Chuck Norris to campaign for Huckabee.

Erik von Nein · Post by **Erik von Nein** » 2007-12-01 09:23pm

Apparently they didn't get the memo about Chuck Norris no longer being funny anymore.

WSJ wrote:Lone Star Kick-Starts
Huckabee Campaign
By JUNE KRONHOLZ
December 1, 2007; Page A4

It sounds like a bad TV plot: A Baptist minister and Texas tough guy team up to take over Iowa. But as Republican Mike Huckabee, the minister, continues to gain popularity in the Iowa caucuses, his endorsement by Chuck Norris, the tough guy, seems like yet another stroke of good luck.

Mr. Norris's popularity, especially among young males, is fueled by a Web site devoted to exaggerated accounts of his exploits. Chuck Norris doesn't wear a watch, by those accounts; he decides what time it is.

Mr. Huckabee is planning to keep that heroic aura close in the days leading up to the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses, as polls show him neck and neck with rival Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who had been in the lead for some time.

In an interview, the actor said he'll campaign for the former Arkansas governor in Iowa on Jan. 1 and 2, and perhaps more. "I'll do whatever they want me to do," he said, in an explanation that would make Chuck Norris fans grimace. That's because, in Norris lore, Chuck Norris does whatever he wants to do.

The odd alliance of Mr. Norris, whose film persona mows down enemies with roundhouse kicks, and Mr. Huckabee began when Mr. Norris endorsed Mr. Huckabee in an online column last month. In a backhanded compliment, Mr. Norris opined that voters in the past have nominated leaders who are articulate and charismatic, and might now consider choosing Mr. Huckabee.

Undeterred, the Huckabee campaign quickly showed up at Mr. Norris's Texas ranch where the two men met for the first time, filmed an endorsement video that has racked up about 1.5 million views on YouTube in a week -- and then retreated to Mr. Norris's gym for "some kicks and punches. I needed a workout anyway," said Mr. Norris.

Mr. Huckabee warned viewers in the ad that "Chuck Norris doesn't endorse. He tells America how it's gonna be." Mr. Norris played the straight man, calling Mr. Huckabee a "principled authentic conservative." He added it was his idea to end the ad with a close-up of his fist and a screen reading "Chuck Norris Approved," which he calls "part of my brand extension."

Political pros say that most celebrity endorsements are overrated. Still, the buzz created when, for example, Oprah Winfrey announces she is endorsing Barack Obama can "give you control of the news cycle for a couple of days," says John Geer, a professor at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee.

An endorsement can help with some constituencies, he adds -- in Mr. Norris's case with young men, who generally don't take part in the caucuses. The Huckabee campaign also could use Mr. Norris to help toughen the image of Mr. Huckabee, who has drawn criticism from his Republican opponents that he isn't tough enough. "He's a man with a good heart, but he's tough," said Mr. Norris, who shares Mr. Huckabee's conservative Christian faith.

Two decades ago, Mr. Norris says, Republican operative Lee Atwater approached him "when that wimp thing was going around," suggesting that George H. W. Bush also wasn't tough enough to be president. "Next thing I know, I'm on the campaign trail," he said. The former president later helped Mr. Norris get his karate program into some Houston public schools, Mr. Norris added.

Mr. Norris's celebrity at that time rested on his career as the star of a cops-and-karate television series, "Walker, Texas Ranger." He largely abandoned films a few years ago to start a martial-arts league and write books. Then the Web site of pseudo facts, with which he isn't affiliated, gave him a huge new following among military personnel, especially in Iraq where he recently did a hand-shaking tour, and college students.

Mr. Norris says he has dismissed suggestions from friends that he run for office himself. "What if I'm campaigning and [my opponent] starts to attack my character and I leap over the desk and knock him unconscious?"

Write to June Kronholz at june.kronholz@wsj.com

Little surprise, though, considering what Chuck Norris is like. That they think this'll actually encourage young voters to vote for Huckabee in any significant amount is kind of sad.

Androsphinx · Post by **Androsphinx** » 2007-12-01 09:25pm

That they think this'll actually encourage young voters to vote for Huckabee in any significant amount is kind of sad.

It will. That's sad.

Gullible Jones · Post by **Gullible Jones** » 2007-12-01 09:39pm

Chuck Norris is a fucking idiot.

There, I said it. Now pardon me while I go and get my body armor.

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2007-12-01 09:39pm

We all know Jack Bauer would kick his ass any day.

NeoGoomba · Post by **NeoGoomba** » 2007-12-01 09:55pm

I'm surprised he did this, but not a World of Warcraft commercial.

Just think, Huckabee would have had the support of the entire Barrens chat!

Mr. Coffee · Post by **Mr. Coffee** » 2007-12-01 09:56pm

Ok, so if Huckabee gets Chuck, who gets Vin Deisel or Mr. T?

Guardsman Bass · Post by **Guardsman Bass** » 2007-12-01 10:15pm

I will say that that commercial was pretty fucking funny when I saw it played. Somehow, I doubt it will be anything too important in getting voters going; negative advertisements seem to affect people more.

Enigma · Post by **Enigma** » 2007-12-01 11:30pm

Admiral Valdemar wrote:We all know Jack Bauer would kick his ass any day.

If only he stopped drinking and puts his pants back on.

Tanasinn · Post by **Tanasinn** » 2007-12-02 01:14am

Too late, guys: the Chuck Norris meme (which really should be called the Mr. T or Vin Diesel meme) is dead.

[R_H] · Post by **[R_H]** » 2007-12-02 01:18am

Tanasinn wrote:Too late, guys: the Chuck Norris meme (which really should be called the Mr. T or Vin Diesel meme) is dead.

Thankfully. That shit got old really fast. Chuck Norris is a fucking tool, did anyone see that video on Liveleak about "zomg the biblez have to be in skool". Fucking moron.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2007-12-02 02:45am

Have you ever seen Chuck Norris' infamous 1-800-BIBLE-NOW commercial?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlaWbCbZhAA

mr friendly guy · Post by **mr friendly guy** » 2007-12-02 02:53am

Darth Wong wrote:Have you ever seen Chuck Norris' infamous 1-800-BIBLE-NOW commercial?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlaWbCbZhAA

And I used to think Chuck Norris was cool. That commercial shows he is just a joke.

General Zod · Post by **General Zod** » 2007-12-02 03:09am

mr friendly guy wrote:
And I used to think Chuck Norris was cool. That commercial shows he is just a joke.

It just shows you have terrible taste.

[R_H] · Post by **[R_H]** » 2007-12-02 03:16am

Darth Wong wrote:Have you ever seen Chuck Norris' infamous 1-800-BIBLE-NOW commercial?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlaWbCbZhAA

That's the one I was thinking of.

mr friendly guy · Post by **mr friendly guy** » 2007-12-02 03:24am

General Zod wrote:
mr friendly guy wrote:
And I used to think Chuck Norris was cool. That commercial shows he is just a joke.
It just shows you have terrible taste.

But he looked good as Walker Texas Ranger. I mean how can a teenager not enjoy the part where the bad guy tells him "You screwed up Ranger, you forgot to read us our rights", followed by Norris kicking him and then saying "you have the right to remain silent".

Battlehymn Republic · Post by **Battlehymn Republic** » 2007-12-02 01:56pm

The Walker, Texas Ranger lever will always be funny. NBC/Universal can just show reruns of Conan using it every night and they'll be able to make up for the writer's strike.

Death from the Sea · Post by **Death from the Sea** » 2007-12-02 07:05pm

I am surprised no one has posted the endorsement commercial yet.

And come on, it is funny seeing a politician reciting the Chuck Norris facts. Not that it will make me vote for him, just funny to see.

wolveraptor · Post by **wolveraptor** » 2007-12-03 06:00pm

Chuck Norris never deserved that meme. His show was crappy, and he's a lousy actor (not to mention a moronic conservative). Mr. T and Vin Diesel both deserved it more than him. Hell, the real hero of the hour should be fucking Bruce Willis. Did anyone see him in Die Hard 4? He was headbutting "Asian hooker-bitches" left and right. Man, what a badass. He's the only hero to call the main villain a "dickhead" when he finds out that his daughter's been kidnapped. Most other pussies would whine and cry and say, "OMG hunny, r u okay!?!" after washing the menstrual stains from their blouses. Not fucking Bruce Willis.

Another guy who deserves an awesome meme is Steve Irwin. Think about it: he did for a living what most Aussies joke about. He fucking wrestled crocs. He'd always be walking around with a painful injury at the end of the show, acting like nothing happened. I saw some other phony snake-handler show one time - the guy had to put on this big-ass mask and use a snake-hook just to catch a spitting cobra. Steve Irwin runs in there with a pair of shades and grabs the fucking thing with his hands. He's a man's man, with brass balls, steel fists, and an iron will. Which basically makes him mostly metal. Yeah, that makes sense - Steve Irwin is pretty fucking metal.

But seriously, if an endorsement from a tired old celebrity who made a comeback based on an internet meme actually affects the election, I'll be pissed off.

hawkwind · Post by **hawkwind** » 2007-12-03 06:27pm

Steve Irwin is dead.

J.

Phantasee · Post by **Phantasee** » 2007-12-03 06:44pm

hawkwind wrote:Steve Irwin is dead.

J.

And it's a tragedy. He deserves the meme posthumously, like some guys get the Medal of Honor or the Victoria Cross. Because what they did was so awesome it got them killed.

Gullible Jones · Post by **Gullible Jones** » 2007-12-03 07:42pm

Wow. Is Norris retarded or something? I swear his facial expression never changes in that commercial... And that borderline lisp... Damn.

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2007-12-04 12:34am

Caucuses normally involved a VERY TINY portion of a parties registered voters; if this gets even a couple thousand extra voters to come out and support Huckabee it would be a very major advantage. Don’t like it? Then go around and try to rustle up more interest in your local primary or caucuse, because so few people are involved in this shit that you practically can make a different yourself, unlike all the rest of the political process. That’s why candidates spend so much time going door to door and attending public events, if everyone they shake hands with actually voted for them they practically couldn’t lose.

Post by **Alyrium Denryle** » 2007-12-04 12:27pm

hawkwind wrote:Steve Irwin is dead.

J.

Yes. Yes he is. And just to note, this post kept me from being able to breath due to laughter for about 2 min. Just the way it so casually points out Steve Irwin's death.

As for whether he deserves the badass meme, sure. But he also deserves a Darwin Award, unfortunately he managed to reproduce (twice) before his untimely (too late) death by stingray.

Was he a badass? Sure. But he was also a fucking moron, just a different type of moron than Chuck Norris.

Post by **Alyrium Denryle** » 2007-12-04 12:32pm

Phantasee wrote:
hawkwind wrote:Steve Irwin is dead.

J.
And it's a tragedy. He deserves the meme posthumously, like some guys get the Medal of Honor or the Victoria Cross. Because what they did was so awesome it got them killed.

No, not a tragedy. It was expected. Honestly I think we can almost use how long the man lasted as evidence of some form of God, because there would almost have to have been something holding back the forces of natural selection so this man could reproduce before he died. I am just surprised that this hypothetical deity removed its protection under the circumstances leading to Mr. Irwin's Stingray Mediated Mortality

General Zod · Post by **General Zod** » 2007-12-04 12:44pm

Alyrium Denryle wrote: No, not a tragedy. It was expected. Honestly I think we can almost use how long the man lasted as evidence of some form of God, because there would almost have to have been something holding back the forces of natural selection so this man could reproduce before he died. I am just surprised that this hypothetical deity removed its protection under the circumstances leading to Mr. Irwin's Stingray Mediated Mortality

If he'd been killed by something he was intentionally fucking with, I'd be inclined to agree that he deserves a Darwin. As it is, I'm having a hard time seeing it as viable since it really was just a freak accident.