mike huckabee: he used to be fat, but he has always been a lightweight

by Cliff VanBuskirk

Published: January 21, 2008

Many successful people have come out of the great state of Arkansas - Billy Bob Thornton, Bill Clinton and Maya Angelou. The state allowed a man by the name of Sam Walton to set up a business which would become an entrepreneurial success, enabling millions of low-income individuals to buy diapers, hairspray and canned meats at a savings of up to ten cents over competitors. Unfortunately, one of Arkansas’ greatest failures can be found in former Governor Mike Huckabee.

Huckabee, a one-time paunchy individual, slimmed down in an effort to both promote a healthy lifestyle for all Arkansans and to ensure he would not fatigue as he trotted up the steps of the Arkansas capitol. After becoming Governor in 1996 following the resignation of then-Governor James Tucker, Huckabee would go on to win two full terms on his own merits, succumbing only to the impediment of term limits in 2007.

Also in 2007, Huckabee decided that his record as Governor of Arkansas served as evidence that he deserved to run for President on the Republican Party ticket. However, as one takes a closer look at his administration, it becomes apparent that as Governor, Huckabee was an imperceptive leader who adopted policies based on religious fanaticism and who disregarded legitimate social concerns. In his bid for the presidency, Huckabee should hide, not highlight, his record.

As Governor, Huckabee adopted a policy of sheer lunacy, allowing the facts and reality of issues to be ignored in the name of social-conservative doctrine. An example of his inability to roll up his sleeves and handle an issue directly via logic and careful discernment is manifested in his discovery that his state had the highest divorce rate in the United States. Rather than seek to correct the number one issue for divorce in the state (financial struggles), Huckabee declared “a marital emergency” and mandated a policy which stalled the ability of unhappy couples to seek a divorce.

Huckabee went on a crusade to promote marriage as a solution to all of life’s dilemmas. His campaign to focus on marriage as a way to promote the idea of a “traditional” family also highlights his failure to deal with yet another social issue, that of teen pregnancy - which was soaring during Huckabee’s administration. Again, rather than focus on the fundamental causes of teen pregnancy, Huckabee encouraged teen mothers to walk down the aisle as a way to combat the number of out-of-wedlock pregnancies.

This stunt not only propelled Arkansas to the top in terms of underage marriages, it also allowed Huckabee to pat himself on the back as Arkansas quickly began to receive more federal funding as a reward for reducing the number of babies born to unmarried couples and reducing the number of single mothers on welfare. In satisfying his goal of promoting marriage as a “logical” way to reduce divorce rates, Huckabee sent a clear message to the youth of Arkansas: it did not matter if you are under-educated, unemployed or unhappy; the important thing is that you are married.

Huckabee’s approach to policy-making is derived from his own religious fanaticism. While devotion to a religious faith should not promptly call into question one’s sanity or ability to govern, an overzealous devoutness to any faith should serve as a warning sign that policy will not be based on utility for all of society; it will be based on a select and arbitrary code of morality associated with some subjective passage of religious text. As Governor of Arkansas, Huckabee’s religious convictions dictated public policy as evidenced in his approach to divorce, marriage and teen pregnancy, as well as other social issues such as homosexuality, AIDS/HIV, healthcare, education and public prayer.

I am optimistic that Huckabee does not speak for all Southern Baptists, but I am certain that he represents the most extreme, far-right wing of that denomination. Being governor in a southern, conservative “Bible Belt” state should serve as no excuse to deny privacy or reproductive rights, nor should it serve as a channel through which to funnel ones religious madness. The United States rejects theocracies outright - yet Huckabee governed a state as a theocrat; based on his current rhetoric on the campaign trail, he would certainly do the same if elected President.

Huckabee lacks the foreign policy knowledge that a truly insightful presidential candidate needs. On his own presidential campaign website, Huckabee highlights his ignorance of foreign policy as he says, “�we are in a world war�radical Islamic fascists have declared war on our way of life�[they] have sworn to annihilate each of us who believes in a free society, all in the name of a perversion of religion and an impersonal god.”

Not only is that statement erroneous on many levels, it highlights Huckabee’s would-be approach to foreign policy. He sums up his view of the world as “Christians versus everyone else.” That is a pathetic and dangerous foreign policy position.

When George W. Bush ran in 2000, he promised to be a “compassionate conservative.” Mike Huckabee promises the same thing. We can be assured that Huckabee, who is far more fanatical than Bush, would break the same promise. Fortunately, Americans are fed up with the Bush administration’s policies and are ready for change. Regardless if Huckabee wins the nomination of the GOP, he has no chance of winning the presidency. He represents a dated form of conservatism that few in this country are willing to embrace. Americans will reject a candidate who encourages theocracy, and rightfully so. Huckabee lacks the ability to think on his own, and the world’s problems (and America’s problems for that matter) are too complex and unique to be answered by a book of religious allegory.

Huckabee was an ineffective leader in Arkansas; his administration insufficiently addressed the needs of Arkansans. No genuine attempt to spearhead action was based on rationality or with the notion of utilitarianism; foolishly and ostensibly Huckabee and his administration accepted that his religious zeal provided all answers. Huckabee is a cognitive light-weight.

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