What I wish Russert would ask Huckabee on MTP

[Berry Cool]

"Imagine you were to wake up one day a single woman. What would you do to ensure you were never faced with the dilemma of an unwanted pregnancy, and what do you think you would do if you were faced with one anyway?"

"You say we have to fix the institution of marriage before we expand it. Why can't we do both at the same time? Why should it be an either-or proposition?"

"What would you say to your fellow Christians who, unlike you, do not believe in stewardship of our natural resources - who believe that God gave us what he gave us so that we could exploit it to the hilt and use it all up?"

"You say that Americans celebrate life and our enemies celebrate death. Do you really think our enemies celebrate death? Don't you think that the real issue is that they celebrate their own lives, and our deaths? And that when we celebrate our lives and their deaths, that makes us essentially two sides of the same coin?"

"You acknowledge that you allow your Christian perspective to influence your political views. What is the difference between you and other politicians who claim to be Christian and yet whose views on abortion, the environment and gay marriage are vastly different from or more defined than yours? Or is there a real difference? Are you softpedaling or cloaking your views to make yourself a more appealing mainstream candidate?"

Until he asks tough questions like these, Russert's just going easy on candidates, providing an outlet for them to trot out their neatly phrased "platform." Which is, of course, all they want.

[LonelyLRLiberal]

1. Huckabee is a juicy target for anyone who bothers to check into his record.

All they have to do is read the Arkansas Times or even the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. The guy is a glib crook and a total lightweight.

[NewJeffCT]

2. That's a step up from Bush

Who is only a crook and a total lightweight, but will never be mistaken for being glib.

[LonelyLRLiberal]

6. Of course, Huckabee is also very shallow to anyone who pays attention. n/t

[Berry Cool]

3. He sure makes himself sound like a moderate--a Christian moderate.

He's very good at it, which is why I would like someone to press him. I wonder how long he could keep up the facade if he were really pushed to go past the glib, pat answers that make him sound like such a fairly reasonable fellow. The closest Russert got was asking him whether he thinks people are born gay or choose it, and his answer was the classic Christian moderate wuss answer: "I don't know."

Translation: "I don't know, but I do believe the Bible says it's wrong to be gay, but I don't want to say that, and I don't want to say I am opposed to gay marriage or children being raised by gay parents, because I think it will cost me politically to say so. So for now, I'll just say things like 'I don't know whether people choose to be gay' and 'I think we need to fix marriage before we expand it' and "I think that rather than thinking of what parents want first, we need to think of what is good for children first."

In other words, "I'm a social-issues bigot, but I'm sure as heck not going to show you THAT. So instead I'll go on and on about solving the divorce problem, the celebration of life and all kinds of other things no one can possibly object to without looking ridiculous."

[LonelyLRLiberal]

5. I'd love for someone to really press him - he has a temper.

Very arrogant - got the big-head - somehow thinks he's a national player when he is really a buffoon.

[Cassandra]

10. Being a "lightweight" is a compliment for him...

these days. He certainly is slick, though. All that fat oozing out has stuck to him anyway.

[NMDemDist2]

4. my husband is cracking up at Huckleberry

:rofl:

[sallyseven]

7. Just remember Timmy, Tweety, and a bunch of other

people are products of stifling Catholic upbringing and education. They have no brain cells left to question what they have been indoctrinated to. I wonder what God thinks of what is being done in his name. Hatred is spewed all over the place. Maybe what we need is a moratorium on lying.

[spanone]

8. Huckabee thinks the government should "FIX" heterosexual marriages.

Oh yea, that's a great idea. :sarcasm:

[Berry Cool]

9. That would be another good question to ask him, actually.

"Republicans traditionally have shared the value of keeping government out of people's private lives. What role, then, do you think the government can or should play in social issues like marriage? How much should it be the business of government to control who can marry, or to 'fix' the institution of marriage?"

[Blue_Roses]

11. Huckabee wanted to make it tougher to get divorced in Arkansas

Arkansas governor embraces covenant marriage
Movement seeks to make it harder to get divorced

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Gov. Mike Huckabee and his wife plan to convert their nuptial vows into a covenant marriage during a mass ceremony on Valentine’s Day, giving a public push to the movement that seeks to strengthen marital ties and make it harder to get divorced.

more...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6440961/
__________________________________

While I'm all for doing what you can to make the relationship or marriage work, I'm not for making someone stay when it's obvious it's not working. I don't want somebody telling me I have to stay in it just because they think I should.

[Berry Cool]

12. You know what I would do to strengthen marriages?

This is, of course, regarding it as being in the best interest of society to do so, and therefore believing there's nothing wrong with the government getting its fingers into such a thing.

I'd not make it harder to get divorced, but HARDER TO GET MARRIED IN THE FIRST PLACE. Have a requirement for people to be engaged at least two years before actually marrying, for example--the first year of which they would NOT be allowed to make any wedding plans. (That would keep wedding planning from obscuring the real issues of the coming marriage and also mean that if the engagement broke up, they wouldn't have to cancel a million things and lose deposits. Nor would that issue crop up as a reason they'd be reluctant to admit they felt they were making a mistake and cause them to feel they "had to go through with it" and "maybe it will be all right.")

Make it more expensive to get married earlier--charge a big fee or something so that people feel motivated to save money by waiting. Sliding scale--the waiting period would be shorter for older people, giving them more credit for knowing what they were getting into (but if there was a big age difference, make them wait the younger person's time).

I'd require all people to take premarriage counseling similar to what religious couples take in order to be married in a church, and really think about the step they plan to take, who they plan to take it with, and when--what stage of their lives they're in--and why. Force them to ask themselves some really tough questions. Such as "Are you doing this just because the sex is hot?" "Are you doing this just because he's rich?" "Just because she will impress your friends?" "Just because you're afraid you can't find a good job and he said he'd take care of you?" "Just because your parents don't like her and you want to defy them?" "Just because all your friends are getting married?" "Just because you're on the rebound?" "Just because you're almost 30?" "Just because you're lonely?" "Just because you have a child together?" "Just because two incomes are better than one?" "Just to get away from your parents?" "Just because college is over?" "Just because everyone says you should, and this person looks as good as anyone else?" Etc., etc., etc. Painful honesty would be key.

I think if people were honest with themselves during the premarriage period, there would be many fewer divorces. Divorce wouldn't vanish altogether--some people would still get married for dumb reasons, and marriages would still sometimes end despite the best intentions of those involved, but many marriages that would otherwise end in divorce would be prevented.

[triguy46]

13. He's too well fed and makes too much money

to ask tough questions. Its the beltway brotherhood at work. He's the master of the slow curve.