Republican and Conservative political analysis and commentary

Jonathan Martin has a story about robo calls from an independent, supposedly pro-Huckabee group, TrustHuckabee.com:

For each target, the pattern was the same -- a recorded message using voice recognition technology asked the recipient if they would participate in the caucuses, considered themselves pro-life and thought marriage should be between a man and a woman.

Then the dirt came, right after those called were asked which candidate they were backing.

For all three, the calls were phrased in the same manner: "If you knew that..."

But different candidates were targeted with different attacks.

For Thompson it was his past lobbying for an abortion rights group, his support of McCain-Feingold and that McCain-Feingold had also been known as "McCain-Feingold-Thompson."

For Giuliani, it was that he's "pro-abortion," supports civil unions and that "his police chief and business partner has been indicted" on various charges. 

And for McCain, it was about his support for campaign finance reform and opposition to a Constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. 

But Huckabee's Iowa state director, Eric Woolson, said in a phone interview that he hadn't heard of the group or their website until I inquired about the phone calls.  

He did say, though, that the campaign "doesn’t engage in this sort of conduct," alluding to the negative messaging.

While on the phone, however, he received an e-mail from a supporter in the field who had sent in word of the calls.   This person described the same automated opening as in the other calls to Woolson, but when the recipient said he supported Huckabee he got positive information about the former governor's pro-life stance, economic record and efforts to improve the state's education system.

First it was the candidates getting personal on the stump; now it's the independents and supporters going negative; next it will be an all out negative ad blitz by the campaigns themselves. And just as voters are starting to pay attention.