Mike Huckabee

With the midterm elections taking place today, tomorrow is the unofficial beginning of the race for the 2012 GOP nomination.

Haley Barbour

Tea Party: Claims that Tea Party candidates will find a home in the GOP (AP, 11/2)

GOP: Says that Party will have to earn trust since voters are “not saying ‘Hey, we love you Republicans,’” (CBS, 11/1).

Newt Gingrich

2012: Tells WaPo that a 2012 bid is becoming “increasingly” practical (WaPo, 10/29).

Florida: Holds “Jobs Here Jobs Now” rally in Florida (Florida Times-Union, 10/29).

Mike Huckabee

Alaska: Making robo-calls on behalf of Joe Miller (AP, 11/1).

Iowa: Making robo-calls against the retention of three Iowa judges (Daily Caller, 10/29).

Mitt Romney

Health Care: Defends MA health care program, says national reform law is “unconstitutional” (GOP 12, 11/2).

Maine: Stumps for congressional candidate Dean Scontras, who is challenging Rep. Chellie Pingree (News 13, 11/1).

Iowa: Campaigns with GOP gubernatorial nominee Terry Branstad (Des Moines Register, 10/27).

Sarah Palin

2010: Find out how Palin-endorsed candidates perform on election day (WaPo, 11/2).

GOP: Says that the “good old boys club” is working against her (Politico, 11/2).

Colorado: Making robo-calls on behalf of Tom Tancredo (ABC, 11/1).

Media:  Floats Breitbart-linked conspiracy theory (Media Matters, 11/1).

West Virginia: Stumps with John Raese and praises “Mountain mamas” (LAT, 10/30).

Tim Pawlenty

Minnesota: Low favorability numbers may hurt GOP chances of retaining the governorship (City Pages, 11/1).

Palin: Defends Palin over Twitter over claims that she is unelectable (TPM, 11/1).

Mike Pence

GOP: Calls on his Party to focus on deficit reduction if in power (National Journal, 11/2).

2012: May leave GOP leadership to seek presidency or governorship (Indy Star, 10/31).

Newt Gingrich

2010: Campaigns with GOP gubernatorial candidate John Kasich in Ohio (Columbus Business First, 10/25).

Iowa: Holds “American Solutions” rally in Sioux City, Iowa (Sioux City Journal, 10/22).

Mike Huckabee

GOP: Defends Christine O’Donnell and hits “elitist” establishment (Raw Story, 10/25).

Religious Right: Sarah Posner looks into Huckabee’s ties to anti-gay groups (Religion Dispatches, 10/25).

Economy: Defends the “Fair Tax” on Fox News (Fox News, 10/25).

Sarah Palin

2010: Slams Lisa Murkowski, lauds Joe Miller, in facebook post (Facebook, 10/25).

Arizona: Sheriff Joe Arpaio presents her “pink underwear” as gift (Washington Independent, 10/25).

2012: New York Magazine says that Palin is gearing up presidential campaign (New York Magazine, 10/24).

Tim Pawlenty

Iowa: Has donated over $114,000 to Iowa Republican candidates (Des Moines Register, 10/26).

2010: Stumps for gubernatorial candidates in eight states before election (CNN, 10/25).

2012: Trails Obama in Minnesota in hypothetical race (GOP12, 10/25).

Mitt Romney

Tea Party: Hopes to pursue economic message with Tea Party activists (WSJ, 10/25).

Fundraising: Mega-donors line up behind Romney (Politico, 10/23).

Rick Santorum

Iowa: Campaigns for a GOP majority in the Iowa State House (KTIV, 10/25).

Religious Right: Speaks to Tennessee Right to Life Convention (Knoxville News, 10/21).

Judges: Joins bus tour with NOM, FRC, others to oppose retention for judges who backed same-sex marriage (On Top, 10/21).

Earlier today I noted that Mike Huckabee seemingly has no problem associating himself with fringe right-wing and Religious Right activists, regardless of how radical they may be.

Now Sarah Posner brings to our attention another connection that I had not realized: Gary Glenn, president of the American Family Association of Michigan.

As Sam Stein reports, Glenn is targeting Democratic state House candidate Toni Sessoms with robocalls that use the word "homosexual" ten times:

Liberal Democratic lawyer and openly homosexual statehouse candidate Toni Sessoms, doesn't share our values. Michiganliberal.com boasts that Sessoms is 'independently wealthy, and if elected would become the first openly lesbian state representative.' Sessoms is endorsed by the homosexual newspaper in Detroit, by Detroit's homosexual equality Michigan PAC and by the Michigan Democratic Party homosexual and transgender caucus. Sessom's campaign manager is the openly homosexual Central Michigan University faculty member who lost the statehouse race two years ago. Her deputy campaign manager was co-president of CMU's homosexual student group -- an openly homosexual candidate with a campaign run by homosexual activists. But, of course, in a district where voters strongly supported the marriage protection amendment none of this is disclosed on Toni Sessom's campaign material. With homosexual activists in the Michigan Democratic Party pushing to repeal our marriage amendment, our families deserve a state representative we can trust shares our values. Not a candidate with a hidden agenda, homosexual activist agenda, not Toni Sessoms.

Posner notes that Huckabee and Glenn have a long history and points to this video in which Huckabee positvely gushes about the work being done by Glenn and the AFA Michigan:

The following year, Huckabee provided a videotaped speech to Glenn's group's annual fundraiser, in which he called Glenn "a very special friend. . . one of the stalwart, key people who absolutely has not flinched or wavered in his commitment to pro-life and pro-family values." He continued, "If we had leaders like Gary Glenn across America, our work wouldn't be so hard. . . . [they] have been committed to maintaining a solid course for truth."

Republican Rand Paul’s campaign just released robocalls and radio ads narrated by Mike Huckabee, who criticizes Jack Conway’s “Aqua Buddha” ad. Huckabee says that “the only thing worse than a politician attempting to parade his faith for the purpose of getting a vote, is a person who would falsely attack his opponent’s faith, and then lie about it.” The details of Conway’s ad have been confirmed as accurate, and Paul continues to avoid questioning about the “Aqua Buddha” story. But more importantly, we have to ask: is Mike Huckabee really telling other politicians not to use religious faith as an issue to polarize and win voters?

In 2008, Huckabee’s campaign ads called him a “Christian Leader” and he said that “Faith doesn’t just influence me; it really defines me.” Religious Right leaders flocked to support his campaign, and in another one of Huckabee’s ads, he said that “what really matters is the celebration of the birth of Christ.” And this is the same Mike Huckabee who condemns politicians that “parade [their] faith for the purpose of getting a vote.”

As Crooks and Liars points out, Huckabee hasn’t just paraded his faith for political purposes, he also fed into the anti-Mormon fervor that greatly damaged Mitt Romney’s campaign when he told The New York Times, “Don't Mormons believe that Jesus and the devil are brothers?” Romney responded by saying that “attacking someone’s religion is really going too far,” and the National Review’s Kathryn Jean Lopez said that Huckabee attempted to win over “the anti-Mormon vote.”

In fact, the Religious Right constantly “parades” and “attacks” people’s faith to polarize and divide Americans, tactics that Huckabee has yet to condemn. Because for Mike Huckabee, it’s OK to use religion as a divisive campaign strategy only if it’s to benefit his campaign.

Yesterday, National Public Radio fired Juan Williams for comments he made Muslims on The O'Reilly Factor:

The move came after Mr. Williams, who is also a Fox News political analyst, appeared on the “The O’Reilly Factor” on Monday. On the show, the host, Bill O’Reilly, asked him to respond to the notion that the United States was facing a “Muslim dilemma.” Mr. O’Reilly said, “The cold truth is that in the world today jihad, aided and abetted by some Muslim nations, is the biggest threat on the planet.”

Mr. Williams said he concurred with Mr. O’Reilly.

He continued: “I mean, look, Bill, I’m not a bigot. You know the kind of books I’ve written about the civil rights movement in this country. But when I get on the plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous.”

Mike Huckabee has responded by defending Williams as "refreshingly honest and candid" and announced that he is heretofore boycotting NPR until it stops engaging in this sort of "censorship" and urges Congress to cut its funding:

NPR has fired Juan Williams as a result of comments he recently made on The Bill O'Reilly show. The comments were his personal admission that while he is certainly not a bigot, he said he was nervous when someone in Muslim garb and spouting Muslim doctrine got on an airplane on which he was a passenger. I know Juan and am proud to be a colleague of his as a fellow Fox News contributor. There isn't a more honest and fair-minded person in journalism. He is refreshingly honest and candid and unusually objective when it comes to analyzing the events in the news.

NPR has discredited itself as a forum for free speech and a protection of the First Amendment rights of all and has solidified itself as the purveyor of politically correct pabulum and protector of views that lean left.

While I have often enjoyed appearing on NPR programs and have been treated fairly and objectively, I will no longer accept interview requests from NPR as long as they are going to practice a form of censorship, and since NPR is funded with public funds, it IS a form of censorship. It is time for the taxpayers to start making cuts to federal spending, and I encourage the new Congress to start with NPR.

Last year, Mike Huckabee's presidential aspirations took a serious blow when Maurice Clemmons murdered four Washington state police offices because it turned out that Clemmons, an Arkansas native, had been sentenced to 108 years in prison only to have his sentence commuted by then Governor Mike Huckabee.

Immediately, conservatives jumped all over Huckabee and declared that he could never be trusted as president while Huckabee began feverishly defending his actions, claiming that he had commuted Clemmons' sentence because it was disproportionate and blaming others for having dropped the ball.

Since then, the issue has more or less faded away ... or had, until the Seattle Times ran this long report about Clemmons' criminal history that landed him in prison and then kept him there, noting that "Clemmons racked up eight felony charges in seven months" and then refused to accept any plea bargains and ended up with a total of 108 years, though prisoners typically only served one-sixth of their sentence.

In 2000, Clemmons wrote to Huckabee seeking clemency and Huckabee, who had a history of granting such requests at a rate far greater than his predecessors, granted it seemingly without much investigation: 

Huckabee called himself a "grace" Christian, not a "law" Christian, and what was clemency but an act of grace?

In his 10 ½ years as governor, starting in 1996, Mike Huckabee emerged as a political force, an ordained minister who could draw votes from across the political spectrum.

He spoke in support of "restorative justice," and backed up his words. In 17 years his three predecessors approved 507 clemency requests. Huckabee granted twice that many: 1,033.

...

Clemmons wrote a letter to Huckabee, saying he was seeking compassion and mercy: "God Bless You ... It is so prayed!" Asked the grounds for his request, Clemmons checked a box for "excessive sentence." He also checked this box: "My institutional adjustment has been exemplary."

But Clemmons' adjustment had been just the opposite. The same year he filled out this clemency application, the Arkansas Department of Correction reduced Clemmons' time in prison to this damning score sheet:

"Disciplinaries: 29 Times.

Achievements: None."

In May 2000, Huckabee granted Clemmons' plea for clemency, citing Clemmons' youth when sentenced. The governor commuted the sentences for four of Clemmons' eight felony convictions, making him immediately eligible for parole.

Huckabee is already hamstrung by right-wing activists who believe him to be insufficiently hard-line conservative ... and presumably this article recounting Clemmons' criminal history and Huckabee's role in freeing him is only going to reinforce that reputation.

Yesterday we noted how Rick Scarborough of Vision America was mobilizing pastors across Texas to help Republicans win the upcoming mid-term elections and now, via the Iowa Independent, we see that similar efforts are underway in Iowa as part of the right-wing effort to vote out three Supreme Court Justices who ruled in favor of marriage equality:

A pastor from Waukee is wading into the retention election for three Iowa Supreme Court justices, asking religious leaders around the state to inform their congregations about “out of control” judges. But some contend the effort is actually encouraging churches to violate federal tax law.

Jeff Mullen, senior pastor of Point of Grace Church in Waukee, has launched IowaPastors.com, a site that aims to “build strategic partnerships to mobilize Pastors and Congregations to pray effectively and to vote righteously.” The site, along with its sister site – IowaJudges.com — focuses almost exclusively on the judicial retention vote. A disclaimer on the sites says they are “not associated with any other organization.”

Mullen and church officials did not respond to repeated requests for comment. But in a video posted on the site, Mullen takes direct aim at the judges, pointing specifically at the Iowa Supreme Court’s unanimous decision in April 2009 that legalized same-sex marriage. And while he never specifically says pastors should encourage their congregations to vote “no” on retention, it’s clear he disagrees with the court’s decision.

“Our freedoms are in peril today because of judges. Not legislators, but judges,” Mullen said, later adding: “Inform your congregation about the importance of the judicial retention election and what it means to turn the ballot over and vote their values.”

Mullen is distributing voter guides put together by the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition, a state affiliate of Ralph Reed new organization, and also appears to have partnered with Iowa Renewal Project, which is an American Family Association-backed effort that supported Mike Huckabee during the GOP primary:

• It turns out that when it comes to religion, atheists and agnostics are more knowledgeable than most believers.
• Dinesh D'Souza explains "Why Barack Obama Hates America" and Heather Mac Donald explains why D'Souza is a joke.
• The Independent Women's Forum is calling on people to sign a pledge vowing to pressure others to repeal health care reform, which frankly seems to be a very convoluted strategy.
• Mike Huckabee is very upset about Rep. Alan Grayson's ad against Dan Webster, whom he has endorsed, calling it "a sleazy, bigoted and Christophobic attack."
• Finally, Matt Barber compares being gay to running headlong into a brick wall. So you can see why Liberty Counsel was so eager to woo him away from Concerned Women for America.

• Bryan Fischer says the GOP's "Pledge to America" is "better than nothing" but slams them for promising to prevent insurance companies from denying coverage for pre-existing conditions, saying it "stands out like a pile of dog doo in an otherwise pleasant landscape."
• Rep. Mike Pence will probably seek higher office.
• This weekend is the annual "Pulpit Sunday" where conservative pastors endorse candidates in a direct challenge to the IRS, and Richard Land does not approve of it.
• The National Tea Party Unity Convention that was being planned for next month in Las Vegas has been canceled.
• Kirk Cameron is releasing a documentary about God's role in founding America, so that ought to be exciting.
• Finally, Mike Huckabee will be campaigning with Rand Paul this weekend in Kentucky.