Mike Huckabee: ‘It’s Not My Nature To Be A Bully’
Former governor Mike Huckabee on Sunday told ABC News, “it’s not my nature to be a bully.” Just how demonstrably false is that claim?
Speaking with ABC News journalist Martha Raddatz on Sunday’s “This Week,” Republican former governor Mike Huckabee lamented the demise of chivalry in political campaigns against women candidates.
Radditz cornered the 59-year old ordained Southern Baptist Minister on his comments, originally made in a New Republic interview.Â
“You said I’ve run twice against women opponents and it’s a very different kind of approach for those of us who have some chivalry left there’s a level of respect to treat some things as a special treasure, you treat other things as common,” Radditz reminded him. “What do you mean specifically by that?”
Huckabee’s response was insincere and insufficient.
“Well, I just mean that you always want to be respectful. You want to treat everyone with respect. But in the culture of the south, the culture that I grew up with, I think chivalry is still alive. There’s a sense of that you pay a great deal of respect and you don’t come across as a bully.”
Perhaps realizing his poor answer, Huckabee concluded, “It’s not an issue of sexism, it’s an issue of simply understanding that every opponent, whether it’s a male, a female, whether they’re from the Northeast or from the Southwest, everybody has different nuances, and you always have to — because I’ve been in a lot of races. I’ve been in politics for 25 years. I’ve run a lot of races as lieutenant governor, for U.S. Senate, for governor two different times and for president.”
In between those fumblings, Radditz asked Huckabee if he would “run differently against Joe Biden?” as opposed to Hillary Clinton.
His odd response: “it’s not my nature to be a bully.”
But let’s take a look at that claim.
Huckabee, despite what some in the media are recently claiming is a more tolerant potential 2016 candidate for the White House, has used the LGBT community as a punching bag for years.
In 2006 “Brokeback Mountain” won three Academy Awards. Huckabee used the groundbreaking film to ensure conservative voters knew where he stood on same-sex marriage. “Until Moses comes down with two stone tablets from Brokeback Mountain saying he’s changed the rules,” Huckabee quipped, “let’s keep it like it is.”
Fast forward to today.
Last week on his Facebook page, Huckabee pushed his latest book by telling followers, “I have a very special and personal favor. My new book ‘God, Guns, Grits, and Gravy’ releases next week on Tuesday, January 20. It’s already generated a lot of attention because I make the case for why those who live with traditional moral values and respect for the Constitution aren’t the outliers.”
But then, without mentioning gay people, he attacks them.
The book was written with vivid illustrations of bigotry toward Christians and in plain language.Â
I detail the attacks on our friends like the Duggars, the Benhams, and the Robertsons of Duck Dynasty and provide many examples of the intolerance of the secular left, all delivered or course, in the name of “tolerance.â€
In October, Huckabee put away his “chivalry” and “respect” he claims to show women, to rail against Houston Mayor Annise Parker, telling her to, “Keep your filthy government hands off of religious liberty.” It’s the only record we could find of Huckabee using the word “filthy” to describe a person – and in this case, a person who happens to be a lesbian.
That month Huckabee also posted an outlandish, false, fear-mongering, hate-filled, anti-gay warning on Facebook, and later Huckabee demanded the Republican Party “grow a spine” and not back down in their fight against same-sex marriage, or, he threatened, he would quit the party.Â
The following month Huckabee compared Nazi Germany to America, and told a group of pastors that same-sex marriage will destroy the foundation of civilization.
Earlier last year, at the National Organization For Marriage’s rally in Washington, D.C., Huckabee wrongly told a small crowd that Martin Luther King, Jr. would have opposed same-sex marriage like he opposed Hitler.
These attacks are not new. Huckabee has a long and ugly history of bullying gay people and their allies.
In 2010 he compared legalizing same-sex marriage to legalizing incest, polygamy, and drug use. The following year he called same-sex couples parenting of children “experiments,” and their families “guinea pigs.”Â
In 2008 he offered this theocratic opinion: “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.â€
The following year he said he wanted to “isolate†HIV/AIDS victims. That same year he told Ann Coulter, “I am definitely not pro-sodomy. I promise. Scout’s honor.”
In 2013, Huckabee lamented he was forced to see same-sex couples on TV.
Claiming Chick-fil-A was being smeared by vicious hate speech and intolerant bigotry from the left, Huckabee in 2012 created National Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day, which he helped turn into a national attack on LGBT people. That year he also declared that the Boy Scouts – which at that point had decided to continue its ban on gay scouts – had done the right thing because, he claimed, gays abuse children.
In the series, “Before They Were Candidates,” the Concord Monitor profiled several 2008 presidential candidates. “‘Bullying’ gays wasn’t priority for Huckabee” before he ran for the White House, the Monitor reported.Â
On gay rights, “Rita Sklar, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas, said Huckabee’s rhetoric was often ‘extremely unpleasant or sarcastic.'”
“‘He is hardly ever outright nasty,’ Sklar said. ‘But he is suggestively nasty.'”
Clearly, presidential campaigns have changed that.
Â
Image via YouTube
Enjoy this piece?
… then let us make a small request. The New Civil Rights Movement depends on readers like you to meet our ongoing expenses and continue producing quality progressive journalism. Three Silicon Valley giants consume 70 percent of all online advertising dollars, so we need your help to continue doing what we do.
NCRM is independent. You won’t find mainstream media bias here. From unflinching coverage of religious extremism, to spotlighting efforts to roll back our rights, NCRM continues to speak truth to power. America needs independent voices like NCRM to be sure no one is forgotten.
Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Help ensure NCRM remains independent long into the future. Support progressive journalism with a one-time contribution to NCRM, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you. Click here to donate by check.
 |
U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, Republican of Georgia, is under fire after praising University of Mississippi students, some wearing American flag outfits, mocking a Black woman protester by making monkey sounds and shouting, “lock her up.”
“Counter-protestors at the University of Mississippi made racist remarks — including monkey noises and comparisons to Lizzo — towards a Black woman who was part of a planned protest against the war in Gaza,” Los Angeles Magazine reported Friday.
Collins, who tried to defund Vice President Kamala Harris’ Office in November, declared his support for the counter-protesters at “Ole Miss,” as the University is called.
“Ole Miss taking care of business,” he wrote on social media, atop the video (below).
The counter-protesters, as evidenced in the video, appear to be mostly white.
A large number of users on the social media platform X responded, accusing the Congressman and the counter-protesters of racism.
“When is the inevitable ‘I don’t have a racist bone in my body’ tweet coming,” wondered Rewire News Group editor-at-large Imani Gandy.
“Which part is your favorite, Mike?” asked Fred Wellman, the former executive director of The Lincoln Project. “Is it the white kid acting like a monkey at the black woman or the white security guy acting like she’s a threat? I’m trying to figure out which flavor of racism has you all excited the most?”
READ MORE: MAGA State Superintendent Supports Chaplains in Public Schools – But Not From All Religions
Harvard Law Cyberlaw Clinic clinical instructor Alejandra Caraballo responded to the Georgia GOP congressman, “Thanks for confirming you’re a massive racist piece of sh*t.”
Mississippi Free Press news editor Ashton Pittman wrote: “Rep. Mike Collins, R-Georgia, praises a video showing a University of Mississippi frat boy dancing like a monkey and making monkey noises near a Black woman student who was protesting for Palestine while other frat boys chant ‘lock her up.'”
In a separate post describing a separate video taken of the same group Pittman wrote: “Frat bros at @OleMiss chant, ‘Lizzo! Lizzo!’ and shout, ‘F**k you fatass, f**k you b*tch’ at a Black woman who was protesting for Palestine. Do people really think these counterprotestors are doing it to support Jews?”
Journalist John Harwood did not mince words, writing, “Congressman proud of the racism.”
“Okay, Mike. We get it,” wrote podcast host, documentary director, and author W. Kamau Bell. “You want to be famous for being a racist. Fine. I’ll help you become a famous racist. You’re welcome.”
The original video is here.
See Rep. Collins’ post and the video below or at this link.
Caution: the video is disturbing.
Ole Miss taking care of business. pic.twitter.com/JiL9hs2pHz
— Rep. Mike Collins (@RepMikeCollins) May 3, 2024
READ MORE: Noem Heads to Mar-a-Lago After Branding Kids She Ministered in Church ‘Little Tyrants’
Amid more damning revelations from her soon-to-be released book, embattled South Dakota Republican Governor Kristi Noem will head to Mar-a-Lago this weekend as ex-president Donald Trump auditions potential vice presidential picks in front of high-dollar donors. Noem was also slated to attend a Republican fundraiser in Colorado this weekend but it was canceled over alleged safety concerns after news broke she had bragged about shooting her 14-month old dog.
While Noem’s shooting to death of her wirehaired pointer, Cricket, which she detailed in the book, is still making headlines overnight a new revelation made news: Noem falsely claims in her book she met with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un.
A spokesperson for Noem “seemed to concede that the Kim story was false Thursday night,” and notified her publisher, Politico’s Ryan Lizza reported in his exclusive.
But less noticed appears to be the actual text of Noem’s false story, in which she brands children she ministered in church “little tyrants,” and compared them to the murderous North Korean dictator.
READ MORE: RFK Jr., Embracing Far-Right, Spoke at Fundraiser for Anti-Government Group With J6 Ties
“Through my tenure on the House Armed Services Committee,” Noem wrote, according to Politico, “I had the chance to travel to many countries to meet with world leaders. I remember when I met with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. I’m sure he underestimated me, having no clue about my experience staring down little tyrants (I’d been a children’s pastor, after all).”
CNBC reported this week Trump “will mingle with potential vice presidential running mates and wealthy Republican donors at the Republican National Committee’s spring donor retreat. The meetings are likely to act as informal tryouts for a short list of politicos in the running to join the Trump ticket.”
The list of Republican “special guests” includes U.S. Senators Marco Rubio, Tim Scott, and J.D. Vance, Rep. Elise Stefanik, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem.
Also expected to attend are House Speaker Mike Johnson, U.S. Reps. Byron Donalds of Florida and Wesley Hunt of Texas, former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, and other elected Republicans along with RNC co-chair Lara Trump.
READ MORE: Election Denialism Embraced by ‘Large Proportion’ of Trump’s Followers: Report
NBC News, which says Rep. Donalds is also under consideration, on Friday added there will be “a fundraising retreat that could serve as a screening session” for potential vice presidential running mates.
Meanwhile, the Jefferson County, Colorado Republican Party chair announced a fundraising dinner Noem was slated to attend was canceled after threats were made, The Denver Post reports.
“We understood there was a planned organized protest outside of the hotel, led by Progress Now,” Nancy Pallozzi said. “I felt that our event would be negatively impacted, and we could not take the risk that those who made threats would cause physical harm.”
Over the weekend independent 2024 presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. spoke at a fundraiser for a far-right anti-government group in Erie County, New York – a slice of the country that had a large proportion of residents arrested and charged for crimes related to the January 6 insurrection. Kennedy, a conspiracy theorist and vaccine denialist, increasingly is embracing the far-right.
“That group, Constitutional Coalition of New York State, has founders who not only have ties to Donald Trump but are also connected to the stop-the-steal movement through their activist network, which includes groups that had a presence at the Capitol on Jan. 6,” The Daily Beast reported Friday. “It’s yet another instance of Kennedy—who is mounting one of the most well-funded third-party presidential threats in decades—serving as a peculiar bridge between his own anti-establishment movement and Trump’s.”
The Southern Poverty Law Center includes the Constitutional Coalition of New York State (CCNYS) on its page of anti-government groups. Political Research Associates, which detailed the high proportion of January 6 residents arrested and charged, included the Constitutional Coalition of New York State in its February report on “The Rise of the Far Right in Western New York.”
READ MORE: Election Denialism Embraced by ‘Large Proportion’ of Trump’s Followers: Report
“If you don’t think the government is lying to you, you’re not paying attention,” Kennedy told attendees at the CCNYS fundraiser, The Buffalo News reports.
“CCNYS founders Nick and Nancie Orticelli are also affiliated with the Watchmen, a nearby militia who Nick has encouraged his social media followers to join. The Watchmen had several members at the Capitol on Jan. 6, and one member, Pete Harding, is still facing charges for violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds,” The Daily Beast noted. “Nancie Orticelli has also hosted the Watchmen’s founder, Charles Pellien, on her weekly radio show on several occasions.”
One of Kennedy’s goals in traveling to New York was to get on the ballot for the November presidential election. Various polls show him taking votes from both President Joe Biden and ex-president Donald Trump, but Kennedy currently has only qualified to be on the ballot in three states, Utah, Michigan and Hawaii, the newspaper reported.
But The Washington Post on Thursday reported The American Independent Party of California, which has a history of “far-right ties,” and “backed segregationist and former Alabama governor George Wallace in 1968, nominated Kennedy for president.”
Kennedy “said this week that he has qualified to be on the ballot in California and will accept the nomination of the American Independent Party, which has a history of associating itself with far-right figures and individuals who have expressed racist views.”
Some news reports and RFK Jr. himself say the Trump campaign was actively courting Kennedy, attempting to convince him to consider being the ex-president’s 2024 vice presidential running mate.
“That MAGA dalliance with Kennedy could be coming back to bite the Trump campaign, some Republicans close to the former president worry,” The Daily Beast also reported.
“’They can only blame themselves,’ a Trump-aligned strategist told The Daily Beast, requesting anonymity to speak candidly about private conversations about the risk Kennedy poses, ‘because they cozied up to him and thought it was funny.’”
Watch WIVBTV’s report on Kennedy’s trip to New York below or at this link.
READ MORE: Trump Won’t Commit to Accepting Election Results if He Doesn’t Win State He Falsely Claims He Won
Congressman Pummeled for Praising Students Mocking Black Protester With Monkey Sounds
Noem Heads to Mar-a-Lago After Branding Kids She Ministered in Church ‘Little Tyrants’
RFK Jr., Embracing Far-Right, Spoke at Fundraiser for Anti-Government Group With J6 Ties
Election Denialism Embraced by ‘Large Proportion’ of Trump’s Followers: Report
Trump Won’t Commit to Accepting Election Results if He Doesn’t Win State He Falsely Claims He Won
News2 days agoNoem Insists 14 Month Old Dog She Shot Was ‘Not a Puppy’ Sparking New Backlash
News2 days agoTrump Won’t Commit to Accepting Election Results if He Doesn’t Win State He Falsely Claims He Won
News2 days ago‘No Place for Antisemitism’: Biden Denounces Violent Campus Protests, Hate Speech and Racism
News2 days agoElection Denialism Embraced by ‘Large Proportion’ of Trump’s Followers: Report
News1 day agoCongressman Pummeled for Praising Students Mocking Black Protester With Monkey Sounds
News1 day agoNoem Heads to Mar-a-Lago After Branding Kids She Ministered in Church ‘Little Tyrants’
News1 day agoRFK Jr., Embracing Far-Right, Spoke at Fundraiser for Anti-Government Group With J6 Ties