Huckabee at NRA Meeting: Jokes about shooting presidential candidates are funny!
By SilentPatriot Thursday May 15, 2008 4:11pm
Actually, they're not. Seeing that this is what passes for "conservative humor" nowadays, is anyone surprised that "The Half Hour News Hour" was an abject failure? You don't have to answer that.
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CNN:
During a speech before the National Rifle Association convention Friday afternoon in Louisville, Kentucky, former Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee — who has endorsed presumptive GOP nominee John McCain — joked that an unexpected offstage noise was Democrat Barack Obama looking to avoid a gunman.
“That was Barack Obama, he just tripped off a chair, he's getting ready to speak,” said the former Arkansas governor, to audience laughter. “Somebody aimed a gun at him and he dove for the floor.”
How is this even remotely funny? I know the Huckster is quick on his feet, but how did he think of this "joke" so quickly? That's some serious improv skills right there.
UPDATE: Huckabee does the right thing and apologizes:
"During my speech at the N.R.A., a loud noise backstage, that sounded like a chair falling, distracted the crowd and interrupted my speech. I made an off hand remark that was in no way intended to offend or disparage Sen. Obama. I apologize that my comments were offensive. That was never my intention.”
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Screw him and his fat ass wife.
Come on, lighten up! Gun humor is the bomb! Just ask the audience in Columbine, not to mention those famous comedy lovers the Kennedys!
Why is it OK for the GOP to threaten Democratic candidates?
Someone needs to same-hole his wife. Now that would be hilarious.
Whoa. What's the matter with the site?
Jesus Christ...
Be kind.
If those people were smart they would not be Republicans.
un real: what a scary red neck. notice how he does not even think a second before joking about shooting BHO!!!
gop = some sick fuckers!
The Cons are going to make the swift boating they gave Kerry look like a slap on the wrist compared to whats coming.
Their just warming up.
I don't get the "joke." Is Huckabee suggesting that an NRA member would point a gun at Obama? Shouldn't that be offensive to the law-abiding, peace-loving members of the NRA? And isn't it smart to hit the deck if someone pulls a gun?
If you're shocked or surprised, then you obviously haven't spent any time with these people.
Reminds me of the Curious Barack shirt story posted here
the other day.
Repubelicans : Never have been funny, aren't funny, and never will
be.
Deal with it, Douches.
Did Hucksterbee say anything about Obama dropping his slice of watermelon, or that he shouted "Yassuh!!!!" while diving to the floor? Unfortunately this kind of "humor" appeals to certain idiots. Sheesh.
Huckabee is an idiot if he thought this was funny. If someone had said the same thing about bush, they would probably be in jail right now.
They are talking about this on Hardball right now.
This was obvously a set-up.
I hate to admit this... but the whole scenario reminds me of Mel Brooks' "Blazing Saddles." Huckabee and the whole idiot, inbred team of rednecks trying to think of ways to defend the town when a bigger threat in the form of a black sheriff arrives. Then they want to string him up and then shoot him until Cleavon Little puts his gun against his own head and says "no body moves or the "***" gets it." The idiot townspeople rally around the hostage and let him get to safety in the sheriff's office. Classic un-PC comedy from Mel.
Sad that those stupid townspeople are still around.
correction obviously
This will probably become a regular thing - surrogates for McCain making cheap shots, calling Obama 'Osama', questioning his manhood (talking about his 'pushy', 'uppity' wife, etc), dissing his patriotism, calling him a Muslim, U name it.
It's all been rehearsed on Fox already. As long as McCain doesn't say it, it's OK.
I bet anything there'll be ads this fall smearing Obama as an admitted cocaine user and much worse. He'll be turned into Senator Willie Osama Horton, the coke-snorting, gay-sympathizing, appeasing, half-breed carpetbagger. The GOP has nothing to lose whatsoever. The bottom of the barrel beckons.
That is sick and I hope the FBI gives "the Huckster" a stiff talking to. I still remember (even as a child) the collective heartbreak this country went through with the murders of John and then Bobby Kennedy and Dr. MLK. This is no joking matter. Perhaps Huckabee should be put on the terrorist watch list, seriously.
go to farmington missouri, a pub called sticks and steins, sit at the end of the bar next to john, and jay, a thompson, but not stevie, cause he died in iraq.
you will hear american racism at its most venomous
the aforementioned nascar dad rednecks are sitting there, downsized and drunk cussing the evil n______s for all of their problems!!
Huckabee is supposed to play the part of the jester of the Republican party I suppose. Well intelligent people and humane people are not his audience.
Don't believe that this was any kind of spur of the moment comment. This was pre-arranged before he went on stage. It was carefully designed to dehumanize Obama but stop short of technically inciting violence against him. Someone backstage made the noise for setup and cHuckabee delivered the "joke". Oh, and when he issues his non-apology apology, keep in mind that it was also written prior to cHuck going out on the stage today
Hate crimes and conspiracy to murder are not remotely humorous, to most of us.
Okay, wow... first off, this is a "gotcha" post if ever I saw one. We all (especially those of us with hearty senses of humor) try to make jokes sometimes and up saying something clumsy and unfunny, if not downright insensitive sounding- we just have the advantage of not being in front of a camera all the time, where our every bumbling remark can be exaggerated and expounded upon by witless pundits for weeks on end, just like this or just like Obama's "guns and religion" quote. Second, in no way does this constitute any kind of a threat on Obama's life by Huckabee, and no serious minded person could honestly believe that. He may be a theocrat, but pat robertson he ain't. He's always conducted himself with humility and honesty and fairness as far as I can see, and on several occasions I've heard make urgings to left-wing and right-wing audiences alike not to be scornful or judgmental of those with whom you differ (a rare breed of christian, indeed).
Third, part of the reason I've become increasingly dismayed about petty nitpickings like this appearing on this otherwise well-kept and informative site is that it draws out frothing zealots and vicious loons like those above. They come in every stripe and political affiliation, and they will only undermine our credibility and give ammunition to neocon propagandists.
JESUS WHO?
When it comes between Christian values and vulgar politicking, Republicans throw Jesus out the window every time.
One of the great things about an Obama candidacy is getting all the racists and biggots in this country to identify themselves.
Teh internets don't forget.
The deeper they dig to throw dirt at Senator Obama, the more we know how desperate they feel. There are some people who will soak up all this shit like a sponge and spew it out anytime they get a chance. Is this the base of the Republican party? If it is they should be ashamed and not surprised that their party is going around the bowl for what could be the final swirl.
Nine times out of ten when someone says it was a slip of the tongue or just said in jest, it's just a way to cover for saying something they thought would amuse their audience without thinking of the consequences.
Talk about dog whistles!
That's one heck of a specific sequence of events for an off-the-cuff "joke." The one thing that maintains my faith in humanity is that the laughter was fairly muted, and more nervous than hearty. Or maybe I'm just projecting.
You'll notice that it got so silent you could hear a hammer cock after that joke.
I don't think the people appreciated that comment.
Who would Mr. Huckabee's personal Jesus shoot?
Uh oh! Did anyone tell Sen. Craig about this new push for a "hands-off of us" policy? Or perhaps that's what Huckleberry is referring to.
:)
Yay, cheap-shots-and-old-chestnuts!
(wait, did I say "nuts"?? Oh, I jest cain't he'p mahself!)
In this day and age you don't joke around about pointing a gun at anyone. Thanks to the NRA, everyone and his brother owns a gun. So nothing about guns seems humorous to most of us.
Huckabee calls himself a minister yet yucks it up about things like this? Sick SOB if you ask me.
that's pretty disgusting.
from a man who claims to be a christian.
imagine the outrage if those words were directed at bush and came out of the mouth of rev. wright.
J,
your concern trolling from Nutbagistan has been duly noted.
J @ 23:
ZzzxxXXxzzz...huh? wha?....zzzzxxxz....
All kidding aside for your concern, I think POP got it right @32. (though I don't know how "sick" Huckabee is, down deep, but he go it wrong here)
J@23: nonsense. First of all, nobody else gets a pass in this campaign, so I'm not about to start with Huckabee. He hasn't learned my personal motto yet, "Comedy is dangerous."
Second, and more importantly, making jokes in public settings regarding shooting presidential candidates earns one a visit from the Secret Service. I know, because this happened to an acquaintance of mine (in the Seventies, granted). What Huckabee did as a joke, what Limbaugh does on a regular basis, is to issue incitements to violence that tippy-toe up to the line of criminal behavior.
This can't be tolerated, particularly in light of the Right's growing violent tendencies, from Cheney's obscenties on the Senate floor, to ordering torture, to imprisoning Arkansas' governor for political reason, further violence from this gang of thugs cannot be tolerated or excused.
No passes for Huckabee. He should apologize and renounce his stupid "joke," and next time just keep his mouth shut.
I just watched for the second time and I believe the whole thing was planned. Even Huckabee couldn't be that fast on his creative feet. He had the second line too well timed for it to be ad-lib.
"Petty Nitpickings"? Try saying just those words about Bush on television. Go ahead. Do you honestly think the Secret Service would just chuckle and say "You nut" or something similar?
Oh My Fucking God. That was utterly tasteless and unfunny.
I'm not surprised he said it.
I'm not surprised that they laughed.
They're criminals. They think murder is funny.
Obama will soon have guns aimed at every American and the entire world, assuming he wins the election. Big deal.
pop,
I agree - first rule of public speaking: always have some "ice breakers" planned to get the audience on your side.
The real tell is the context.
1) Sanctimonious, self-righteous, all-knowing, christian preacher tone.
2) Racist attempt at humor.
3) Sanctimonious, self-righteous, all-knowing, christian preacher pose., all-knowing, christian preacher tone.
A psychotic degree of group-dishonesty.
I grew up with these people. You don't want to waste your time with them. You just need to know who they are, and keep them out of your life -- and out of your political party.
I am somewhat encouraged that it apparently only got a very muted response. It seems that even the gun zealots find that sort of thing tasteless these days. One more clue that the political climate is very different this year. The good news is that when our Republican bretheren notice that the joke failed, they will get even more hateful and tasteless rather than less so.
I don't think Huckabee was joking about killing Obama.
But what he does think is kinda worse. He thinks it's funny to pistol whip a black man. Deep down inside, that is what Huck thinks.
What do you expect from a man who spawned a dog torturer?
Mike @ 41:
I really have no idea why I see this kind of response on a few boards - where does this idea come from really? Guns aimed at every American and the entire world? Seriously? Personally if you want to believe that tripe - maybe you should open your eyes a bit and see that Bush basically has had that type of world going for the last eight years.
J@23 -- Shouldn't your personal motto be "I'm an asshole?"
#43 and out of the media.
#43 I mean out of the media as in not using the public airwaves for their fascism and racism.
TM @ 47:
Yes, and the police state and war machine that Bush, Clinton, Bush teh Furst!!! and Reagan created will be handed over to him.
You don't *really* think he'll hesitate to wield that power, now, do you?
Good Grief.. is that even a Joke? Dumbfu*kabee sounds more like a member of the Klan than a preacher.
That's not improv. It's his subconscious speaking. Not funny in the least, even his audience recognized it as idiotic.
Maybe it was Chuck Norris falling off his Total Gym®.
It's called Foreshadowing.
Hahahaha good one my little Huckleberry Putz... By the way, did your parents have any children that lived??? Why don't you just go ahead and stay in your weird little red state and the hell out of public sight. You're another worthless asshole I've just about had enough of seeing. Yer 15 are already up dickhead!!! I wonder if you'd still want to crack wise about that sort of thing if someone walked up to you at some function and stuck a glock down your fool throat for real and started to squeeze that trigger??? Waddaya think folks?? Think he'd still want to crack a funny about shooting opposing party politicians or would his response be to shit his chickenshit pants???..... JD
ufff, big props for @46, though, well spoken.
I don't think this could have been planned -- Huckabee, for all of his many faults, can be a pretty funny guy and if this had been planned, surely he would have come up with something slightly amusing.
What an unfunny prick!
Sanctimonious prick
deel @ 33:
Oh....wow. Now, that's an interesting thought experiment indeed.
But he's a goooooooood Chreeestian man.
Maybe the GOP will push for censure?
Jinx for Darth and me.
Conservative humour - Yes to Brady Bunch...No to Brady Bill
Ruthless People @ 61:
Just after pigs fly...
so check out huck joking about shooting those who don't vote for him...and jokes about shooting romney for running negative campaign ads...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQTKmVA9ENI
or shooting dangerously over the heads of reporters...
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/12/28/huckabee-jokes-about-cheney-hun...
this is no joke, this man is deranged.
Mike @ 65:
Exactly. Jokes about killing a Democratic presidential candidate, no problem. A Moveon.org ad about General "Betrayus"? CENSURE! CENSURE!
No wonder the voters are going to hand the GOP their asses in the next election. Couldn't happen to a better hypocritical bunch of scum bags.
J @ 23:
Wait a minute, you think this post brings out "frothing zealots and vicious loons" and you don't get that comments like Huckabee's incite REAL violence???
I lived thru the assassinations of JFK, RFK, & MLK and I remember that the jokes about killing all three of them proceeded their actual deaths. Kennedy was not loved by all, and those who hated him did so with ferver, same with his brother and even more so for MLK.
The Nazi's publicly mocked Jews and made jokes about exterminating them for most of the 1930's, by the time they got around to really doing it, it was not a new idea.
My son is overseas in the Marines, here is the latest joke making it's way around the Marines:
"Quick, get your gun and meet at the South Lawn of the White House."
"Why?"
"There's a beaver and a coon trying to get in."
Still think it's just innocent fun?
Jack Cafferty just called Huckleberry an "idiot. An idiot. Anybody who would say that is a moron." The other guy tried to say that it was not ice for Jack to say that. He said that everybody says stupid things etc etc. Jack came back and said "let me rephrase that. he's an idiot." Hahahahahahhahahhahaha
Huckabee's personal Jesus is laughing with him. Huckabee's personal Jesus is a sad clown
deel @ 34:
Exactly
Hagee gets worse (he was always like this)
Can we finally rid the American political arena of the RW xtian nutjobs now.
They are crazier than a sack full of squirrels and nastier than a rabid dog.
McCain Endorser Hagee : "God Sent Hitler, Jews have Dead Souls"
Ok, here's a little speculation; the GOP thought this 'joke' would serve to make voters uneasy about the possibility that Obama will be assassinated if elected and the tragedy will throw the country into turmoil again. They thought the message would be most easily assimilated as a stupid joke and they thought that joke might actually play, just barely, to the NRA after Obama's crack about underprivileged people and guns. Huckabee was an unwilling deliverer of that line, recognizing it as inhumane and generally crappy, but that was his assignment. He came up with the "tripping over a chair" comment in case he couldn't go on with it, but ended up saying, "tripping off a chair" instead, in his nervousness. Then he decided to go with his scripted line after all and just came out with it.
eric @ 55:
Along those same lines, I was thinking that the only reason this remark was made was to 'prime' us, to make us think this sort of joke-making is perfectly acceptable. Won't take much after that for some crazed, brainwashed dupe to pull the trigger.
And the GOP don't' understand why anyone would want to take their guns away!
not that any Democratic leader every would take away anybodies guns, but these people should not be armed, they should be put in a nice 3 x 5 cell and left to rot!
or maybe just turned over to Jigsaw so they can learn a lesson in morality.
StirFry @ 71:
Ffs don't do that. Clowns scare the crap outta me.
Ruthless People @ 68:
Pity the benighted voters couldn't be be bothered LAST election... oh, WAIT! That one was stolen too...
I haven't read any posts above this one.
WOW!!! Is all I can utter at this moment.
J @ 24:
Really?
This is funny?
No, it isn't.
We have had too many assassinations in our country just in the last 40 years. It is almost always someone who is making change, taking on power. Medgar Evers, MLK, Bobby, JFK.
Once Malcom X started changing and going towards working within the system and leaving Farrakhan they got him too.
No, this is not funny at all.
(It is also not funny when pundits and some others on the internets talk about it about Clinton.)
Paul @ 65:
HA!
very good!
the biggest assholes of all are people who wear religion on their sleeve. huckabee is just 1 of many.
Anonymous Hussein @ 74:
Never ascribe to conspiracy what stupidity will handily explain.
Anonymous Hussein @ 74:
Wow, you are way too nice to these racist assholes. They aren't even thinking that people would be worried and the country thrown into turmoil if there was an assasination. First of all, if there were an assassination and turmoil, they would be out there finding a way to make money off of it, and secondly, and more importantly, the thought of a black man in Bush's office throws them into real turmoil and that's what they believe is their ticket to exploit. Obama will never be anything but a black man to them and they believe that is their ticket to victory because they don't believe they are in the minority. They think all whites feel that way, and that their job is to exploit that
Watch: every reference to Obama is color coded.
J @ 24:
Holy shit! Are you serious?! You don't make fucking "jokes" about someone taking a shot at a presidential candidate.
nickpoppagorgiofromyuma @ 1:
Yes, because if his wife was thin and hot, what he said would okie dokie, right?
J @ 24:
Not the issue.
He may be a theocrat, but pat robertson he ain't. He's always conducted himself with humility and honesty and fairness as far as I can see
I'm sure that's probably what the rapist he paroled thinks.
Third, part of the reason I've become increasingly dismayed about petty nitpickings like this appearing on this otherwise well-kept and informative site is that it draws out frothing zealots and vicious loons like those above.
There is nothing petty about joking about the assassination of a major political candidate, especially amongst a group of gun-owners, some of whom have been known to become unhinged over the prospect of any threat they perceive to the second amendment.
Is my perception that the joke bombed correct? Credit where due, if so...
Dr Acula @ 85:
Why, because being anointed as a "candidate" somehow makes it wrong, or just because it isn't funny?
Golly I'm confusted here...
Ah, good Christian values expressed at the podium- yet again. What is even scarier is that there actually people who support lunatics like Mike Huckabee.
This is just gross and only proves just how sick this world has really become.
pissed off patricia @ 33:
Hey PoP - how r u? Wasn't it a wonderful bill that our state legislature just passed? One can now bring a gun with you to work if one leaves it in ones car. FloriDUH strikes again.