I’m a Hypocrite.

by Little Miss Attila on November 21, 2008

I get bent out of shape when people want to knock Palin out of the running prematurely for 2012, but I’d love to do the exact same thing to Huckabee.

It isn’t about immigration, of course; that ain’t a hot-button issue for me. It isn’t even about welfare. It’s about the fact that he doesn’t seem to have a libertarian cell in his entire body. Not even a libertarian molecule.

And, let’s face it: the man wears his faith on his sleeve in a rather unattractive fashion. The Lord was not too high about folks like that, IYKWIMAITYD.

{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }

James Joyner November 22, 2008 at 4:53 am

You don’t think Palin wears her religion on her sleeve?

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Kate November 22, 2008 at 6:39 am

Combine that ‘shirtsleeve faith’ with his moratorium on cookies and other standard goodies at parties in Arkansas schools and you get a bunch of local nine year olds wrinkling their noses at the name ‘ Huckabee’. He lost all that weight a few years ago and apparently decided that if he couldn’t have doughnuts anymore, neither could anybody else in the state. I really believe that if he could’ve passed the paperwork, Arkansans would be living on 1200 calories a day, enjoying mandatory gym membership.
When one starts legislating cupcakes, it’s time to take a closer look at what other interesting bills might be lying around on his desk, waiting to be fluffed out and sent down the river.
After this, we knew the man was capable of ordaining blanket silliness over great masses of people.
Not to mention his pandering and butt kissing of Richard Dreyfuss not long ago. He conducted the interview with that gooey, oily smile of his, meant to sooth the victim, letting them know that Huck is ‘just another guy’. The segment was so awful I actually found myself in sympathy with Dreyfuss, who was visibly perched as far from Huck as possible -his whole body language screaming ‘WHEN can I stop smiling and get away from this person?’

Really like the new flag on your blog.

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Darleen Click November 22, 2008 at 8:07 am

JJ

Actually she doesn’t. Using the word “God” unprofanely in one’s speech once in a while doesn’t make one part of the oogady-boogady set.

Palin’s time as both Mayor and Governor has shown her governing style has hard-nosed conservative pragmatist. Recall the AK Republicans sending a bill to her desk to bar same-sex couples from all sorts of benefits, which she promptly vetoed.

Huckster may be a socialcon, but he’s no conservative in the way he governs.

He’s a bit too “Rainmaker”.

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Little Miss Attila November 22, 2008 at 12:33 pm

That’s the basic problem with Huck: we get all the drawbacks of a SoCon, without even any of the benefits. Palin, on the other hand, has her priorities in place, and keeps her faith separate from her governance.

The “when does religiosity become unattractive?” question is interesting, and subjective; at its edges, it leads us into the swamps of the proper role religion plays in public life, and to that ugly place where Real Conservatives squabble with libertarians, with people like Desert Cat and me trying to adjudicate when we can.

There is a point at which on has to accept the Judeo-Christian ethic as a platform for public policy, while being respectful of minority faiths. It’s important that Hindus, Wiccans, theists, athiests, agnostics, and (yes, RG) Muslims be respected and included [include Jews and Catholics here if you like, though lately the orthodoxy of the three major faiths: Judaism, Protestantism, and Catholicism have been making common cause with each other quite a bit, and Roman Catholics {and LDS-ers} have started to refer to themselves as “Christians,” to make a point]. In fact, minority faiths probably have a pivotal role in maintaining the correct balance between church and state.

But as for “unattractive,” well: fine line. I’m thinking mostly of my relatives, here: the ones who use every conversation as an entrée for proselytizing/witnessing, and those who are incapable of sending out Christmas cards that don’t contain Scripture, and might as well include the Billy Graham “Peace with God” tract. I personally wish that they only did that on alternate years, but having grown up in a pseudo-Christian cult probably makes me sensitive. My sister-in-law, of all people, finally set me straight on the Christmas card issue: “if they get pleasure in quoting Scripture, why deny them?”

Why, indeed. Though the issue is different for those in public life, and it should be.

Here’s the litmus test for Huck: what if he’d been a sex addict, and brought this same “reformed addict” attitude to bear? Sharia law might look good to him in that case.

If we are so afraid of cookies that we cannot trust individuals to make judgements about them, what sort of choices can we leave to individuals? Precious few, I’m afraid.

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Darleen Click November 22, 2008 at 12:51 pm

AG

Personally, I’m no more put off by religious Christmas cards or proselytizing then I am at people sending Star Trek themed Christmas cards or regaling me with the latest tidbits from a Sci-fi convention. They like it, they get enjoyment fiddling with it and if it makes them happy I don’t hold it against them that they think that I can be just as happy as them if I go in all the way. Hey, they think I’m worth the time!

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Little Miss Attila November 23, 2008 at 3:43 am

Interesting comparison; OS/ST vs. religion. Hm.

Young lady, have you cleared this simile with Dennis Prager?

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