Fine, radio host Herman Cain — whose name, like so many unbearable others, is attached to the phrase “possible presidential candidate” — won the week for Insanely Stupid Things Said About Obama’s DOMA Decision by arguing “it is a breach of presidential duty bordering on treason” for the president to just up and decide Section 3 of the federal law is unconstitutional and unworthy of defending. But it’s Mike Huckabee, who’s said one two three moronic things about DOMA and Obama this week, who’s really in it to win it. Because here’s Entry 4: Obama’s decision means he’s “alienated the African American community. Overwhelmingly, they support traditional marriages more than Hispanics and more than whites. Within the white community it’s about 56 percent, 65 percent in the Hispanic, 75 in the African American community.” Oh good going, Obama, pissing off the blacks just when you started getting some love from the gays.
Except, what’s this, even members of the black community you’d most expect to be furious with Obama — religious types — aren’t going to run away from him? Don’t tell me Huckabee’s theorizing could have flaws!
“It’s hypocritical and it’s dishonest because when he ran for president, Chris, he said that he supported traditional marriage,” Huckabee told Fox News’ Chris Wallace on Sunday. “He is on the record. Now, the question is, was he dishonest then, is he dishonest now or did he change his view? And if he did, when and why?”
Funny thing is, here I agree with Huckabee. WHAT CHANGED MR. PREZEEEDINT? Tell us, what new legal theory did you and AG Eric Holder discover buried between the Constitution and the Bill of Rights that you haven’t seen before?
TJ
Barack could come out in a klansmen sheet and still take 90 percent of the black vote. Thats some serious wishful thinking there Huck
TheRealAdam
First, Maggie brought the blacks into it, now him? The Right is just trying to woo racial minorities to their side using gays as the wedge.
ALEX
Obama has not changed his position. He still believes marriage is one man, one woman. Lucky for us, though, the US is still ever-so-slightly governed based upon its Constitution rather than on a politician’s personal views. The US Justice Department has advised on the legality of this law and found it indefensible based upon the Constitution. The DOJ will still enforce the law, they just will not defend it against any individual or group who may challenge it in court.
Huckabee in reality is insulting Black Americans because he is saying they are too stupid to understand the difference between personal views and constitutional protections. Anyone who takes the time to research this issue will understand what is really going on here.
BTW – GW Bush refused to defend the Federal Statute that prohibited federal money for transit systems that accepted ads advocating legalization of drugs. His dad refused to defend the “Must Carry” laws dealing with cable TV, and Bill Clinton refused to defend the law that required dismissal of HIV-positive individuals serving in the US Armed Forces.
Xtincta
He’s delusional if he thinks that’s true. Black People also have the highest rates of non traditional families (single parent house holds, extended families, etc), so what they believe doesn’t necessarily match up with reality.
Nathan
Great job Huckabee, white right wingers telling black people what they do or don’t think is a great way to drum up support… for Obama.
justiceontherocks
Huckabee continues to be perfect: he is 100% wrong on everything he says.
Obama will not lose a single vote because of his DOMA position. The people who are offended by it weren’t going to vote for him anyway. He’ll gain votes.
How the former governor of Arkansas who used to weigh 450 pounds and live in a trailer became an expert on Black voting patterns is a good question.
Spike
Huckabee 2012 !!!! Guarantee’s an Obama landslide !!!!
tjr101
No wonder white right-wingers will never get it, they are fools!
So Huckabee is now speaking for the African American population?!? Just like the other fool Rick Santorum saying Obama should be against abortion because he is black.
All of a sudden blacks will run to the GOP because of this? A lot of wishful thinking from the wanna be preacher-in-chief.
drankin
Mr. Huckabee should speak about ethnicities that he has a minimal understanding collectively. Being a Black American I can say that President Obama’s view on DOMA weigh lightly against the views blacks receive from their religious affiliations. President Obama may direct the tenor, but the underlying sentiment will be driven by religious beliefs. ALSO, Black Americans are not going to abandon President Obama on such an issue. Mr. Huckabee, please don’t speak for me. Thanks
B
QUEERTY wrote, “Funny thing is, here I agree with Huckabee. WHAT CHANGED MR. PREZEEEDINT? Tell us, what new legal theory did you and AG Eric Holder discover buried between the Constitution and the Bill of Rights that you haven’t seen before?”
You guys need to read the news. http://www.towleroad.com/2011/02/breaking-obama-asks-justice-department-to-stop-defending-doma-in-court.html has Holder’s full statement (I posted a similar link to the San Francicso Chronicle’s web site previously for the same statement). According to Eric Holder:
“In the two years since this Administration took office, the Department of Justice has defended Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act on several occasions in federal court. Each of those cases evaluating Section 3 was considered in jurisdictions in which binding circuit court precedents hold that laws singling out people based on sexual orientation, as DOMA does, are constitutional if there is a rational basis for their enactment. While the President opposes DOMA and believes it should be repealed, the Department has defended it in court because we were able to advance reasonable arguments under that rational basis standard.
“Section 3 of DOMA has now been challenged in the Second Circuit, however, which has no established or binding standard for how laws concerning sexual orientation should be treated. In these cases, the Administration faces for the first time the question of whether laws regarding sexual orientation are subject to the more permissive standard of review or whether a more rigorous standard, under which laws targeting minority groups with a history of discrimination are viewed with suspicion by the courts, should apply.”
As to Huckabee et al., the president can personally believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman (or believe that this is what voters want him to believe) while simultaneously believing that the government should stay out and let people make their own decisions, or that a particular law – DOMA in this case – is not constitutional.
Jeffree
You’d think that the Huckabee might consult with an actual African American person or two before spouting off statements like that, wouldn’t ya? Then again, maybe that would be expecting too much from a guy who bizaarely thinks he has any chance at all of getting the Republican nomination.
Francis
Nasty individual filled with venomous hatred.
justiceontherocks
@B: Holder’s statement is a crock. If that’s really what the administration believes then they’ll be defending the law in some courts and not in others.
I wish they’d just be honest and say they want to score political points with the base, and that doing this two years before an election makes it a very high-reward low risk political move. That sort of candor would be refreshing, but we’ll never hear it.
Mike
Of course, traditional marriage and gay marriage support each other, except in the minds of a few.
B
No. 13 · justiceontherocks wrote, “@B: Holder’s statement is a crock. If that’s really what the administration believes then they’ll be defending the law in some courts and not in others.”
It’s not a “crock” – What Holder is saying is that the DoJ’s position is that, if strict scrutiny applies to gays then DOMA is unconstitutional but if strict scrutiny does not apply to gays, then DOMA is constitutional. The DoJ believes that strict scrutiny applies but has to follow binding precedents, some of which vary between courts.
They are now, for the first time, arguing in a court where there is no binding precedent that strict scrutiny does not apply to gays. You change court-imposed premises, and it is not surprising if the conclusions change too.
Atomicrob
Yes, this is like the third thing I’ve read in the last few days about this character’s anti-gay posturing. I’m so over it. Let’s make sure Obama is re-elected!
CHYKOLAETHAI
Yeah Ms. Queerty yall agree with Huckabee. Main rason why i dont log on to this site. I get so tired of non black people telling black people how we should feel about gay unions or gay people in general.