Is anyone else scared by the amount of support Huckabee is getting?

[GOPBasher]

This guy is a legitimate theocrat. If he had his way, he'd end religious freedom in America and force us by law to believe his religion. He is that bad, and yet he's getting tremendous support. I'm so scared of the people of this country.

[Bucky]

1. He seems like a nice guy. I may just vote for him in the general election.

**ZAAP!** Wha-? What the...?

Woah, it was like this electrode just popped in my head. Where am I? How did I get here?

[Tesha]

36. Perhaps you're running for Vice President?

> Where am I? How did I get here?

Perhaps you're an admiral running for Vice President?

Tesha

[burythehatchet]

2. He's the only reason McCain has a shot

and Yes, he is scary. The floating cross was vile and disgusting.

[TwilightGardener]

3. They don't really support him, in a policy or leadership way. They've just

been told over and over again how "nice" he is. He's a glib, cheerful "beer-with". That's enough to fool a lot of people who only glance at the surface in politics.

[tridim]

7. That, and he has probably 95% of the fundie base

Take them away and he's a single digit loser.

[TwilightGardener]

25. Yep--I should have clarified in my post that I was talking about non-fundies.

Of course the fundies fantasize about having a minister as Preznit--they want a Christian leader for a Christian nation, where queers go into hiding, women are forced to give birth against their will, and everyone can carry their guns everywhere in a holster like the Wild West.

[GOPBasher]

11. I hope that's the case. n/t

[BonnieJW]

4. We're talking about Iowa.

Of course he's popular there and will be in other places too, like Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia. The rest of the country, not so much. With all the news coverage in Iowa, did you see one black face? How about a brown face? How about a tan face? This is a state filled with white bread and mayonaise.

[GOPBasher]

5. True, but I'm even talking about his national numbers. n/t

[texastoast]

48. Not unexpectedly

The nutters in Texas are signing on for him.

Ewww! I'm so ashamed!

[SCantiGOP]

6. not scared at all

the most fundamentalist candidate is going to get the roughly 30% of the GOP vote that votes solely on the 'most Christian' basis. Huckabee is getting around 30% which is enough to lead in the current crowded field. It will be very hard to get more than that. If he were to get the nomination I think he would go down in a landslide.

[Tarc]

8. Not really

He'll galvanize the fundie, abortion-is-murder, evolution-is-fake, homosexuals-are-evil vote of course. But for every one of that crowd that gets drawn in, an equal number of middle-class, soccer-mom types will be driven out.

[GOPBasher]

16. In a lot of ways, I think you're right, but if you look at the polls,

unfortunately, the majority of people believe creationism over evolution. It's sad and scary, but it's true. (Although I think most of them haven't really thought about it much and don't really care.)

[AlCzervik]

9. No.

[Snotcicles]

10. Only if the lunatics out number the sane. Oops, maybe your onto something there. nt

[groovedaddy]

12. Remember this: Reagan was elected President twice.

Do you need to know anything else?
I was scared then, but I survived it.

[iamjoy]

30. How Short Term You Think!

You say you "survived" Reagan and true enough you did - as did I. We can say the country survived the Reagan years, but we have not yet and possibly never will recover from the damage.

Ronald Reagan appointed Scalia to the Supreme Court.
Ronald Reagan did much to strip Unions of their power, something workers still feel today.
Ronald Reagan made "trickle down" economics and huge deficits "cool"

Need I continue?

[groovedaddy]

35. I never said it was good. Only that I survived. People survived

the death camps too. Reagan was the beginning of the headlong slide into fascism, no doubt. I hate it when he is "lionized." He was a 2 bit actor and his movies sucked too!

[Mike Daniels]

51. Reagan won twice because the Dems ran two uninspiring candidates

Same reason Bush won both times or (if you lean this way) came in close enough that the elections could be stolen.

When you can't win your own state (Gore) you have problems.

[tridim]

57. It's not Gore's fault that he lives in a state full of idiots. nt

[Clark2008]

61. I'm a Tennessean and I'm not an idiot.

The reason Democrats can't win in Southern states is because of comments like yours - or haven't you looked up "bigotry" and "stereotype" in the dictionary, lately?

P.S. Gore did better than Kerry here.

[tridim]

64. Sorry, but if you voted for Bush over Gore you're an idiot.

That's not bigoted view, that's a fact.

[iamjoy]

66. The Generalization Is Wrong

you can say that an individual who voted for Dubya (twice!) is an idiot, I'd rather say the person is misguided.

However, when you paint the whole state that went red with the idiot brush, it's a little demeaning.

[BlueManDude]

13. No - he's a loon. At this point I'm rooting for anyone but McCain. McCain would be tough to beat.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

14. No, because I know what kind of governor he was

I've talked with folks who were considering him, but when they found out about the rapist he let go and the corruption of his administration, they crossed him off their list pronto.

[patrice]

15. Yes. He can hurt any chance we have for religious-moderate crossover votes. nt

[iamjoy]

17. Oh, That Wouldn't Happen

Sure Huckabee scares me, but I don't think he'd end religious freedom and force us to believe his by law.

I am just as scared of losing religious freedom from Romney or Giuliani as I am from Huckabee.

The president cannot by decree end religious freedom. Any attempt to instill a religious doctrine would most assuredly be challenged, and such a challenge would go to the Supreme Court. And Giuliani has been promising to appoint justices like Scalia.

Huckabee worries me because he would mobilize and motivate the religious extremists like no other candidate. He can be very charming - come across like the guy you want as your neighbor and just enough Americans are foolish enough to vote for some one on that basis alone.

[GOPBasher]

21. I'm not saying it would actually happen, but just the fact that someone

who believes in theocracy -- and I really think he does -- wins the presidency is enough to scare the shit out of me. Of course, I'm an eternal pessimist. :-)

[Warpy]

18. No. I predicted he'd get the nod months ago

Face it, he's a governor and will bring in the fundies one last time. He's the best of a very bad lot.

Let's just hope the Democrats don't run another spiritless DLC led campaign and let the bastard cheat his way in.

[onehandle]

19. At Democratic Underground?

A bit.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=3871020&mesg_id=3871020

[napi21]

20. Naw. The findies love Huck, but the Pub elites don't want him!

He'll get the fundie vote in Iowa the same as Robertson did years ago, but he'll go nowhere nationally. I find it quite amusing that the Pub Party can't decide on a candidate! It's usually the Dems that are so befuddled, and it's sure fun to watch the other side acting so confused!

I'm honestly wondering if the Pub decision just might go to the convention! Every one of their candidates have major problems!

[spanone]

22. the wackos have no where else to turn....a good portion of this nation would support a theocracy imo

p.s. i don't want a president who hasn't evolved.

[GOPBasher]

27. That's what I'm afraid of. n/t

[hfojvt]

23. he's not nearly as scary as Giuliani IMO

I'm not sure he's any more of a theocrat than Jimmy Carter was. Talking about his religion is just a way to win Republican votes.

[TwilightGardener]

29. To me, more scary than Rudy. Rudy is grounded in reality--

Huckabee thinks God is behind everything, from his rise in the polls to his bullets hitting deer in the head.

[hfojvt]

50. Rudy may be grounded in reality

but he's more of an arrogant, greedy thug

[GOPBasher]

31. I think talking about one's religion is fine, but he's making it clear that

he believes that the "war on terra" is a theological war. He wants to bring about the Rapture. His faith is fine, but what's scary is that he wants everyone to share his faith, or else.

[RaleighNCDUer]

42. No, he's a "true believer". He's not just playing it for the votes.

And he is very much a theocrat. His world view is heirarchial, ordered from the top down: God, Country, Family. His god will always take precedence over his country, and that is a very real threat to the separation of church and state. Carter is very religious but in no way can be called a theocrat.

[GOPBasher]

45. Thank you! You said that much better than I could.

I was trying to say something like that, but I didn't get it out remotely as clearly as you did. Thanks. :-)

[hfojvt]

52. show me some evidence

that he tried to turn Arkansas into a theocracy vs. the clear evidence that Rudy ran New York City like a personal fiefdom where he was thug-in-chief.

[WilliamPitt]

24. Nope. It's awesome.

1. He doesn't have enough cash to go very far, and he'll get massacred on February 5th.

2. He's doing well because he's getting Bush's 25% support base, the fundy Fetus-firsters. That isn't "tremendous support." That's Bush bitter-enders.

3. That means Rudy and Romney are losing that support, hemmoraging it in fact, especially Rudy. That's going to hurt them badly right out of the gate.

4. That means less chance of Norman Podhoretz having the ear of another president.

5. Finally, if Huckabee does somehow go a few rounds longer than I'm thinking he will, he'll really start to get media coverage, and his science-is-bunk right-wingery will limit his general election appeal to that same 25% he nabbed from Rudy and Romney.

He won't last...but he just might last long enough to cripple a few campaigns by sucking up the base's support.

This is great stuff. Only thing better is if he went third party Fetus-First across the board. The GOP would be crippled for years to come, and we'd have serious shots at winning a few Southern states once assumed to be lost for a generation to come. Landslide.

However, I think he's a lock for the VP nomination. The base does not like the other people, so a GOP ticket that includes Huck has a decent chance of getting at least some base support in the general.

We'll see.

[GOPBasher]

33. As a former science teacher, I want to say that, sadly,

"science is bunk" has majority support in this country. The polls show that the majority of people believe in creationism over evolution (which is incredibly pathetic and illustrates our sad state of affairs), and what if they all vote for him?

[WilliamPitt]

38. I'd like to see that poll data

Especially in terms of regional breakdowns, i.e. urban v. rural, east coast/west coast/lakes region/west/south.

If everry creationist votes for him, they may not win enough Electoral College votes, depending on the regional situation.

[GOPBasher]

41. That's a good point, and besides, I always wonder if many

of the people who answer "six-day creation" have really thought about or really care at all. But still, the fact that we're even having this conversation in 2007 is pretty sad.

Here are some links, for what it's worth. But they only seem to discuss origins of human life, not the creation of the universe.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/10/22/opinion/polls/main965223.shtml

http://people-press.org/commentary/display.php3?AnalysisID=118

[WilliamPitt]

44. I think it's more nuanced for a lot of people

It is not a wild-eyed reach for people to believe in a God who created evolution. I'm still thinking about this whole God thing, but on it's face, it's seems entirely reasonable to me for people of faith to believe in both of those things at once.

I'll have to check your link later on, and maybe some others, to see if they ask the kind of questions that would have enough nuance to bring the kind of answer I just wrote above. Many thanks for the link.

[GOPBasher]

46. I agree. In fact, I personally believe in Intelligen Design, though I don't

think it's science; it's just my belief. You're right, it is more nuanced for many.

[Clark2008]

63. Thank you.

My entire family has always believed in both... God created the Big Bang, etc.

I was always taught that God did not create the world in seven literal days, but that a day to God may be a million or several million years.

Reasonable people can be both religious and still accept evolution.

[The_Casual_Observer]

26. The country isn't ready for a Huckabee president.

[acmavm]

28. No. The country is sick of republicans. And the holy roller religious right

has lost a lot of steam. A LOT of steam.

[Joe Fields]

32. Not the least bit worried about Huckabee. I've seen these occurances

many times before. He will only play well in Iowa.

[book_worm]

34. No in a crowded field he is the one the lunatic wing of the GOP is rallying behind

and they are sizable but not enough to win a general election.

[sinkingfeeling]

37. No, since 'his base' only makes up about 35% of the voting population.

[RaleighNCDUer]

54. You do understand that a "base" is the solid core from which you start.

It is not the be-all and end-all; it is the starting point. With a 35% base, that means he has to win over only an additional 16% to have a majority.

And he acknowledges his base. He doesn't ignore it and try to run away from it, while taking it for granted they will always be there for him -- the way certain Democratic politicians do.

A 35% base is HUGE. Which repuke candidate has a larger base he can count on?

[tridim]

56. Are the fundies really 35% of ALL voters?

Or just 30%-ish of Republican voters?

I find it hard to believe that 3.5 people out of 10 are fundies. My parents always vote GOP, but they're not fundies. In fact they're almost as anti-fundy as I am.

[sinkingfeeling]

59. Just of the Republican voters.

[sinkingfeeling]

60. I should have said that it's about 35% of GOP voters. And since the numbers claiming affliation to

the GOP are declining, his base is probably less than 16% of all voters.

[Mz Pip]

39. I'm not afraid of him

He will never get the support of the powers that be in the Republican Party. He has no money. There's a reason for that. They don't support him.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[GOPBasher]

43. That's a good point. n/t

[Arkansas Granny]

40. Surprised? Yes. Scared? No.

[gateley]

47. I picture him debating any of our candidates -- there's no way he'd survive that. nt

[Fire Walk With Me]

49. There are those who believe in God, and those who believe that all should be forced to do so.

I'm one of the former, who strongly believe that each person has their own choice and responsibility. This is an important time, because we will be able to clearly see those, and the overall number of those, who wish to bully others into their own philosophy.

This is the first time that we will be able to get a clear idea of how many there are, and of how staunch they are. Let them reveal themselves. Let them show us how far they would go.

Let them then refer to scripture to see if they've in any way gone against it.

[ellie]

53. No

I read in the summer that he was the GOP's appointed one. It is funny how it all came together. It's still early and he may fade.

[retread]

55. The fact this nut job is polling 2 decimal places to right of where he would in

a SANE society saddens me more that it scares me.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

58. No. But, I never thought the American people were dumb enough to elect Reagan.

Twice. Followed Boob I, and Super Boob II (twice).

Having said that, the Democrats are going to REALLY have to extend their usual efforts to lose to any of the repugs in '08.

[undeterred]

62. He's an idiot.

Let him win the nomination. We'll run him through the shredder. It'll be more fun than Mitt.

[RadiationTherapy]

65. They have no one else to turn to

I think some fundamental christians would like to find a candidate who is better qualified, but with such a comical field of repub candidates, all they have is the "christian angle" so they latch on to it.

There is also this weird thing that I notice where many christians are sort of afraid NOT to support anything that is branded by the Jesus trademark. South Park deals with this in "Faith + 1" when Cartmen starts a christian band. You can LISTEN to most christian music and you can tell that it exists because certain people in certain places were too afraid to tell these bands that their songs SUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCKKKKKK!!!!!! because they sing about JaysusJaysusJaysus!!!

Anyhow, there may have been potential for an old school repub to grab these folk, but too little too late. g.