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02/05/2015
Mike Huckabee had no reason to link pedophilia to homosexuality in his new book—he just did.
Mike Huckabee has been on this earth for fifty-nine years. More to our interests, Mike Huckabee has been in political life since 1992. For the bulk of these years in the spotlight, he has been front and center in so-called "culture war" debates.
It is certain that Mike Huckabee has had many experiences with gay rights and gay people. Yet when it came time to choose how he would open the one gay-focused chapter of his latest book, check out how the anti-gay political figure carried out the task:
FULL CHAPTER, God, Guns, Grits and Gravy by Mike Huckabee [Google Books]
First off, this might not even be a real story. It's quite convenient that there was no publicity, charges, or record. It's also somewhat unbelievable, since in a small town in the south in the 1960's (Hope only had 8,400 residents, per the 1960 census), one would think a story and a crime like this one would have been an uncontainable scandal. But okay; for the sake of argument, I'll believe that Mr. Huckabee is being truthful.
True or not, why the hell is this how he chose to introduce a section on gay rights?! Again, as someone who has placed himself right in the middle of the wrong side of this fight, he has to have anecdote after anecdote that he could have used instead. He could have chosen one from his time as governor, talk show host, presidential candidate, or conservative speaker. He's certainly put himself out there, and he certainly has many options for how to make the case he wants to make. But rather than make a pertinent point about actual gay people, Mr. Huckabee chose to lead with a story about an apparent pedophile. That is disgusting.
And let's be clear: when a likely presidential candidate (or his ghostwriter) pens a book, every choice is a calculated one. These kinds of books are meant to make the case for what kind of president this person would become. The fact that Mr. Huckabee chose to connect pedophilia with homosexuality in the minds of his reader doesn't just speak to the clumsy and offensive ideas of a misguided author. Instead, these are the crude and decisive choices of a man who wants to become the next chief executive of the United States of America. These are insights into how this person sees and would shape policy pertaining to certain Americans citizens.
Even if this one life event was indeed true, and even if it really was the first time he heard the word "homosexuality," Mike Huckabee obviously chose this introduction because he knew that this it would set a tone for the rest of the chapter. That intended tone: one that connects homosexuality with deviancy and darkness and corruption, particularly of youth. That is what he wants in the backs of his reader's minds while they weigh his stated case. It is what he wants to be front and center in American political life while he works to roll back our general welfare.
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