Yesterday, Common Sense Issues got caught on tape push-polling South Carolina. This morning, I decided to check into them so I started with their website. Here’s what I found on their About page:

Common Sense Issues is a 501(c)(4) social welfare, grassroots lobbying organization, comprised of individuals dedicated to educating and informing citizens in an in-depth manner about public policy issues. We encourage citizens to seek ways to work together to encourage opinion leaders and public officials to approach America’s problems using basic common sense principles. We seek solutions to public policy problems and issues that mirror the God-given common sense of the American people.

That’s a crock. Based on this report from South Carolina, their goal is to smear any candidate not named Huckabee:

Among the people receiving the push polling calls was a county co-chairman of former Sen. Fred Thompson’s campaign.

Jason Goings, the Aiken County co-chairman for Thompson, said the call he received started by asking him if he was a Republican who planned to vote in Saturday’s primary and then asked whom he supported. After he hit the button for Thompson, a voice highlighted Huckabee’s position against abortion and said Thompson worked as a lawyer for a lobbying firm that protected abortion rights.

The call also attacked Thompson, a former Tennessee senator and actor, on same-sex marriage, illegal immigration and taxes.

Let’s hope South Carolinians take their anger at Common Sense Issues out on Gov. Huckabee. To say that Common Sense Issues is a sleazy operation is understatement.

Here’s some more information on Common Sense Issues:

An organizer for Mike Huckabee supporters in southern Tennessee and northern Georgia made a large donation to the group that has been sending out hundreds of thousands of automated telephone calls to voters in South Carolina attacking Huckabee’s opponents for the Republican nomination for president.

Common Sense Issues Inc. portrays itself as an independent political organization and Huckabee’s campaign denied any involvement with the group and disavowed its
tactics, which have included millions of phone calls in Iowa, New Hampshire, Michigan and Nevada.

Mark West of Ooltewah, Tenn., near Chattanooga, gave a total of $48,500 to Common Sense Issues Inc., according to Federal Election Commission records. West and his wife, Lori, also gave the maximum of $2,300 each to Huckabee’s presidential primary campaign.

And West is the organizer of the Chattanooga Mike Huckabee supporters meet-up group and the northern Georgia meet-up group as well. Huckabee has no formal state organizations in either state, according to his campaign Web site, but supporters are encouraged to click on a link that takes them to the online meet-up groups in their community, including West’s two groups.

It’ll next to impossible for Huckabee to distance himself from the Wests now that that’s public. this isn’t just an unknown contributor to Huckabee. This is a Huckabee campaign insider. He’s also paying for alot of the push-polling that’s going on.

Davis said Common Sense Issues is not affiliated with Huckabee and does not
coordinate with his campaign. He said his group backs the former governor because of his views on issues including a strong defense and cutting taxes.

“The folks who have been critical of our phone calls generally are supporting Mike Huckabee’s opponents. They criticize the fact that the calls are happening, but there has not been criticism of the fact that the information we provide is factual,” he said.

Factual? Technically, that might be true. What isn’t difficult is saying that the statements on the public record are deceptive at best. It’s time that the Huckabee campaign apologized to Sen. Thompson and Sen. McCain. As I said here, Davis’ statement that they’re supporting Huckabee because of “his views on issues including a strong defense and cutting taxes” didn’t pass the laugh test:

That’s laughable. Why would this organization tell South Carolinians that Fred Thompson supported “partial birth abortion” if they’re now saying that they’re “backing Huckabee because of his views on issues including a strong defense and cutting taxes”?

It’s one thing to have Democrats pull this type of crap. That’s expected. Having a Republican pull this is totally unacceptable. It’s time voters shut down the Huckabee campaign. He’s a disgrace to Christians and Republicans.

Technorati Tags: Huckabee, Push-Polling, Common Sense Issues, Corruption, Fred Thompson, Election 2008

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

1. I agree, Huckabee can say all he wants, but he has yet to disavow this type of un-Christian like behavior.

   Comment by Todd — January 18, 2008 @ 9:09 am