Huckabee on AIDS, Homosexuality
December 10, 2007
Oh boy, here we go. You probably saw the headlines, but in case you didn't let me bring you up to speed regarding Mike Huckabee's 1992 comments about AIDS and homosexuality. Excerpts below courtesy of ABC News:
Huckabee found himself this weekend explaining proposals he made during his disastrous 1992 Senate race, when he suggested AIDS patients be quarantined. For the most part, Huckabee defended his views from 17 years ago.
In a 1992 Associated Press survey, Huckabee suggested that the government isolate AIDS patients from the rest of the populace.
"If the federal government is truly serious about doing something with the AIDS virus, we need to take steps that would isolate the carriers of this plague," he wrote. "It is the first time in the history of civilization in which the carriers of a genuine plague have not been isolated from the general population and in which this deadly disease for which there is no cure is being treated as a civil rights issue instead of the true health crisis it represents."
Saturday evening, at a brief press conference in Asheville, N.C., Huckabee explained his quarantine proposal.
"Fifteen years ago, the AIDS crisis was just that, a crisis," he said. "There was still a great deal of, I think, uncertainty about just how widespread AIDS was, how it could be transmitted. So we know more now than we did in 1992, all of us do -- hopefully."
In that same 1992 questionnaire, Huckabee wrote that "homosexuality is an aberrant, unnatural, and sinful lifestyle, and we now know it can pose a dangerous public health risk."
Saturday in North Carolina, Huckabee stood his ground and said he believed that homosexuality is sinful and is not normal behavior; that it "is outside the boundaries of man/woman relationship and its tradition of marriage."
As far as it being a health risk, as he believed in the 1992 survey, he backed off just a bit.
"There are lots of obvious changes in what we understand about transmission today that we didn't understand in 1992," he said.
The whole article is here.
I mean this story is a softball for liberals and anybody who wants to take a shot at an Evangelical candidate. I guess those comments wouldn't be the most politically correct thing to say.
However, there are a couple things to remember here, especially as it relates to Iowa and South Carolina Evangelicals. First of all, what Huckabee was saying back in 1992 regarding AIDS was probably what a lot of Evangelicals were thinking at the time so when they hear these comments they're probably not shocked at all. This makes sense to them. Also, as it relates to homosexuality, Huckabee refused to back away from his "sinful" comment. Folks, that will score some major points with Evangelicals.
But Huckabee also said this weekend that while homosexuality is sinful, so is cheating and lying. You see, that is at the essence of Huckabee's "saved by grace" message. In other words, he can say homosexuality is sinful and at the same time say we've all got sin in our life. Sounds like a sermon.
By the way, don't be surprised if this topic comes up at the next Republican debate this coming Wednesday in Des Moines. You may think that's not good news for Huckabee. Well, maybe.
Actually it could be far worse news for Romney, Thompson, Giuliani and McCain, who may be asked whether homosexuality is sinful. Giuliani was already asked about it Sunday on Meet the Press and said the homosexual lifestyle is NOT sinful. Romney just aired a TV ad showing how he stood up against political correctness. Will he do that here with his views on whether or not homosexuality is sinful?
Popcorn anyone?
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