Althouse: HuckChuck.

November 19, 2007

HuckChuck.

Critique the new Mike Huckabee ad.

53 comments:

Simon said...: My favorite Chuck Norris joke (which is ideally applicable to Huckabee): "there is no evolution, only a list of animals that Chuck Norris permits to live."; 11/19/07, 5:46 PM
Revenant said...: Outer space exists because it's afraid to be on the same planet with Chuck Norris.; 11/19/07, 5:51 PM
Darkbloom said...: yawn; 11/19/07, 5:52 PM
Brian Doyle said...: It's an excellent ad. Huckabee's comic timing is impressive, and he's an appealing guy generally (not as a POTUS).

I have to point out that if more people (Republicans included) knew how friggin' far out there Chuck Norris is in his WorldNetDaily columns, it would not be an endorsement to trumpet. But most people don't and that's as it should be.; 11/19/07, 5:58 PM
Skyler said...: That's more than pathetic. I don't know much about Huckabee, but I'm not sure why I should vote for him. Perhaps I should vote for Chuck Norris instead. Clearly he thinks Chuck is better than him.; 11/19/07, 5:59 PM
Revenant said...: Well, Huckabee's pretty far out there too, Doyle.; 11/19/07, 6:04 PM
Simon said...: Doyle, I think you have to give him credit for being out of the closet in an industry where that kills careers. Being a conservative in the entertainment industry is like being a hawk in today's Democratic party.; 11/19/07, 6:06 PM
Brian Doyle said...: True.; 11/19/07, 6:08 PM
Brian Doyle said...: Note: I was saying Rev's observation was true.

Simon just rehashed the Andrew Breitbart-fueled wingnut meme about those poor Hollywood conservatives, with a dash of "you have to support even illegitimate and predictably disastrous wars to be a hawk" nonsense.; 11/19/07, 6:12 PM
Brent said...: Love it!

A politician of any stripe rises at least a little in my estimation - and I firmly believe also rises in the estimation of the vast majority of Americans - when they are willing to go the extra step to be humorously self-deprecating.

That of course doesn't mean that the politician will win. But if more of them did it - and did it well - there would be less animus and partisanship in this nation.; 11/19/07, 6:21 PM
Richard Dolan said...: Huckabee needs a win in one of the early primaries if he wants to be in the game for the Feb 5 event. So what segment of the Rep primary/caucus voters in Iowa or NH or Michigan or SC is this ad aimed at, and who is it supposed to bowl over? The ad has no real focus and doesn't leave any clear impression or message; and the "true conservative" thing (if that was the point) probably helps Rudy as much as Huckabee. I don't see how this helps him get where he needs to be to achieve that early win. As an ad for the next Chuck Norris film, however, it's probably pretty good.; 11/19/07, 6:29 PM
Jacob said...: I think Huckabee is using this to push his new health care plan. After all, Chuck Norris' tears cure cancer. Too bad he has never cried.; 11/19/07, 6:33 PM
Anonymous said...: I agree with Doyle. Great ad. Huckabee is an appealing guy but not as POTUS. It is a good thing that Norris's personal political views are not well-known.; 11/19/07, 6:34 PM
Revenant said...: Richard,

I don't think he's aiming to win the nomination -- he's building name recognition for later on, and to put himself in the running as a possible VP pick.; 11/19/07, 6:38 PM
Simon said...: Doyle - it's my 2 for the price of 1 sale day.; 11/19/07, 6:44 PM
Laura Reynolds said...: He's trying to catch the buzz that Fred missed. The "he's the true conservative buzz".

He would need to win Ohio, Florida, NM, AZ and a couple others that I'm not seeing so its over before he starts, IMO.; 11/19/07, 7:48 PM
Ruth Anne Adams said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 11/19/07, 8:21 PM
Ann Althouse said...: Say more, Ruth Anne. What, exactly?; 11/19/07, 8:26 PM
MadisonMan said...: I like it. I think it's funny, but it takes time to realize it's supposed to be a joke.; 11/19/07, 8:32 PM
AlphaLiberal said...: Garry Trudeau's correspondent nailed it, good. This is a funny post about Chuck Norris actually going to Iraq.

"Let me preface this story I'm about to tell with a little background: Chuck Norris is a gigantic cult phenomenon. Everyone knows a joke or two about the man: "Chuck Norris has two speeds: Sleep and Kill." "There is no natural selection. There are creatures that die and creatures Chuck allows to live." "Chuck Norris doesn't have a beard because he doesn't shave; Chuck has a beard because razors are scared of him." References to the man are everywhere, and nearly all of them are as odd or inane as those. Whether they make sense or not, these little sayings are written inside bunkers, latrines, vehicles—anywhere someone might think to write something."

I won't ruin the punchline, but maybe he's not so tough after all.

p.s. Oh, now Hollywood's okay, eh? IOKIYAR; 11/19/07, 8:33 PM
Ruth Anne Adams said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 11/19/07, 8:55 PM
Cedarford said...: Chuck Norris has a deep and abiding respect for human life... unless it gets in his way.; 11/19/07, 9:11 PM
Ruth Anne Adams said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 11/19/07, 9:14 PM
Revenant said...: Er, Alpha... you missed the joke.

Chuck Norris jokes specifically poke fun at the macho, butt-kicking persona he normally portrays on the screen. The people telling the jokes don't REALLY think the man is a badass.

p.s. Oh, now Hollywood's okay, eh?

Chuck Norris is "Hollywood"?; 11/19/07, 9:19 PM
Hayes said...: It would have been nice if they used an original Chuck Norris fact....

"Chuck Norris has 270 electoral votes..."; 11/19/07, 9:20 PM
Anonymous said...: Sometimes I just sit here in awe and wonder, "Are there really people that humorless?"; 11/19/07, 9:22 PM
Cedarford said...: When Chuck was a teenager, he chewed tobacco and spit holes through the floor and stray dogs.

Told it was a disgusting habit by a guy, he killed the man, but reconsidered.

Now he just politely chews on a block of C-4 or .50 Cal bullets, whichever are handier.; 11/19/07, 9:23 PM
Ann Althouse said...: Thanks, Ruth Anne. And others. I really haven't followed this Chuck Norris trend. After reading some of that stuff, I watch the add again and laughed out loud. I grasped it somehow before I read those things... not sure why...; 11/19/07, 9:26 PM
Ann Althouse said...: ad

not add; 11/19/07, 9:26 PM
AlphaLiberal said...: Revenant, I got it.

See the link I posted.; 11/19/07, 10:47 PM
Revenant said...: See the link I posted.

I did see the link you posted. That's why I said you didn't get it.

Sure, Norris "isn't so tough after all". Duh! That's half the point of the jokes in the first place -- using hyperbole to exaggerate his already ridiculously exaggerated "badass" persona to the point of absurdity.; 11/19/07, 10:59 PM
Hoosier Daddy said...: Are there really people that humorless?"

Bush outlawed humor when we usurped power and created the Amerikan police state and then began his blitzkreig of world conquest.

Evidently you haven't been paying attention.; 11/20/07, 7:04 AM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: You know the ad is effectively reaching the younger generations when people who play World of Warcraft (I admit to the addiction) are talking about it during game play.

Chuck Norris jokes have been a staple of Barrens Chat for years.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=barrens+chat

There are 6.5 million people playing this game and demographics for this group is usually age 18 to 35 and politically unmotivated.
The ad is a brilliant move to reach younger people and those of us (Alpha excluded) who have a sense of humor.; 11/20/07, 9:13 AM
Swifty Quick said...: The Chuck Norris jokes phenomena has been floating around the internet for several years. This is what Huckabee was tapping into with that ad, which I thought was pretty good and worked on several levels. Counterintuitively, self-deprecation being chief among them.

And sorry Alphaliberal, you're not getting it. You're trying to be too political with it, too hung up about the fact that Norris is a conservative. Let go of that and then you'll start to get it.

A few more:

Chuck Norris invented the bolt-action rifle, liquor, sexual intercourse, and football-- in that order.

A high tide means Chuck Norris is flying over your coast. The tide is caused by God pissing his pants.

There is in fact an "I" in Norris, but there is no "team" -- not even close.

Chuck Norris roundhouse kicks don't really kill people. They wipe out their entire existence from the space-time continuum.

Chuck Norris does not own a stove, oven, or microwave , because revenge is a dish best served cold.

Tom Clancy has to pay royalties to Chuck Norris because "The Sum of All Fears" is Chuck Norris' middle name.

Chuck Norris built a better mousetrap, but the world was too frightened to beat a path to his door.

Hellen Keller's favorite color is Chuck Norris.

Chuck Norris eats beef jerky and craps gunpowder. Then, he uses that gunpowder to make a bullet, which he uses to kill a cow and make more beef jerky. Some people refer to this as the "Circle of Life."

And on and on ...; 11/20/07, 9:29 AM
Anonymous said...: Dust Bunny says: "There are 6.5 million people playing this game and demographics for this group is usually age 18 to 35 and politically unmotivated. The ad is a brilliant move to reach younger people and those of us (Alpha excluded) who have a sense of humor."

Exactly what we need: A Man who video game players feel can be the next President of the United States...because a has been kick boxer/actor (can I use that term?)...thinks he's the best for the job.

I realize many here could care less what the rest of the world thinks about Americans, but good God...can you imagine people elsewhere watching this?

*"Chuck Norris pushes the earth down..."

Down???; 11/20/07, 11:45 AM
Trooper York said...: Chuck Norris has compassion for the mentally retarded. He doesn't call them Mongoloids or retards. He calls them Lucky.; 11/20/07, 11:55 AM
former law student said...: I realize Ted's not an internet meme, but I wonder who the Nuge is supporting.; 11/20/07, 12:06 PM
Anonymous said...: Trooper,
You finally come up with something or your own and this is it?

Pretty lame, Dude...and a probably not that funny to those who have friends or relatives who are handicapped.; 11/20/07, 12:10 PM
Anonymous said...: former law student said..."I realize Ted's not an internet meme, but I wonder who the Nuge is supporting."

Anybody who's killed an animal within the last five days.; 11/20/07, 12:10 PM
Trooper York said...: Chuck Norris is not squeamish. When he steps in a steaming pile of horseshit on his ranch, he just smiles wryly and says “That’s Lucky.”; 11/20/07, 12:51 PM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: "Exactly what we need: A Man who video game players feel can be the next President of the United States"

Hereby including LoS into the group of people without a sense of humor.

You can make fun of the demographics and Huckabee's Chuck Norris commercial, but be aware that the average gamer is not a child. "It turns out the age of the average gamer is 33 years old. 31 percent of gamers are under 18, 44 percent are between the ages of 18 and 49, and a surprising 25 percent are over 50! The average adult gamer has been playing computer or video games for 12 years" http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060517-6855.html

In addition, many of the people who pay to play online games, while not much politically motivated, are generally educated professionals who can afford the very expensive gaming computers and to pay for the subscriptions. Many are in the science and technology fields.... computer nerds.

The candidates play to the "Soccer Moms" and "NASCAR Dads". Why not give the gamers a whirl?; 11/20/07, 1:00 PM
DaLawGiver said...: DBQ,

Are you in my guild?

LFG ZF need DPS!; 11/20/07, 1:14 PM
Anonymous said...: Dust Bunny,
I have a very good sense of humor, but this ad is absolutely ridiculous...especially considering Huckabee is running for President.

Why not have Mike Tyson touting Obama?

Bring in more of the black vote...?; 11/20/07, 1:15 PM
Anonymous said...: Trooper,
Between you and Lawgiver I don't know which one is more delusional regarding their writing skills.

If this is the best you can do on your own...get back to stealing other people's work.

*And yeah, I know...you attribute it...but it's still something someone other than yourself came up with.; 11/20/07, 1:17 PM
Anonymous said...: lawgiver,
You belong to the Dead Persons Society?

Now I understand...; 11/20/07, 1:25 PM
DaLawGiver said...: Why not have Mike Tyson touting Obama?

I'm with you Lucy, It would be funny as hell if all the democrats used felons in their political advertisements while all the republicans used TV/movie stars.

Hillary could use David Berkowitz.

Edwards could use Eric Robert Rudolph.

Al Gore could use Charlie Manson.

Huckabee is using Norris.

Rudi could use Robert Duvall.

McCain could use Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith.

I would watch all the ads, great idea!; 11/20/07, 1:45 PM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: Lawgiver

Are you in my guild?

LFG ZF need DPS!

Rexxar Mark of Whatever 70 BM Hunter. I've got DPS :-)

/target Lucky
/aimedshot; 11/20/07, 2:21 PM
Anonymous said...: lawgiver,
Sorry, I'm missing something a few of your references...

Gore with Manson...huh?

Edwards is a mountain man?

Hillary with the Son of Sam?

I don't understand the correlation...; 11/20/07, 2:40 PM
Anonymous said...: Dust Bunny,
Why are you so interested in Landfill Gas?

And what's with the Dead Persons Society?

And...why are you using a Zonal Filter?; 11/20/07, 2:44 PM
Anonymous said...: Here's an ad the Democrats might find interesting to run...using Scott McClellan as their spokesman...and in his own words...from his recently penned book:

"The most powerful leader in the world had called upon me to speak on his behalf and help restore credibility he lost amid the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

So I stood at the White house briefing room podium in front of the glare of the klieg lights for the better part of two weeks and publicly exonerated two of the senior-most aides in the White House: Karl Rove and Scooter Libby.

There was one problem. It was not true.

I had unknowingly passed along false information. And five of the highest ranking officials in the administration were involved in my doing so: Rove, Libby, the vice President, the President's chief of staff, and the president himself.; 11/20/07, 2:52 PM
DaLawGiver said...: DBQ,

Just try to tame him first. He might make a good pet, very tenacious but not too bright.; 11/20/07, 3:26 PM
Trooper York said...: Chuck Norris is a true gentleman. He is circumspect in his locution. When he feels the need to void his bowels, he merely states “I feel Lucky.”; 11/20/07, 4:52 PM
Roost on the Moon said...: This is probably too stale, but if you are reading this, former law student, the Nuge has endorsed Fred Thompson.

Wang Dang Fake Southern-Twang.; 11/21/07, 2:29 PM