Trailhead

Chuck and Huck

When we wrote about Chuck Norris fundraising for Mike Huckabee last week, we didn’t realize that was only the first glimmer of a major Norris-themed media blitz. Huckabee has now unleashed a new TV ad in which the candidate and actor-turned-pundit take turns stating “facts” about the other. Norris tells us that Huckabee will “protect our Second Amendment rights.” Huckabee informs us that “there’s no chin behind Chuck Norris’ beard–only another fist.” The $60,000 ad buy starts airing on Iowa television today.

The spot has already drawn flak from unlikely sourpuss Fred Thompson, whose campaign tells Politico that “Mike Huckabee has confused celebrity endorsement with serious policy.” Because Fred Thompson would never, ever favor entertainment over substance. 

But my question is, will people in Iowa get this? Unless he’s trying to target college kids who can recite ” Chuck Norris facts ” like poetry, it’s unclear to me why he would base his first Hawkeye State TV campaign on an outdated Internet meme that might not have trickled up to most caucus-goers. Sixty-four percent of Iowa caucus-goers in 2004 were older than 55 . Chances are they don’t know that “Chuck Norris’ tears cure cancer–too bad he never cries,” let alone find that concept funny. So Huckabee will have to hope that the ad is amusing on its own, or that Iowa voters are Web-savvy enough to get the reference. Because otherwise, it’s just a mildly confusing spot with that guy from Top Dog .

And in the meantime, can someone please start LOLcandidates?