Mike Huckabee's instant classic in the canon of modern Republican misogyny, denouncing overbearing government bogeyman "Uncle Sugar" for contraceptive handouts to women who "cannot control their libido or their reproductive system" may seem, on the surface, to be merely Tea Party anti-governmentism blended with run of the mill Rush Limbaugh slut-shaming.
Any Republican cringing over Huckabee's remarks is really about his phrasing, not his ideology. After all, the RNC just adopted the resolution proposed by Committeewoman Ellen Barrosse "to fight back against Democrats' deceptive, 'war on women' rhetoric." Huckabee may have not been this effort's best messenger, but in reality he's an honest one: religious conservatives see "Uncle Sugar" (or, in the more frequently used parlance, "government bureaucrats") as encouraging women to -- gasp! -- have lots of sex, when women should only be having sex with husbands, and on their husbands' terms.
Read Full Article »