Mike Huckabee has always seemed like a decent sort. His politics are too conservative for someone like me but I have always respected his sincerity and his decency. He also plays a mean guitar.
While promoting his book, ‘A Simple Christmas,’ he took the time to speak out against his fellow Republicans taking a swipe at simply everything President Obama has done. He said he hated it when it was done to Bush and he hates it being done to Obama:
Appearing before the Hudson Union Society to discuss his forthcoming book, “A Simple Christmas”, Huckabee took umbrage with the criticism levied by some conservatives over Obama’s visit to Dover Air Force base to see the coffins of returning soldiers.
When he [Barack Obama] was at Dover the other day, and went there to pay respect for soldiers, I heard a lot of people on the Right say “Aw, that’s just a cheap photo-op.” No, I think it was the Commander-in-Chief of our military paying respect to a dead soldier, and I’m grateful that he did that, and I was proud of him for doing that. And I think we all — as Americans — should give him credit for doing that.
He continued:
When he and Michele hosted the tricker-treaters on Halloween, quit finding something wrong with that. Say “Good, I’m glad that he and the First Lady are treating children to an experience at the White House.” And I just find it deplorable that some people on my end of the aisle want to find everything wrong and nothing right about the man as a man.
The underlying point, Huckabee concluded, was that knee-jerk criticism to the president was counter-productive to civil debate. “I hated it when people did that to George Bush,” he said. “They couldn’t even laugh at the man’s jokes they found something wrong with everything and if we do that to Barack Obama, then shame on us, shame on us. No wonder our country is so divided when that happens.”
Mike Huckabee is also an ordained minister. Perhaps that is what gives him a sense of decency. Maybe he is just a southern gentleman. At any rate, he serves as a model for the rest of us. He raises the political bar to where it should be. He is not an ad hominem attack kind of guy.
We may see a lot more of Mike Huckabee in the upcoming years. By the time the next presidential election rolls around, people might just be ready for ‘nice.’
Huckabee is an accomplished bass player:
Quotations are from Huffington Post.
I would put aside my distaste for Huckabee’s stance on illegal immigrants in a hot minute to vote for him.
If moderates would support this guy, I think he’s the answer. I don’t see that happening, though, so the fire rages on.
Huckabee is a likable guy. It’s good to see he has a spine as well. I hope he doesn’t catch a lot of idiot flack for this.
Huckabee is right. In this country over the past decade or two, we have gotten into this crazy pattern of “knee-jerk” attacks. Both sides do it. It is not helped by what is supposed to pass as humor on a lot of television and radio shows. Perhaps it’s a reflection of the ever greater political and cultural divides in this country.
Unfortunately, when you do have a serious criticism of a President these days concerning his policies or something he has done or is doing, you often get accused right out of the starting gate of making a “knee jerk attack.” Sometimes you just can’t win for losing.
Huckabee is right that attacks over normal White House protocol-type activities cheapen the debate over more substantive issues. And Wolverine is right in that people who expressed legitimate concerns over taxes and spending early on were derided with sophmoric names and tagged as potentially violent.
I also think the incessant carping over Sarah Palin’s winking, her clothes, all the attention paid to her daughter’s man-whore of a boyfriend, etc., are similarly very calculated attempts to cheapen the debate and distract people from what is apparently a very great threat to Democrats, judging from the recent press over her book. It’s happenning on both sides.
Sarah Palin is an unconventional phenomena. She has put herself out there for comment.
Levi Johnson is not within her control. The rest of it really is. It is hard to take her on as serious commentary. Over 60% of those surveyed believe she is not ready to be considered presidential material. I don’t see her as a threat to Democrats.
Slow, I don’t know. He certainly has the potention to redirect the rhetoric. He might just be a little too conservative for many people. For example, he was one of those people who raised his hand over evolution in that first debate which seems like it was years ago.
I would have to think long and hard before I voted for someone who didn’t believe in evolution. I would have to consider the repercussions.[<-----corrected. Geez! Morning spelling.]
Huckabee may be right, but he is also an excellent politician. Speaking out against those who criticized Obama’s visit to Dover appears to be an attempt to distance himself from the pack and make himself acceptable to moderates. His TV show represents a low-key continuation of his presidential campaign.
He is setting himself up as an alternative to Palin.
As long as he doesn’t water himself down and sell out, like so many Republicans have done at the suggestion of their opposition. Have the integrity to be who you are and stand for what you believe in, without taking the advice of Democrats on how Republicans can win.
How did that work out for McCain, Emma? He took Republican advice on how he could win. And now he is scrambling for his Senate seat.
I don’t think McCain sold out (and I know, you didn’t say he did.) I think he has always been who he represents himself to be.
We need 3 parties. Was it Rick who says that will never work?
This is precisely why this fight must be ugly. I cannot, to save my soul, understand where liberals get this obsession over evolution. Who is even talking about evolution, besides far-left liberals? It’s a total non-issue. If one has beyond a second grade education, one can figure out evolution for themselves, but folks actually base their political decisions on this issue. It’s absolutely mind-numbing. Some ultra-left wing group said that Palin thinks humans rode around on dinosaurs, and many were astoundingly stupid enough to believe it! The right has their pet non-issues too (gay marriage). Until people wake up and manage to look past these diversion issues, it’s gonna be rough.
We truly need a VIABLE third party in this country. The majority of Americans do not agree with everything the Republicans or the Democrats believe in. Most people are not radical in their belief. So why do people keep buying the BS from both parties?
Slow, perhaps to you evolution is nothing. However, I don’t want a president who would consider that the earth was only 6 thousand years old. There is just something fundamentally disturbing about that to me.
An example of the disturbance would be going to the Grand Canyon bookstore and seeing a book placed there about the Grand Canyon being a part of the great flood. Seriously. This was during the Bush years. Those ideas spill over into so many areas. In fact, almost anything that deals with science is impacted by evolution vs creationsim debates.
And for the life of me, I can’t understand why some conservatives base all their scientific beliefs on biblical verse. I cannot phathom that our national policy could be based on Genesis.
McCain ran a bass-ackwards campaign especially in the last few months where he had given signs that he had clearly given up.
“Moderate” should not be the equivalent of “trying to make everyone happy.” You have to take some risks.
There is nothing I could say in response, here. You have managed to prove my point better than I could do it myself. For me, it’s simple…right after I show my son the difference between a pile of $hit and a can of shinola, I’ll tell him “there are crazy people out there who think man rode on dinosaurs”…..you will want to cut these folks a very wide path…got it? Good.” That ought to do it.
Oh well, I guess I’d rather have a President that believes the Earth is 6000 years old than one that believes you can spend your way to prosperity, and that America is a fundamentally mean and ugly nation, or that capitalism is evil.
You have to take an evolutionary approach to it. People who truly believe the Earth is 6000 years old are destined to be selected for extinction (similar to those who believe any form of sex, even between married couples is evil). Actually, the interesting part is, homosexuals would, by definition, be selected too!
How about an issue that crazies hold near and dear to themselves: man-made global warming catastrophe. Now THERE’S a notion every bit as ridiculous as “man rode dinosaurs”, but it’s actually affecting policy decisions!
http://wizbangblog.com/content/2009/01/15/batboy-lives-1.php
I cannot imagine how any person who has advanced past third grade science thinking that man can inhabit the earth without impacting it. This is some sort of kool aid notion.
Just go to Glacier National Park and tell me that global warming is a fairy tale.
It has nothing to do with evolution. How could the earth not be impacted?
Wow, almost every other day now, another noted scientist releases a report stating that the climate change apparently has something to do with that big yellow ball in the sky. “We can’t understand how it just stopped dead in it’s tracks?” Hilarious!
If Gore says it, it MUST be true! After all, he invented the Internet!
The problem is that ice is receding in some places and advancing in others. Whether one is a skeptic or not, it is virtually uncontested that there has been no warming for the past 10 years. Current models cannot explain the present halt in warming, so it’s reasonable to ask if the models have gotten the mechanisms for climate change right in the first place. For example, an alternative explanation for the increasing concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere is that greater amounts are being released from the ocean in response to warming (i.e. increased CO2 is not causing the warming, it’s the other way around).
@kelly3406
I don’t think you’re listening to what I said about Al Gore…….don’t you know what he says is not to be questioned?
I’ve gone way off topic, and I apologize. Back to Huckabee. He reminds me of Clinton, who I make no effort to hide that I liked. I know it’s nothing to base your view of a candidate on (maybe), but there’s something about a guy that can play (Sax, Bass, whatever), that I just fundamentally like. That and Clinton and Huck can both talk without a teleprompter and sound perfectly at ease. That’s the sign of a capable man (or woman) in my opinion.
I like both of them also. Clinton fits my politics better. Huckabee has a great deal to offer the Republican Party though, in my opinion. There is just something decent about him.
Kelly, I don’t necessarily think that anyone knows what we are headed for. I do know that large masses of ice are melting or disappearing. The north pole stuff isn’t anyone’s imagination. I know that in 10 years there are not expected to be glaciers in Glacier National Park. I don’t have the science background to offer up a good argument. So I keep it simple.
I hope everyone took a minute to watch Mike Huckabee play bass guitar. He is good. See the video at the bottom of the post. Watching him play is worth 3 minutes of your time. Mrs. H seems like a decent lady also.
I watched it. He’s good! I like watching him play on his show (on the rare occasions I’m around to watch it).
He also has some interesting guests. I particularly enjoyed seeing the baseball player who is a classical guitarist. His name escapes me at the moment but he is fabulous.
Found him. Bernie Williams
Great Clip!
Isn’t he great! Great song also. I wish I could just watch him play longer.
Confession: I know nothing about playing bass. How does one ‘join in?’