fairly well pulled-off solution to the problem. It is not terribly different in look and feel from the Thanksgiving ads many candidates ran here. It also humanizes Huck at a time when many candidates are doing the same – HRC is spending tons on it, Edwards is running softer ads as well. Finally, best case for Huck is that he runs an ad looking so innocuous and a firestorm of criticism erupts that looks anti-Christian, anti-Christmas, and gosh darn it , just anti-holiday greetings. Then he can play the “your all just Grinches” card.

  • Jeez, a Huckabee Presidency will be non-stop proselytizing. I picked a helluva time to start rereading Harris and Dawkins. Madalyn Murray O’Hair is rolling over in her grave wherever that might be.

  • I didn’t find the ad to be offensive, at least not on the surface. Stores run the same kinds of ads at this time of year with no objective other than to boost sales. And for a political ad, it’s better than swifboating someone.

    Huck is obviously trying to appeal to the religious voters who are his natural supporters. O’Reilly must be tickled pink that someone is on the right side of his War on Christmas.

    Like RacerX pointed out, our old pal Bill Donahue of the Catholic League doesn’t like the cross floating behind Huck in the commercial. “The whole idea is to give the appearance of a cross,” he said, “and this is just injecting religion into politics even too far for guys like me.”

    Injecting religion into politics? I’m shocked! SHOCKED!

  • As Thomas Jefferson so wisely foresaw, blending politics with religion leads to nothing but trouble.

    Under our Constitutional government, intentionally and specifically separate from religion, political causes vie with one another. Today you win and I lose; tomorrow I’ll be back either agreeing with you or attempting to reverse your victory. We both play the same game according to the same rules.

    But if one “side” drags God into the argument (“Gott mit uns”), then the other side isn’t just a loser. It’s evil and should be declared anathema, i.e., condemned.

    Saying we need to get back to Jefferson’s separation of church and state isn’t trying to create a “religion of secularism”. It’s trying to play by the rules which have governed us until the Bush Crime Family and its ministers were allowed on the playground.

  • Religion should remain OUT of government. Don’t get me wrong, I SUPPORT every person’s right to choose her or his religion or no religion at all. That is, after all, what the founding fathers intended when they wrote the Constitution. The Constitution also CLEARLY prohibits the selection of a state religion. The reason for this separation of government and religion should be obvious.

    However, a presidential CANDIDATE is not actually a PART of the government, is he (or she)? A candidate is just a citizen running for office. The Constitution provides for freedom of speech. So we find ourselves in a bit of a dilema; keeping religion out of government while protecting everyone’s right to say what he wants…even Mike Huckabee. Sure, I don’t like overt religious themes in campaigns, but I would like it even less if we trampled on a person’s Constitutional right to free speech because we didn’t like what he had to say.

    I, for one, have gotten my fill of constitutional violations from George W. Bush. Let’s not add to the list.

    So long as Huckabee, or anyone else for that matter, does not try to establish a state religion or use tax dollars for crosses or menoras or framed copies of the ten commandments or the Bagivad Gita or the Koran or—you get the idea—then I am ok with a person expressing his views.

  • All I’ve heard the last couple days is how the candidates are going to have to stop with the phone calls and TV ads, probably by the weekend, so as not to annoy people with politics at Christmas, and this seems to be Huckabee’s answer: run an ad that says that he knows what’s really important, and extends a Christmas greeting to the viewing audience. He gets to keep his face ever-present even if he doesn’t have an overt political message.

    I’m sure the non-theists, the agnostics, the Jews and the Muslims will appreciate that Mike knows that Christ is what’s on everyone’s minds these days. Or not – but he’s not looking for their votes, anyway, so no big deal.

    But, you know what? I don’t need Mike Huckabee to tell me what’s important about “the season;” the man needs a pulpit, not the presidency.

  • One reason I, as a nonbeliever, love the whole Xmas schtick is because taking it seriously is so ridiculous. With zero evidence of any particular birthdate for Jesus, the December 25th date was chosen as part of a political strategy to displace the traditional pagan solstice holiday. (Ever wonder why we have all the evergreens and mistletoe this time of year? It’s nothing to do with christianity – those are holdovers from the older solstice celebrations that Christmas replaced.)

    Given that Christmas’ entire origin was as a crass and cynical bit of sectarian political warfare, I don’t have a problem with Huck appropriating it yet again for another idiot jihad. In fact it seems completely fitting. I’ll admit to more than a bit of contempt for anyone that would take him seriously, though.

  • “Are you about worn out of all the television commercials you’ve been seeing? Mostly about politics…”

    At that point I would say “Yep”, and then flip over to Sportscenter.

    Thanks for giving me a heads-up, Mike.

  • One idea I find interesting is the fact that the principle of separate church and state was created to ensure that the STATE did not interfere with the church, as neighboring Europe was rife with issues stemming from political control of the churches (e.g. France nationalized the Galician church many, many times) or state-mandated faiths (think England under Bloody Mary). Today on the other hand, we have the opposite problem: we worry more about RELIGION interfering with the state. Very interesting, in my opinion.

    Here, I think we have a subtle but definite attack on Huckabee’s part using religion. Yes, department stores also run Christmas ads too, but those tend to be more Xmas themed. This ad takes a much different tack: Huckabee’s taking a shot at every other candidate by *using* a religious holiday. Not so much an interference of religion in politics, but definitely abuse.

  • Everyone back home that saw it liked it. He is saying what so many are afraid to say today, “Merry Christmas!!!” It’s an anti-PC message and that is why it will work.

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  • The real test will be for Conservatives who will have a choice between decrying the open agenda of converting the Republican Party to strictly a religion-based party (and thereby electing a Democratic President) and keeping their mouths shut (and getting a share of the political power that will come to them with a Republican President), Conservatives will choose power (and the money that comes with it) every time.

    While Conservatives have their “morals”, they never had principles.

  • I applaude Mr. Huckabee for ‘standing up’ for the ‘reason for the season”. We’ve made ‘Christ’mas a commercial holiday and it’s a breath of fresh air to hear the truth spoken and not be afraid of saying it. You have to remember, he has lived what he’s preaching – unlike most politicians. Mike’s my man for saying it like it is!

  • C’mon guys, that’s hilarious!

    Whatever, he’s a Baptist minister, I wouldn’t expect anything less. I actually think he’s the…lessest (?) of…10 evils (the R side obviously), even with his obvious intellectual deficiencies in science. His record isn’t terribly shabby either (not a majority of it anyway). So let him speak, he’ll get crushed if he wins the general election anyway. Unless all the LEFTIES are too busy using burning American flags to light their blunts wrapped in rainbow-striped papers and sodomizing each other with bongs filled with Marxist manifestos, atheist propaganda, and Korans to vote come Nov 08. Bastards!

  • It’s about time that someone get on national air way’s and admit why we are celebrating anything on the 25th of December! I’m so tired of having to hide my faith of the season with “Winter” or “Holiday” I’m sorry to all of you who don’t believe, but as your handing out you presents to your family and Loved ones, remember this, you wouldn’t be doing that if it wasn’t for the Birth of my Savior and King! MERRY CHRIST MAS!!!!!

  • Finally, a man who is not affraid to stand or the same thing our founding fathers of our country stood for. We cow tow the the moslims and the jewish state everyday. My boss said he would not allow Christmas music because it may offend someone, mainly him he is jewish.

    If we ever need a more spiritially guided leader it is now, one who will stand up for prinicples.

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