Mike Huckabee said:
"That was Barack Obama, he just tripped off a chair, he was getting ready to speak and somebody aimed a gun at him and he dove for the floor."
Here's the link to the video again. Please watch it again. At about the 50 seconds mark, Huckabee makes his infamous 'joke.' Quite clearly, laughter is heard. Is the entire audience laughing? No. Scattered laughter.
This isn't the first time Huckabee has joked about murder. In fact on a duck hunt where reporters tagged alongduring his presidential campaign:
Huckabee emerged happily from his hunt, three dead pheasants in tow, Oliphant reports. Asked for a metaphor to describe the hunt, he replied, "Don't get in my way. This is what happens."
But this diary isn't about the NRA. Right now I don't care about the NRA. What I do care about is the truth.
The diary that made the rec list today is not accurate, and not truthful. It makes me sad that many people so want to be allies with a particular demographic that they recommend a dishonest diary.
Gun owners don't have to be our political enemies; many of you are gun owners and many of you aren't. Some of you support gun control legislation, some don't. That isn't the issue here. The issue is that a former Presidential candidate and prominent Republican made a joke about our nominee being afraid of being shot. There's a racist component of the old Steppin Fetchit stereotype of the fearful black man who is clumsy and dumb that Huckabee invoked.
Update:
I am adding a bit more explanationhere of the racist stereotypes that Huckabee invoked:
As with Sambo, the coon was portrayed as a lazy, easily frightened, chronically idle, inarticulate, buffoon. The coon differed from the Sambo in subtle but important ways. Sambo was depicted as a perpetual child, not capable of living as an independent adult. The coon acted childish, but he was an adult; albeit a good-for-little adult.
And Huckabee invoked our long history of wink wink nod nod right wing approval of assassinations such as those of JFK, MLK, and RFK. He gave voice to that ugliness.
I cannot allow that ugliness to be brushed aside because someone wants to claim there is no laughter at that joke when clearly the video shows laughter.
Today, that ugliness was shrugged off at Daily Kos, and the Rec List is the lesser for it.
Update:
In the comments section, phrogge prince wrote that he/she plans to :
"write the NRA and demand that they denounce the 'joke' directly and in a manner that unmistakenly disavows Huckabee's remarks as completely inappropriate"
I would like to recommend that any NRA members or non-members would do so also. Thank you for your terrific contribution, phrogge prince.