Mike Huckabee has been in the spotlight a lot lately, but according to many, it’s hardly for a good reason. His book tour for “God, Gun, Grits and Gravy” was seen as a peculiar move by some, and it’s been having a profound impact on popular culture and the way people perceive it. Huckabee has been notably critical of the Obama family for their alleged close relationship with Jay Z and Beyonce, further criticizing them for their easygoing acceptance of rap music into their lives. It’s no secret that Mike Huckabee’s views on this particular musical genre are far from positive, though his recent statements have been a bit surprising even for him.
On the other hand, it’s not the first time Mike Huckabee has been the center of media attention for similar reasons. “Quit Digging Your Grave with a Knife and Fork”, another prominent book of his, was promoted at various events some of which even had Bill Clinton present. The former governor of Arkansas was quite serious about his war on “crudeness”, and he then made several talks about Beyonce which echoed throughout the media for a long time.
Of course, far from everyone had a positive attitude towards those talks, with many claiming that Huckabee was “scared of Beyonce’s feminism” – a claim that some have pointed out as a bit ridiculous, as Huckabee had never actually mentioned feminism in his materials. Some have also called him a racist, including Alyssa Rosenberg from the Washington Post, as she was talking about his “stupid, racist attack on Jay-Z and Beyonce”.
And now, the author’s crusade against Beyonce has reached “The Daily Show”, where he made an appearance and, as some publications have described it, started a full-on culture war. His talks on the show were pretty much a restatement of his main theory from his book, according to which there is a bubble of elitists that doesn’t understand the “real” America. However, as enthusiastic as Huckabee may be about his idea, some have pointed out that the theory is actually far from original, and has been thrown around for many years now.
Last, Huckabee managed to take a stab at the secretary of state, whose positive attitude towards France has been the subject of some media attention lately – he said “I would say au contraire, to quote John Kerry”. The majority of responses to Huckabee’s appearance on “The Daily Show” have been understandably negative, although on the other hand it could be argued that he knew exactly what he was aiming to achieve with that appearance, and he got his point across excellently in the end, no matter how many people might disagree with that point.