Huckabee Shoots Off Mouth, McCain Loses Veep Candidate
Mike Huckabee couldn’t be more stupid. He addressed the National Rifle Association and came up with an ad lib about how Obama would dive to the floor if someone was shooting at him. This shows a lack of smarts and of class, which makes Huckabee the prototypical Republican for today.
Some thought Mike Huckabee might be a good Vice Presidential candidate to run with John McCain, but he took himself out of the running today with an ill-conceived joke at a National Rifle Association Conference. This might be the stupidest move I’ve ever seen a politician make. It’s covered by the AP, but this snippet is from ABCNews (where they’ve got some video goodness):
ABC News’ Kevin Chupka Reports: Former GOP hopeful and Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee is back in the news this week, making a splash when he took a hit at Senator Barack Obama during the annual National Rifle Association meeting.
Huckabee made an off-color joke during his speech in Louisville, Kentucky, when a loud bang was heard off-stage.
“That was Barack Obama,” Huckabee quipped, “He Just tripped off a chair. He was getting ready to speak. Somebody aimed a gun at him and he…he dove for the floor.”
Huckabee’s chances for the Veep nomination? There should be none. If one is a politician, one simply does not joke about any gunfire directed at any candidate. Heck, one doesn’t joke about the candidate’s reactions, either. Expect this one to get big airplay from the talking heads tonight, and expect the folks at FauxNews to bring out the “can’t you even take a joke” meme.
There are things in this world that we cannot joke about. If folks on the right are upset about that, then so be it. Regardless, this hurts John McCain more than anyone, as he loses a man who could have brought the religious right back into the fold.
Spin Dentist,
What Huckabee said was ridiculous and stupid, but it shouldn’t disqualify him from V.P. consideration. If it should, then Barack Obama’s off-color joke about V.P. Cheney should disqualify Obama from running for President. Here’s what Obama said on the Tonight Show when Leno made reference to Obama being an eighth cousin of Cheney: “I don’t want to be invited to the family hunting party.”
Check out the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpfzE3eMkJw
It’s at the 1:33 mark.
Again, let’s not have double standards, Spin. Huckabee was wrong; so was Obama. Neither politician said the right thing. But neither said something so heinous that it should disqualify them.
John Featherman
there is nothing ppl can’t joke abt., if it’s funny. what huckleberry said just wasn’t funny. i wouldn’t go huntin with cheney, myself, would you? lol think real hard on that, before you answer.
John, Dick Cheney has actually shot people before.
I agree with the last guy. Obama’s comment about cheney is funny, because cheney is the perp, and deserves the razzing.
Huckabee’s comment is dangerous, in the sense that lynching is still a tragic memory.
I saw the incident replayed, and huck’s body language communicated everything we need to know: “I just shot my political career!”
Nope, this is different. Obama was joking about the guy carrying the gun, and referencing a very real incident. Huckabee was joking about the potential victim. Obama was self-deprecating, Huckabee’s comment was implying cowardice, something he would never say in otherwise except in a joke of poor taste.
Yeah, Ray, the lynching thing plays a part, but I’m far more worried about the association to Presidential assassination in a speech to a group that opposes Obama and is heavily armed. But the NRA members knew this was over the line. There wasn’t a laugh in response to that joke — dead embarrassed silence.
Defend it if you must, John, but Huckabee screwed up here. There’s no rule he’ll be out of the race, but no sane candidate would pick him at this point. Then again, McCain is in the selection process, presumably.
i agree abt the huckleberry, steve, but the entire nra isn’t a group of winger idiots. i’ve shot more rounds than you’ve had bowel movements, owned more guns than you’ll see in a week of tv. owning guns does not = crazy. i guess it’s a rural-urban thing. a kc gal told me that ppl were gettin shot every day, there, last night
not quite sure how to fix that. but i’m pretty certain wholesale illegalization of guns is not the answer. legalize certain drugs, maybe?
No, owning guns does not make one crazy, but NRA folks definitely have strong opinions against those who want to regulate them, as the constitution suggests.
This is not about the NRA as an organization. Those in attendance were merely the hapless victims of The Huckster’s attempt at spontaneity. Huckabee “shot” off his mouth in a most stupid way. Talking about pointing a gun at a candidate — any candidate — is a dumb and rash thing to do, and indicates something about Huck’s mindset. Bad doggie. No doggie bisquit for you.
Can you imagine if some Dem had made a joke about the Regan shooting? How would you have reacted to that? About the same as any American, methinks.
By contrast, Obama’s quip was nothing that hasn’t been said a million times in the last couple of years. Everybody knows exactly what he was referring to and the published facts surrounding that event. Obama won’t get hurt one bit by that statement.
True Patriot and Spin Dentist,
With all due respect, not one major Democratic blogger castigated the producers of “Death of a President,” in which President Bush gets assassinated. The only courageous Democrat was Hillary Clinton, who said, “I think it’s despicable. I think it’s absolutely outrageous. That anyone would even attempt to profit on such a horrible scenario makes me sick.”
So please be honest. If you don’t like Republicans, that’s fine. But please don’t let Obama off the hook for making fun of a shooting accident if you’re holding Huckabee accountable for a stupid, blown joke.