“Toast” Governor Huckabee ?....

Mike Huckabee: Manchester, NH Post-Debate Party

ACT UP Founding Member Eric Sawyer confronted former Governor Mike Huckabee at a supporter’s reception after the Sunday night Debate in New Hampshire. As Huckabee took the podium to speak to supporters: a dozen AIDS Activists started clanking their glasses calling “Toast, ­ Toast!” Sawyer called out Governor Huckabee: May I offer a Toast? Huckabee: Why not! Sawyer: As a Christian whose faith is very important to me - I want to toast to Mike Huckabee ­ the only politician with the courage to stand up for Christian Values!

[Sawyer toasts to crowd applaud] Sawyer: continues: I’m a Methodist like you and my values and my faith are very important to me: I know you are a Baptist.

[Crowd laughter] Huckabee: breaks in: I was going to say, you are - you know, a Methodist is a waterless Baptist. You know that. Sawyer: ­ That’s, that’s true, and ah I don’t know that my Preacher would agree with that but ah ­ I also wanted to say that one thing I think one of the Christian Values that is really important is that God embraced everyone and that Jesus Christ embraced everyone, including lepers, and it hurts me as a person of faith - who is one of your supporters because of the fact that years ago you said that people like me, people with AIDS should be quarantined and if I was quarantined I could not vote for you ­.

Huckabee: ­ interrupts: ­thank you for coming tonight

Sawyer concludes - and, and I, I hope you; I hope you will revisit that statement. Huckabee: interrupts: Thank you for coming, thank you for coming

[crowd noise rises] ­ Activists chant: ­ People With AIDS are dying! ­

Your Not Even Trying!

AIDS Treatments Now!

[repeat]

Huckabee : Thank you for coming ­ Excuse me ­ Thank you for Coming Thank you for coming ­ lets be seated ­ Excuse me ladies and gentlemen ­ Thank you for coming tonight. The Great thing is that in a free country everybody has a chance to speak-­ not everybody has to agree with us. ­Thank you very much for coming.

Contribution made by Eric Sawyer.