In a radio interview Monday, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee criticized Natalie Portman’s presentation of her single motherhood during Sunday’s Oscar ceremony, saying that American culture should stop “glorify[ing]” and “glamoriz[ing]” unwed mothers.
“One of the things that’s troubling is that people see a Natalie Portman or some other Hollywood starlet who boasts of, ‘Hey look, you know, we’re having children, we’re not married, but we’re having these children, and they’re doing just fine.’ But there aren’t really a lot of single moms out there who are making millions of dollars every year for being in a movie,” Huckabee told radio host Michael Medved, according to a clip of the show obtained by liberal outlet Media Matters for America.
In framing the question to Huckabee, Medved had noted that Portman had said during her acceptance speech that she wanted to thank the father of her child for giving her “the most wonderful gift,” and argued that Portman’s message was “problematic.”
“I think it gives a distorted image that yes, not everybody hires nannies, and caretakers, and nurses,” Huckabee said. “Most single moms are very poor, uneducated, can’t get a job, and if it weren’t for government assistance, their kids would be starving to death and never have health care. And that’s the story that we’re not seeing, and it’s unfortunate that we glorify and glamorize the idea of out of children wedlock.”
“You know, right now, 75 percent of black kids in this country are born out of wedlock,” he continued. “Sixty-one percent of Hispanic kids — across the board, 41 percent of all live births in America are out of wedlock births. And the cost of that is simply staggering.”
UPDATE: Huckabee just issued this statement in response to the uproar over his comments:
In a recent media interview about my new book, A Simple Government, I discussed the first chapter, “The Most Important Form of Government Is a Father, Mother, and Children.” I was asked about Oscar-winner Natalie Portman’s out-of-wedlock pregnancy. Natalie is an extraordinary actor, very deserving of her recent Oscar and I am glad she will marry her baby’s father. However, contrary to what the Hollywood media reported, I did not “slam” or “attack” Natalie Portman, nor did I criticize the hardworking single mothers in our country. My comments were about the statistical reality that most single moms are very poor, under-educated, can’t get a job, and if it weren’t for government assistance, their kids would be starving to death. That’s the story that we’re not seeing, and it’s unfortunate that society often glorifies and glamorizes the idea of having children out of wedlock.
It seems as if babies are the new Birkin Bag or Chihuahua for many single Hollywood actresses. Some eventually get married (to the father), but many haven't.
On the bright side, at least they didn't abort the child (this time).
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbusePortman is engaged.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseGood to see Huckabee's priorities are in line to the pressing problems America faces. Similar to Ohio's where anti-gay marriage legislation was stuck into their budget bill.
What Huckabee should do is convene a top notch panel of Republican legislators and executives including Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin, John Ensign, and David Vitter on how the GOP differs from the Democrats on family values.
Am I the only one here with the guts to say this?
It may well be that Barack Obama was better off, as a child, because his bio-father was absent. That meant he was raised by his mom AND her family, who were very well-connected and not poor. It also meant that the adult male in his life was his adopted father, who was well-connected and not poor.
It also meant that he was raised w-- and A-- rather than b-- and K-- even though he could later take advantage of b-- during the affirmative action era [I dare not spell it out].
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseNatalie Portman: Living proof that a Harvard B.A. in Psychology and a lab assistantship with Alan Dershowitz guarantee neither wisdom nor intelligence.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseTwo words: Bristol. Palin.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"I did not raise taxes, I raised hope" Huckabee
@DrPalin, it seems gay marriage is the most important issue to most liberals and moderate Republicans. You guys talk about it more than anything else.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseActually, Never_Outraged, if you had guts you would say that Obama's black heritage did him a disservice and it was his white heritage that turned him into the man that he is today. But, Obama made a political calculation to morph from Barry Sotero, everyday biracial kid, to Barack Obama, uber black politician.
But yours was still gutsy.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse@NeverOutraged,
Why did your statement about Obama take guts? \\
Also, is the era of affirmative action over? I think it's still going strong.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThe more noise that emanates from Huck's pie hole, the more I wonder if he really wants to run for President or just wants to do as much damage to the GOP with social moderates and independents who blanch at ignorant utterances about Obama's childhood raised by his father in Kenya or not knowing Portman is engaged to the baby daddy.
Perhaps Huck wants some rough Ozark shotgun wedding action? Or maybe he's trying to put Sarah Palin on notice that her trampy, single mom/star dancer daughter is fair game for attack? What better way to distract people from your paroling of murderers who killed again and tax-raising and amnesty hopes than handing out scarlet letters?
Besides, wasn't it Salon who was gagging over Portman's thanking the baby daddy for giving her “the most important role of my life.” Liberals are throwing up in their mouths over a Hollyweird actress proclaiming motherhood as the most important thing when Planned Abortionhood is facing cutoff of their taxpayer funding and Hucky wants to bash her for not being like that nice Jessica Alba who was married before reproducing.
Just shut the heck up, Huck!
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseHuckabee stated the obvious. He'll get fried again in the media. Maybe this could be his "Murphy Brown" moment--for which, by the way, Quayle has been vindicated.
Some people seem to want to talk strictly in economic terms about what they call "the most pressing problems" the nation faces. But when 41% of births are out of wedlock, we should be able to connect the dots between moral issues and economic issues. The non-rich mothers of those children are not planning to raise them without considerable public subsidies.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseHuck's got free speech too, not sure why you are telling him to shut up. I don't think he would ever get the moderate pro-gay marriage and abortion wing of the Republican party. Former Baptist preacher makes him a non-starter for your kind. :)
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseHuckabee's right, of course.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseMorality doesn't progress. But morals can regress.
Duh.
Meh. Huckabee may be correct in his criticism of the glorification of celebrity single motherhood in general, but I wonder about the prudence in leveling it at this particular target. It would be one thing if Portman were making a case for single motherhood--then it would have been her who opened the matter for debate and thus fair game. It sounds to me, though, like Portman was just giving a quick "shout-out" to her child *and fiancé* in the excitement of winning an award. While I think extramarital sex is a bad idea, the girl is getting hitched, she did not speak in favor of what Huckabee is critiquing, and thus his remarks are come across as off-base, mean, and opportunistic. Right message, wrong target.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI don't think Huck was trying to give anybody a scarlet letter here, what hyperbole. All he is saying is that kids with single mothers tend to struggle and have moer problems than those that grow up in a traditional home with a father and mother, and maybe it's not a good idea to sex up the idea of a single mother.
"I did not raise taxes, I raised hope" Huckabee
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse@DrPalinIPresume - "Similar to Ohio's where anti-gay marriage legislation was stuck into their budget bill."
That would be a curious piece of legislation, especially considering that Ohio's constitution bans homosexual marriage, and there are other statutory provisions that provide DOMA protections. I can't imagine what would have been "stuck into their budget bill".
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseBristol Palin says hello!! Don't be hypocrites here!
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseBefore her weirdo Black Swan movie, would anybody care what Portman had to say about anything? I doubt most people even knew she was the girl in the 2nd round of Star Wars movies.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse@Matt X - Former Baptist preacher makes him a non-starter for your kind.
If you were directing your comments at me and you think I've got a beef with Hucky because I'm liberal, then you need to get off your hobby horse and stand on some solid ground for a change.
Huck is too liberal for conservatives like me. My complaints are aimed at his willingness to provide handy examples to the Left that conservatives are racist Birther moral scolds (and that's just this week!) to go along with all the Larry Craig and Newt Gingrich moral hypocrites we get bashed with by the JournoList Media.
You know the double-standard: A Dem Rep can have gay relations with a teenage boy and nothing happens while a GOP Rep who sends racy emails to an adult page gets run out on a rail. Ted Kennedy drowned a girl and died a candidate for Mt. Rushmore to the Left while some idiot GOP Rep sends shirtless cell phone pics to someone on Craig's List and is out of office by sundown.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThe anti-Palinistas never give up, I admire them for that.
But is Bristol Palin "bragging" about being a single mom? It's not her fault her ex-husband is an idiot.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWhile I do not disagree with Gov. Huckabee's point (?) that it is far better for a child to be raised by two loving, married parents (one of each gender) than otherwise, I am nevertheless delighted that Ms. Portman did not choose abortion; and in any case, a Republican who wants to be President in these troubled times should realize that it is not necessary to take a high-profile position on every random issue that pops up; nor is it wise to sound as if one is running for National Scold-in-Chief. We already have one of those.
That first sentence is probably too long.
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