Some responses worth of note in the flurry of news about extremist views of Arkansas Republican legislative candidates.
First, from former Republican Rep. Charlie Fuqua, running again for the House from Batesville, who we noted has a book in which, among others, he calls for expulsion of all Muslims from U.S. and execution of repeat criminal offenders and says U.S. monetary policy is contrary to the Bible. He was quoted here:
“I think my views are fairly well-accepted by most people,” Fuqua said before hanging up, saying he was busy knocking on voters’ doors.
Alas, he’s right, certainly insofar as the Republican base is concerned. Witness party officials refusal to withdraw endorsements and financial support from him or from Rep. Jon Hubbard of Jonesboro or Rep. Loy Mauch of Bismarck, both slavery apologists.
Hubbard issued a statement late yesterday to KAIT-TV in Jonesboro. He said he’s been taken out of context by “left-wing liberal bloggers.” The statement said, in part:
Obama-Pelosi-Beebe Democrats, led by left-wing bloggers, have attacked me over a book I wrote in 2008. They attacked me because I’m a conservative, and they’ve taken small portions of my book out of context, and distorted what was said to make it appear that I am racist, which is totally and completely false. These liberals offer no positive plans for dealing with the issues which are of major concern to the people of our state, and all they can do is to launch these negative attacks on those of us who do have legitimate and workable solutions to these problems. The one thing that scares the life out of them is losing their political stronghold they have had on our state for the last 138 years, and this is what keeps them awake at night. They will do anything to steer the conversation away from the real issues, and that is why they try to make me and other conservatives spend our time defending ourselves against their false accusations, instead of addressing these real issues the people of this state desperately want answers or solutions for.
I didn’t call Hubbard a racist. But I have noticed his pungent remarks over the years on immigration (he’s on an unending tear against the UA, for example, for allowing a program on campus about the plight of undocumented students) and about black people and slavery. Integration has brought down white folks, slavery was a blessing in disguise, etc. As he says, it’s all in his book. The fuller context doesn’t mitigate Hubbard’s extremism in my view or, apparently, the views of several Republicans who’ve distanced themselves from the quotes — if not from Hubbard the candidate. But if you want to buy it and decide for yourself, it’s on Amazon.
No defense heard yet from Republican Rep. Lloyd Mauch of Bismarck, who’s written for years in defense of slavery, saying, among others, the practice was condoned by Jesus and must be OK because none of the Gospels weighed in against it. He’s also repeatedly rapped Abraham Lincoln, spiritual father of the Republican Party, as a Nazi and Marxist.