The Carpetbagger’s Steve Benen caught Newsweek’s Jonathan Alter not only falling under the “Huckabee spell” but whitewashing the deeply out-of-step statements from the former Arkansas governor.
After explaining why the rest of the GOP field either doesn’t deserve, or can’t win, the presidency, Alter praises Huckabee because he “speaks American.” The Arkansan, Alter argues, “comes across more hopeful than Giuliani, more believable than Romney, more intelligent than Thompson and fresher than McCain.”
On one of the more contentious parts of Huckabee’s background, Alter gives the candidate a pass.
Even on faith and politics, Mike is easy to like. From afar he seemed extreme because he raised his hand in a debate when the candidates were asked en masse if they believed in intelligent design. But when Bill Maher pressed him to justify that view on his HBO show, Huckabee responded with a nuanced and presentable discussion of the origins of the universe that seemed to pacify even the atheist host. (I found this as well when we discussed the subject some months ago.) He has surely said some wacky right-wing things that could be used against him, but no more than any of the others in the Republican field.
I think Alter’s off-base on Huckabee in general, but this seems particularly mistaken.
First, Huckabee’s history of “wacky right-wing things” shouldn’t be dismissed quite so easily.As recently as 1998, while governor, Huckabee told a Southern Baptist pastors’ conference, “I hope we answer the alarm clock and take this nation back for Christ.” More recently — just in the last few weeks — Huckabee compared safe-sex programs to drunk driving, and said he’s “reluctant” to support programs that promote condom use in combating AIDS in Africa.
“Wacky” just doesn’t seem to cut it as an adjective.
Certainly, “wacky” does not cut it. In fact, Benen was generous with that list of Greatest Huck-hits.
Huckabee also said he supports “changes” to birthright citizenship; and when we say “changes,” we’re talking the abolishment of birthright citizenship. Huckabee claims that “most” of the Founding Fathers were “clergymen,” which would be true if most meant one out of 56. Governor “Huckpocrite” condemned attacks on the military from the left and defended those from the right, and claimed that incarcerated Americans would just “love” to be held at Gitmo.
But that’s the Huckabee charm that makes him a dangerous sleeper candidate, and it appears it got to Jonathan Alter.
(Flashback: In early February, Huckabee told reporters that if he was still considered second-tier in September, he would “reconsider” his candidacy. That Friedman Unit expired long before the third quarter fundraising deadline of September 30. Despite decent showing in a few polls, Huckabee’s poor fundraising has held him out of the top-tier, and fit perfectly in Soren Dayton’s characterization of Huckabee’s fundraising prowess.)
Something to say?
