Ohio Issue 2: Mike Huckabee Urges Voter Suppression Against Opponents Of Anti-Union Measure

WASHINGTON -- Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee encouraged supporters of an anti-union ballot measure in Ohio to stop its opponents from voting, jokingly urging the crowd to let the air out of tires and intentionally give out a wrong election date.

As reported by MasonBuzz, the 2008 presidential candidate spoke to a crowd of about 350 Issue 2 supporters at a pancake breakfast and rally in Mason, Ohio on Friday. Huckabee expressed his support for the referendum, and outlined what supporters could do to ensure the measure's passage in next month's general election.

"Make a list," said Huckabee, referring to supporters' family and friends. "Call them and ask them, 'Are you going to vote on Issue 2 and are you going to vote for it?' If they say no, well, you just make sure that they don't go vote. Let the air out of their tires on election day. Tell them the election has been moved to a different date. That's up to you how you creatively get the job done."

The crowd laughed at Huckabee's remarks. In 2009, he made a similar joke in Virginia, saying, "Let the air our of their tires ... keep 'em home. Do the Lord's work."

LISTEN:

Issue 2 is a ballot referendum on Senate Bill 5, which limits collective bargaining for Ohio's public employees. The measure has been heavily opposed by pro-labor groups like We Are Ohio, which emphasize that the bill would inhibit workers' rights. Voters will decide on the ballot initiative next month.

"These comments reflect an entire campaign of deceit from Issue 2 supporters. They are willing to go to any extremes to keep Ohioans from letting their voices be heard," said We Are Ohio spokeswoman Melissa Fazekas. "Enough is enough."

The event where Huckabee spoke was hosted by the Warren County Republican Party and Building a Better Ohio, a pro-Issue 2 group that recently came under fire for using footage of an Ohio woman who opposes the legislation in one of their ads.

Huckabee's representatives and Building a Better Ohio did not return requests for comment on Monday.

Comments

[Kneeanderthal]

11:42 PM on 11/08/2011

It would be good for a laugh if the Republicans did not actually do such things.

[loggerboots]

09:59 PM on 11/08/2011

Huckabee is a CHRISTIAN MINISTER and a complete and total BOWEL MOVEMENT!

[lvogt]

03:10 PM on 11/08/2011

Is it legal to tell a crowd to commit this kind of voter intimidation?

[Dezembrr]

09:17 PM on 11/08/2011

I agree. Can't he be prosecuted for advocating these types of acts? And he's said the same thing before! I thought "thou shalt not lie" was on his big 10 list? Well so much for his supposed christian values.

[neodesha]

10:27 PM on 11/07/2011

Now that's the kind of assault on our democracy the merits a Second Amendment remedy!

[kathy smelser]

01:47 PM on 11/03/2011

good thing Ohio is a long way away from Ark but . and i am quite sure that if our Gov K. could get away with it he would follow your suggestion

[Lisa Gentile]

04:28 PM on 10/31/2011

I'm sorry, is what happens in Ohio any frickin business of Mike Huckabee's? That would be a Hell No! Low-down ads and dirty politics - typical tea party/republican mo's.

[sd sundevil]

07:42 PM on 10/25/2011

Here is a study that concludes "Public vs. Private Sector Compensation in Ohio: Public workers make 43 percent more in total compensation than their private‐sector colleagues."

http://thathero.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/BRT-Public-Sector-Comp-Study.pdf

[DC Liberal]

03:40 PM on 10/27/2011

Almost all of the difference cited in this report were tied to retirement benefits, in which the study made an apples-to-oranges (pention plan vs. social security) comparison, and adjusted the numbers for a multitude of reasons. They also made broad, generalizing statements to justify their numbers. "Given the lack of access to and generosity of retiree health coverage in privatesector employment, we do not attempt to calculate the value of retiree health care for private‐sector workers."

Statistics can say whatever you want them to say. Look at who paid for the study.

[Larry Motuz]

06:18 PM on 11/06/2011

I am always puzzled by people who say, "Look at what the market doesn't deliver to most" in order to argue that the few who got what their market provided should lose what they gained.

The real issue is why the market generally fails to provide much, if any, benefits to an awful lot of people. Leveling a playing field does not imply no standards for benefits. It may imply 'built-in' minimum standards for all benefits, non-negiotiable minimums.

[SeaMastr]

02:01 PM on 10/20/2011

LBJ saaid: "At times history and fate meet at a single time in a single place to shape a turning point in man's unending search for freedom. So it was at Lexington and Concord. So it was a century ago at Appomattox. So it was last week in Selma, Alabama. There is no Negro problem. There is no southern problem. There is no northern problem. There is only an American problem. Many of the issues of civil rights are very complex and most difficult. But about this there can and should be no argument. Every American citizen must have the right to vote...Yet the harsh fact is that in many places in this country men and women are kept from voting simply because they are Negroes... No law that we now have on the books...can insure the right to vote when local officials are determined to deny it... There is no Constitutional issue here. The command of the Constitution is plain. There is no moral issue. It is wrong—deadly wrong—to deny any of your fellow Americans the right to vote in this country. There is no issue of States' rights or National rights. There is only the struggle for human rights." He was right!

[TotalTranquility]

07:32 PM on 10/19/2011

The true Republican party is about Greed & Deceit.

[TotalTranquility]

07:23 PM on 10/19/2011

G.O.P. = Greed Over People

[fatpratt]

06:50 PM on 10/19/2011

laughingly...jokingly...or NOT. you absolutely know what his followers heard...right?

[Bob Metcalfe]

02:26 PM on 10/26/2011

Dog whistle?? Yes.

[Jeremy Echols]

01:54 PM on 10/19/2011

Even as a joke this is completely inappropriate. If just one person takes him seriously and commits vandalism to sabotage the democratic process, he should be held partially responsible.

I'm all for free speech, but condoning these kinds of actions is messed up.

[Dezembrr]

09:21 PM on 11/08/2011

And he's suppose to value christian ethics like not telling lies. Typical republiclown religious hypocrite.

[Synthmatrix]

11:15 AM on 10/19/2011

What a disgusting thing to say from a supposed Christian. What about 'thou shalt not bear false witness against your neighbor', i.e. thou shalt not lie? But here he is telling people to break that very commandment and having the audacity to call it doing the Lord's work. Make your voice heard. Vote. But don't deny other people their rights with deception. Revolting. He should be ashamed.

[meritocracy]

08:48 AM on 10/19/2011

The GOP knows that if all those eligible to vote were allowed to do so, they couldn't win an election for Drain Commissioner in most of the country, so they suppress. That's a perfect illustration of the rightwing's esteem for core democratic values. In their hearts, they are almost all abject totalitarians who weould be most happy in a corporate police state.

[ONLYGRAYCLOUDS]

07:18 AM on 10/19/2011

Can someone dumb this down for me ? i thought huckabee was a christian ? what it is he talking about ? how much money do unions get ? arent unions money hungry theives?

[Jeremy Echols]

02:02 PM on 10/19/2011

I can't speak to Huckabee's insanity here, but I have some perspective to offer on unions....

Unions are evil, but they balance the evils of management fairly well. I work for Oregon State University, and the unions are definitely full of crap. But I also have a 40-hour workweek, a fairly decent pay, and good benefits. My total compensation, counting everything (pay, health insurance, pension, vacation time, etc) is something like $100k to $110k a year, which is good, but not amazing considering I have one of the highest salary ranges a classified employee can get - I'm an "Analyst Programmer, competency level 3". Kind of like a "senior software engineer" anywhere else.

I came from Musician's Friend, where my total compensation was closer to $85k a year, and management basically bullied everybody. My base salary was a bit higher at MF, but my benefits were worse, and my workweek could be 60 hours if management decided it needed to be. For some people who are being let go at the end of the year, 60-hour workweeks were the norm.

I don't like some of the union's tactics, and many members are just self-entitled whiny little b****es, but overall I don't think the union is much more than a balancing force.

[ONLYGRAYCLOUDS]

07:32 PM on 10/19/2011

Ok thank you for explaining the union thing to me and good for you seems like you do good for yourself . i guess unions are groups that want to make sure they get good salary and benefits , im with that but depends in the job and how much you work , im sure not all places have good pay or benefits but i think in your field you could find a better place to work that could pay more etc since youre in the highest salary ranges.

[Dezembrr]

09:23 PM on 11/08/2011

Problem with the women in charge, eh?