Huckabee Hears A Horton (Again)
Throughout the 2008 presidential campaign, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee was dogged by his 1999 decision to grant an early release to convicted rapist Wayne DuMond.
That’s because within a year of being set free, DuMond raped and murdered a woman in Missouri.
DuMond was frequently described during the 2008 campaign as Huckabee’s “Willie Horton,” a reference to the infamous South Carolina native who was released from a Massachusetts prison under a weekend furlough program supported by then-Gov. Michael Dukakis.
After eluding authorities for nearly a year, Horton was finally caught – but only after he had raped a Maryland woman and savagely beaten her fiancee. Those two crimes formed the basis of the remarkably effective “Willie Horton Ad,” a television commercial conceptualized by George H.W. Bush strategist Lee Atwater that quickly became the stuff of political legend.
Now, another criminal set loose by Huckabee has struck again – effectively torpedoing any chance the “family values” Republican had of claiming his party’s presidential nomination in 2012.
Maurice Clemmons, who was granted clemency by Huckabee in 2000, is the prime suspect in the murder of four Lakewood, Washington police officers, who were shot to death at a local coffee shop while preparing to go on duty.
Police described the slayings as “a targeted execution-style attack.”
One week prior to allegedly committing these murders, Clemmons was released on bond after being charged with assaulting a police officer and raping a twelve-year-old relative.
Huckabee – who has been getting blasted by conservative bloggers over the shooting – attempted to paint some distance between himself and the Clemmons’ fiasco by including others in on the negligence.
“Should he be found to be responsible for this horrible tragedy, it will be the result of a series of failures in the criminal justice system in both Arkansas and Washington State,” Huckabee said.
That may be true, but our guess is that none of the others who contributed to that “series of failures” were being viewed as credible presidential candidates the way Huckabee was.
UPDATE: According to the Seattle Times, Huckabee’s second Horton has been shot and killed by police.
Comments
By Georgia Bulldozer on December 1st, 2009 at 12:14 am
Maybe people will finally stop mentioning Suckabee and 2012 in the same breath.
By Andy from Beaverton on December 1st, 2009 at 12:23 am
Great headline!
By Liberty For Me on December 1st, 2009 at 8:59 am
I hope he is done now….Why do people think someone like this shows what it takes to be president?
By John Steinberger on December 1st, 2009 at 9:07 am
Gov. Huckabee reduced a 104-year sentence to a 47-year sentence. An independent parole board granted Clemmons parole 2 years later. We need truth in sentencing throughout the country!
By Elmer on December 1st, 2009 at 9:13 am
How come God didn’t tell Huckabee to keep the criminal locked up? Huckabee should stick to playing bass guitar and catering to his flock of uneducated Fox viewers.
By Just a good ole boy on December 1st, 2009 at 10:25 am
As much as we all may want to blame a Governor for the actions a ex-con takes once they are out of prison,the ultimate responsibilty lies with the con. History,the law of averages and plain common sense shows that the criminal element will not reform a majority of the time. So we have two choices, keep them locked up forever or reduce the criminal element by use of the death penalty. Enhancing the crimes that qualify for the death penalty will serve as some deterent to that end. Further, lowering the age for those to qualify from 18(as mandated by the Supreme Court which was wrong in their decision, but thats a later discussion)to 14,15,16 needs to considered.
There was a time in this country when executions were public, which by most accounts of the day went a long way towards reducing crime as the criminal element saw the likely outcome if they did not change their ways. Some may want to cry these actions would be dracoian and barbaric, but I think the four slain officers in Washington state, the rape/murder victims in Cleveland and the victims of crime and their families across this country would strongly disagree. The life of a criminal is no more precious than that of the victim…
By ohara on December 1st, 2009 at 1:42 pm
To just a good ole boy:
Yeah you keep him locked up forever. Some people are psychopaths, anti-social, violent, and have no place in society unless it is in an institution. You don’t turn loose the crazies to rape 12 year olds and murder police officers.
As far as the death penalty working as a deterrent? Doesn’t seem to have much of an affect on rapists & murderers, or Texas would be crime free by now. Leave them in jail. It costs less money than appealing the death penalty.
By SC Integrity on December 1st, 2009 at 2:49 pm
DP as a deterrent was long since buried. It’s true that DP inmates beseech Guvs unceasingly to put their heads on the block next. Not for show but the actual “happy” ending. Living in prison indefinitely is way worse.
I actually know an innocent person on DP very well. Breaking news to a few, a truly and provably innocent American on DP, honest to God. He’s my hero, I’d never make it. Helps to keep the superficial in its place though.
DP lawyers don’t want their golden calf killed, that’s for sure. We dummies pay the state thrice to keep the game going for all sides of the bar.
God be with the families of the murdered police, so horrible.
By WorkingTommyC on December 1st, 2009 at 4:01 pm
Public hangings had their advantages.
Huckabee himself needs a public hanging in effigy. He’s just another in “a series of failures” of power-puffed politicians. He is obviously the weakest link in this chain of circumstances. He acted first and was therefore the primary enabler in the lead-up to this criminal’s subsequent rape and murders.
Think about it: as governor looking over the appeal, Huckabee could have just done NOTHING and let the system work properly as it had up to that point. But could he just leave something alone???
NOOOOOOOOO!
Like most politicians, Huckabee can’t handle doing the right thing when the right thing is doing NOTHING.
Despite his Gomer Pyle, “aw shucks!” gooberness, Huckabee is just another power hungry politician who JUST HAD to play God with the lives of US citizens.
After all, he lives in a world of money and power that common folks can’t afford to live in. He apparently thinks he’s better than us and knows better than the jury of common people and the judge who put that monster behind bars forever to begin with.
Huckabee is yet another politician playing the role of social scientist manipulating us lab rats. Cynically speaking, it looks as though he may have used Maurice Clemmons as a pawn in appealing to the black voters of his state. If he truly did it out of kindness as a true believer in redemption as he has told us, then his head is much softer than his bleeding heart. Such idiotic actions have backfired on his condescending ass twice.
Now maybe that spineless, backstabbing, Lindsey-Gaham-wannabe, pathetic WIMP Huckabee can rot in political hell were he deserves to burn forever.
Now, please allow me to tell you how I REALLY feel . . . =:>)
By dirtbogger on December 3rd, 2009 at 11:03 am
He also had a man arrested outside his campaign headquaters for carring a sign that said who would Jesus bomb, a very good question if you ask me. I would not call him a bleeding hart, but just another scumb of the earth eleatist politician. He who prays in public has already recieved his blessing. All of them talked the talk but Ron Paul walked the walk!