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Who’s the greatest grifter of them all?

The evil stepmother’s magic mirror would have a tough time with this question, but I think Mike Huckabee is making a strong run for the title. He has branched out beyond politics in his hucksterism:

Last year, a man named Brian Chambers announced a world-changing advance: An international research organization called the Health Sciences Institute had found an incredible cure for cancer hidden in the Book of Matthew. For just $74, you, too, could discover the secret.

That was the breathless pitch emailed to hundreds of thousands of Huckabee’s followers in January, beneath a “special message” from the Republican presidential candidate trumpeting “important information.” Upon closer inspection, the divine remedy—eating fewer carbs—was never recommended by St. Matthew. Chambers is not a doctor, and the studies on starvation diets he cited make no mention of “cures.”

via Mother Jones

If it’s true that there’s a sucker born every minute, Huckabee seems to want to make sure that there’s a dead sucker for every newborn. You would think he’d have a vested interest in keeping them alive, inasmuch as once they’re dead, he can’t grift them anymore. Okay, I know that Carson has also been flogging quack cures, and it’s arguably worse when he does it, given that he really is a doctor, incredible as that may seem. Still, Carson is a relative newcomer. Huckabee is a seasoned veteran, so right now, he’s my candidate for greatest grifter of them all.

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