The Latest Theocrat

Mike Huckabee’s latest ascent to popularity seems to doom America all over again to the kind of theocratic nonsense barely scratched on by the current administration. The scariest aspect to this recent rise to stardom of the good-ole-boy Baptist minister from Arkansas lies in just that: he continues to get more and more popular as the campaign trail progresses. But what does this latest representative of the collective bully pulpit of American fundamentalism actually believe?

Since Jerry Falwell founded The Moral Majority in 1979, catapulting Ronald Reagan into the international spotlight, American religious fundamentalism has remained dominant in the political scene, especially during the Presidential elections. Though, until recently, the Republican candidates usually manipulated the Religious Right with appalling false piety and inane blithering of repealing Roe v. Wade, but once whoever this candidate may be, George 41 and Ronald Reagan come to mind, is elected, he quickly forsakes this façade of holiness for actual, (sometimes) reputable policy. While this election season seems congruous to the past, with candidates even on the Democratic side intoning the divine at every possible chance, Huckabee seems, scarily, to actually believe his stated dogma, and he even looks as if he may act on his beliefs. This potentially theocratic behavior surfaced when he suggested in 1993 that AIDS patients should be isolated from normal society, and that AIDS research funding should stem from “Hollywood celebrities like Madonna” instead of the government. One should understand that by 1992, the fact that AIDS could not be transmitted by any casual contact was relatively common knowledge and should have been known to a Senatorial candidate. Though he does not share this view currently, he refused to recant or renounce the words when inquired of it. Along with this, Huckabee also stated in his 1992 interview that “"homosexuality is an aberrant, unnatural, and sinful lifestyle, and we now know it can pose a dangerous public health risk." Can the US seriously have a publicly homophobic man running the country? Along with these fundamentalist views, Huckabee expresses support for the Creationist movement and in 2004 he said, “I think that students also should be given exposure to the theories not only of evolution but to the basis of those who believe in creationism." Along with this Huckabee also stated "I do not necessarily buy into the traditional Darwinian theory, personally." Is this sort of fundamentalism truly desired by the Republican Party after the amount of damage wrought by religious fundamentalism?

Along with ignorance in foreign policy that harkens back to George W Bush, and a complete lack of comment on important issues like immigration, Mike Huckabee completely exemplifies exactly type of candidate that the Republican Party does NOT need. So, before your vote goes to Huckabee in a primary, evaluate what he truly believes, not the façade presented during the election process.