Huckabee: Stop Coddling the Gays, Or I'll Leave the GOP

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee as laid it on the line: Stop accepting gay marriage and abortion, or he will leave the GOP.

Yahoo! News reports the anti-gay politico appeared on the American Family Association's show this week to discuss gay marriage.

"If the Republicans want to lose guys like me -- and a whole bunch of still God-fearing Bible-believing people -- go ahead and just abdicate on this issue, and why you're at it, go ahead and say abortion doesn't matter, either," said Huckabee. "Because at that point, you lose me. I'm gone, I'll become an independent. I'll start finding people that have guts to stand. I'm tired of this."

Huckabee's comments come after the Supreme Court's announcement that they wouldn't take up the issue of gay marriage, clearing the way for several states to issue same-sex marriage licenses.

"I am utterly exasperated with Republicans and the so-called leadership of the Republicans who have abdicated on this issue when, if they continue this direction they guarantee they're gonna lose every election in the future," Huckabee said. "Guarantee it."

"And I don't understand why they want to lose," he continued. "Because a lot of Republicans, particularly in the establishment and those who live on either the left coast or those who live up in the bubbles of New York and Washington, are convinced that if we don't capitulate on the same sex marriage issue and if we don't raise the white flag of surrender, and just the accept it as inevitable, we'll be losers."

"I tell you," Huckabee said. "It's the absolute opposite of that."

MSNBC writes Huckabee, worked up about the Supreme Court decision, declared that the Supreme Court decisions were just "opinions" until Congress passes "enabling legislation" signed by the president, adding that high court rulings were "not the 'law of the land' as is often heralded."

Reporter Steve Benen remarked, "None of this is remotely accurate, but the comments were the latest evidence of Huckabee falling of a right-wing cliff."

He concedes, however, that Huckabee's ultimatum could force the Republican Party to decide whether to quietly move toward the mainstream, or alienate a significant part of the party's base. On the other hand, if the GOP decides to stick to the far right on issues like gays and the right to choose, they could push away younger voters and an increasingly mainstream party.

Oh, Shuckabees! It's time to decide whether to be hard-line Tea Party Republicans, or to maintain a party that will weather the changing tides.