An "Idiot" Responds

Outraged Huckabee supporter Chad Haynie sent the following missive yesterday. I respond after each relevant section, and would—as always—appreciate your thoughts.

As a long time supporter of Mike Huckabee, who is not an "evangelical" I take serious offense to your over all assertion that supporters of Mike Huckabee are idiots. Even though you have already in a sense called me a idiot, I will try to stay to your "email guidelines" in my breakdown and response to your article.
First of all in your opening sentence you say Gov. Huckabee is not qualified for public office. What qualifications do you suggest a candidate have?

I suggested, in this week's column, that clarity of thought is a major qualification. In particular, someone who does not believe in evolution is not qualified to hold public office—not because it really matters that we're descended from apes, but because anyone who doesn't understand that is too stupid to hold power over other citizens.

Huckabee was a Republican Governor in a Democratic state for over 10 years and he was also a Lieutenant Governor for over 3 years before his term as Governor.
No other candidate in either party, running for President has such an extensive resume running a government.

I refer to the above. Though it is surprising that Huckabee managed to govern Arkansas without accidentally burning it down, his resume doesn't refute my assertion that he is either an idiot, or pretending to be an idiot, and either way should not be president.

And how exactly is Huckabee a "crazy Christian" as you put it? Is it that you consider all Christians who believe in the Bible, the basic principles of Christianity? It is not really clear in your article if you believe Christians in general are crazy or just Christians who have specific beliefs that differ from your own. I would appreciate you clarifying that, if you do not mind.

I think it was clear enough, but I'll restate my belief that Huckabee is a crazy Christian because he thinks the earth is 6000 years old. Many—nay, most—Christians don't believe the mythology of Genesis to be literally true. Thank God!

I was in Iowa last week sir and I can assure you that it was not hate from crazy Christians that beat Mitt Romney and all his money. It was a true hope in this country. An optimism from voters for an optimistic candidate.

Uh-huh. And if Romney were a Baptist, where would Huckabee be?

My second large question to you: Have you ever met Mike Huckabee? After reading your article it seems like you have no idea who Mike Huckabee or what he really believes in. You say he believes in many things that he does not and are incorrect in many of your obvious assumptions of his beliefs.
You say Huckabee could be a radical Islamist terrorist, the same people who murder thousands each year.
You say he "denied separation of church and state". Yet, in reality, Huckabee ran a secular government for over 10 years. There is no evidence what so ever that he tried to incorporate Christianity as an official religion in Arkansas or establish religion into government as you imply.

This last point is not true. He believes that creationism should be taught alongside evolution in public schools, as if they were two sides of an issue. There's actually one side, and there is no issue—evolution is a fact. Feigning evenhandedness by "allowing" evolution to be taught alongside the patent lie of creationism is a clever ruse to mainstream a lie.

You try to paint him out to be a nut job, quoting him from when he was talking at a Baptist convention. How dare someone say "...government didn't have the real answers, that the real answers lie in accepting Jesus Christ into our lives." at a CHRISTIAN convention.

The fact that he was pandering to Baptists at a Baptist convention is hardly an excuse. It's just an unsurprising detail. I was taking him to task for the pandering, after all. His statement, though within the bounds of free speech, is anathema to those of us who believe that America is best served by preserving the constitutional separation of church and state. Huckabee is running for public office, a secular office, of a secular state. He should not advocate Christianity or state that government doesn't have answers. If it doesn't, why is he running for president?

Do you have a personal vendetta against Huckabee or Christianity?

No.

Everything you state in your article trying to paint Huckabee out wacko, are basic fundamentals of Christianity, not some far out radical belief as you try to imply.
There is nothing "extreme" about the beliefs, they are basic beliefs of Christianity.

Not true. His beliefs are extreme, radical and ridiculous. Anyone who shares them ought to be mocked.

Traditional, yes, but they are not "extreme".
Homosexuality is sinful in Christianity, again this is not a single radical belief of Huckabee, but a simple belief in Christianity. I am originally from Atlanta and have a handful of gay and lesbian friends. My best friend in high school, a Christian, came out of the closet in his senior year. He acknowledge that being gay was a sin. Mike Huckabee does not try to persecute homosexuals, he simply stated his belief that it is a sin. Having sex out of wedlock is a sin as well, just as a number of things are sins. He didn't say that homosexuals will burn in hell or they should be arrested. He said it was a sin.

Calling someone's behavior sinful is the first chapter in a story we've read before, one that ends with ovens and gas chambers. Homosexuality is not sinful, not according to mainstream Christianity and not according to common sense. Sin is only committed when someone is harmed as a result. Sin is only committed when free will is involved. Sexual orientation isn't a choice. Sexual behavior is a personal matter.

I don't know where you were in 1992, but in the south HIV/AIDS was still a very mysterious disease and the majority of people in the south, especially pastors who spend very little time researching diseases, knew much about HIV or AIDS. He has said since that he did not know much about AIDS at the time of the comment and has stated on numerous occasions in this race that he does not believe HIV and AIDS patients should be isolated.

Absurd! It was well known by the mid-1980s that AIDS could not be spread by casual contact. The South does not have different science than the rest of the country.

Question: Have you been too Guantánamo Bay? Gov. Huckabee has on a number of occasions and for you, who I highly doubt has ever been to Guantánamo, to make statements such as you did just goes to show you are being spoon fed the liberal democrat talking points.

As has been well established, visitors to Gitmo are not allowed to meet with the prisoners at all, much less meet with them in private, where they might share their concerns free of fear of their guards. Huckabee saw the usual dog-and-pony show. What happens there is well known, and horrifying to anyone with the slightest modicum of morality.

Darwinism is not a fact as you imply, it is scientific theory. Huckabee has never claimed scientific elements of evolution did not occur and he has said that on national television.
Huckabee has stated in more than one debate on national television that he does not believe every word of the Bible in a "literal sense" and has specifically said that stories such as Jonah being eaten by a whale did not happen in a literal sense and for you to say that he believes just the opposite is journalism at an all time low. For you to write as you know someones thoughts, when that person has stated publicly that they believe something else is pathetic.

Oh? Where? He has repeatedly said that he believes every word of the Bible.

And by the way, there are tens of millions of Americans who do not believe in Darwinism, including many scientist.

All of whom are idiots. (And there are no scientists.)

Again, I remind you, Darwinism is not fact, it is a scientific theory.
"If you want to believe that you and your family came from apes, I'll accept that," Huckabee said. For once you actually represent him correctly. He does not want to impose his beliefs on anyone else. He doesn't want to replace Biology textbooks with the Bible. He simply has his beliefs and has no problems with those who differ. Clearly not a stance you are too familiar with.
"I'm not sure what in the world [my view of evolution] has to do with being president of the United States," Huckabee says.
You use that quote and then still do not give a reason of how it is relevant to being President of the United States.

Sure I do. Check out the last paragraph of my column.

If he was running for your local board of education, wanting to take evolution out of textbooks then I could see it as a viable question, but it has nothing at all to do with someone running for President.
In your article you say "Those who deny scientific fact will be wrong (or lie) about anything. Misrepresenting hard and fast truth is unacceptable."
What scientific fact has Huckabee denied? The only thing he denies is Darwinism, which is far from being scientific fact. It is simply a theory. You have every right to believe in that theory, but just because you think it happened does not mean it is fact, nor does it give you the right to go around and persecute those who do not believe the same thing you do.
The only thing being misrepresented here is Mike Huckabee. You do nothing but misrepresent him and it is obvious you did very little research before you wrote this article, solely taking democratic talking point lies about Huckabee and sowing them into one huge misrepresentation of a honest and decent man. A man who did nothing to you.
Unlike you, Huckabee does not persecute others for their beliefs differing from his own. He doesn't write nasty and dishonest columns about those who differ from him.
He is a honest, decent human being who quite obviously has much more dignity than yourself.
Huckabee has never tried to force any beliefs on anyone. He ran a secular Government for over a decade never coming close to establishing religion into the Arkansas government. Just because he doesn't hide his faith like some politicians, he is somehow crazy? I just don't get that.
I would much rather have someone who is totally honest rather than someone who believes someone, but hides those beliefs. Do you prefer politicians that are pathological liars and hide their real beliefs?
If anything we should be thanking Mike Huckabee for being honest, when almost every other politician today lies through their teeth to get elected. Huckabee clearly states his opinions and beliefs, so people like yourself will know where he really stands.
Is that a bad thing?
I would greatly appreciate a response, since after all, you did call me an idiot.

I'll give you that: Huckabee certainly isn't hiding his moronitude.