Could we, just maybe, <3 a Huckabee?
Casting Huckabee as the JFK figure of the Republican party is a great angle, and some of the points Rich makes here are intriguing enough to tempt me to seriously research/consider Huckabee for my vote. But there's that voice in my head that just keeps repeating "dude, HE...DOES...NOT...BELIEVE...IN...EVOLUTION." I respect the fact that he's explicit about it, rather than trying to fudge with the intelligent design nonsense hedge, but I'm sorry, I just cannot get past siding with the flying spaghetti monster over science.
posted by QueensGuy @ 8:25 AM
5 Comments:
Although he raised his hand in a CNN Debate in response to a question: "Raise your hand if you do not believe in evolution," his explanation on Bill Maher seemed more nuanced. He said he thought the question was improper in having to pick a "yes" or "no" and that he did not believe that all of evolution happened as merely an accident; and that he sided against those who argue that the theory of evolution eliminates the possibility of a God being involved in the creation of life.
They didn't get into it much more than that, and I don't know if he believes in a "young earth," or that creatures just appeared out of nowhere, or what. But if the above describes the totality of what he thinks, I bet he is in line with the vast majority of people who would say that they "believe in evolution." (Including this writer.)
If that was all I heard from him, that would be fine. However, this is what I first heard as his "more nuanced" version:
Huckabee said if given a chance to elaborate on the question from MSNBC moderator Chris Matthews, he would have responded: "If you want to believe that you and your family came from apes, I'll accept that....I believe there was a creative process."
Sorry, but that's an even bigger DQ for me than the hand-raising alone.
You're linking to Frank Rich? His analysis of the Democrats is unreliable enough, but anything he says about Republicans is absurd.
What with pardons to dangerous rapists (where is he on the pledge f allegiance?) and and little substance, it looks like the Huckster's 15 minutes are about over but he should keep enough of the extremists in Iowa so that Romney won't get the boost he thought. Don't know who will win but McCain and Giuliani will beat expectations (which currently are: dead and dying) in Iowa
I find even the comments in the article cited by QueensGuy to be purposefully oblique (by Huckabee). When he says: "If you and your family want to believe that you were descended from apes, that's okay with me . . ." -- many people will read that as sarcastic and as meant to imply he doesn't think he and his family were. This is probably an appealing reading for the fundamentalists he is courting. But I think he is also actually saying it sincerely, because he doesn't actually find the idea ridiculous or wrong. He goes on to say: "I think there is a creative process," which again does not rule out that we came from apes. He also says creationism should not be taught in schools, and that evolution can be taught in schools.
I see all of this as him walking a very fine line in needing to court fundamentalists who are absolutely necessary as his base -- playing somewhat lightly to their resentment that they are ridiculed and not taken seriously, while not actually signing on to the most extreme versions of their ideology.
Anonymous #1
Post a Comment
<< Home