Would this country elect another batshit crazy madman as president?

[Cyrano]

I’ve been reading about Huckabee, and learned that we have another brain-dead Jesus freak Republican running for president. The difference is that this guy really believes the fundie crap he spouts. And since he actually believes the shit he’s peddling, that makes him even more dangerous than the corporate-backed hypocrites we’ve come to expect from the party of greed, death and destruction.

Evidently, he’s moved up in the Iowa polls. He’s seems to be the “real thing” to the wingnut fundie base. My first reaction was that this is a good thing. There’s no way an ignorant cretin like this could ever get elected. And then I remembered that I thought the same thing about Saint Ronnie. I just couldn’t bring myself to believe that this country would ever elect a know-nothing amiable imbecile.

So I guess my question is, does anyone here think that this feeble-minded being named Huckabee (who as governor of Arkansas was a greed-driven, corrupt prick) could be elected?

[porphyrian]

1. You're assuming our votes somehow determine who is elected.

Or that they are counted in the first place.

[SheilaT]

2. Of course it could happen.

Only a small percentage of those who vote actually weigh the issues, as if that even matters in the end when the primaries amount to a high-school style election for senior class president on a larger scale.

[BobRossi]

3. In a heart beat!

Do the Dems have a message yet?

[blondeatlast]

5. Does the opposition?

:shrug:

[demnan]

4. Even though he's a Fundie

I don't sense he's as evil as Bush. I shuddered whenever I saw Bush before the election and Hucklebee doesn't strike me as been that intensely evil. Just my take on him as a human being.

Now Guiliani is a different story. And Mitt gives me the creeps. I actually think Hucklebee is too honest to be the Republican nominee.

[annabanana]

22. OP said insane, not "evil".. . . . n/t

[FightingIrish]

6. How about a Giuliani-Huckabee ticket?

That's about as crazy as it gets and it panders to all the worst elements in the Republican menagerie.

[Dr.Phool]

19. How about a Huckleberry-Norris ticket?

And you thought Dick Cheney could kick ass!

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. Yes

:)

[Enrique]

8. Huckabee is the best of the republicans

not saying much, but hey. :shrug:

[Hand]

9. Interesting anecdote about Huckabee.

There was a guy on death row in Arkansas who became a Zen Buddhist and was teaching other prisoners to meditate and follow the path of nonaggression that he had discovered. He was regarded as fully rehabilitated and an exemplary prisoner.

His supporters appealed for the commutation of his sentence to life in prison. When Huckabee read the appeal and saw what religion he'd converted to, he not only rejected the appeal, he ADVANCED THE EXECUTION DATE!

True story. The guy was executed on Huckabee's new schedule. :cry:

[monmouth]

12. Wow, that's cold....n/t

[patrice]

15. WOW!

If that doesn't get the Buddhists out there down from their "cloud", not much will.

[Enrique]

16. Huckabee hates Buddhists?

he moved the execution date up just because he was a Buddhist? Seems doubtful, and illegal. Was any legal action taken for this blatant discrimination?

[Warpy]

30. In Arkansas? Surely you jest

I'm sure there are elements there in those weird little churches that preach hate who would have loved to see the man burned alive at the stake for rejecting Jebus.

Don't feel too bad for the Buddhist. His committment to meditation had made him ready.

Feel bad for Huckabible. I would not like to be carrying that kind of Karmic load.

[patrice]

18. I'm having trouble finding a link for that.

Can you help? I know some people who need to know this.

[Hand]

20. Here's the story.

Thanks for asking. I needed to refresh my memory on the details of Si-Fu Frankie Parker.

http://users.aristotle.net/~anna/story.html

Frankie was scheduled for execution May 29, 1996, but was granted a stay until July 11, 1996, by the governor at that time, Governor Tucker. On June 17,1996, Governor Tucker announced that the execution date had now been set for September 17, 1996. An appeal had been filed with the Supreme Court but Frankie's lawyer was not optimistic. Governor Tucker stepped down from his office in July of that year. At that point, the primary hope and efforts for a commutation to life in prison without parole for Frankie were placed in the heart of the new Governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee, a Southern Baptist minister.

Governor Huckabee chose to move the execution date up to August 8, 1996, and upon that date, Ju San Si-fu Frankie Parker was executed by the State of Arkansas. Frankie was supported on that day by the love of his family; the heartfelt spiritual support of the local Ecumenical Buddhist Society members; the presence of Zen priest Kobutsu, who traveled from New Jersey to be with him; and the many people who regretted to see Frankie Parker sent to his death. He continues to be loved and remembered.

Another thread here:

http://home.agh.edu.pl/Lists/kwanumzen/kwanumzen.1996-07

Dear Sangha,

This is a letter to update you about Ju San Si-Fu Frankie Parker, an
Arkansas Buddhist inmate on death row. Once again, Cate Pfeifer of
Original Root Zen Center is doing the actual sending of this email.

Yesterday Arkansas's Gov. Huckabee performed his first major act as
governor, after having been in office for but one week. He announced a
new execution date for our friend. The date had been set for 9/17, and he
did the unprecedented and moved it forward to 8/6. He said the families
of the victims had suffered long enough, and there was no reason for
further delay.

ON EDIT: I may have exaggerated in implying that Huckabee advanced the execution date solely on the basis of Frankie's religion, which is not explicitly supported by anything he said. However, the fact remains that he didn't simply let the death sentence stand--he actually advanced it several weeks, which strikes me as a gratuitous act of... what? Sadism? Religious discrimination? Brutality? Political expediency? Whatever, it sure as hell wasn't Christian.

[patrice]

25. Thanks.

Yep. There's no way of saying that the advancement of the date was due to the fact that Ju San Si-Fu was a Buddhist - BUT - the story could be approached Socratically by first getting Hucksters to answer questions about "who is saved and who isn't" and "assuming you had whatever power is necessary, what would a good 'Christian' do about someone who is leading folks away from 'salvation'"? and then tell Ju San Si-Fu's story.

[progdonkey]

21. I've never heard that... are you sure it's Huckabee?

That Buddhist story isn't in this article from Alternet, "Five Things Mike Huckabee Doesn't Want You to Know About Him," but it does include info on the Wayne Dumond case, which is pretty horrifying.

In light of that case, though, it would be pretty ironic, if you're correct: he does his best to get a convicted rapist out of prison so he can rape and murder again, while making sure a reformed prisoner gets the chair.

http://www.alternet.org/story/68397/


Edit: Ah, I just saw you're other reply. Well, the link I gave you here just adds to that, then. ;-)

[patrice]

23. Looks like he has tried to have it both ways.

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071018/NEWS08/310180085

Here's the whole story on Dummond: http://www.arktimes.com/Articles/ArticleViewer.aspx?ArticleID=154e1aad-fd18-4efd-8d80-b5dab8559419

No mention of a Buddhist on Death Row.

Link please?

[graywarrior]

37. Huckalunger is a piece of shit.

[tularetom]

10. That's a rhetorical question right?

Of course we will - we'll elect whoever the state run media tells us to. And if we don't they'll fix things so it looks like we did anyway.

Actually the fact that huckelberry actually believes all this crapola makes him somewhat of a liability to the people who really run things. They'd much rather have a nice controllable corporate Democrat like Bill Clinton than a repub who really is a religious wacko and therefore somewhat of a populist.

[leftofthedial]

11. we don't "elect" presidents anymore

(if we ever really did)

that's all decided by the ruling oligarchs

[patrice]

13. Yes.

Those who are actually paying attention and analyzing ALL of the candidates and the process are a TINY minority.

Huckabee is perfect: bland face, nice manner, comfortable, white, male, simple, "man of 'God'", authoritarian, safe, reinforcing/rewarding our notions of who and what we are, no need to change or for self-discipline, made to order for those who have surrendered their souls to the Beast.

[MzNov]

14. Australia, here we all come!

:rofl:

[Perry Logan]

17. Of course, we didn't elect the batshit crazy madman you refer to. So we're off the hook.

[AndyTiedye]

24. ANY Repiglickin Can Get (s)Elected with the Mighty Slime Machine Working For Them

Look who is in the White House NOW!

[Ivan Sputnik]

26. Probably

If he was a plain-talkin' guy who drops his G's (no matter how rich and well educated) and seems like somebody a lot of folks would like to have a beer with.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

27. Given our past performances in doing so, Nixon, Reagan, Bush, of course.

Though I do think that any Republican is going to be SOL in 2008.

[Cyrano]

31. Yes, Tierra, I agree that 2008 looks like a Dem year. But...

...so did 2000 and 2004. Let's not forget the Repub modus operendi: If you can't win it, steal it.

[Angela Shelley]

28. Sure, if he says that the gas prices will go down

once he is elected.

[Cyrano]

34. Aside from the pain that gas prices are causing

most of us, I hate the fact that so much is going directly into the pockets of Bush (via the Carlyle Group) and Cheney (via Halliburton). Even so, their personal profiteering takes a back seat to their war crimes and crimes against humanity.

On the other hand, Huckabee would probably see to it that gas profits go directly into his pockets to hold in trust for Jesus.

[Turbineguy]

29. It's important for Bush

to get somebody who will make him look good as a replacement. Bush needs somebody who will be even worse than the worst president in history.

[Didereaux]

32. YES!

[catmandu57]

33. I would hope that we've learned our lesson about this

Of course we'll vote for whomever the powers that be decide we'll vote for, but if anyone with even a small number of working brain cells bothers to vote next year I can guarantee it won't be for another headcase bible thumper.

[GreenTea]

35. In a fucking heartbeat!

Television watching voters getting their news slop and their only "information" via television.....idiot racist, greedy, hateful, ignorant lying republicans making up a huge part of voters and the republicans insistence on easily hackable voting machines, voting ID cards, purging of democrats off voting rolls and corporate money....of course we have and will again & again....Wake up!

[MiniMe]

36. Well, if they want to have a beer with him....

of course they would.

[Joe Fields]

38. There are a lot of feeble minds out there.

Just look at all of the candidates, and not just on the republican side, then remind yourself that these assholes were elected.

[codjh9]

39. Of course it could happen, BUT I think a lot of fence-sitters have been waken up

by the incredible hypocrisy, greed, Iraq, etc. Or to put it another way, I don't think *this time* that they'll elect another nutcase. But I place no bets on 10, 20, 30, etc. years from now. I DO hope that in the long run the public gets smarter, but maybe I should emphasize 'hope'.