2016 presidential-hopeful-without-a-prayer Mike Huckabee recently told radio talk show host Michael Medved that the Supreme Court’s 1857 Dred Scott v. Sanford decision was very relevant to the Kim Davis case. Here’s what he said:
“Michael, the Dred Scott decision of 1857 still remains to this day the law of the land, which says that black people aren’t fully human. Does anybody still follow the Dred Scott Supreme Court decision?”
Just a quick history lesson. Dred Scott was a slave who unsuccessfully sued for his freedom, as well as that of his wife and two daughters, starting in 1846. The case made national headlines and went all the way to the Supreme Court, which in 1857 ruled 7-2 against Scott. Scott’s case fueled growing tensions between the North and South, which eventually erupted in 1861 just four years after the Supreme Court’s decision.
Huckabee basically compared Kim Davis to Dred Scott because she wanted to ignore the rights of the LGBT community as well as the Supreme Court. The irony is simply delicious. Davis was not only ignoring the Supreme Court but the 14th Amendment as well. Section 1 of the 14th Amendment reads as follows:
“All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
As you can see, Huckabee must have been drunk on “Jesus Juice” because one of the main provisions in the 14th Amendment gave every American — including blacks — birthright citizenship, effectively overturning the Dred Scott Supreme Court decision.
Huckabee wasn’t done flexing his ignorance muscles however; the former governor recently sat down with ABC News’s George Stephanopoulos and said this:
“When you say the federal government recognizes [same-sex marriage], what statute under which do they recognize it?”
First grader Suzy, could you answer Mr. Huckabee’s question?
Thank you, Suzy. That is correct. The 14th Amendment is the “law of the land” just as all other Amendments are. For a presidential candidate not to know this is truly scary. Between Huckabee and Donald Trump, I can’t decide which mask will be scarier this Halloween.
Here are two videos which highlight Huckabee’s astounding ignorance:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiZiKLIkfg8
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