Who Hearts Huckabee?

     Oftentimes, appearing in our Sunday Talking Heads segment is usually not a compliment. Other times, we use this space to try and take a new look at a well known politician or pundit. Unfortunately for Mike Huckabee, this weeks segment is the former.
     First, earlier in the week, Huckabee unleashed his (not-to-well thought-out) opinions on President Obama. Huckabee said that Obama "grew up in Kenya," which is just factually wrong, and that "he probably grew up hearing that the British were a bunch of imperialist."
     There was a saying, "The sun never sets on the British Empire." It used to be an accepted fact that, yes, the British were imperialist. Isn't that why the Americans decided to throw them out of "the colonies(!)"? Is it just a reflex of the right to excuse colonialism as to not shine a light on the actions of the United States?
     Then, later in the week, Huckabee sounded off about Oscar-winner Natalie Portman. Portman had met her fiance, Benjamin Millipied, on the set of "Black Swan." She is currently expecting her first child with him. But Huckabee, again armed with a questionable set of facts, called Portman's pregnancy "troubling," and that it will "glorify" single motherhood.
     Again, Portman is not a single mother. While it's true that she is not married, the father is present and will be involved in her child's life. Also important is the fact that Portman has the means to care for her child, with or without the support of the biological father. Finally, it is not Natalie Portman's job, as a Hollywood actress, to set an example for young women, nor is it Huckabee place to make judgements about the sex lives of private citizens.
     All of this is worrisome because of the position that Huckabee holds within the Republican right. He was the winner of the Iowa Caucuses in 2008, and indeed, he is currently leading the polls for the 2012 Republican Presidential Primary. Also, he has a weekly show on the conservative propaganda machine that is Fox News. After Sarah Palin, he may be the most recognizable national Republican in the United States. At one point, he was thought of as somewhat of a moderate, dismissing "birther" claims, and being respectful to those who disagreed with him. While it's true that xenophobia and chastity have always played well with the right, only time will tell if Mike Huckabee's new-found brand of conservatism will win over enough Tea Party voters and Libertarians to win a chance to face President Obama in what should be an exciting contest.