Huckabee's-Positions-Are-Extreme Watch

Given that Mr. Huckabee appears to be a very engaging and likeable individual (as opposed to McCain, who appears unstable and very erratic), I have listed below some of the Huckster's positions on major issues that I find offensive:


Evolution:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4Cc8t3Zd5E - Huckabee raises his hand when asked who does not believe in evolution.

"I think the state ought to give students exposure to all points of view, including... the theories of the basis of those who believe in creationism."

Perfect, just what we need -- another fundamentalist president who can't remember that there should be a Wall of Separation between church and state...


Stem Cell Research:
"I am opposed to research on embryonic stem cells."

Great. If elected, you will be the bastard who will help ensure millions of people remain sick and dying.


Taxes:
"I am running to completely eliminate all federal income and payroll taxes".

Come on. Puhlease! Get real! A sales tax to fund the entire Federal budget would have to be massive, would be incredibly regressive, would dramatically and adversely affect the poor, and further widen the disparity between the haves and have-nots in this country.


Separation of Church and State:
"I hope we answer the alarm clock and take this nation back for Christ... I didn't get into politics because I thought government had a better answer. I got into politics because I knew government didn't have the real answers, that the real answers lie in accepting Jesus Christ into our lives."

"I have opponents in this race who do not want to change the Constitution. But I believe it's a lot easier to change the Constitution than it would be to change the word of the living God. And that's what we need to do -- to amend the Constitution so it's in God's standards rather than try to change God's standards so it lines up with some contemporary view."

Again, a fundamentalist president is not something that we need. At all. Ever. Separation of church and state is not just a platitude - it's real and needs to be enforced.


Judges:
"I firmly believe that the Constitution must be interpreted according to its original meaningm and flatly reject the notion of a 'living Constitution'... As president I will appoint justices and judges who not only share my judicial philosophy (e.g., Chief Justice John Robers, Justice Antonin Scalia, Justice Clarence Thomas, and Justice Samuel Alito), but who also have established themselves within the conservative legal community as faithful adherents of originalism and textualism."

Great. So really, what you are saying is in your opinion, it would be perfectly appropriate to reinstate laws that support miscegenation , laws that support slavery, laws that keep women and minorities from voting, laws that infringe on personal privacy, and laws that restrict sexual conduct among consenting adults -- all because there is no basis in the original Constitution for those rights???

And citing Clarence Thomas as an admirable Justice is really rich, given that Thomas is so intellectually lazy, he rarely asks questions of the petitioners and rarely writes his own opinion. I guess Huckabee is so smart, he can tell Thomas is a great Justice by the way he sits on the bench...


More War:
"I will expand the army and increase the defense budget."

Cool. With spiraling deficits and two on-going (and ultimately unsuccessful and never-ending)wars, we definitely can afford that!


Death Penalty:
"I believe there is a place for the dealth penalty...

"You know, one of the toughest challenges that I ever faced as a governor was carrying out the death penalty. I did it more than any other governor ever had to do it in my state."

"Interestingly enough, if there was ever an occasion for someone to have argued against the death penalty, I think Jesus could have done so on the cross and said, 'This is an unjust punishment and I deserve clemency'."

What a swell argument in support of the death penalty! How about a more appropriate quote - like "Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone"... How's that for being silent on the death penalty, you idiot???

And speaking of being silent on the issues, when did Jesus EVER condemn gay people (see below)?


Gay Marriage:
I support and have consistently supported passage of a federal constitutional amendment that defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman."

God, I sooooo wish you were gay. That would be ironic - imagine the hypocrisy of being a fundamentalist Christian Republican who is gay... Oh, wait...


Gay Rights:
"Homosexuality is an aberrant, unnatural, and sinful lifestyle, and we know it can pose a dangerous public risk."

Actually, I think you and McCain pose the "dangerous public risk".


Iraq:
"Setting a timetable for withdrawal is a mistake."

100 More Years! 1,000 More Years! 10,000 More Years! With Huckster (and McCain and the rest of the Republicans), the sky is the limit!!!


Iran:
"Be prepared, first, to put your sights on the American vessel. And then be prepared that the next thing you see will be the gates of Hell, because that is exactly what you will see after that."

Wow. Nothing like a little rhetoric to help in negotiating with a foreign power, right?


Guns:
"I consistently opposed banning assault weapons and opposed the Brady Bill... I was the first Governor in the county to have a concealed handgun license."

Now that IS cool. If more people are armed, definitely there will be fewer gun-killings, right?


Immigration:
"I oppose and will never allow amnesty. I oppose giving driver's licenses to illegals .I will appoint judges who will uphold the law, not side with the ACLU against cities like Hazelton, Pennsylvania, which are trying to protect the economic well-being, physical safety, and quality of life of their citizens."

You @sshole. Most of us Americans are descended from illegal immigrants (after all, who else wiped out the Native Americans?). Show a little Christian compassion. Just a little. Please?


Cuba:
"I will oppose any efforts to lift trade and travel restritctions on the Cuban dictatorship..."

Perfect. Burying your head in the sand and ensuring that the existing embargo -- which has worked so well to force regime change and help the Cuban people -- will continue is a great "strategery".


Health Care:
"We don't need universal health care mandated by federal edict."

You know, you're absolutely right, Huckster. The current system is working just great. Free market has brought health insurance and healthcare to all... All except the poor and a lot of the middle class, that is.


With positions like those, it is easy to see why the fundamentalist Republicans in this country find The Huckster so appealing!

-John Locke