Huckabee slams Obamas for letting Malia and Sasha listen to Beyoncé

Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee has jumped on the Obamas for letting their daughters listen to Beyoncé, who he describes has having gone 'X-rated.' But critics observe that Huckabee's music tastes veer toward the sexually explicit, too. 

Former Arkansas governor and Baptist minister Mike Huckabee is questioning the parenting skills of the presidential couple.

During an interview for his new book, “God, Guns, Grits and Gravy,” Huckabee airs his grievances with the Obamas. He cannot fathom why they would let their daughters listen to Beyoncé.

“I don't understand how on one hand they can be such doting parents and so careful about the intake of everything — how much broccoli they eat and where they go to school and making sure they're kind of sheltered and shielded from so many things,” Huckabee said in an interview with People magazine, “. . . And yet they don't see anything that might not be suitable for either a preteen or a teen in some of the lyrical content and choreography of Beyoncé.”

Mr. Huckabee first criticized Jay Z and Beyoncé for their performance of Beyoncé’s “Drunk in Love” for the 2014 Grammy Awards. He described the performance as “foreplay,” and couldn’t believe Beyoncé would perform in that manner, especially with the consent of her husband, Jay Z.

“Beyoncé is incredibly talented—gifted, in fact . . . She has an exceptional set of pipes and can actually sing. She is a terrific dancer—without the explicit moves best left for the privacy of her bedroom,” Huckabee writes in his book. He continues his reflection, saying she was “a huge, breakout star before going X-rated. She proved she doesn’t need to lower herself to this type of crude exploitation to be a megastar.”

It is no secret that the Obamas are close to Beyoncé. With the pop star singing the national anthem at the president’s second inauguration and performing at Michelle’s 50th birthday party, the president said in an interview with People that both of his daughters have “gotten to know Beyoncé, and she has always been very sweet to them.”

In 2012, Obama told Glamour magazine that he doesn’t “constrain what [Malia] listens to” because he and Michelle “expect her to show some good judgment.” To Huckabee, that’s not enough. He said, “It's no small wonder why the culture has become so crude when fathers and mothers allow and even encourage their children to devour vulgar, misogynistic, and violent material when it's performed by ‘cool’ people like Jay Z and Beyoncé.”

Why is Huckabee waving a verbal finger at the Obamas? Well, Huckabee is selling a book. But he's also been outspoken on what he considers moral issues, and the failings of this administration. In a recent blog post titled, "The Obama administration has no moral compass," he slams Obama's policies on terrorism, Israel, health care, and the handling of the Ferguson shooting of Michael Brown.

But this isn't the first time that White House parenting practices have been in the spotlight. Earlier this month, a photo of Malia wearing a Pro Era t-shirt surfaced from Instagram. The Brooklyn rap collective posted the image as a promotional tool, and it went viral. If anything, it showed how tight the parenting rein is in the Obama household. One selfie? Most teens post dozens, and she didn't even post it. And, at Thanksgiving, the parental oversight of the Obama's daughters' demeanor and dress were called into question. 

Huckabee says that Beyoncé should have no part in the young Obamas' lives if she continues to perform in a way he deems inappropriate.

“She must know that millions of young girls look up to her as a role model to emulate. And she even has a daughter herself now. So why has she done this?”

Huckabee's criticism of Beyoncé and the Obamas prompted some to note some inconsistencies in what he says and does. Huckabee has openly embraced other songs and artists with not-so-subtly explicit lyrics. The politician once featured Ted Nugent on his show, and even performed "Cat Scratch Fever" with the singer, whose lyrics proclaim youthful desires, observes Mediate.com. He also performed "Pour Some Sugar on Me" with\ singer Phil Collen from the 80s band Def Leppard. Contrary to the title, it has less to do with cooking and more to do with "sexy fun bedroom time."

[Editor's note: The original version of this story incorrectly spelled Michelle Obama's first name and misidentified Phil Collen)]