Political Punch

Power, pop, and probings from ABC News Senior White House Correspondent Jake Tapper

« Previous | Main | Next »

Huck invokes Christ in new TV ad

December 17, 2007 2:13 PM

Tomorrow in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee launches a new TV ad called "What Really Matters.”

Watch it HERE.

With "Silent Night" strumming as soothing background music, Huckabee tells voters he doesn't blame them if they're "worn out" from all the political ads.

As the camera pans to reveal a Christmas tree behind him, the former Baptist minister says that at this time of year "what really matters is the celebration of the birth of Christ and being with our family and our friends."

I cannot remember a presidential candidate ever invoking Christ in a TV ad before.

Then-Gov. George W. Bush famously responded, when asked his favorite "political philosopher" in a December 1999 debate during the GOP primaries, "Christ, because he changed my heart."

The moderator responded, "I think the viewer would like to know more on how he's changed your heart."

"Well, if they don't know, it's going to be hard to explain," Bush said. "When you turn your heart and your life over to Christ, when you accept Christ as the savior, it changes your heart. It changes your life. And that's what happened to me."

But that was an answer to a question -- not a TV ad.

What do you think? I suspect discussing the true meaning of Christmas will be very popular among certain members of the Republican electorate -- it's really no more revolutionary than what Linus says in "Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown."

But religion and politics can be dicey.

-- jpt

December 17, 2007 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (256)

User Comments

Feed You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.

Wow... All these comments and so many miss the mark. I would think that we have free speech in our country and the right to express our freedom of religion. Or at least that is what I thought. What I'm hearing from the left is that anything is ok AS LONG AS you don't speak about your religious beliefs. And the left is supposed to be for your rights... HUH? It's not about Huck preaching. He just said that Christmas is about Jesus... Y'all got a problem with that? I really wonder about America and americans and how out of touch we are with our rights... It's sad... You don't like what he said? Well at least respect his right to say it. If he said Happy Hanukah or Happy Kwanzaa that would be his right also. And you know something - as americans, we should defend this right before we lose it to the faith censors (on the left...). Huck wasn't proposing a religious monarchy. He just said Merry Christmas... Very sad, sad indeed that our country has come to this point. The point where saying Merry Christmas around Christmas is offensive... That's all I have to say...

Posted by: Thomas | Dec 23, 2007 10:53:36 PM

I appreciate Mike Huckabee's stand; obviously, however,a lot of people can't handle the truth when someone has the courage to stand for it. I have to say I'm impressed by the confident self-assurance of all the Christ-bashers out there. You guys are willing to risk it all for the sake of indulging a denial seemingly based on a few modern books or movies that agree with what you want to believe. The Word of God has been around for thousands of years, never been disproven (though many have tried) and is full of uncannily accurate prophecies regarding Jesus and the state of Israel. If you unbelievers are right, then we believers still have lost nothing. But what if you are wrong? Then you reject the One who loved you enough to die for you, and who alone has the power to spare your soul. The stakes are high, people.

Posted by: DAC | Dec 21, 2007 2:35:50 PM

Only the media has problems with Christ. It seems the majority enjoy Christ. The media speaks for the minority making them look like the majority. They are running scared so they hammer Christ and religion.
We need separation of church and media.
Hey lets keep God out of our world!HA HA.
"Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh:" Psalm 2 1-4 the Lord shall have them in derision." Cheers

Posted by: Chris | Dec 19, 2007 8:37:32 PM

EJ...
Man you are wasting your time. To you he may not exist, but for the rest of the planet, he was here. He is here now. Human beings are creatures of worship. Now I know you probabaly have all of this fine literature you have filled your head with. You go ahead and watch whatever you people fill your heads with. Don't try to convert the converted. You need counselling. I will pray for you. I pray that JESUS will open your eyes to the reality of his existance. If you are jewish, your messiah has already come. His name is Jesus. He said "He that believeth in me shall see the kingdom of heaven." Doesn't say you will get in, but at least you could SEE heaven if you believe. I love messing with the chilluns that have it all figured out.

Posted by: James Blackledge | Dec 19, 2007 5:30:47 PM

The reality is there is NO PROOF that Jesus ever existed, and Josephus' info written 90 years after the myth was manipulated later by Constatine's people. Watch the movie Zeitgeist and understand. When male dominated "sky gods" took over spiritual expression is when the trouble started. Prior to that...no short swords "heros" graves, or armies. Think of how many have been killed because of the other's believe that they have the "one true god" on their side.

Posted by: EJ | Dec 19, 2007 2:10:56 PM

I think it is stupid to LISTEN to all of these whiney idiots that want to destroy Christianity and CHRISTmas. Christianity is here for good and that makes some angry. It made people angry during Jesus's time. Hey they were so mad that they killed him. Do not be ashamed of your Christianity. Raise your hands on HIGH. Talk to the lord Jesus Christ and let the prayers rain down on them. Stick your chest out and BOLDLY tell them all MERRY CHRISTMAS. Honucha and Quanza (Mis-Spelled foreign holidays...sorry) are FOREIGN holidays. These foreign holidays were mixed with CHRISTmas in order to passify a few foreigners and an attempt to get CHRIST's name out of the people's mouths. If they tell you that it offends them to hear the word CHRIST then tell them that it offends YOU for it NOT to be proclaimed in our CHRISTian holiday. Do not let them sway you in your beliefs. Proclaim it to the world BOLDLY and ignore the rest because they are the one's that have to answer for their own souls. They know the way. Keep your eyes on the goal for you AND your families. Merry CHRISTmas and I hope each and every person (even the athiests and CHRISTian attackers) have a very Merry CHRISTmas.

Posted by: James Blackledge | Dec 19, 2007 11:59:23 AM

Hmm...Could it be that Mr. Huckabee "invoked Christ" in his ad because it is CHRISTmas time and CHRISTmas is when we celebrate CHRIST'S birth? What a novel idea! I think that is wonderful! Merry CHRISTmas Mr. Huckabee and Merry CHRISTmas to all of you, too!

Posted by: Scherri | Dec 19, 2007 9:01:34 AM

Unless you are a bible bashing, naysaying, card carrying member of the ACLU you have NO right to run for President!

The CORRECT GREETING is Happy HOLY DAYS--- Arggh forgive me I meant Happy Hollidays , (what was I thinking..Bah Humbug!!!

stupid Christians ..who does that Jesus think he was anyways ....God? 2000 years later and these people are still talking about Him --what a bunch of NUTS!! Bill Clinton & Al Gore never quoted the Bible!!!! Even Jesus said faith is a very personal thing and you should keep it to yourself not tell anyone about it -He said everyone is going to heaven including Hitler, Stalin and all murderous God Haters who were smart enought to KEEP FAITH in anyone but themselves OUT OF POLITICS!!!

Posted by: Tim | Dec 19, 2007 2:37:19 AM

Happy Hajj!

Posted by: John | Dec 18, 2007 8:02:02 PM

Get REAL: "They fought for freedom for ALL religions and NOT a government sponsored religion." Absolutely RIGHT! And NOT A SEPARATION FROM RELIGION!

Posted by: James Danley | Dec 18, 2007 7:08:12 PM

James: there were a lot of Deists and Masons mixed in with the christians among the "founding fathers". They fought for freedom for ALL religions and NOT a government sponsored religion. IF ALL YOU GOT IS THE ARCHAIC WAY OF SAYING THE DATE: BIG DEAL !

Posted by: get REAL | Dec 18, 2007 6:23:19 PM

we celebrate mithras because the new myth wanted to supplant the old myths and because a pope said so. scientists are disproving any chance that a global flood ever took place. the new theory is that there was a well documented regional flood in mesopotamia (tigris and euphrates). judaism copied the story, embellished it and made it global and took it as their own. COMMONPLACE ("BORROWING AND EMBELLISHING" OF MYTHS) in the middle east including all mythology and the formation OF JUDAISM, CHRISTIANITY AND ISLAM. it takes a little common sense and reason NOT to be a SHEEP !

Posted by: get REAL | Dec 18, 2007 5:36:51 PM

Nate, you wrote: "...but the big Founding Fathers we all celebrate most certainly we(re) not Christians."

They certainly didn't object to signing their names to the document that states: "Done in Convention by the Unanimous Consent of the States present the Seventeenth Day of September in the Year of OUR LORD one thousand seven hundred and Eighty seven..." (Emphasis mine.)

Now I know you are going to say, "That was a common phrase back then." True! BUT if our founding fathers wanted to separate church and state and did not believe in Jesus Christ, why would they allow a direct reference to Jesus Christ in the U. S. Constitution?

Posted by: James Danley | Dec 18, 2007 5:27:42 PM

Why do we celebrate Christmas?
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. He took upon our sins so we could be saved. People, there is hope in salvation and we have eternal life through Jesus Christ. Jesus came to seek and save that which was lost. If someone offered me a plan of salvation why should I be offended? It is obvious that America has put God out of their lives. We see it throughout the world- hate, murder, drugs, family life destroyed, no respect for authority, family,etc. America if we just humble ourselves and pray and turn from our wicked ways then God will heal our land. America God shed his grace on thee...
You can mock him all you want just like in they did in the days of Noah, no one believed there would be a flood coming, and still people don't believe Jesus is coming back. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and and the Life. No man goes to the Father except thru the son which is Jesus. We will all stand before him giving account for our lives. Choose you this day whom you will serve. I hope you choose LIFE!

Posted by: Irene | Dec 18, 2007 5:16:28 PM

Jose C., you wrote: "...but the Constitution they (the founding fathers) wrote put the wall of separation between church and state in it..." WRONG! It was a U. S. Supreme Court that erroneously ruled that there should be a separation of church and state. What our founding fathers WROTE in the U. S. Constitution placed a ban on religious tests being required as a qualification for federal offices. The First Amendment places a ban on Congress from passing any law respecting the establishment of religion; and it bans Congress from passing any laws that prohibit the free exercise of religion. If you separate religion from the state, then you are violating the First Amendment by placing limits on the free exercise of religion.

You also wrote: "Didn't the Bible say no more Flood?" God did not promise that there would be no more floods. God promised not to destroy the earth with another flood.

Posted by: James Danley | Dec 18, 2007 5:09:55 PM

It may be that the "Minister" strangely invoked 'Christ' in his TV ad because CHRIST is coming "In The Bleak Mid Winter" this time, to demand answers to the following from 'The HYPOCRITES':

1. When the Europeans forcefully took this land from the "INDIANS", what "LEGAL" DOCUMENTS did they (the EUROPEANS) have to enter the land??

2. Where were the so-called "MORAL VALUES" when innocent people were hanging from 'NOOSES'??

GOD ALMIGHTY did not forget! JUSTICE is on the way! The 'Handwriting' is all over the place!

Posted by: Huggy bear | Dec 18, 2007 5:09:50 PM

I cant agree any more Bob. Happy Holidays

Posted by: S.P.M. | Dec 18, 2007 4:50:59 PM

Bob, I dont want to break your heart but California is run by a Moderate Republican and a Liberal AG.

Posted by: S.P.M. | Dec 18, 2007 4:40:10 PM

BTW... Happy Yule

Posted by: S.P.M. | Dec 18, 2007 4:36:51 PM

Merry Mithras Everyone !

Posted by: get REAL | Dec 18, 2007 4:29:12 PM

Post a comment





 

POLITICAL VIDEOS