Mike Huckabee found out what it’s like to lose the goodwill of the media this weekend. Up to this point, the Arkansas governor has enjoyed the image of the wily underdog, surmounting overwhelming odds and a lack of cash to mount an insurgent presidential campaign. But now polling reveals he’s the front runner in Iowa. And front runners must be destroyed. Enter George Stephanopoulos. The This Week host wasted no time at lighting into Huckabee over an issue that causes him trouble with GOP voters: immigration reform. When asked about the children of illegal immigrants receiving in state tuition, Huckabee juked, saying “I’ll tell you what I do believe: That you don’t punish a child because a parent committed a crime, or committed a sin. You just don’t do that. And that’s why …” But Huckabee didn’t get a chance to finish: Jumping in, Stephanopoulos blocked the dodge, interrupting with “Excuse me, let me just stop you right there. That’s why you pushed a bill that would allow the children of illegal immigrants, if they went through an Arkansas high school, to get in state tuition.” When Huckabee tried to say that the bill in question related to a scholarship, Stephanopoulos again jumped in: “Well governor, let me stop you right there because, and a lot of people have looked at this, I’ve got the bill right in front of me, and I know that what you’re talking about may have been in your original legislation, but you continued to push for a bill after the scholarship provisions were dropped that would simply provide instate tuition benefits to illegal immigrants.” Sputtering, Huckabee tried to blame the problem on the federal government for allowing illegal immigrants to flow into his state willy nilly and insinuated that all non-college graduates are drains on the welfare system–“Is [an illegal immigrant] better off going to college and becoming a tax payer as opposed to not going to college and potentially becoming a tax taker?” Stephanopoulos went on to nail Huckabee for raising taxes and for lessening prison sentences for cooking meth. Welcome to the big leagues, governor. Get used to 12 more months of this if you do manage to win the nomination. On Meet the Press, Michele Norris explained why Obama might be picking up ground in Iowa, and revealed the most depressing television viewing statistic I’ve heard in years:
William Kristol is also bullish on Obama’s chances; speaking on Fox News Sunday, he expounded on his underdog theory of politics.
Hillary Clinton’s camp is stuck doing damage control for the moment. Strategist Howard Wolfson was on Face the Nation to remind people that Hillary has never been the favorite in Iowa.
