What's The Right Thing?

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Mike Huckabee Pt. 2

And the media wonders why it is on the verge of failure. Perhaps journalists and reporters should watch Jon Stewart as he interviews Mike Huckabee on the issue of gay rights and gay marriage to see how it's done.

No twisted pretzels trying to cover both sides of the issue, even when the facts show there's only one side. No gotcha journalism. No sensationalism. Just sincere, piercing questions, asked in a respectful manner, with an admitted point of view on the issue.

Some transcript snippets from Pam's House Blend:

"You write that marriage is the bedrock of society...Why would you not want more couples to buy into the stability of marriage. Why would you want to precluded for an entire [group] of people."

Huckabee responded with a series of standard points, including "Marriage still means one man, one woman, life relationship. I think people have a right to live any way they want to, but even anatomically -- let's face it -- the only way that we can create the next generation is through a male/female relationship."

In a point that Stewart would press him on later by suggesting that his history is a bit skewed, Huckabee asserted, "For 5000 years of recorded human history that's what marriage has meant."

Huckabee: "30 states have had it on the ballot, and in all 30 states, it's passed -- even in states like California, that nobody would suggest are social conservatives..."

Stewart: "30 states had Mike Huckabee on the ballot and they voted for John McCain. You can't trust those voters. The voters don't know."

My favorite line:

Stewart: You write in your book that all people are created equal and yet for gay people you believe that it is corrosive to society to allow them to have the privileges that all humans enjoy.

The interview is a must see.

See also Crooks and Liars.