Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee has fired back after the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Board of Directors issued a formal travel advisory for the state of Florida.
The formal travel notice states:
“Florida is openly hostile toward African Americans, people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals.
“Before traveling to Florida, please understand that the state of Florida devalues and marginalizes the contributions of, and the challenges faced by African Americans and other communities of color.”
“Let me be clear – failing to teach an accurate representation of the horrors and inequalities that Black Americans have faced and continue to face is a disservice to students and a dereliction of duty to all,” said NAACP President & CEO Derrick Johnson.
“Under the leadership of Governor Desantis, the state of Florida has become hostile to Black Americans and in direct conflict with the democratic ideals that our union was founded upon.
“He should know that democracy will prevail because its defenders are prepared to stand up and fight.
“We’re not backing down, and we encourage our allies to join us in the battle for the soul of our nation.”
Enter Huckabee, who shot back at the notice on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show.
“Well, someone hasn’t gotten the message to the rest of America because so far, in the first quarter of this year, Florida had 38 million tourists, which is a record for Florida,” Huckabee said.
“They’ve never had that many, ever, in the first quarter of the year.
“So I don’t think the NAACP is doing a very smart thing by trying to say, ‘Don’t go to Florida.’
“Where are they going to suggest they go?
“Chicago? Baltimore? Really?
“I don’t think so.”
Huckabee added that “this idea that everything is about race is worn out and nobody believes it anymore.
“If they want to say, ‘Look, Ron DeSantis is a secret crossdresser,’ that would, at this point, probably have a little bit more energy than to say that he’s a racist.
“Anyone who knows Ron DeSantis knows he’s not a racist, this is crazy, and when you have nothing but that to throw out, it really does lose any effectiveness at all.
“And I think the best way to deal with this kind of stuff is respond with ridicule.
“Just laugh in their faces and tell them, ‘You guys have got to come up with something better. This just isn’t working anymore,” he said.
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