Huckabee Sides With Michelle Obama Over Sarah Palin On Anti-Obesity Campaign

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee is defending the First Lady from attacks by Sarah Palin over her anti-obesity campaign:

Potential GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee says Sarah Palin’s wrong and Michelle Obama’s right, at least when it comes to the first lady’s push to combat childhood obesity.

“With all due respect to my colleague and friend Sarah Palin, I think she’s misunderstood what Michelle Obama is trying to do,” the former Arkansas governor said Tuesday on the “Curtis Sliwa Show.”

Michelle Obama has pushed several initiatives to encourage kids to exercise and eat well, including advocating for the passage of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which President Barack Obama signed into law last week.

(…)

Overweight for most of his life, Huckabee lost more than 100 pounds after a 2003 health scare and has since become an advocate for healthy eating and exercise.

“Michelle Obama’s not trying to tell people what to eat or not trying to force the government’s desires on people,” Huckabee said. “She’s stating the obvious, that we do have an obesity problem in this country.”

He added: “The first lady’s campaign is on target.”

As much as I am loath to agree with Mike Huckabee, he’s right on spot here. As I noted on Monday, Palin’s snarky criticism of what amounts to mostly a public education campaign encouraging kids to eat healthier, and parents to resist feeding them fast food, is just patently silly.

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Doug Mataconis
About Doug Mataconis
Doug Mataconis held a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. He joined the staff of OTB in May 2010 and contributed a staggering 16,483 posts before his retirement in January 2020. He passed far too young in July 2021.

Comments

  1. MarkedMan says:

    I saw Huckabee on Stewart the other day and he looked like he was gaining some of that weight back. You have to give him extra points on credibility, considering how well he knows the struggle once caught in the cycle of obesity.

  2. DC Loser says:

    Palin: “Shut up and eat your Krispy Kremes.”

  3. Patrick T. McGuire says:

    Two types of people that continually chap my rear are reformed smokers lecturing me on smoking and successful dieters lecturing others about losing weight (I don’t have a weight problem).

    Huckabee went on the record as supporting cap-and-trade and then, when global warming because less of a “cause celebre”, he denied he ever supported it. Maybe uncle Huck should concentrate on his own credibility before starting to lecture others on their weight again.

  4. Herb says:

    With all due respect to Huckabee’s colleague and friend Sarah Palin, I think she’s misunderstood a lot of things…

  5. Linda says:

    I think the problem with Michelle Obama’s Healthy Kids Initiative is that it now has the force of law behind it. While obesity, childhood and adult, is a problem, the government shouldn’t be legislating healthy eating.

  6. MarkedMan says:

    Linda,
    In what way does it have the force of law behind it? AFAIK, it discusses how dollars already allocated should be spent. It doesn’t imprison ten year olds for eating twinkies…

  7. Alex Knapp says:

    Patrick,

    Huckabee went on the record as supporting cap-and-trade and then, when global warming because less of a “cause celebre”, he denied he ever supported it.

    Ditto Sarah Palin.

    Linda,

    I think the problem with Michelle Obama’s Healthy Kids Initiative is that it now has the force of law behind it.

    I don’t think that public schools being required to get rid of a lot of the junk food they serve kids is a bad thing, do you?

  8. DC Loser says:

    @Alex – unless you own stock or work in the junk food industry.

  9. DavidL says:

    Mike Hucikabee and Michelle Obama, two liberal fatsos who want to tell your children how to eat. Both need to lose the weight, or zip their lip.

  10. sam says:

    Mike Huckabee, Liberal. See how the race for the Republican nomination is, forgive me, shaping up?

  11. JKB says:

    Say what you will, without Sarah’s “snark,” Michelle and Mike would not be getting any play in the media at all.

  12. bandit says:

    Mike Huckabee

    “Michelle Obama’s not trying to tell people what to eat or not trying to force the government’s desires on people”

    No Mike – she is

  13. Childhood Obesity: * Political Leadership * Governing Success *

    Please read about Huckabee’s success as governor in combating the Childhood Obesity issue. Video of John Stossel interview and Don Imus interview.

    http://ilikemikehuckabee2012.blogspot.com/2010/12/childhood-obesity-political-leadership.html

  14. An Interested Party says:

    “Mike Hucikabee and Michelle Obama, two liberal fatsos who want to tell your children how to eat. Both need to lose the weight, or zip their lip.”

    Sarah Palin, a hypocritical conservative harpy who wants to tell the president how to govern. She needs to actually hold such a high office and finish a term to said office, or zip her lip…