In 1998, Governor Mike Huckabee's 17-year-old son, David, hanged a stray dog at Boy Scout Camp. Then, Governor Huckabee pressured John Bailey, the director of Arkansas's state police, to deny a local prosecutor's request to investigate the matter under state animal-cruelty laws. Seven months later Huckabee fired Bailey who claims Huckabee told him, "I've lost confidence in your ability to do your job. I couldn't get you to help me with my son when I had that problem." (Huckabee denies this.)
Because of this, and because Mike Huckabee generally creeps me out with his floating cross, and his good-ol-boy-don't-Mormons believe-Jesus-was-the-devil's-brother-I'm-not-going-to-run-this negative-ad-press-conference. I won't compare him to a dog. Dogs are not phony or duplicitous. Instead, I urge voters to take a look at Elia Kazan's 1957 masterpiece, A Face In The Crowd.
* Spoiler Alert* In the film, Andy Griffith plays Lonesome Rhodes a mean Arkansas hobo who becomes a media sensation because of his down-home wisdom and connection to the common man. He also has the help of slick behind the scenes promoters, including the fabulous Patricia Neal as Marcia Jeffries, and sponsors who ride his coattails to a national TV show called, what else, "Cracker Barrel."
Eventually Marcia Jeffries becomes so horrified at the power hungry "monster she's created" she turns on his microphone live on the air as he mocks his viewers, calling them morons, idiots, and guinea pigs. His fans are outraged and Rhodes is finished. But the movie ends brilliantly with another Lonesome Rhodes, played by Rip Torn, waiting in the wings. (Source: IMDB)
P.S. After the dog-hanging incident David Huckabee made Eagle Scout.
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