LaBarbera Award: Mike Huckabee

Jim Burroway

December 19th, 2007

The LaBarbera AwardWe reported earlier on former Arkansas governor and GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee’s 1992 remarks on AIDS, in which he called for the “isolation” (thus avoiding the “q” word) of “AIDS carriers” — presumably all 253,448 people with AIDS known to exist in 1992. When asked about those remarks last week, Huckabee refused to back down. That storm barely had time to blow over before other outrageous anti-gay comments began to emerge. Some of these comments border on the harmlessly ill-informed, like this one from the New York Times:

The governor regards 1968 as the dawning of ”the age of the birth-control pill, free love, gay sex, the drug culture and reckless disregard for standards.” The Rolling Stones album ”Their Satanic Majesties Request” provided the soundtrack for that annus terribilis. But Mike Huckabee wanted me to know that he believes in the separation of church and stage.

But others, like his AIDS comment earlier, have a ring of menace to them. David Corn at Mother Jones found this gem in Huckabee’s 1998 book, Kids Who Kill:

In lamenting the “cultural conflicts” besetting the country, he wrote, “Abortion, environmentalism, AIDS, pornography, drug abuse, and homosexual activism have fragmented and polarized our communities.”

Why was he lumping environmentalism with activities he considered sinful? He did not explain further. A few pages later, Huckabee complained, “It is now difficult to keep track of the vast array of publicly endorsed and institutionally supported aberrations—from homosexuality and pedophilia to sadomasochism and necrophilia.”

Gov. Mike HuckabeeInstitutionally supported pedophilia and sadomasochism? Institutionally suppored necrophilia? What “institional support” could he possibly be talking about?

Huckabee said his views on AIDS haven’t changed much since 1992. What about his lumping homosexuality with pedephilia and necrophilia? Joe Carter, Huckabee’s director of research, tried to clarify Huckabee’s remarks:

“He’s not equating homosexuality with necrophilia,” Carter told us. “He’s saying there’s a range of aberrant behavior. He considers homosexuality aberrant, but that’s at one end of the spectrum. Necrophilia is at the other end.”

So homosexuality is in the same class as necrophilia, but we’re just not as bad. As with his AIDS comment, Huckabee stands by this one too. And for that, Gov. Mike Huckabee is today’s LaBarbera Award winner.

Ken R

December 19th, 2007

Can you imagine this man being our president? *shudders*

Thankfully most people are not supporting Huckabee. But if he does win the Republican nomination, the Democrats better have a better choice waiting in the wings. One that will govern not preach.

Jason

December 19th, 2007

“He’s not equating homosexuality with necrophilia,” Carter told us. “He’s saying there’s a range of aberrant behavior. He considers homosexuality aberrant, but that’s at one end of the spectrum. Necrophilia is at the other end.”

Having sex with your own gender is in the same spectrum as violating a corpse?

Bill Ware

December 21st, 2007

When I was in graduate school, one of our professors told this tale to help us remember what necrophilia is:

“These two necrophiliacs were walking through town when they happened by the County morgue. One turned to the other and said, ‘Wanna stop in for a cold one?'”

Funny how one remembers such things over 30 years later.

Jessica

December 28th, 2007

Just reading this sends me into a blind rage.

It is my personal experience that people like him send carriers into hiding and is directly responsible for the spread of AIDS.

Not kinda-sorta

But culpable.

I’m not a X-tian but I can guarantee you that if hell exists Huckabee belongs there.

Spreading hatred…

Ooh, I could go on forever.

Jesus Christ

November 18th, 2010

Theres nothing wrong with Bondage and Sadomasochism.

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