Huckabee compares being gay to using alcohol, profanity
By PHILIP ELLIOTT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee on Sunday said being gay is akin to choosing to drink alcohol or use profanity — lifestyle choices he says are appealing to others but not to him.

The former Baptist pastor, who is weighing a second run for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, also claimed that forcing people of faith to accept gay marriage as policy is on par with telling Jews that they must serve "bacon-wrapped shrimp in their deli." That dish would run afoul of kosher rules in the same way Huckabee sees asking Christians to accept same-sex marriages.

"We're so sensitive to make sure we don't offend certain religions, but then we act like Christians can't have the convictions that they have had for over 2,000 years," Huckabee said.

Huckabee has made cultural issues the cornerstone of his likely White House bid. The former Baptist pastor is counting on social conservatives and evangelicals who have great clout in early nominating Iowa to help him.

His comments about gays and lesbians seem targeted at the conservative corners of his party.

Yet he also included a pitch for inclusion in his remarks.

Huckabee said he appreciates different viewpoints on gay marriage, adding that he has gay friends.

"I accept a lot of people as friends maybe whose lifestyle I don't necessarily adhere to, agree with or practice. Doesn't mean that I can't have a good relationship with anyone or lead them or govern them," Huckabee said.

But he remained steadfastly opposed to rights for gays and lesbians, although research has found a biological basis for their attraction to others of the same sex.

"I don't chuck people out of my circle or out of my life because they have a different point of view. I don't drink alcohol, but, gosh, a lot of my friends, maybe most of them, do. You know, I don't use profanity, but, believe me, I have got a lot of friends who do," Huckabee said.

"Some people really like classical music and ballet and opera. It's not my cup of tea. I would like to think that there's room in America for people who have different points of views without screaming, shouting and wanting to shut their businesses down."

Such rhetoric is central to Huckabee's efforts to engage social conservatives.

In recent weeks, Huckabee has picked fights with the White House over President Barack Obama's friendship with Beyonce Knowles. Huckabee says the Obama daughters should not treat the entertainer as a role model because she is overly sexual.

In his latest book, Huckabee also says Beyonce's husband, rapper Jay-Z, is more of a "pimp" than a spouse.

Huckabee spoke on CNN's "State of the Union."


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-02-02

In a word....redneck.

Can you imagine a USA run by this bible thumper?

On a par with Palin.

Edited February 2, 201511 yr by Jay Sata

His Fox news show is a cringefest

This rube is totally clueless.

His son David, caught a stray dog, hung it, slit its throat and stoned it to death. As governor, Huck quashed the State police animal cruelty investigation.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/suzy-shuster/huckabees-son-and-his-his_b_77359.html

Edited February 2, 201511 yr by Jay Sata

Well its good to know he has gay friends just that he isn't in favor of giving them equal rights, good for him. Lets get all the barmy stuff out of the way to begin with, evolution is nonsense and so is big bang and climate change I am sure he will add to the list.

When he dies, they can bury him and his ideas next to Fred Phelps.

It's weird isnt it how the Republicans shoot themselves in the foot repeatedly with such candidates as Palin, the Tea Party, the Angel Moroni and this lunatic. Surely they can come up with a less extreme viable opposition candidate that might appeal to a wider electorate.

Being gay is one's nature not nurture, just like the color of one's skin. Who would choose to be gay and suffer all the prejudice and humiliation. You'd have to be crazier than Huckabee.

Edited February 2, 201511 yr by dexterm

When he dies, they can bury him and his ideas next to Fred Phelps.

I had to google that one not being American. What a nutter!

If you want to see some hardcore Christian ROCK , Tune in to the Huckabee show

It appears that being a total A*ole is also a "lifestyle choice"

Edited February 2, 201511 yr by BigBadGeordie

I just wonder if this is back room GOP strategy wheeling out these distractions to keep Bush low profile as long as possible?

Huckabee must know he has no chance.

Huckabee is the answer.

The question is "How do we make another Bush look acceptable?"

God bless help America.....and the rest of the world.

What happened to "love thy neighbor"?

Unless they're gay?

"Hello, all you gay people! I am opposed to your lifestyle and will take away your rights, but that doesn't mean I can't govern you, because I can tolerate people who like ballet! Gosh, Golly, Hallelujah and Amen! I also think 'stoning' should be introduced as means for the death penalty, and I am not talking about that devilish cannabis herb!"

It's the oddest show----He plays a trumpet or some other thing and all the "guests applaud". I think he is a fool.

It's the oddest show----He plays a trumpet or some other thing and all the "guests applaud". I think he is a fool.

Well he would be the first one in the White House.

So which Redneck is going to be in The Whitehouse next?

"It appears that being a total A*ole is also a "lifestyle choice"

It's the Republican choice in America. Nearly all Republicans are a-holes.

He seems pretty serious about this run, giving up his show on FOX. It is very unlikely he will get the nomination, though if he did it would be like handing the presidency in the next election to the Democrats. Certainly he could not even come close to defeating Hillary Clinton.

I think we it would be safe to assume that gays and drunks WILL NOT be voting for him any time soon......

History has many examples of extremists that singled out people based on their religion, ethnicity, nationality, facial features, sexual orientation and so on.

His comments place him in their company.

QUOTE:

"forcing people of faith to accept gay marriage as policy is on par with telling Jews that they must serve "bacon-wrapped shrimp in their deli."

Oh dear. I'm not going to look at my gay friends in the same light again.

And Fox gives this and other a-holes a platform, with generous pay. Tells you everything you need to know about that networkit's a hate-mongering, ignorance-disseminating, divisive propaganda tool that distracts, upsets and divides with fake narratives while the oligarchs laugh all the way to the bank.

There's free speech and giving it all possible platforms, and then there's the evil clown car loonyverse of Fox.

T

Is this the best the Right has to offer?

It's widely understood that he will never be president.

Next ...

I see the Republicans are throwing their best men in the race for the presidential elections. NOT?

This is sooo boring...who cares what Huckabee says or thinks or does...he is dead meat...a dreamer whose dream will not come true...

I see the Republicans are throwing their best men in the race for the presidential elections. NOT?

Jeb Bush is in the lead but it's really quite wide open now. He's only seems "moderate" in the context of how far right the Republican party has become.

This guy, Huckabee, will not win the Republican nomination.

Everybody can relax.