Posted on 12/15/2007 6:00:23 AM PST by dano1
Mike Huckabee's record-setting rise to the top of the GOP field may only be eclipsed by his record-setting fall to the bottom after revelations of his views on gay and lesbian Americans and people with HIV and AIDS.
During Huckabee's 1992 Senate race in Arkansas he had this to say about homosexuality: "I feel homosexuality is an aberrant, unnatural, and sinful lifestyle, and we now know it can pose a dangerous public health risk…"
This might have been understandable in 1992, but he actually stood by those remarks today in justifying his comments.
Plenty of ammunition
This by itself would be enough to hurt him even within the Republican Party that at least most Republicans disagree with this notion now. However, he couldn't stop there.
During the same time in 1992 he basically advocated for banishing people with HIV and AIDS to remote islands when he said:
"If the federal government is truly serious about doing something with the AIDS virus, we need to take steps that would isolate the carriers of this plague. It is difficult to understand the public policy towards AIDS. It is the first time in the history of civilization in which the carriers of a genuine plague have not been isolated from the general population, and in which this deadly disease for which there is no cure is being treated as a civil rights issue instead of the true health crisis it represents."
Again, this would not have been that surprising coming out of the mouths of most right-wingers in the late 1980s, but this was said in 1992 by someone running for the U.S. Senate.
By 1992 the Surgeon General had said three years earlier that AIDS could not be contracted by casual contact. President George Bush (the 1st) gave a compelling speech the year before about treating AIDS patients with compassion, dignity and privacy and clearly emphasizing that discriminating against people with AIDS was absolutely wrong.
Terrible stuff here
Even more abhorrent is that Huckabee actually stood by these remarks today as well. He claims he may have phrased it differently if he was saying it today, but basically claims that he believes what he said.
This is a man who claims to be a Christian candidate (a whole other issue in itself). The Christian teachings I learned would have never stood for this, and I know Jesus wouldn't have said such things.
Enjoy the top Mike, I wouldn't imagine it will last very long.
“Thee MSM push for Huckabee should make anyone curious about his viability.”
It will be like having another Bob Dole out there. How do you think Bubba got elected twice? You have to give them credit.
“I feel homosexuality is an aberrant, unnatural, and sinful lifestyle, and we now know it can pose a dangerous public health risk…”
Laugh if you like...but he is correct.
The piling on starts. I noticed that most of the attacks against Huckabee are coming from Romney supporters. I guess they have reason to worry. I got a kick out of a couple of recent commentaries talking about his “lack of foreign policy experience”. I have heard that same line on every Governor who ever ran for President. You don’t get a lot of foreign policy experience as Governor of a state. They used that line on Reagan, Clinton, George W. Bush and every other Governor or former Governor who ran for President. The only guy in recent history they couldn’t tag with that was George H.W. Bush who had been an Ambassador, Vice President, Director of the CIA and Congressman. These same guys knocking Huckabee for his “lack of foreign policy experience” are supporting Romney. Are we to say his managment of the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City was “foreign policy experience”?
Good political insight on your part. Hiring Ed Rollins is history's way of saying "This man was never intended to be President".
It could be worse. He could have gotten Mike Murphy. OK, maybe Murphy isn't worse, but he sure isn't any better.
You see this article as a “push”?
That’s the golden ticket!!!
LLS
I'm a Thompson supporter and I agree with you. He is correct.
Well, hey, Greg. Do we not notice halatosis? Did Huck say something wrong?
I wont support Huck for his domestic policy record.
His record. I can’t help it that its so attackable.
‘Huckabee hired Ed Rollings which almost guarantees his demise.”
Bob Shrum does it better.
But...but...but...all through the 90's, AIDS activists were shrieking that "we're ALL at risk". Elizabeth Taylor was running around sounding the alarm about a "pandemic".
All of this was to generate panic in the general population in order to get more MONEY, MONEY, MONEY for AIDS research, so that gays could continue their risky lifestyle unabated.
Actually most of the attacks are coming from Republicans who are not friggin' stupid Huckster supporters. Y'know your guy is not going to win the nomination as an anonymous candidate. It's too bad that every moronic utterance that comes out of his stupid piehole is being shoved back into his insipid face, but hey that's what happens when you move from the dwarf class into the first tier.
It appears the author of this column is not familiar with God's actions toward the residents of Sodom and Gomorrah.
“These same guys knocking Huckabee for his “lack of foreign policy experience” are supporting Romney.”
I do not support Romney.
I also do not support a candidate who could assert with a straight face that his theology degree (which by the way, he doesn’t have) qualifies him to fight Islamofascism. That he could say such a thing and apparently actually believe it would be funny if it weren’t so frightening.
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