Opinion: Huckabee and the Baptists
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
DETROIT -- One of Mike Huckabee‘s biggest assets on the campaign trail is glibness. The guy talks, people laugh. But some jokes just don’t work.
In a speech before some 600 people at the Detroit Economic Club Friday, Huckabee made followers of his own faith the butt of an odd joke.
‘People have wondered why my campaign has done what it’s done and, without a whole lot of money, gotten where it’s gotten. And some people say, ‘Oh, it’s the evangelical vote.’ Well, I hope that they’ll be with me. The one thing I know about evangelicals, particularly my brand, Baptists, only thing you can count on them to be is divided. [laughter] Where two or more Baptists gather together there’s at least seven different opinions. [lighter laughter] When people say, ‘ Are all the Baptists behind you?’ I say, ‘Well all the Baptists are active in my campaign. Half active for me. Half active against me. But that’s about all I can say about ‘em.’ [slight titter]
Not the kind of gag the former Arkansas governor would likely want to use again.
-- Scott Martelle