FORT DODGE, Iowa—Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee—who won Iowa’s Republican caucuses in 2008—joined a room full of Iowans this morning to lay out the policies he would promote during his latest presidential run. Huckabee, who especially succeeded in winning over evangelicals in 2008, focused much of his speech on religious liberty, which he called “the foundation of all our liberties.” He questioned the Supreme Court’s decision to legalize gay marriage. Huckabee said the Supreme Court, or “the extreme court” as he calls it, decided “that 5,000 years of human history in regards to what marriage meant didn’t matter anymore.” “The Supreme Court [voted] away the common sense and the common understanding of the family,” Huckabee said. According to Huckabee, the gay marriage ruling shows “how quickly we have spiraled out of control.” But, he said, “every human being ought to be treated with dignity and respect.” Huckabee proposed broad protections for religious liberty if he were elected president. He said:
- Every person, business owner, hospital, adoption agency, church, synagogue, mosque, etc. will have its religious liberty protected.
- The attorney general will be instructed to protect religious liberty on behalf of every American and every institution.
- The defense secretary will be instructed to make sure that every soldier, sailor, marine, airman, coast guardsman and every chapel in the military is free to express his or her religious viewpoint, display the bible and pray.
While Huckabee crafted his message around religious liberty, he said the economy and military are the wings that help propel the country forward. “Folks I learned how to govern,” Huckabee said. “The government is there to serve the people. It is a government of the people.” Reprinted with permission from The Heritage Foundation.
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