Last week, discussing former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee’s contention that rapper Jay-Z is “arguably crossing the line from husband to pimp by exploiting his wife as a sex object”, I wrote:
I’m sure this is the sort of statement that plays terrifically among the 120,000 or so Republicans who participate in the Iowa caucuses. It also plays terribly among the millions of Beyoncé fans out there.
University of Iowa professor Tim Hagle contended that assessment was an insult to Iowa caucusgoers.
Well, now we know how Huckabee’s criticism of Beyonce played among Iowa caucusgoers — and the answer is, pretty darn well!
A new poll by Bloomberg News and the Des Moines Register finds, “40 percent of likely Iowa Republican caucus-goers said they agreed with Huckabee’s characterization of Beyoncé’s music as ‘mental poison,’ according to the poll. Thirty-eight percent said Huckabee “went too far” with his criticism of the singer, while 22 percent said they were unsure.”
There you go. All Huckabee needs is the largest plurality; back in 2008, he won the caucuses with a bit over 34 percent.
In contrast, among likely Democratic caucus-goers, 6 percent agreed, 81 percent said the comment went too far, and 13 percent weren’t sure.