Wednesday, June 18, 2008
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Huckabee: Don't Denigrate Obama
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Posted by:
Carol Platt Liebau at
12:10 PM
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I'm not sure what Mike Huckabee means by his commandment to Republicans not to "demoni[ze] Barack Obama," and his instruction that they should "celebrate what [he] think[s] is a landmark achievement" -- that is, the winning of a major party nomination by an African American.
And of course that's great. What's more, it confirms what many of us already believe about America being the land of opportunity for all its people -- sentiments, unfortunately, that Michelle Obama seems to share only episodically.
But Governor Huckabee needs to offer us further guidance. It doesn't seem as though we need him to explain that untrue, unfair and bigoted critiques should be off-limits. That's obvious -- and true whether the Democrat candidate is an African American or not.
What's not clear is whether that self-evident point is all he means. Does he think that criticizing Barack's policy positions is somehow "demonizing" him?
Huckabee talks about the country's ability "to get to a point where we did not see his color . . .." Well, that's where most of those who oppose Obama are. Surely Barack neither need -- or hopefully would even want -- critics of his ideas and policies to censor themselves when discussing the issues lest they be seen as inadequately celebrating the nomination of a man of color.
Instead, perhaps we should pay Barack the compliment of believing that he would want to be tested, treated and critiqued the same as a presidential candidate of any gender or color -- white, black, purple or orange -- would be.
Does Mike Huckabee realize when he offers those "goo goo" sentiments that are either meaningless or deeply insulting to the character of Obama's critics that he only provides cover and ammunition to those on the left and in the MSM who would like to attribute all opposition to their favored candidate as nothing more than latent racism?
Please don't make this about race, Governor. There are plenty of people on the other side who are ready and willing to do that already.
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I think Huckabee is saying that attacks on Obama like the one that claims he is a secret Muslim trained in his youth at an extremist Madrasa can ultimately backfire and be a loss of credibiltity for Republicans and McCain. Equally so, emails that swirl the internet claiming that Obama was sworn into the Senate using the Koran do not ultimately commend truth-seekers to conservative causes. In contrast, I heard Huckabee a while ago quite effectively state that one way to attack Obama is to say that what he is selling might sound pretty good at first. To many, it might even be compared to their "dream car". But, once you take a look at the price and not until you experience the sticker shock, do you realize that there is just no way we can afford such expensive propositions. This is an excellent example of attacking Obama on issue differences not trumped-up differences based on fear, prejudice, and innuendo. |
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As if!
Who is demonizing Obama? Maybe Huckabee should have defined demonize because I see nothing of the kind. Or maybe he should have named the offender because I am just not seeing any Republicans doing anything that I would construe as demonizing. Most of the criticism is based on the content of his character, and the remaining criticism on his lame policy positions, his lack of experience, his gaffes and his choice of friends. |
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If you read through the entire original article, it doesn't sound so bad. Governor Huckabee doesn't say not to attack Obama, he just says to attack him on the issues.
Here's an excerpt:
"As an American, I can obviously salute the extraordinary barriers that have been broken already in this election cycle. But…he [Obama] has gone far enough this year because, ultimately, this election is not going to be about something symbolic, it [will] be about something substantive."
Governor Huckabee is actually quite brilliant, he can appeal to Democrats by his graciousness, but undermine their nominee in the very next sentence. But this only works when they hear EVERYTHING he says in context.
Here's the whole article from the first place I saw it:
http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/Huckabee_obama/2008/06/1 0/103254.html |
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Talk about the pot calling the kettle black! I'm just holding my fingers on this one. |
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I don't have irrefutable proof, but the following is what has been going around:
"Senator Obama will be the first Arab American president if he is elected. The Senator's background is: Caucasian from his mother [and] Arab African from his father. Before all the Obamiacs jump on the answer, the Kenyan Obamas are listed in the Kenyan census as Arab African not as Tribal 'Black' African. His father's great great grandmother was a Tribal African."
"Therefore by ethnic lines the Senator are 50% Caucasian, 43.75% Arab, and 6.25% Black African."
Apparently there are Arabs in Kenya. Not that any of this matters to me whatsoever. I'm not voting on the basis or race or on making history.
However, many people are, I believe. If a Barack Husseim Obama were running as an Arab, I believe it would be a different election story.
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First, his dad was from Kenya--how many Arabs are Kenyan? Less than 1%.
Second, if Huckster is saying, don't say "we don't need no darkie in no White house." Fine.
But to not bring up his associations with Wright, to not play those comments Wright made, his association with Ayers, etc.
And what about this "The country was able "to get to a point where we did not see his color but we truly saw his charisma, his message and what he brought to the campaign trail."
What message and what is there to celebrate? A leftist in the same vien of McGovern? If Stalin or Mao were to come back in the skin of a blackman, and was elected president, is that something that should be looked at as good and should be celebrated?
What a fool! Good thing the GOP didn't nominate him. And any thought of this idiot being made McCain's running mate should be buried...deeply buried. Was Huckabee drunk on sake when he said this?
Oh and the Willie Horton ads were done by groups not associated with Bush 41's campaign, but it was a fair ad.
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At long last marginalized in the election, he is just making up stuff to have something to say.
His greatest gift is drawing attention to himself. |
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an official Democrat. Oh, and any other other 'liberal lefty republicans' you might know of.
Thank you, Ex |
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White mother and a mostly Arab father. But, as others here have pointed out, race is a social construct: You are what others are convinced you are. Barack has managed to convince others he's black.
And thus no matter why he might lose, it will forever be attributed to his blackness. Doesn't matter one whit what Pubs say or don't say.
Barack supporters will be crying that the opportunity for the First Black President will have gone down the tubes. Note they will not be mourning the loss of the First Arab President.
It's all illusion. |
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And which race whould that be, his white half or black half? |
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...I really do think that liberals and other pundits talk about it more than it actually happens. |
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He's making a point of saying don't make race an issue while he's making race an issue.
It's hard to tell if he's really that thick or if he's, deep down, trying to sabotage the GOP in this election. |
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is we need to avoid falling into a pitfall. For instance, in 1988, they made a very legitimate point about Dukakis and furloughs. But the lasting image was how Bush-41 exploited race to win. (I think he'd have won anyway.)
If Obama loses, it will be credited to race, period. (The notion that a guy with 50 years of military and government experience trumps three years in the Senate will not even be entertained by the media.)
Already, Huffpo is trying to Swiftboat McCain on his military service, if such a thing is possible. |
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Huck's need to say that is further evidence that "our" guys are footstools for the other side. Weak. |
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We're talking about Huckabee here and the "new Republican party". There are no principles or distinct ideas to be found here so no deep thought required. Just look at the pretty pictures and listen to the soothing words. Maybe if Huckabee takes an Elvis-like stance while he talks? |
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