Talk Elections

Election Archive => 2012 Elections => Topic started by: Tender Branson on March 04, 2011, 02:38:14 PM



Title: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: Tender Branson on March 04, 2011, 02:38:14 PM
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is criticizing Oscar-winner Natalie Portman’s pregnancy because she’s not married.

In an interview with radio talk show host Michael Medved that took place on Monday but that’s getting traction today, Huckabee said that Portman’s out-of-wedlock pregnancy was “troubling.”

“It’s unfortunate that we glorify and glamorize the idea” of having children without being married, Huckabee said on the program.

Huckabee is widely viewed as a possible presidential candidate. He has a contract to appear on Fox News, which is owned by News Corp., publisher of the Wall Street Journal.

Portman’s publicist did not respond to a request for a comment.

Excerpts from Huckabee’s interview:

”You know Michael, one of the things that’s troubling is that people see a Natalie Portman or some other Hollywood starlet who boasts of, ‘Hey look, you know, we’re having children, we’re not married, but we’re having these children, and they’re doing just fine.’ But there aren’t really a lot of single moms out there who are making millions of dollars every year for being in a movie.”

”Most single moms are very poor, uneducated, can’t get a job, and if it weren’t for government assistance, their kids would be starving to death and never have health care. And that’s the story that we’re not seeing.”

”You know, right now, 75 percent of black kids in this country are born out of wedlock. 61 percent of Hispanic kids — across the board, 41 percent of all live births in America are out of wedlock births. And the cost of that is simply staggering.”

http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2011/03/04/mike-huckabee-criticizess-natalie-portmans-pregnancy/?mod=google_news_blog


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: King on March 04, 2011, 02:48:11 PM
Nobody is glamorizing Natalie Portman for being an unwed mother.  They are glamorizing her for her award-winning performance in Black Swan.   I think it's more troubling that some consider a woman's ability to find a husband and make babies tells more about "who she is" than say, I don't know, her own accomplishments.

After years of mild mannered talk, Huckabee has been going on gaffe spree this past week.  Perhaps he's intentionally trying to get his name out of the Presidential talks.


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: Tender Branson on March 04, 2011, 02:51:49 PM
Question for Mike:

If you think that children born out of wedlock will end up being poor, why do countries like Iceland or Sweden - where 70% of children are born out of wedlock - have one of the lowest child poverty rates on the planet ?

I think that he just tried to get a boost among the Christian fundies, but fails to understand that out-of-wedlock births are the FUTURE, even in America.


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: SvenssonRS on March 04, 2011, 03:03:30 PM
I see he's gone full-on Westboro on us.


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: Hash on March 04, 2011, 03:51:47 PM
So when I was thinking he was the most decent and most intelligent/least crazy of the bunch, I was wrong all along since he seems that he's your typical Bible-bashing moralfag retard.


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: Grumpier Than Uncle Joe on March 04, 2011, 03:56:30 PM
So when I was thinking he was the most decent and most intelligent/least crazy of the bunch, I was wrong all along since he seems that he's your typical Bible-bashing moralfag retard.

The primary season brings it out of them, Hashish.


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: DrScholl on March 04, 2011, 05:23:49 PM
Why is he even discussing someone's personal life? To judge anyone like that is not good form, especially for a former two-term Governor who ran for President.


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: Likely Voter on March 04, 2011, 05:28:56 PM
Wow, so this week Mike has made it clear that Obama is a scary muslim and Natalie Portman is a skank. Last it was how the Arabs should all leave Isreal and Abortion was America's most important issue.

I really don't think this guy is running for President.


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: Napoleon on March 04, 2011, 05:38:36 PM
Nobody is glamorizing Natalie Portman for being an unwed mother.  They are glamorizing her for her award-winning performance in Black Swan.   I think it's more troubling that some consider a woman's ability to find a husband and make babies tells more about "who she is" than say, I don't know, her own accomplishments.

After years of mild mannered talk, Huckabee has been going on gaffe spree this past week.  Perhaps he's intentionally trying to get his name out of the Presidential talks.

Well put. Natalie Portman's family life is none of our business, especially not Mike Huckabee's. I wish the fundamentalist scatterbrains would just give it up already. Politically, they are shrinking by the day. I can't wait until these sorts of creeps are fully removed from American politics. We'd all be much better off.


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: 🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸 on March 04, 2011, 05:38:53 PM
Question for Mike:

If you think that children born out of wedlock will end up being poor, why do countries like Iceland or Sweden - where 70% of children are born out of wedlock - have one of the lowest child poverty rates on the planet ?

I think that he just tried to get a boost among the Christian fundies, but fails to understand that out-of-wedlock births are the FUTURE, even in America.

in America, children born out of wedlock are more likely to be poor. i think probably the type of arrangements for children with unmarried parents are probably much different for Swedes than for Americans.


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: Yelnoc on March 04, 2011, 06:27:59 PM
I don't like the way he is sticking his nose into other peoples' personal lives but he does bring up a good point.  Children born out of wedlock, at least in America (we aren't talking about how things are up in Iceland, Tender), are handicapped from the start financially and often emotionally.  Not every woman is a Natalie Portman who makes millions acting and thus is able to support her child on her own.


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: Bull Moose Base on March 04, 2011, 09:06:09 PM
Isn't she engaged to that baby daddy anyway?


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: Swedish Rainbow Capitalist Cheese on March 04, 2011, 09:28:17 PM
I was concived while my parents were still married, but born after their divorce, am I technically a bastard then? ???

Anyway, Tender's statistics from Sweden need to be put into context. Here a lot of couples have children and live together without being married. It's also quite common for people to wait to get married until after they have children. So even though the children are technically born out of wedlock they're still raised in one home by two parents, while in America children who are born out of wedlock will mostly be raised by a single parent.

That being said, this is an unbelievebly clumsy and silly statement from Huckabee. Does he think the acadamy should start handing out Oscars based on actors values and moral rather than their acting? 


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: mondale84 on March 04, 2011, 09:32:41 PM
Children born out of wedlock, at least in America (we aren't talking about how things are up in Iceland, Tender), are handicapped from the start financially and often emotionally. 

Can you provide some statistics with that? Or are we all going to be like Huck and just conjure theories out of thin air? At the very least, you are making a GROSS exaggeration.


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: Beet on March 04, 2011, 09:51:51 PM
I agree with Mike Huckabee's left-wing economic analysis/point that jobs, government subsidized education and health care are critical to poor families, especially single mothers. It's especially relevant in light of the current debate over what to cut to implement austerity. Thanks, Mike.


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: Thomas D on March 04, 2011, 10:02:47 PM
Wow. He just snapped these past few days.


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: ○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└ on March 04, 2011, 11:03:03 PM
I agree with Mike Huckabee's left-wing economic analysis/point that jobs, government subsidized education and health care are critical to poor families, especially single mothers. It's especially relevant in light of the current debate over what to cut to implement austerity. Thanks, Mike.

Huckabee isn't remotely left-wing on economic issues. For one thing, he wants to abolish the estate tax.


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: Yelnoc on March 04, 2011, 11:33:43 PM
Children born out of wedlock, at least in America (we aren't talking about how things are up in Iceland, Tender), are handicapped from the start financially and often emotionally. 

Can you provide some statistics with that? Or are we all going to be like Huck and just conjure theories out of thin air? At the very least, you are making a GROSS exaggeration.
I can provide personal epithets; from what I have seen of the world that is almost always true.  But if you need cold, hard numbers go find them.


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: Beet on March 05, 2011, 12:12:40 AM
I agree with Mike Huckabee's left-wing economic analysis/point that jobs, government subsidized education and health care are critical to poor families, especially single mothers. It's especially relevant in light of the current debate over what to cut to implement austerity. Thanks, Mike.

Huckabee isn't remotely left-wing on economic issues. For one thing, he wants to abolish the estate tax.

I was being facetious. :) Srsly though, if he does believe kids will starve without welfare, he needs to talk to John Boehner.


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: timothyinMD on March 05, 2011, 12:42:10 AM
Question for Mike:

If you think that children born out of wedlock will end up being poor, why do countries like Iceland or Sweden - where 70% of children are born out of wedlock - have one of the lowest child poverty rates on the planet ?

I think that he just tried to get a boost among the Christian fundies, but fails to understand that out-of-wedlock births are the FUTURE, even in America.

The glee with which you make that statement is disturbing.  Out-of-wedlock births are a terrible thing.  The best upbringing for a child is in a home with married, loving parents


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: they don't love you like i love you on March 05, 2011, 12:54:00 AM
My neighbor down the hall who lives alone with her 15-month old son is a very nice girl and no doubt a much better parent than married teabagger exurbanite types.


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: HAnnA MArin County on March 05, 2011, 04:18:04 AM
Why isn't he fire-and-brimstoning Bristol Palin? :)


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: Fmr President & Senator Polnut on March 05, 2011, 05:43:55 AM
Question for Mike:

If you think that children born out of wedlock will end up being poor, why do countries like Iceland or Sweden - where 70% of children are born out of wedlock - have one of the lowest child poverty rates on the planet ?

I think that he just tried to get a boost among the Christian fundies, but fails to understand that out-of-wedlock births are the FUTURE, even in America.

The glee with which you make that statement is disturbing.  Out-of-wedlock births are a terrible thing.  The best upbringing for a child is in a home with married, loving parents


You're going to be entertaining.

It's none of Huckabee's business.

There are a HELL of a lot of worse things in the world going on than having children out of wedlock.

All that matters is that children are loved and supported... who those parents are or is, has now increasingly being proven to be redundant.


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: JohnnyLongtorso on March 05, 2011, 07:08:19 AM
Huckabee's always been pretty extremist on social issues, he's just good at hiding it with his "aw shucks" personality, self-deprecating jokes, and pop culture references. That's probably the reason why Democrats usually worry most about him getting the nomination.


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: MASHED POTATOES. VOTE! on March 05, 2011, 07:16:50 AM
Unmarried people with children represents clear and present danger to the national and moral security of the United States. They ought to be shot.


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: Middle-aged Europe on March 05, 2011, 07:25:19 AM
Unmarried people with children represents clear and present danger to the national and moral security of the United States. They ought to be shot.

No... if I'm allowed to quote one of the lesser John Carpenter movies, they need to be deported to the island of Los Angeles.


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: Mechaman on March 05, 2011, 07:43:55 AM
Unmarried people with children represents clear and present danger to the national and moral security of the United States. They ought to be shot.

No... if I'm allowed to quote one of the lesser John Carpenter movies, they need to be deported to the island of Los Angeles.

You sir have just won the internets.
Congratulations.


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: Gustaf on March 05, 2011, 07:49:28 AM
I'm not horribly offended. He isn't really slamming Natalie Portman, he's just saying that society perhaps shouldn't glorify stardom so much. That's probably a fair point - more people likely drop out of education, do drugs and stuff like that because they're pursuing star careers rather than more normal goals in life.

Of course, children being born out of wedlock is more a symptom than a cause of societal ills. As Johan points out, Sweden isn't a good example because children born out of wedlock here aren't in the same situation as most of those in the US are. At least that's what I suspect.


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: Mechaman on March 05, 2011, 07:50:31 AM
Anyway, Tender's statistics from Sweden need to be put into context. Here a lot of couples have children and live together without being married. It's also quite common for people to wait to get married until after they have children. So even though the children are technically born out of wedlock they're still raised in one home by two parents, while in America children who are born out of wedlock will mostly be raised by a single parent.

That being said, this is an unbelievebly clumsy and silly statement from Huckabee. Does he think the acadamy should start handing out Oscars based on actors values and moral rather than their acting? 

I kind of figured.
Though even in America it isn't uncommon to see unmarried couples raising children.  Hell I personally know a few unmarried people raising kids together.
I mean if anything Huck should be congratulating these people for having children out of wedlock instead of say getting abortions (which according to the Huckster is THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE).
I mean this guy isn't even consistent for christ sake.


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: MASHED POTATOES. VOTE! on March 05, 2011, 08:06:34 AM
Unmarried people with children represents clear and present danger to the national and moral security of the United States. They ought to be shot.

No... if I'm allowed to quote one of the lesser John Carpenter movies, they need to be deported to the island of Los Angeles.

Um, how liberal of you.


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: FEMA Camp Administrator on March 05, 2011, 08:39:46 AM
I'm not horribly offended. He isn't really slamming Natalie Portman, he's just saying that society perhaps shouldn't glorify stardom so much. That's probably a fair point - more people likely drop out of education, do drugs and stuff like that because they're pursuing star careers rather than more normal goals in life.

Of course, children being born out of wedlock is more a symptom than a cause of societal ills. As Johan points out, Sweden isn't a good example because children born out of wedlock here aren't in the same situation as most of those in the US are. At least that's what I suspect.

I'm kind of in agreement with Gustaf here.


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: wilji1090 on March 05, 2011, 11:30:03 AM
To me this is just as petty as Hannity and the others slamming Obama for how he ordered a hamburger. I mean seriously, who cares if she had a child out of wedlock, the thing is, we're too hung up on stardom, I agree with Huckabee on that. But this "Oh she's got a child out of wedlock" seems rather petty to me, albeit like Dan Quayle or something. Whatever happened to the decency of minding one's own business? I guess Huckabee didn't learn that!


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: Frodo on March 05, 2011, 02:06:06 PM
Whatever happened to the decency of minding one's own business? I guess Huckabee didn't learn that!

It is the business of social/religious conservatives to get hung up on everyone's personal life. 


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home. on March 06, 2011, 03:55:43 PM
far be it for a leader to seek the moral good of a country, it's none of his/her business if the nation embraces lewd and lascivious lifestyles.


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: Bull Moose Base on March 06, 2011, 04:10:38 PM
Anyone else enjoy the juxtaposition of jmfcst sarcasm-laced peeing on social libertarianism with his sarcasm-laced alarmism about Egyptian religious conservatives?


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: opebo on March 06, 2011, 04:12:30 PM
far be it for a leader to seek the moral good of a country, it's none of his/her business if the nation embraces lewd and lascivious lifestyles.

Embracing lewd and lascivious lifestyles is the moral good of a country, couch-surfer.



Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home. on March 06, 2011, 05:26:26 PM
Anyone else enjoy the juxtaposition of jmfcst sarcasm-laced peeing on social libertarianism with his sarcasm-laced alarmism about Egyptian religious conservatives?

anyone else enjoy the total failure of some posters to understand the difference between "Christian morality that is preached but not legislated" and "Muslim sharia law"?

Joementum, you really should think more before demonstrating how dumb you are


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: Fmr President & Senator Polnut on March 06, 2011, 05:36:35 PM
far be it for a leader to seek the moral good of a country, it's none of his/her business if the nation embraces lewd and lascivious lifestyles.

In a liberal democracy, no.

In a theocracy, yes.


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: wilji1090 on March 06, 2011, 05:45:33 PM
Well, if we're gonna say that morality is at an all-time low because we have kids being born out of wedlock, then I say Newt Gingrich can't run for president since he cheated on his first wife [sick with cancer mind you] with who would become his second wife, and then in turn cheated on her with his now THIRD wife. If Huckabee wants someone to metaphorically crucify he should go after Gingrich.


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home. on March 06, 2011, 05:50:04 PM
far be it for a leader to seek the moral good of a country, it's none of his/her business if the nation embraces lewd and lascivious lifestyles.

In a liberal democracy, no.

In a theocracy, yes.

then maybe our "leaders" shouldn't advise kids to stay in school and work hard and become good and honest members of society  ::)


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: Fmr President & Senator Polnut on March 06, 2011, 06:03:50 PM
far be it for a leader to seek the moral good of a country, it's none of his/her business if the nation embraces lewd and lascivious lifestyles.

In a liberal democracy, no.

In a theocracy, yes.

then maybe our "leaders" shouldn't advise kids to stay in school and work hard and become good and honest members of society  ::)

They have nothing to do with 'morality' - let alone a 'Christian' value.

I know plenty of people who would fall under your categorisation of 'lewd and lascivious lifestyles (gay, sexually confident, occasional drug use etc etc...) ' - who have worked hard, stayed in school, graduated University and are good, decent and honest members of society... who pay taxes, do not harm others etc etc...

Being a productive member of society and adhering to 'Christian Morality' are not one in the same... to you they are perhaps...


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: Landslide Lyndon on March 06, 2011, 06:11:54 PM
Joementum, you really should think more before demonstrating how dumb you are

You should follow your own advices more often.

far be it for a leader to seek the moral good of a country, it's none of his/her business if the nation embraces lewd and lascivious lifestyles.

Huckabee isn't a leader of any kind. He is a cable TV personality in search for controversy=higher ratings.


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home. on March 06, 2011, 09:25:02 PM
far be it for a leader to seek the moral good of a country, it's none of his/her business if the nation embraces lewd and lascivious lifestyles.

In a liberal democracy, no.

In a theocracy, yes.

then maybe our "leaders" shouldn't advise kids to stay in school and work hard and become good and honest members of society  ::)

They have nothing to do with 'morality' - let alone a 'Christian' value.

yeah, I guess that's why my bible is full of passages relating to the those topics

---

I know plenty of people who would fall under your categorisation of 'lewd and lascivious lifestyles (gay, sexually confident, occasional drug use etc etc...) ' - who have worked hard, stayed in school, graduated University and are good, decent and honest members of society... who pay taxes, do not harm others etc etc...

Being a productive member of society and adhering to 'Christian Morality' are not one in the same... to you they are perhaps...

a glass doesn't have to be either 100% full or 100% empty, you know?


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home. on March 06, 2011, 10:04:48 PM
Joementum, you really should think more before demonstrating how dumb you are

You should follow your own advices more often.

far be it for a leader to seek the moral good of a country, it's none of his/her business if the nation embraces lewd and lascivious lifestyles.

Huckabee isn't a leader of any kind. He is a cable TV personality in search for controversy=higher ratings.

um...last I checked, this thread was started under the context of the 2012 presidential election


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: Gustaf on March 07, 2011, 04:31:00 PM
If you read what the man actually said he isn't very focused on slamming Nathalie Portman.

He's making a reasonable point about what ideals we want for people and how the reality of a famous person like Portman is very different from that of average poor people. You can disagree with the point and so on, but it's hardly a gaffe. If anything, I suspect it's positive political move because he gets out an issue that he wants to be out there.


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: danny on March 07, 2011, 09:45:16 PM
If you read what the man actually said he isn't very focused on slamming Nathalie Portman.

He's making a reasonable point about what ideals we want for people and how the reality of a famous person like Portman is very different from that of average poor people. You can disagree with the point and so on, but it's hardly a gaffe. If anything, I suspect it's positive political move because he gets out an issue that he wants to be out there.

There is a reasonable argument that in a society where most children grow up with two breadwinners, growing up just one would have an adverse effect on the child. However by speaking specifically about Portman to whom the above would not apply because she will be raising the child with the father. What he is doing is making it seem as if his religious convictions against premarital sex and children out of wedlock are really an economic one, when often, like in this case, they are not.

And then there is this quote:
Quote from: Mike huckabee
My comments were about the statistical reality that most single moms are very poor, under-educated, can't get a job, and if it weren't for government assistance, their kids would be starving to death.
The assertion that most children to single mothers would starve to death without government assistance is:
1. Ludicrous
2. if it were true, would be a great argument against the conservative position that the government should not get involved in welfare and should leave it up to private charity, if he really believes this, than he should be attacking economic conservatives on this.

the part about Undereducated is phrased in a way that makes it hard to statistically quantify but it isn't as if most single parent mothers are high school dropouts, in 2008  15.5 percent hadn't graduated from high school, while 26.9 had an associate's degree. (http://www.census.gov/prod/2009pubs/p60-237.pdf)

The part about very poor could be somewhat subjective but  considering 24.6 are below the poverty line (http://www.census.gov/prod/2009pubs/p60-237.pdf) saying most are very poor is a exaggerating things.

The part about "can't get a job' is quantifiable  Huckabee is simply wrong only 18.7  didn't have a job (http://www.census.gov/prod/2009pubs/p60-237.pdf) in 2007, and while i'm sure that number is up since then there is no chance it's over 50% now.

And I can't remember seeing single motherhood being glorified, what I have seen is single mothers being commended with the hard work they do in raising their children but that always includes saying how hard it is to raise a child on your own.


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: BlondewithaBrain on March 08, 2011, 09:49:26 AM
so before getting pregnant make sure that you do the christian ritual of marriage

the church is a corrupt institution and its people like mike huckabee that turn me off the republican party

quite simple if huckabee is the republican candidate ill vote for obama in colorado. thanks for your candid views mike you lost my vote, you are now a member of the republican/democrat troll brigade.

where are the moderates....


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: Grumpier Than Uncle Joe on March 08, 2011, 10:58:12 AM
so before getting pregnant make sure that you do the christian ritual of marriage

the church is a corrupt institution and its people like mike huckabee that turn me off the republican party

quite simple if huckabee is the republican candidate ill vote for obama in colorado. thanks for your candid views mike you lost my vote, you are now a member of the republican/democrat troll brigade.

where are the moderates....

He never had your vote, and he's not part of the "corrupt institution".


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: minionofmidas on March 08, 2011, 11:51:36 AM
I suppose she deserves chastisement for being unmarried to me, and pregnant but not with my child. Separately. These are unrelated points of criticism.


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: courts on March 08, 2011, 11:54:54 AM
Anyone else getting Murphy Brown flashbacks?


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: opebo on March 08, 2011, 12:44:16 PM
Anyone else getting Murphy Brown flashbacks?

Yes, though you have to be an old for that.  Also, Huckabee is even more repulsive than Dan Quayle, and Natalie Portman enormously hotter than Candice Bergen, so the commentary is even more hilarious.

There is an old saying regarding worthless men turning the unwanted attentions towards their female superiors: "Even a dog may howl at the moon".


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: Gustaf on March 08, 2011, 04:13:54 PM
If you read what the man actually said he isn't very focused on slamming Nathalie Portman.

He's making a reasonable point about what ideals we want for people and how the reality of a famous person like Portman is very different from that of average poor people. You can disagree with the point and so on, but it's hardly a gaffe. If anything, I suspect it's positive political move because he gets out an issue that he wants to be out there.

There is a reasonable argument that in a society where most children grow up with two breadwinners, growing up just one would have an adverse effect on the child. However by speaking specifically about Portman to whom the above would not apply because she will be raising the child with the father. What he is doing is making it seem as if his religious convictions against premarital sex and children out of wedlock are really an economic one, when often, like in this case, they are not.

And then there is this quote:
Quote from: Mike huckabee
My comments were about the statistical reality that most single moms are very poor, under-educated, can't get a job, and if it weren't for government assistance, their kids would be starving to death.
The assertion that most children to single mothers would starve to death without government assistance is:
1. Ludicrous
2. if it were true, would be a great argument against the conservative position that the government should not get involved in welfare and should leave it up to private charity, if he really believes this, than he should be attacking economic conservatives on this.

the part about Undereducated is phrased in a way that makes it hard to statistically quantify but it isn't as if most single parent mothers are high school dropouts, in 2008  15.5 percent hadn't graduated from high school, while 26.9 had an associate's degree. (http://www.census.gov/prod/2009pubs/p60-237.pdf)

The part about very poor could be somewhat subjective but  considering 24.6 are below the poverty line (http://www.census.gov/prod/2009pubs/p60-237.pdf) saying most are very poor is a exaggerating things.

The part about "can't get a job' is quantifiable  Huckabee is simply wrong only 18.7  didn't have a job (http://www.census.gov/prod/2009pubs/p60-237.pdf) in 2007, and while i'm sure that number is up since then there is no chance it's over 50% now.

And I can't remember seeing single motherhood being glorified, what I have seen is single mothers being commended with the hard work they do in raising their children but that always includes saying how hard it is to raise a child on your own.

I think that when you say "specifically about Portman" you're buying into a media narrative of what he said. What he is actually quoted as saying is "people see a Natalie Portman or some other Hollywood starlet" (my emphasis). It's pretty clear that he isn't really talking about Portman, but just mentioning her because she's a recent example.

The rest of your points seem to be statistical. I won't argue them - I'm sure you're right. Still, it's probably true, as you seem to agree that single mothers raising children do constitute a problem, correct? I mean, I'm not going to fault a politician too much for being hyperbolic when the basic sentiment he's expressing is true - namely, that many kids growing up with single mothers will face poverty and problems in life.

The same seems to go for when you say that Portman is raising her kid with the father. That obviously won't be true for all unmarried mothers but it would reasonably be for all married ones.

As for glorifying single motherhood, I think his precise point is that these things are "glorified" when it comes to the stars. That is what he's talking about. He's saying, it seems, that when talking about single mothers we should focus more on the story of the poor single mom, and not the story of Natalie Portman because she's an exception. Again, I think there are broad truths to making these statements. Just like there may be a glorification of drugs involved in reporting on the drug use of Hollywood stars, since they will not be hurt by it the way a poor person would.

As for your point on welfare state and economic conservatism, I agree. I think I said as much in my earlier post, no?


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: DrScholl on March 08, 2011, 04:24:43 PM
I don't think it makes sense to try and change his words, he clearly was speaking of Portman, regardless of what his convoluted point was. One could point to him and say that he was glorifying being overweight, but that point would be just as convoluted and inappropriate.


Title: Re: Mike Huckabee slams Natalie Portman for being unmarried & pregnant
Post by: Gustaf on March 09, 2011, 10:04:03 AM
I don't think it makes sense to try and change his words, he clearly was speaking of Portman, regardless of what his convoluted point was. One could point to him and say that he was glorifying being overweight, but that point would be just as convoluted and inappropriate.

He mentions Portman in passing. She's obviously just an example and he isn't really criticizing her behaviour, but that of the media.