“Very troubling”: Huckabee hits Steele on abortion comments
posted at 2:45 pm on March 12, 2009 by Allahpundit
He alienated talk-radio fans by stumbling into a fight with Rush and now, per this communique, he’s alienating Huck’s Christian base. Who’s left among the grassroots to donate?
Maybe David Frum’s got $10 million socked away somewhere that he’s not doing anything with.
Comments attributed to Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele are very troubling and despite his clarification today the party stands to lose many of its members and a great deal of its support in the trenches of grassroots politics. Since 1980, our party has been steadfast and principled in believing in the dignity and worth of every human life. We have supported a Constitutional amendment to protect life and the party has taken the position that no one individual has the supreme right to own another person in totality including the right to take that life. For Chairman Steele to even infer that taking a life is totally left up to the individual is not only a reversal of Republican policy and principle, but it’s a violation of the most basic of human rights–the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. His statement today helps, but doesn’t explain why he would ever say what he did in the first place.
In fairness, if you look at the full quote, you’ll see Steele recovered quickly from the “individual choice” gaffe to emphasize that he meant the individual choice of each state to regulate abortion as it sees fit — i.e. the federalist position. That’s an evolution in thinking from what he told “Meet the Press” three years ago, when he said that the states should have been allowed all along to handle the matter but now that we’ve got Roe on the books, we’d best abide by it. What I don’t get, though, is how he squares what he told GQ with his statement this morning about supporting the GOP’s call for a Human Life Amendment. If he believes in federalism, why’s he trying to impose a constitutional solution that would prohibit states from authorizing abortion? He sounds even shiftier and more convoluted on this subject than Romney, which is really saying something.
There might be a way out, though. Geraghty reports that he’s scheduled to share the stage with Palin next month at, of all things, a pro-life dinner. Exit question: One kind word on his behalf from the ‘Cuda and the base will be back on board, no? It’d be like the Pope crowning Napoleon. Instant legitimacy!
Blowback
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+800 comments!
carbon_footprint on March 12, 2009 at 2:48 PM
Huckabee is the playground bully. He’s trying his best so he has no friends but all of the constituents. I don’t like his methods. They seem unchristlike. And yet he likes to play the victim with folks like Coulter.
shick on March 12, 2009 at 2:49 PM
Not to quibble, but I think Napoleon crowned himself. The Pope was treated as a bystander.
JiangxiDad on March 12, 2009 at 2:49 PM
Not even Palin can save Steele from his own mouth.
myrenovations on March 12, 2009 at 2:50 PM
Lol. Don’t you know it! And it’ll be with at least five different tangents.
shick on March 12, 2009 at 2:50 PM
So now we truly find the only issue that inspires passion among the grassroots. It’s sad, isn’t it.
lorien1973 on March 12, 2009 at 2:51 PM
Hah, snark as much as you can, you ninny, but Palin is inevitable.
promachus on March 12, 2009 at 2:51 PM
Someone get Huckabee a game show to host.
What a tool.
jake-the-goose on March 12, 2009 at 2:52 PM
Nothing spices up the afternoon like a Palin-bate from AP…..
FuriousAmerican on March 12, 2009 at 2:52 PM
I think he’d agree with anything, as long as it got him face time on the networks.
lorien1973 on March 12, 2009 at 2:53 PM
I must say, though, if Huckabee is going to attack Steele, it makes me a tad more inclined to defend Steele.
It’s an enemy of my enemy thing…
myrenovations on March 12, 2009 at 2:54 PM
Allah, you are kidding right?
upinak on March 12, 2009 at 2:54 PM
Steele has had a break in getting the Chairmanship of the RNC. I was willing to give him some time to slide on up the learning curve……….but I think it is time for him to go.
Cinday Blackburn on March 12, 2009 at 2:55 PM
Hmmm… I have never cared for Steele. I don’t care for the Huckster.
Not sure if I feel you on this one.
upinak on March 12, 2009 at 2:55 PM
Corrupt Huck
In Arkansas, Mr. Huckabee was investigated by the state ethics committee at least 14 times. Most of the complaints centered on what appears to be a serial disregard for government rules about gifts and outside financial compensation. He reported $112,000 worth of gifts in one year alone, nearly double his $67,000 salary.
Five of the 14 investigations resulted in admonishments: Two for failing to report gifts (one was later overturned), the other three for some $80,000 that Mr. Huckabee and his wife received but failed to initially report. One of these admonishments involved a $23,500 payment to Mr. Huckabee from an opaque organization called Action America that he helped found in 1994 while lieutenant governor, and that was designed to coordinate his speeches and supplement his income.
Mr. Huckabee caused an uproar when he used a $60,000 account intended to maintain the governor’s mansion for personal expenses, including restaurant meals, dry cleaning and boat supplies. He also faced a lawsuit over his assertion that $70,000 worth of furniture donated to the mansion was his to keep. Sprinkled among all this are complaints about the misuse of state planes and campaign funds, mistakes on financial disclosure forms, and fights over documents related to ethics investigations.
Any one of these episodes individually may appear penny ante, but they add up to a disturbing pattern. People I’ve spoken with who worked with Mr. Huckabee in Arkansas dispute the idea that he is “corrupt.” They instead ascribe his ethical mishaps to a “blind spot” rooted in his beginnings as a Baptist minister and a Southern culture of gift-giving; they suggest he never made the mental transition to public office.
Some will also argue Mr. Huckabee is no more ethically challenged than Mr. Giuliani, who is getting pounded with questions about Judith Nathan’s security detail and Giuliani Partner clients. The difference is that Hizzoner is a celebrity whose past bones were long ago picked clean by the media crows. Even the Nathan flap is an extension of news that made the rounds five years ago.
The obscure governor from Arkansas is, in contrast, a deep sea for media diving. Most recent have been stories about his pardons and commutations, as well as the news that R.J. Reynolds contributed to Action America. Mr. Huckabee–who now wants a national smoking ban in public places–responded that he never knew he accepted tobacco money, which has inspired a former adviser to claim Mr. Huckabee is being “less than truthful.” What’s next?
- Kimberley A. Strassel
MB4 on March 12, 2009 at 2:56 PM
New rule: First act as chairman of the RNC is to read the platform.
source
gabriel sutherland on March 12, 2009 at 2:56 PM
I vote that we HIJACK this thread, it’s more of the same ol’, same ol’ and talk about the far left radical Liberals attacking a Law Enforcment Giant for going after Illegals, wanting to do his job… To protect and serve… While the radical Liberals, the La Rasa’s, the scum attempt to convey Constitutional Rights on crimanl illegals!!!
All in favor???
Mark Garnett on March 12, 2009 at 2:56 PM
Allah, I keep trying to post comments and it says “you are not allowed”. I log out and log back in and it allows me to post comments. Are you in two minds about banning me?
promachus on March 12, 2009 at 2:56 PM
Big government republicans reduced to quibbling over an issue they’ll never be able to change.
Gee. I wonder why the GOP is losing elections.
lorien1973 on March 12, 2009 at 2:56 PM
I supported Steele for the RNC Chairmanship post and have had second thoughts since his selection. But I think this issue is a little overblown.
Let’s remember that Steele was given up by his biological mother who choose not to get an abortion. If abortion had been legal at the time he was born, who knows whether he would be here. So, he is a living testiment to the importance of protecting every life. And that was a big part of the interview.
RedSoxNation on March 12, 2009 at 2:56 PM
Get him, Huck. Credit where it’s due, this is where Huckabee excels.
chunderroad on March 12, 2009 at 2:56 PM
You know I love you Allah in my own special way. But could you please try to be less cryptic in your writing style? This post has a picture of Huckabee and the title talks about Huckabee, yet your first line talks about “He alienated talk-radio fans by stumbling….” and your NOT talking about Huckabee.
Instead you should write….
“Steele alienated talk-radio fans by stumbling….”
You’re making me think too much and it hurts.
Maxx on March 12, 2009 at 2:57 PM
I just want to be able to yell about that southern guy picking on a black guy.
I’ve never gotten to play a race card before.
myrenovations on March 12, 2009 at 2:57 PM
wtf
Did you or did you not hire Steele to attract moderates and independents?
Everytime the poor man tries he gets keelhauled under the hull of the SS Conservative Titanic.
Is it that you think his skin color is a sufficient attractant?
Lets face it, Steele is a about as appealing to black folk as Palin is to women under 55.
strangelet on March 12, 2009 at 2:59 PM
I agree with this.
ladyingray on March 12, 2009 at 2:59 PM
it’s pathetic. I’ll repeat–I’m hoping for a blue dog democrat revolt, because the GOP ain’t gonna get its crap together in time for 2010 if it obsesses over abortion like this.
Steele said that he hoped women wouldn’t choose abortion. It’s a personal choice that a woman makes and Steele said he didn’t want them to make it.
Period.
But hey, if screaming about abortion and enabling democrat victories is your cup of tea, go for it, folks.
funky chicken on March 12, 2009 at 3:00 PM
Your comment was valid, just thought I’d fix it a little.
Christian Conservative on March 12, 2009 at 3:01 PM
Rube Goldberg was his mentor. You always arrive somewhere at the end, but the trip is full of surprises.
JiangxiDad on March 12, 2009 at 3:02 PM
They both suck. It’s like Iran vs. Iraq.
Fred!/lorien 2012!
MadisonConservative on March 12, 2009 at 3:02 PM
Never again a majority so long as abortion is allowed to define the party.
MarkT on March 12, 2009 at 3:03 PM
Dude, that’s laugh-out-loud funny!
jaime on March 12, 2009 at 3:04 PM
How does one get that job, seriously? Was there a mission statement or something like that issued? I woke up one day and there he was.
JiangxiDad on March 12, 2009 at 3:04 PM
If the Republican party plans to pimp out Cuda for their gaffe-prone bumblefork leaders and sell-out losers like Saxby Chambliss and John McCain, the base will get sick of that really fast.
We needed McCain to defeat Obama, and the old Maverick’s never spoken out against conservative principles nearly as badly as Steele has. We needed Saxby Chambliss to deny the Dems a filibuster-proof Senate. What good is Michael Steele? Why should Cuda clean up after his idiot remarks?
Seeing how the Republicans and the McCain campaign blamed her for 2008, I am about sick of the “leadership.” I will not support this.
chunderroad on March 12, 2009 at 3:04 PM
Huckabee is merely articulating how many (I do not say every) pro-lifers feel regarding Chairman Steele’s comments. It is the ultimate in hypocrisy for the Republican party to have a Human Life Amendment in its platform, which few Republican politicians even support.
Mr. MacIan on March 12, 2009 at 3:05 PM
the base might like him again…
but we are FAR too busy either burry our money where Barry cant find it or donating to SarahPAC
alexraye on March 12, 2009 at 3:05 PM
It could be the perfect whole “two birds, one stone” strategy and let Huckabee drive Steele out of the RNC and then run Huckabee out of presidential politics by accusing him of not appreciating people of color.
myrenovations on March 12, 2009 at 3:05 PM
Life is more complicated than that.
chunderroad on March 12, 2009 at 3:06 PM
The issue isn’t abortion on this thread as much as it is a RNC chair who can’t speak his heart the same way to liberals as he does to conservatives. We have a guy who won’t stand up for the party platform until he is in front of party faithful. He’s typical of the Congressmen and Senators in the Republican party who were so afraid of the press they got us into all this mess by forgetting why they were sent to Washington. Why do we want to support more of them like that? “Crazies to the left of me, wimps to the right of me!” The RNC ain’t getting any money from me anytime soon at least until they get the courage to stand up proudly for what they believe.
Christian Conservative on March 12, 2009 at 3:06 PM
Never again a majority so long as abortion is allowed to define the party.
It’s defining the party? Says who?
Abortion is buried in the “Values” section of the platform after private ownership of firearms.
gabriel sutherland on March 12, 2009 at 3:06 PM
Here’ my tangent. The more I hear from Huckabee, the less I like him. He needs to stick to preaching and get out of politics, where he compromises whatever integrity he may ever have had.
zeebeach on March 12, 2009 at 3:07 PM
That doesn’t mean Palin is endorsing Steele.
Let’s see if Steele is remains in the guest list after this little fiasco.
jencab on March 12, 2009 at 3:07 PM
Palin’s child rearing skills are relevant to the debate how, Captain Misogyny?
Dude was hired to run a party, not present a non-stop train of media gaffes and administrative incompetence. I mean, he’s not even doing that much better than Obama, and that’s really saying something. Barack can’t even get a position staffed without realizing he hired a tax cheat or a slimeball, after all. But there are free DVD sets, so that’s something.
TheUnrepentantGeek on March 12, 2009 at 3:08 PM
Steele isn’t confrontational enough for this job, has spent too much time trying to be nice to Dems, coming from a blue state and all
jp on March 12, 2009 at 3:08 PM
First rule about sidelining Huckabee: Don’t kick open his front door to let him out.
gabriel sutherland on March 12, 2009 at 3:08 PM
Oh look……….
…….. a microphone and Huckabee!
Seven Percent Solution on March 12, 2009 at 3:08 PM
Sorry, Allah. I adore Sarah Palin, but it would take Steele experiencing a public epiphany, leading him to come back to the right hard and fast, to improve my opinion of him.
AubieJon on March 12, 2009 at 3:09 PM
+1
Steele should be trying to get conservatives elected right now, instead of being a gaffe machine. He’s got a couple of opportunities in NY, VA, and NJ to pick up house seats and governorships. Remember 2010 is a census year. We need as many conservatives in state houses as we can get.
Iblis on March 12, 2009 at 3:09 PM
quibbling over semantics?
elect, select, hire, same diff.
How ’bout chu answer the question, Dad…..how is Steele supposed to attact moderates and independents by cleavin’ to the hardcore (increasingly) small tent position on Cultcha Life?
strangelet on March 12, 2009 at 3:09 PM
Dude, Palin as RNC chair? Think of the donations!
Allahpundit on March 12, 2009 at 3:09 PM
He kind of has to stay on the guest list now.
If he pulls out or gets uninvited, people will say that Palin is so hard core pro-life that she wouldn’t attend the same event as a moderate lifer.
myrenovations on March 12, 2009 at 3:09 PM
Only if we can score Fred some vitamins or something. Need. More. Energy.
TheUnrepentantGeek on March 12, 2009 at 3:09 PM
Roe vs Wade was BAD LAW… This is a States Rights issue, not a Federal one, tax dollars should not be spent, it is NOT allowed in The Constitution… Actualy very simple…
Mark Garnett on March 12, 2009 at 3:10 PM
Allah, what are you smoking!? Pass it, cause I wanna see what you are looking at!
upinak on March 12, 2009 at 3:10 PM
Not a bad idea, is it?
TheUnrepentantGeek on March 12, 2009 at 3:10 PM
Striiiike 1: Agreeing with Hughley that the GOP convention looked like Nazi Germany
Striiiike 2: Leaving the RNC unmanned for weeks after assuming leadership; fundrasing coming to a halt
Striiiike 3: Comparing Rush to Al Franken; all while dissing the Republican pro-life platform.
Steele, you’re OOOOOUUUUTTAA HERE!
Norwegian on March 12, 2009 at 3:11 PM
+1
Giuliani’s a shoe-in for Governor of NY, according to recent polling.
chunderroad on March 12, 2009 at 3:11 PM
I need to be less ugly too!
lorien1973 on March 12, 2009 at 3:12 PM
Funny, but true.
The RNC would have its first BILLION dollar election fundrasing cycle.
Although the way SarahPAC is doing (enormous donor base); she is basically now the RNC & Republican Party & Conservative Movement rolled into one.
Norwegian on March 12, 2009 at 3:14 PM
Palin, Steele, and Huck all in one post. Yippee.
faraway on March 12, 2009 at 3:15 PM
I’m afraid you are right.
a capella on March 12, 2009 at 3:15 PM
Steele dug this hole for himself, and this is one time I’m with Huckabee.
joe_doufu on March 12, 2009 at 3:16 PM
LOL. I was dead serious. I don’t know how the mechanism worked that got Steele the job, and I’ve wondered myself whether he thought his job was to get minority voters.
JiangxiDad on March 12, 2009 at 3:16 PM
President Palin is merely in exile right now.
faraway on March 12, 2009 at 3:16 PM
Can michael steele please just stop talking seriously. And Huck should go sit down somewhere…please.
youngO on March 12, 2009 at 3:16 PM
Okfine.
But you at least have enough IQ chops to detect empirical data, Geek.
Read the tea leaves or stay a rump forevah.
strangelet on March 12, 2009 at 3:17 PM
Yet, the party platform calls for federal intervention in the form of an amendment.
a capella on March 12, 2009 at 3:20 PM
I think you’re half-right.
Palin seems to be a fierce conservative that can generate income, but she also seems to be a bit of a “please everyone” conservative that might fall into some of the same traps Steele is getting into.
However, she would definitely put forth a much stronger conservative message.
MadisonConservative on March 12, 2009 at 3:21 PM
Now don’t tell me that this thread is going to turn into another Sarah Palin thread. Heaven’s to Betsy, perhaps the girl’s got game!
technopeasant on March 12, 2009 at 3:24 PM
I’ve never been under that impression. Are there examples?
myrenovations on March 12, 2009 at 3:24 PM
Well done Mark.
jake-the-goose on March 12, 2009 at 3:25 PM
If this party doesn’t just focus on the Federalist view of abortion, we’re going to be in the wilderness for a very long time.
Oink on March 12, 2009 at 3:25 PM
ummm what do you think SarahPAC is…
alexraye on March 12, 2009 at 3:25 PM
I beg to differ. Steele explained why he thought Roe v. Wade was bad law when he emphasized the states’ rights to determine the issue, he CLEARLY indicated his belief that abortion is an individual choice.
Ain’t no spinning it. Steele is either pro-choice or a panderer and liar and I don’t want either in a person wanting to be the face of the GOP.
ihasurnominashun on March 12, 2009 at 3:26 PM
It’s not in terms of not being conservative, it’s more in her demeanor in interviews.
MadisonConservative on March 12, 2009 at 3:26 PM
Second look at Huckabee!
Allahpundit on March 12, 2009 at 3:27 PM
Norweigan on March 12, 2009 at 3:14 PM
SarahPAC is the third party for many as well.
Allahpundit, that isn;t a bad idea, but as you well know Sarah Palin is already the defacto leader of the GOP.
technopeasant on March 12, 2009 at 3:27 PM
Don’t make their head hurt.
lorien1973 on March 12, 2009 at 3:27 PM
Allah, you would be a great campaign spokesman (and CTO) for Huck.
faraway on March 12, 2009 at 3:28 PM
Here here!!
Huck is just trying to be relevant when he’s yesterdays news.
Allah, you just look for excuses to bring Cuda up in every thread, huh? 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 posts….
I know Steele is a fan of Palin, but I pray she does not say a WORD about Steele. I have confidence she won’t. And by her silence on Steele, the RNC coffers will continue to dry up and the SarahPAC coffers will continue to fill up.
Steele is drowning and it’s time for him to go to the background, or get out.
davek70 on March 12, 2009 at 3:28 PM
Sure, and I suppose you think we faked the moon landing…let alone global warming is more and more a hoax…about time that hussy of Palin’s is exposed…Pelosi should be kicked out for trying to intimidate our armed forces for her own good…and while we are on the subject, Rush and Newt have to come together, however Rush saying Newt is getting soft may be accurate.
That should take care of your five, now back to the regular scheduled posts…
right2bright on March 12, 2009 at 3:28 PM
I do not want President Palin to fail.
faraway on March 12, 2009 at 3:28 PM
Don’t let that fool you oh Mad one.
upinak on March 12, 2009 at 3:29 PM
I totally read that wrong the first time thru!
lorien1973 on March 12, 2009 at 3:29 PM
Laughs and points at you!
upinak on March 12, 2009 at 3:30 PM
Hear that, gang? Obama won! What did he win? Why, the chance to make a complete mockery of every leftist project of the last forty years.
Now, sad to say the conservative alliance is still both torn and confused on abortion. Let’s consider the following options for moving forward on policy:
a. States should have little or no power to regulate abortion, in keeping with Roe v. Wade and Casey v. Planned Parenthood (which is actually the most current law, by the way).
b. Congress (with ratification by the states) should go “nukuler” by not only overriding Roe and Casey, but outlawing abortion throughout the nation.
c. The power to regulate abortion, as with almost any other life-or-death decision, should be restored to the States by overruling Roe and Casey, which were nothing less than unconstitutional decisions rendered by SCOTUS. (Yeah, SCOTUS decisions sometimes run afoul of the federal constitution–believe it.)
d. All of the above (a.k.a., the “Steele” option). After all, if women and states have free choice, but so does Congress, then everyone’s happy, right?
So where do ye stand, gang? Notice that answers such as “safe, legal, and rare” are watered-down versions of Option A because state and federal regulations at the fringes are relatively inconsequential.
If you believe Option A is correct, please include an essay describing in detail why you think Roe and Casey were correct “interpretations” of the federal constitution. I.e., don’t just say the decisions are right because you like the result. And I direct this challenge to our “elitist centrists” who think they’re so sophisticated for adhering to a view that has no basis in the law.
If you believe in a “Life” Amendment (Option B), please explain why you think the feds should assume the responsibility of regulating abortion when the States are equipped to handle it? And don’t say “because the feds do everything else,” or you’ll be disqualified as a true conservative. Remember, as well, that it took a Civil War to get Southern States to sign off on the Thirteenth Amendment.
Lastly, if you believe in Option D, you should consider leading the Republican Party, which itself has no idea how to answer this question correctly.
(The rest of you, rally to me. We’re going to have to storm SCOTUS and demand they start reading the constitution instead of using it as toilet paper for everything they pull out of their a**es.)
cackcon on March 12, 2009 at 3:30 PM
Even a broken clock is right twice a day. As could a slimy snakesoil-salesman from Arkansas be. Neither is POTUS material.
Norwegian on March 12, 2009 at 3:31 PM
You gotta watch Cuomo. He’s state royalty and the libtards will go for him to the hilt. Paterson is done though. He’s trying to backtrack on his gas, soada, and porn taxes.
Conservative grassroots are gonna have to start to bypass the party, like the libtards did in Colorado, to win. Blue states could go red if a principled small governement, pro-growth platform was espoused. You don’t chuck your principles to win. You use your principles to craft winning strategies.
Iblis on March 12, 2009 at 3:32 PM
2012: Huck as GOP nominee, Palin as RNC chair?
Allahpundit on March 12, 2009 at 3:32 PM
Ah, a Palin comment-fueling jab without a mention of the Palin family news on the website; AllahPundit is a master!
okonkolo on March 12, 2009 at 3:32 PM
Steele as press secretary?
lorien1973 on March 12, 2009 at 3:33 PM
MadisonConservative on March 12, 2009 at 3:34 PM
Ain’t no one named “Elmer” ever going to win a national election.
lorien1973 on March 12, 2009 at 3:35 PM
What if Palin turned atheist and it came down to her and Huck for the 2012 nomination?
Which way would Rush break on that?
Allahpundit on March 12, 2009 at 3:35 PM
I would have to call that Obama’s Cakewalk 2012.
But Palin would raise a ton of money.
myrenovations on March 12, 2009 at 3:36 PM
Is Bristol married or still single at that point?
lorien1973 on March 12, 2009 at 3:37 PM
Very nicely played Allah. The Palin Card trumps all others. She has a hit power of 1000/1000. Her Triple Claw swipe will destroy Huckabees Thunder Flare that is only worth 30 points.
portlandon on March 12, 2009 at 3:37 PM
Rush would still support her, and you’d be her biggest fan.
Norwegian on March 12, 2009 at 3:38 PM
Unless it comes out that Palin is having an adulterous affair with Ted Stevens on a pile of pork and aborts their love child while signing a gun ban into law, I would take her over Huckabee.
myrenovations on March 12, 2009 at 3:39 PM
Careful Allah, your projecting.
portlandon on March 12, 2009 at 3:39 PM
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