Mike Huckabee: Syrian Refugees Aren’t Fleeing Tyranny, They Just Want ‘Cable TV’

Mike Huckabee
Image Via Politico

Granted, we all knew that Mike Huckabee was a major league jerkweed. This is, after all, the same man who has defended Kentucky clerk Kim Davis and tried to create the belief that American Christians are being persecuted at every turn.

But Huckabee has now reached a new low with his comments on the Syrian refugee crisis. Monday, during a campaign event at the far right wing Eagle Forum, the former Arkansas Governor said that the refugees flooding into Europe may well have “nefarious” or very trivial reasons for leaving their homes in Syria:

“Are they really escaping tyranny, are they escaping poverty, or are they really just coming because we’ve got cable TV? I don’t meant to be trite. I’m just saying, we don’t know.”

You don’t mean to be trite? Well what else would you call it when you casually dismiss the suffering of people who have been living in a war zone and suggest they just want to improve the number of TV channels they can receive?

But Huckabee the asshat wasn’t quite finished belching out lies and misinformation. He incorrectly declared that Saudi Arabia has offered to build 600 mosques for Muslim migrants and refugees who travel to the U.S. or Europe. That is simply wrong.  The Saudis have offered to build one mosque in Germany for every 100 refugees.

Huckabee then suggested:

“I’ve got a better idea. Why doesn’t Saudi Arabia host them, and we will send some assistance through our charitable organizations for some hospitals and schools? We will design the curriculum for those schools. They won’t be madrassas to teach terrorism.”

Isn’t Huckabee supposed to be a Christian? And didn’t Jesus say it was our responsibility to love our neighbors as we love ourselves? I guess that only applies if they come from countries we “agree” with. In fact, Huckabee decided to beat this Christian breast and remarked:

“That’s not a lack of Christian charity. It’s the essence of charity, to provide for needs, but not to put your own children at risk, if what you’re importing could be people who have a nefarious purpose for wanting to be here.”

Memo to Mike Huckabee: If you think that’s what “Christian charity” means, you need to go back and read the Bible again. And this time, try wearing some reading glasses when you do so.