The XX Factor

Please, Mike Huckabee, Keep Talking About Contraception

Louder, Mike.

Photo by Lior Mizrahi /Getty Images

Thursday, Mike Huckabee gave a speech in front of the Republican National Committee where he explained that the law requiring health insurance to cover contraception, championed by Democrats, is an insult to women because it presumes that women “cannot control their libido.” The comment got a lot of press, and Huckabee shot back late Thursday night by sending an email out to his supporters portraying himself as a heroic truth-teller being suppressed by the evil left-wing media. “I am apparently the worst conservative ever or at least the most annoying one according to the left wingers in Washington today,” he writes. “My remarks to the RNC today were immediately jumped on and blown sky high by hand-wringing, card carrying liberals from coast to coast, some of them in the media.”

It’s true that the remarks were “blown sky high,” but it’s not quite right to say that Huckabee’s critics were “hand-wringing” or that they think of him as the “worst conservative.” It’s more accurate to say that Democrats believe Huckabee is the best conservative and they hope he never shuts up, especially on the subject of how women should feel insulted and degraded by the implication that they might have sex for purposes other than making babies. Media liberals aren’t wringing their hands so much as begging Huckabee to explain, in great detail, how respect for women is contingent on believing that women have enough control over their libidos to have no need for contraception. If he can get roomfuls of Republicans to applaud him wildly for sneering at birth control, so much the better. 

“Guess what liberals?” he taunts in his email. “If you can’t stand to look at yourself in the mirror, then get ready for more of this talk, because conservatives are going to continue to fight back against your destructive policies towards women and families.” We’re ready! Seriously, I am just sitting here at my apartment, totally prepared and waiting for Huckabee to “continue to fight back” against the “destructive” policies that assume women would like affordable contraception. After all, Obama did well with female voters after making his pro-contraception stance central to his campaign, suggesting that, contrary to Huckabee’s high hopes, women don’t actually believe sex is a nasty act that should only be tolerated for procreation.

Naturally, the email ends with a fund-raising appeal. Despite the extremely negative tone Huckabee uses to describe the left, I think he’s going to find that Democrats couldn’t agree with him more on this issue: People should keep giving money to Mike Huckabee so that he can keep explaining to America that only dirty girls do the sex.