Huckabee? REALLY? Dude, the guy is a nut-job of the highest order, and what does it say that 30% of the people turning out for the Republican caucuses in Iowa think he's the best man for the job? Yikes, people. Huckabee, in fact, is one of the most odious GOPers in the race, I think. Just...ewwwww. The man firmly believes that evolution is a crock o' shit, which makes him basically a crackpot. (This is ad hominem, too, but don't you find him slightly scary, with his wicked grin--his grin really is disgusting, almost chipmunky--and his weird sort of appearance of having too much skin. Furthermore, maybe he really did just get healthy and lose all the weight, but maybe he's one of those chew-spitters or maybe he works out like, 4 hours a day to maintain his weight. Honestly, knowing that so few dieters keep it off for as long as Huckabee has, I can't help but wonder. Like I said, it's 100% ad hominem and has NOTHING to do with the race, but since he's awful anyway, and there was never a chance in hell he'd ever get my vote, I may as well go ahead and say all the things I think about him.) Not like El Rominator is any better. Him and McCain seem like shells of men, ready, willing and able to say whatever the hell it takes to get them elected. I suppose it's a case of the lesser of 6 evils, in the Republican race. I'm not exactly surprised the evil fundie won.
As for the Dems, well. What a result. I'm certainly NOT upset by it, in the least, and I'm really glad my generation turned out in droves and for the first time, too. And they caucused Obama right to the top. It ain't bad, that's for sure. I still like John Edwards, a lot. But I know that some of the Republican-leaning peoples in my life won't vote Edwards, and I know that they, almost without exception, will vote Obama. That's something, isn't it? These are people who most likely voted Bushie into office in 2004, and the thought that they might vote Dem this election? It's heady stuff.
Anyhow, it was kind of nice to wake up to such a lovely front page of the Trib. I'm not following the election thing too closely, but I hear the news like everyone else, (and I've been listening to NPR a LOT recently; I'm sort of off books on tape for now, for some reason.), so I know some things. And I know what happened in Iowa seems cautiously good. Cross your fingers.
Update: A-HA! I'm not alone in being suspicious of the weight-loss. An article I saw linked to on another blog lays out a VERY convincing argument that Huckabee had bariatric surgery to lose the 100+ pounds. That's not a problem, in and of itself. I don't have any problem with any person losing weight that way. However, if Huckabee did have surgery, and then went on to tell everyone he did it naturally, and so of course they can too, well, that's another thing altogether. This is a man, after all, who wrote a book all about how the "old fashioned" way to lose weight works (ie diet and exercise). For him to lie about surgery and basically deceive his whole state stinks. It's just shitty. Now, it's not known for sure if he did have surgery. It's a theory. But like I said, it's pretty convincing, and I know the stats. Most people who lose 100+ pounds don't keep the majority of those pounds off 4 years later, and Huckabee has reportedly only gained 12 pounds back. Like I said earlier, something is rotten in the state of Denmark, and methinks it's Huckabee's gee-shucks diet-and-exercise story.
Gosh, this whole thing makes me like him less, if that were possible. If there's one thing that makes me angry, it's the lies that the diet industry tells people to get them to spend money. Huckabee's not innocent; he had a book to sell. Asshat.
I think Huckabee will be the Howard Dean of 2008 - early showings that fizzle into nothing.
The Rolling Stone did a story on him entitled "Our Favorite Right Wing Nut Job". Here's a quote from the story: "Because for all his political waffling in other areas — Huckabee has flip-flopped on a host of earthly political issues, from taxes to local control of school boards — he leaves absolutely no doubt about his commitment to religious wackohood...In the first Republican debate in New Hampshire, Huckabee, apparently unaware that human beings are primates, responded to a question about evolution by saying, "If anybody wants to believe that they are the descendants of a primate, they are certainly welcome to do it.""
This man cannot possibly be electable.
Posted by: M | January 04, 2008 at 02:43 PM
Here's a link to the story.
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/17324246/matt_taibbi_on_mike_huckabee_our_favorite_rightwing_nut_job
Posted by: M | January 04, 2008 at 02:51 PM