Ugh.
Someone please tell me what Huckabee has going for him, other than the fact that Romney is a Mormon, because as far as I can tell, that's been the Huckster's entire campaign.
Someone please tell me the evangelicals in Iowa didn't come out in force for Huckabee because it would stop a Mormon from winning.
Because I've gone through a lot of effort to choose my candidate based on important things like, oh I don't know, issues and stuff. If there are thousands of people going to the polls and picking a guy because he talks like they do and fights against the demon-man with good hair, I've lost a lot of faith in humanity.
A survey taken in Iowa reports the following:
More than one-third of Republican caucus-goers said it matters a great deal to them that a candidate share their religious beliefs, and 56 percent of that section of the electorate backed Huckabee versus only 11 percent for Romney.
Given a choice among four personal attributes, 45 percent of Republican caucus-goers said it was most important that a candidate "shares my values," and nearly half of those supported Huckabee. One-third said it was most important that a candidate "says what he believes"; Huckabee won among 33 percent of them, 21 percent supported Fred Thompson, and Sen. John McCain, Romney and Rep. Ron Paul each won about 15 percent.McCain and Romney each won a little more than one-third of voters who said the top priority was that a candidate "has the right experience." Only 7 percent said the most important attribute was a candidate's electability, and half of those backed Romney.
There are people who don't care about a candidate's electability? Do these people realize that this means they're choosing a candidate they think would lose to Clinton or Edwards or Obama?
Apparently not. Morons.
I also can't help notice how the media has been giving Huckabee favorable coverage as of late. I was listening to an ABC news update on the radio last week; they covered a slam he made on Mitt. They had the audio, and it went something like this:
Huck: "I'm not a flip-flopper like Romney, (something funny)."
Media members: (hearty laughter)
END OF CLIP
Good grief. It's as if certain left-leaning individuals in the news reporting business know Huckabee is unelectable, and that if he is chosen as the Republican nominee, that leaves it wide open for whoever comes from the Democratic side.
Speaking of the Democratic side, Obama beat out the rest of the field, including Mrs. Clinton. I'm fine with this outcome. Hillary makes me squirm... the thought of her as president is not a good one. I'd much rather have Obama win this thing than anyone else from the left. He's inexperienced, but there's worse things.
But seriously, someone challenge me on this Huckabee thing. I'm being irrational and need to come out of it.
13 comments:
I was flying over Iowa when this happened. I should have spat.
I'm not going to sound logical, my friend, but I'll give you a persepective to think about nonetheless. Evangelicals understand this entire life and realm is about a war between God and Satan that is quickly coming to an end. According to biblical prophesy this world is ending soon. This hour in history is remarkable and significant - no other era has ever seen the signs that point to the end of times as much as we do right now. We believe that if someone is elected who doesn't know the true and living God of the bible through a relationship with Jesus Christ, we will lose the favor of God. A president who can knows the wisdom of God and can hear His direction is the ONLY One we can trust. Are you curious? Start reading Isaiah and the warnings against ancient Israel - they are strikingly similar. We are a country founded on God - and as He leaves, so does His goodness and favor. It doesn't matter how strong we are, every great nation will fall if they don't have God working on their side. I fear the day when we throw Him so out that our enemies devour us. But please, don't take my word for it, TAKE HIS! Learn some history on the separation of church and state - you'd be amazed at it's original intent. God bless you, stay warm!!!!!!
This is a true story that must be told. It’s about Governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, and how he has indirectly held a man’s life as hostage since June 2006. This story is about the wrongful conviction of a young military man, whose only crime was being spurned by his young girlfriend. The media refuses to break this story, yet the truth will still be told because of this man's effort to regain his life. This account of the last 15 years of Marcus Clay’s life is profoundly wrong on many levels. It starts with a court case in Arkansas that undoubtedly should have been declared a mistrial. It involves people in high places of local and state government. It involves an ex-Governor who is now running for President. Wayne Dumond, a felon who was released on parole by Governor Huckabee (who then went on to rape and kill two women) ties in with this story. We can even throw in a rock star, Keith Richards, for good measure. Does all this sound too unbelievable? Just keep listening.
The story begins with a 17-year-old Marcus dating a then 15-year-old girl back in Arkansas in 1992. A falling out between the two young people prompted the girl to acquire the aid of four other girls, and in an act of revenge, the five girls accused Marcus of sexually assaulting them over the course of some time. The girl’s ages ranged from 12-15. But an assault never occurred, and not only that, no physical exam was ever performed on the girls to verify their accusations.
In fact, during the time that the five girls claim that the assaults occurred, Marcus was in Fort Benning, GA in boot camp and A.I.T.. The trial judge didn’t allow this key information be presented as evidence, which undoubtedly would have exonerated Marcus Clay. The judge had sustained an objection from the prosecutor that since an Army officer was not present to explain the military’s NGB-22 that it shouldn’t be admitted into court. The NGB-22 is a certificate of discharge that would have shown Marcus’ whereabouts during the time periods in question. Marcus is subsequently found guilty and is initially sentenced to life plus 80 years, for 5 counts of rape. There is no statutory rape in Arkansas. Within a year and a half the AR State Supreme Court reversed the lower court’s decision and remanded back for a new trial. However, the 5 girls now refused to testify because they couldn’t remember their original testimony. The girls, still under age, refused under subpoena from the prosecution to testify in court. The prosecution, with no other recourse, then offered Marcus a plea. They offered him 20 years in state prison if he agreed, but if they had to go back to trial, he would be facing 5 life sentences. Upon his attorney’s advice, telling him he could fight this decision later, Marcus took the plea. Marcus was fearful of a court that had unjustly sentenced him already once, and he was playing it safe by accepting the plea. This is where Marcus’ attorney drops the ball. His attorney never advised Marcus that he had only 90 days from the plea deal to request for a new trial, with better conditions that would prove his innocence. Marcus winds up spending 8 years in state prison until he’s finally released. He still had to serve 5 years of parole.
This is where Governor Mike Huckabee comes into the picture in 2003. Marcus meets with Huckabee and is promised exoneration by the Governor who is convinced by the evidence that Marcus wasn't even in the state when this alleged crime happened. Huckabee even apologizes four times to Marcus, and tries to console him with standard Christian counseling "everything happens for a reason, we don't always understand why things happen, but it's in God's plan". The exoneration would wipe this conviction off Marcus’ record. But when the time came in 2006 for Huckabee to follow through with his promise to Marcus, now 32, the Governor reneged on his promise. Marcus had just spent the last 15 years of his life paying for a crime he didn't commit, and the Governor, with full knowledge of his innocence, denied the pardon. The reason of course is political. Politics aside, how could anyone do this to another human being?
During the time from 2003 (when Marcus personally met with Huckabee) until December of 2005, the environment changed in Arkansas regarding pardons and paroles. The Governor was now dealing with a sticky matter involving a convicted felon by the name of Wayne Dumond, who was convicted for raping then Governor Bill Clinton's cousin. Huckabee had personally advocated for Dumond’s parole. But after he had been released, Dumond went on rape and kill 2 women in 2000. The Governor was now leery of his liberal policy of granting paroles as well as pardons. This is understandable, however Huckabee had been warned about Dumond a month prior to Dumond's release. Thirteen new witnesses came forward and claimed Dumond assaulted them also, and they petitioned Huckabee to not release this monster. Yet Huckabee didn’t listen and still paroled Dumond, which eventually led to the death of two women.
So when the time came for Marcus Clay to get his deserved exoneration from Governor Huckabee, Marcus was sacrificed on the political alter by Huckabee. It didn't matter that Marcus had letters of support from the Lieutenant Governor, a US Senator, and a Congressman, all Confirming Marcus' innocence in writing. Including Mike Huckabee’s current Director of Research Joe carter of his National Campaign, who in a recorded phone conversation admitted twice he was innocent. That Huckabee himself had his Military liaison investigate Marcus' innocence and put that into writing as well. When the time came to do the right thing, Huckabee backed down and yielded to his political aspirations. Huckabee had tightened up on the pardon process, however; Marcus had met the standard of proof of innocence that was required. He fully met the stipulation and standards for a pardon. Yet the Governor reneged on his promise. He couldn’t afford any more negative publicity involving paroles or pardons. Perhaps Mike Huckabee was already looking to a Presidential run in 2008. Whatever the reason, Huckabee made a conscious decision, reneging on his promise, with full knowledge of his innocence that amounted to playing "God" with this man's life.
Yet, when it comes to celebrity however, Governor Huckabee was more sympathetic. In the 1970’s rock star Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones was arrested in Arkansas for speeding and carrying an 8-inch knife. In 2006, the same year Huckabee denied that Marcus a pardon, the Stones rolled into town for a concert. The Governor was elated that one of his favorite groups was in town. On stage during the concert in Little Rock, in front of the entire crowd, Richards asked Governor Huckabee for a pardon for his 1970’s misdemeanor.
The Governor agreed! The very next day after the concert, Huckabee personally filed the necessary paperwork for Richards’ pardon. Talk about sympathy for the Devil! Marcus just wants his life back. He wants to return to the military. This all could have been over for him in June 2006. He should have been granted his pardon, with exoneration. But that didn't happen for Marcus, who is just an ordinary person. Huckabee himself pointed out in Rolling Stone Magazine, that if Marcus "played guitar like Keith Richards he would have gotten his exoneration as well". Obviously the Governor is shallow and I believe Huckabee is. But the fact remains that to Mike Huckabee, someone’s life is fair game to joke about, and this callousness is the reason why Marcus' time in his political purgatory has been unnecessarily prolonged.
There is only one person that can help Marcus now. That person is the new Governor, Mike Beebe. There’s history between the new Governor and the old Governor, and they don't get along very well. When leaving office at the end of 2006, Huckabee had all the computer hard drives in his administration destroyed. The computers were paid for out of the people’s taxes. They were still useful when they were given the order to be destroyed. This left incoming Governor Beebe in a bind, and short of cash, he had to take $350K from Arkansas' Emergency Relief Fund to buy new computers. But annihilating perfectly good computers, instead of just wiping the hard drives clean 7 times, is NOT standard procedure in AR or anywhere else. We may never learn the sensitive information that was on those computers. But whatever it was that Huckabee was hiding, he apparently couldn't afford to take even the remotest chance of anyone ever finding out.
Due to the history between the two Governors, Beebe wants no part of Huckabee's legacy as Governor in AR. In a way, who can blame him? When you step into a pigpen, you’ll get soiled. But is this any reason to allow Marcus and his family to suffer even one more day than they have to? So instead of taking the bull by the horns, and doing everything possible to bring his ordeal to a quick end, Beebe office has directed Marcus to re-file for a new pardon. But this process takes a lot of time, and while he waits, Marcus is at a stalemate, waiting to regain his life.
The situation right now is that Marcus is waiting for his next review before the board, which he was already recommended for a pardon the first time. If the board approves this pardon, it will then go before Governor Beebe for the final, at which time he can approve, not approve, or take no action. But the earliest that Marcus should be granted a pardon is still months away, and that’s only if it is approved by the new Governor. The legal system is churning along, spinning its wheels, thanks to Mike Huckabee reneging on his promise 2 years ago.
But the worst travesty is not the taxpayers money being wasted by bureaucrats who show no desire to get creative, the worst tragedy occurs on a daily basis as lived out by Marcus Clay. Every day he has to live through the public torment and associated embarrassment of being labeled a "Sex Offender".
Every day that he doesn’t have his pardon means that it’s another day he can’t find work, because every potential employer who learns turns him away about his record. Every day that goes by with this brand on his forehead, is another day that his marriage will suffer because of it. Marcus can't even take his own daughter to Chuck E Cheese for a birthday party. Marcus may technically be a "free man" because he’s out of prison. Yet he still carries the chains of injustice around his ankles, because he’s being held hostage by a corrupt and uncompromising legal system, which civil servants have used to serve themselves, and not the public interest.
What's it going to take to get this story out? The Marcus Clay story is so rooted in corruption and scandal that heads would surely have to roll when indeed it gets out Since Governor Huckabee is the key element in this story, and this story would hurt his presidential campaign, is this why Marcus' story is not being told? Will Governor Beebe finally step in to rectify this abomination, this miscarriage of justice? Will this horrifically sad story of Marcus Clay finally be heard? Or will the story, on a national level, be buried in a cesspool of politics that are merely an extension of a corrupt government on the local level? The time has come for this nation to respond to this injustice, to come to the aid of Marcus Clay, for it is not just Marcus Clay that we must rise up and fight for, it is for our very selves. This can happen to anyone……
I have copies of all the forementioned letteres and the phone conversation
Haven't the "moralist" tried this before? Bush was elected from the churches and has arguably the most corrupt administration in recent history. This guy believes that if you don't believe what he does, you are somehow less in the eyes of God. Sounds an awful lot like "you’re either with us, or against us". We are now in a protracted war with fewer and fewer friends based on that mentality. You aren’t voting for a pastor, your electing a President. Again, be careful what you ask for. “Onward Christian Soldier”
This will be very quick, so I appologize for the lack of details at the moment. Obviously there is more to the story other than him being a "moralist." It just happens to be what the media and his detractors focus on. As far as him not being electable, that is one of the silliest things I've heard of. You don't vote for someone based upon electability (a flawed concept over the past 30 years that has resulted in the Congress that we have today). You vote for the person that best reprsents your ideals. That's the point of primaries. The person that wins the majority of the delegates based upon the individual voters beliefs receives the nomination and then challenges the other party. If for some reason both Obama and Huckabee receive their party nominations, you are going to have a battle between two well-spoken, passionate populists. We haven't had that in ages. And since they are vastly different in many ways than Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan, we cannot pretend to predict with any confidence how the November elections will turn out. Personally, I believe that if these two are the candidates on the ballot, we'll see a shift in the way the states vote for many reasons, the big one being the number of people who feel energized to actually show up at the polls. This too, however, will probably change the make up of Congress as well, hopefully with voting out some of the poorer-performing members and replacing them with people who are more interested in their country rather than their party.
I live in AR, where Huckabee was Gov. and I mean it when I say, if he wins the Presidency, I'm moving to Europe. This man is CRAZY. Every ridiculous story you've heard is true. Huckabee is the only person on earth who terrifies me more than GWB. Do NOT let this man have control over our country or the world will be sorry, mark my words!
"I don't care, they may as well be writing Santa Claus" -Gov. Mike Huckabee on the objections of murder victim's families, after Huckabee agrees to pardon their family's killer.
Coupla things. One, the president doesn't "have control over the country." Congress does, even though they like to pretend they are victimized by the president all the time. And Brandon, the fact that people don't choose a candidate based on his electability doesn't make them "morons." It means they aren't party tools. Only if you want a republican or democrat at all costs do you pick your candidate based on his electability. Otherwise you pick your guy (or gal) based on who you think is the best choice, even if you're not convinced he'll win. We argued about this in '04, but I say again that one person's vote does not change the outcome. There has never been a national election in history that was won by one vote. So you vote for the candidate that you like, not the party that you like, unless you're so simplistic that you just swallow everything from either the left or the right.
If Huckabee wins, I am moving to Europe too. And I will be wearing a "Proud to be Un-American" T-shirt everywhere I go. How dissapointed I would be to have yet another man voted for based on a religous soap box. Didn't we learn the first time. Oh! This is America....we never learn.
If Huckabee wins, I am moving to Europe too. And I will be wearing a "Proud to be Un-American" T-shirt everywhere I go. How dissapointed I would be to have yet another man voted for based on a religous soap box. Didn't we learn the first time. Oh! This is America....we never learn.
Well, the "Huckster" as you put it IS a Baptist Minister isn't he?? Hasn't there always been a tad bit of animosity between the two anyway?
We believe that if someone is elected who doesn't know the true and living God of the bible through a relationship with Jesus Christ, we will lose the favor of God.
Nice and all, but I believe Romney does know Jesus Christ. I'm not going to argue the point, but your comment doesn't do a lot to persuade me Huck is the guy.
Only if you want a republican or democrat at all costs do you pick your candidate based on his electability.
There has never been a national election in history that was won by one vote.
Are you trying to say my vote doesn't matter? You're right about no national election ever being decided by one vote, but if 50,000 people think like that, it makes a difference. I'm not saying electability should be the only factor in deciding who to vote for, but it has to be a factor, otherwise you're throwing away your vote. For example, if I felt my wife is the best person to be president, I can write her in on my ballot, and thereby appease my conscience, but she has zero chance to win, and therefore my vote is meaningless.
And yes, Aliese, there has always been animosity between Baptists and Mormons. I'd just rather see it left out of the election.
I agree with pretty much everything you state here in this article, but I personally don't like Obama either. To be honest, I'm kinda' afraid of him getting into office. I'd almost rather have Hilary, but help us all if either of them make it in.
Anonymous user that stated in your first sentence that you weren't going to sound logical, you didn't. Did you not hear/see Romney's speech "Faith In America"?
kthnxbai
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