Today, former governor Mike Huckabee (R-AK) announced Ed Rollins as his new campaign chairman. In 1993, Rollins chaired the successful campaign of Christinie Todd Whitman in the New Jersey gubernatorial race, where he paid black leaders to not speak out for opponent Jim Florio:
“We went into black churches and we basically said to ministers who had endorsed Florio, ‘Do you have a special project?’ And they said, “We’ve already endorsed Florio,” Mr. Rollins said. “We said, ‘That’s fine. Don’t get up on the pulpit Sunday and say it’s your moral obligation that you go on Tuesday to vote for Jim Florio.’”
Mr. Rollins said the campaign used a more direct approach to persuade some Democratic political workers to stay home on Election Day. “We said to some of their key workers, ‘How much have they paid you to do your normal duty?’ ” he said. “Well, we’ll match it. Go home, sit and watch television.”
(HT: Tim Grieve)

Well, blacks don’t have souls. *Virginia tobacco owner*
December 14th, 2007 at 4:35 pmCue the trolls: JFK, daddy, Chicago, 1960 . . .
December 14th, 2007 at 4:41 pmexcuse the OT …
just heard from the man, on randi… sign up!:
wexlerwantshearings.com
(wexler wants hearings dot com)
sign up … pass it on!
December 14th, 2007 at 4:43 pmhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa..Big Eddy Rollins always on with Lou Dobbs shouting off at the mouth.
December 14th, 2007 at 4:43 pmtry again:
http://wexlerwantshearings.com/
December 14th, 2007 at 4:44 pmCue the trolls: JFK, daddy, Chicago, 1960 . . .
Comment by gummitch — December 14, 2007 @ 4:41 pm
frankie’s busy defending dana perino… who else we got who’s available?
December 14th, 2007 at 4:44 pmAmazing that this is not illegal.
Oh yeah, and thanks black ministers on the payroll of the Republican party. Good job.
You, too, Democratic workers. You all are really something.
December 14th, 2007 at 4:48 pmI’m still recovering from Hucks comment:
December 14th, 2007 at 4:49 pm“We said to some of their key workers, ‘How much have they paid you to do your normal duty?’ †he said. “Well, we’ll match it. Go home, sit and watch television.â€
Don’t get me wrong, Ed Rollins is a skunk and these actions are reprehensible, but I also am disgusted with any worker who would have agreed to such a deal. That is true whether the worker is a Democrat or a Republican.
December 14th, 2007 at 4:52 pmIsn’t it against tax regulations for preachers to get up on the pulpit and voice who they politically support? Doesn’t that do something to the tax exempt status?
December 14th, 2007 at 4:53 pm#9 - I agree with you. It is pretty disturbing to think that people would do this.
December 14th, 2007 at 4:54 pmMenehune, well said. My thoughts exactly.
On a close tangent, AP reports that Huckabee is calling for a national sales tax which will solve Social Security.
I DO NOT imply that repubs like the idea of a new form of taxation. I DO NOT imply that repubs like regressive taxes.
December 14th, 2007 at 4:56 pmYeah. Right.
Reid to help telecom immunity get passed
Link
December 14th, 2007 at 5:14 pmOT - The Impeachment of Dick Cheney has just picked up significant steam. Three members of the House Judiciary have opened a new website. Please visit and sign up right now! Demand hearings on the Impeachment of Dick Cheney! This is HUGE news!
http://www.wexlerwantshearings.com/
It only takes 30 seconds of your time!
December 14th, 2007 at 5:14 pm#11: Really? Everybody’s got their price. You’re going to be sorely disappointed many times during your life if you want to cling to your naive belief that there are untouchable people who can’t be bought off.
Comment by Frank M — December 14, 2007 @ 5:15 pm
why are we not surprised that you have no morals?
December 14th, 2007 at 5:17 pm#14: Impeachment is off the table. Pelosi will kill any such initiative.
Comment by Frank M — December 14, 2007 @ 5:15 pm
No she won’t, not if the people demand it. she’s not a Republican, after all.
December 14th, 2007 at 5:18 pm12…how in the heck would that work? Even with our already sky-high sales taxes here in NY, the one thing that is keeping the economy going is the influx of foreign tourists who fly in just because the dollar is in the toilet. Raise sales taxes to a certain level and you either choke off the tourist money because things are no longer such a bargain, or you have to create some kind of rebate program for foreigners. The ultra rich would then take advantage of that, I’m sure and “offshore” their citizenships. Considering what’s gone on with “American” corporations, its not hard to imagine something like that happening –with the Cayman Islands or Palau giving citizenships for a nice fee.
December 14th, 2007 at 5:21 pm#18: Ah yes. The people… *chuckle* Just where will Pelosi hear them?
Comment by Frank M — December 14, 2007 @ 5:21 pm
that’s funny coming from an immoral follower of the enemy of the people, George Bush.
December 14th, 2007 at 5:26 pm#11: Really? Everybody’s got their price. You’re going to be sorely disappointed many times during your life if you want to cling to your naive belief that there are untouchable people who can’t be bought off.
Comment by Frank M — December 14, 2007 @ 5:15 pm
——-
Really? What is your price for….
….helping Al Qaeda carry out a terrorist attack on the USA…
…having sex with your mother….
…having sex with your FATHER…
…renouncing your religion…
Just because you are cheap and lack morals and ethics doesn’t mean everyone is as week as you.
December 14th, 2007 at 5:46 pmweak*
My spelling is week
December 14th, 2007 at 5:49 pmHis lack of ethics explains his devotion to that reprehensible White House.
December 14th, 2007 at 5:49 pmFYI: Huckabee was the governor of Arkansas, not Alaska. (R-AR)
December 14th, 2007 at 5:49 pmHuckabee is as corrupt as the rest of the Republicans.
December 14th, 2007 at 6:38 pm#11: Really? Everybody’s got their price. You’re going to be sorely disappointed many times during your life if you want to cling to your naive belief that there are untouchable people who can’t be bought off.
Comment by Frank M — December 14, 2007 @ 5:15 pm
Yeah, look at TRAITOR George W. Bush—
There isn’t a Saudi or a Taliban dikc he wouldn’t sukc for money or OIL.
December 14th, 2007 at 6:45 pmI remember that as his man talked to the Pastor at our church. Yes the Pastor was paid as a large cash donation. Most of the old people brought the Pastors lie but we knew the real deal. You don’t drive a dodge one day and a BMW after the election without alot of money. Let’s see if Black people have learned anything since then or are the old tricks going to work again. Huck is a man of God he’s just not telling us his God is really Satan.
December 14th, 2007 at 7:07 pmAK = Alaska AR = Arkansas
And, yes, I DO take it personally
December 14th, 2007 at 7:21 pmIsn’t it against tax regulations for preachers to get up on the pulpit and voice who they politically support? Doesn’t that do something to the tax exempt status?
IgnoranceIsNotBliss, you’re right. It is illegal to endorse a candidate from the pulpit. Not only can you lose your tax exempt status but I think there are penalties involved. Even if they wanted to, it’s against the law.
December 14th, 2007 at 7:32 pmIn the 1960’s in Mississippi, conservatives had a different strategy to winning elections—-they would kill any black who attempted to register to vote or any white who helped them. There were counties in Mississippi where the majority of the population would be black and yet there would not be one single black registered to vote.
In 1980 Reagan kicked off his campaign in Philadelphia, Mississippi–famous for the killing of three civil rights workers.
December 14th, 2007 at 8:00 pm“#18: Ah yes. The people… *chuckle* Just where will Pelosi hear them?”
Ferret-face has a point. Pelosi hasn’t exactly been a good listener.
December 14th, 2007 at 10:24 pm19. Menehune, I have no idea on it being workable. I’ve also read that Huck wants to replace the income tax with a consuption tax and that the analysis is that to work, that alone would be a 60% consumption tax on purchases (for the combination of state and fed). So add yet a little more for a social security sales tax, and it seems like taxes would roughly equal the cost of an item.
Unlike NYC, I live in a rather rural area. The small towns depend on sales taxes (the nearby rural farmers come in to town to buy things). I can’t imagine how a large sales tax would affect that dynamic.
I also have questions about the regressive nature of a sales tax. But am trying to picture how a sales-tax supported Social Security would necessitate that all recipients get the same amount (as opposed to the current that those who make more get more in SS as they’ve paid in more).
In short, it just plain doesn’t make sense to me.
December 14th, 2007 at 10:38 pm