Do you hear that sound? It’s the sound of a thousands stomachs still digesting fried chicken eaten out of spite.
Wednesday was Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day. Former presidential candidate and one-time supporter of healthy eating Mike Huckabee declared a day in Chik’s honor after a huge uproar over Chick-fil-A’s President Dan Cathy’s comments in which he declared that he was against same-sex marriage and for “biblical definition of family.”
Notably, Cathy points out that he is still with his first wife, one of the New Testament’s requirements for marriage that right wing politicians often forget. Cathy also supports groups that believe gayness can be “cured” and have even tacitly supported Uganda’s controversial “Kill the Gays” law. This isn’t just about marriage.
Facing a boycott and some politicians questioning whether Chick-fil-A is right for their communities, Huckabee decided that conservatives should show their support for the kind of speech that seeks to deprive others of their basic human rights.
The result? The fast food chain claimed record sales. Far right-wing radio hot Bryan J. Fischer predicted, “Chick-fil-A just gave the election to the GOP. Pro-family folks realizing just how many of us there are.” I still think this may be a conspiracy by sly gay and lesbian activists determined to get their most vocal supporters to overeat and contract Diabetes Type Chick-fil-A.
Huckabee isn’t the only conservative endorsing Chick-fil-A’s “speech.” Sarah Palin and Rick Santorum have all shown up at Chick-fil-A and tweeted evidence to their followers. Michele Bachmann joined conservatives in dining at Chick-fil-A on Wednesday, confident that the Muslim Brotherhood hadn’t infiltrated her meal.
Notably absent from the thongs of conservative supporters is their standard bearer—Mitt Romney. Doesn’t the man who once said he would be better for gay voters than Ted Kennedy want to show how “severely conservative” he is now?
As of Thursday afternoon, Mitt hasn’t shown up at a Chick-fil-A. Not even retroactively, despite being practically begged to do so by Bill Kristol. Will he? Probably. It will be the perfect distraction for some bad news day.
And when Mitt does show up, remember that the far right dragged him there. Let this be a reminder of what his presidency would be like: Mitt being dragged to the right, again and again, to take a stand that he probably doesn’t believe in. Because that’s the only way he can keep his base from turning their intolerance on him.
Image from Sarah Palin’s Facebook page.
