Will paroling rapist who went on to rape & murder sink Huckabee candidacy?

[yurbud]

It's kind of weird, every time a GOP contender looks like they are about to break out of the pack, they either turn out to be far less than advertised (Thompson, Romney), or their skeletons fall out of their closet (Guiliani, Huckleberry).

If you don't know the rapist story, as governor, Huckabee intervened to encourage the parole of a rapist because the anti-Clinton crowd wanted it since one of the guy's victims was a distant Clinton cousin.

The request would have been chilling even if Huckabee hadn't complied.

Will this sink his campaign?

[saltpoint]

1. I'm hoping his GOP opponents will make frequent mention of it during

the next couple months.

[YOY]

2. There will never be a "President Huckabee"

It just sounds stupid.

[yurbud]

12. but we have a president who actually IS stupid

[YOY]

15. Yes, but his name is pretty straightforward and doesn't sound silly

As stupid as the man may be. The name "George Bush" sounds like the kinda guy Johnny-sixpack would want to invite to his barbecue to discuss their new "hemi". So does "Bill/Hillary Clinton", John Edwards, Fred Thompson, and maybe even that "EYE-tallian feller" Rudy Guiliani. (As an Italian American I am never surprised by the xenophobia of my fellow midwesterners and southerners.)

"Huckabee" sounds like the kind of guy in the office you try to avoid. Stupid voters can be swayed that way... Sadly the name thing has been used against Obama (Osama Barack??? He's one-a them thar Muslims!!!) already...I can just imagine someone calling Kucinich a Russian Commie (He's Croatian American.)

Never underestimate the stupidity of people in large groups.

Note: I don't think this way but I've seen it where I'm from.

Just as there as never been a president with the first name "Spiro".

[yurbud]

16. ''Huckabee'' sounds like one of the guys that thought Ned Beatty had a purty mouth in DELIVERANCE

[mntleo2]

3. I Heard ...

...on Dan Abrams that the rapist was attacked and his testicles were cut off ~ though I am not sure if that was after the first rape or the consequent rapes and murder. If it was after the first rape and before the other ones, what does that say about castration and how it works? And was this even true???

Cat In Seattle

[sinkingfeeling]

14. Yes, that happened and it's even a worse story. The DNA from the 1st. rape, the

distant cousin of Clinton, did not match Wayne DuMond's. He was charged based on the victim's identification and out on bail. He was 'kidnapped' from his house and castrated with a piece of wire and a razor blade (I think, it's been a long time)and almost bled to death. Later the testicles were on the local sheriff's desk in a jar. DuMond succeeded in a lawsuit against the sheriff. He was then convicted of the rape and went to jail. After his release, he went to Missouri and it's there that he was convicted of the second rape and murder.

[sinkingfeeling]

4. No, because it doesn't matter to his base. They are the 'Christian evangelicals' who only care that

Huck is 'one of them' and will push for overturning Roe vs. Wade and a Constitutional amendment to outlaw gays.

[zbdent]

5. RWers took parts of Bill Clinton's "letter" out of context to show his "disdain for the military"

but here you have Huckabee's actual letter of praise to the rapist ... who raped "a cousin of Clinton" ...

Boggles the mind ...

[Donald Ian Rankin]

6. It shouldn't.

It was an error of judgement, but - unlike many other things about Huckabee - not a good reason to oppose his candidacy.

It is inevitable that if you release anyone on parole, some of them will go on to reoffend.

The allegations that Huckabee's motivation in parolling Dumond was to get at Clinton are unsubstantiated to say the least (FWIW, I suspect that he genuinely thought that it was appropriate to parole Dumond, but that he did so as a result of paying more attention to conservative sources than the evidence they could adduce deserved, just because they were conservative and he trusted conservatives. That's pure guesswork on my part though, obviously - the truth could be either more or less sinister than that).

The reason Huckabee ought not to be president is what he'd do if he got in, not a single high-profile error of a kind that it's inevitable the system will produce some of.

Separation of Church and State, Abortion, gay rights, Iraq, the economy, Iran, education etc are all good reasons to fight Huckabee tooth and nail. The Dumond case isn't, I think

[TwilightGardener]

7. The Dumond case tells a lot about Huckabee--bad judgment, easily

swayed by others, his willingness to deny justice for an innocent rape victim in favor of granting mercy to a repeat violent offender, his cold-blooded political calculating that led to the parole board's decision rather than a commutation for which he would be held responsible. You are aware that he held that parole board meeting illegally, with no stenographer present? That was to cover his tracks--he KNEW that getting Dumond released would be politically unpopular. Huckabee wanted to play God--he let some criminals, even murderers, go free and executed others, based on whether they had sufficiently "found Jesus" like Dumond claimed to have done. The power of his office really, really went to his head, and combined with his religious zealotry, led to a disaster. Innocent women died because of his direct interference with the justice system. And now he lies and blames everyone else for it, and attacks anyone who even dares bring it up. I don't know how you can defend this at all, or claim it won't have any bearing on a presidency--this guy would be absolutely FRIGHTFUL in office, for many reasons, but the Dumond case pretty much sums up what a sneaky, stupid, immoral bastard he really is.

[yurbud]

17. ''cold blooded political calculation'' but not quite cold enough

If he was colder, he would have realized it could come back to haunt him someday.

[riderinthestorm]

22. Huckabee denied an abortion to a mentally retarded girl, raped by her stepfather

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb5244/is_199608/ai_n20976416

This was one of his first acts as governor of Arkansas - he even violated Arkansas laws by blocking this abortion. Huckabee's moral compass isn't screwed on straight - Dumond, this case and others demonstrate his real failings as a religious political zealot.

As a rape crisis advocate/counselor, Huckabee sickens me with his abortion positions. Then you add on everything else PLUS his aw-shucks personality, and I believe we have another GW Bushmonster candidate....

[KittyWampus]

8. He also paroled a guy who killed a woman, raped her dead body, ran over it with his car

and then dumped the body in the bayou.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

20. How many people who didn't reoffend did he parole?

Everyone who paroles large numbers of people is going to parole some who reoffend. Did Huckabee have a higher reoffence rate than other people in equivalent positions? If not, it's not fair to hold that against him.

[justgamma]

9. Depends. Was the rapist a good Republican? n/t

[TwilightGardener]

10. It's fatal. This case won't go away. The mother of one of the victims promised

to campaign against him (and I don't blame her). We might not see the effects right away, but it will erode his support even among Republicans. And this isn't his only scandal. I don't even think he will be a VP pick--he's a dead duck, it's just not apparent yet.

[DemGa]

11. Oh indeed it will

Even the Freeptards have disavowed their role in getting the rapist/murderer released, and rejected Huckabee--the rabid base is gone. It's over for the Huckster.

[McCamy Taylor]

13. Republicans secretly hate women. Rape victims "invite it".They will not care.

[trashcanistanista]

18. I voted no. This will enhance his candidacy. The only

thing that will sink him is if the scholarships he created to help the children of illegal immigrants becomes front page news. That, is too liberal a thing to do for his crowd. If it hits msm he is finished.

[TwilightGardener]

19. Sean Hannity showcased the Dumond case on his program and had

Huckabee come on and try to explain it--he lied and spun through the whole interview, kept blaming the Clintons. He even suggested that he should be the nominee to go against Clinton BECAUSE of this case--in his twisted brain this case HELPS him defeat Hillary. Sean was not especially receptive to Huck's bullshit. Neither were some of his callers. This will kill Huckabee.

[Hippo_Tron]

21. Can you say: "I'm Mitt Romney and I approved this message"

[Disturbed]

23. Fox Noise is Mr. 911 Central. Huckster will be savaged there.

He might be the VP nominee for Mitt, if Jeb declines.

[ShaneGR]

24. I hope he wins the Republican Nomination

Because he's just about the only one of the Republicans Hillary Clinton can defeat easily, if she wins the nomination. A Huck win would provide a safety valve.