People turning out in droves to support Chick-fil-A

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee on turnout

This is a rush transcript from "Your World," August 1, 2012. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

ERIC BOLLING, GUEST HOST: Now to the guy who started it all.

Former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee joins me now by phone.

Mike, first of all, did you ever expect you would start something that would get this big this quickly?

MIKE HUCKABEE (R), FORMER ARKANSAS GOVERNOR: No, Eric.

This thing, we have had over 21 million views on my Facebook page. But this is a big day not for Chick-fil-A, but for America and for people who believe that the First Amendment applies to everybody, including Christians, because I think a lot people felt that if you are a Muslim and you take the position against same-sex marriage, Rahm Emanuel will put his arm around you in a public ceremony, like he did to Louis Farrakhan the very day he was condemning Dan Cathy.

And it's that hypocrisy and inconsistency and intolerance and bigotry toward Christians that I think a lot of people are just tired up.

BOLLING: All right, mike, have you heard from Dan Cathy at all? I mean, he's the one who made the statement that really kind of started this movement on both sides.

By the way, I think we are going to roll a couple of pictures in through here showing what is going on. But have you heard from Mr. Cathy?

HUCKABEE: No.

You know, I purposefully had no contact with the company personally. I didn't want to make it look that I was coordinating some effort on their behalf. They never proposed this. They didn't promote it. There was no big P.R. effort.

If there ever was a spontaneous, grassroots initiative that happened because people felt that there was a basic sense of unfairness, this was that moment in the country that people just responded because they thought, gee, if they can tell Dan Cathy to shut up, and if mayors can censor him, then who is next?

BOLLING: Right.

HUCKABEE: And I think that is the way all of us feel.

BOLLING: And that's a great point. It is really more about the First Amendment, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, not from religion.

What about the mayor, though? You mentioned Rahm Emanuel. He seemed to come out very, very much against -- in Chicago, he came out very much against this whole movement, also the mayor in Boston as well. Have you heard from either of them?

HUCKABEE: No, I would love to talk to them. I would love to ask them what government authority gave them the right to censor commerce in their communities because they disagreed with someone who worked there.

I think a lot of times; we need to remember that the country is built on the idea that commerce ought to happen. Let me just say this, Eric. The CEOs of Apple Computer, Starbucks, Ben & Jerry's, Amazon all support same-sex marriage, had given generously to it.

But I still drink Starbucks. I use my iPhone and MacBook. I will order things on Amazon and I will eat Ben & Jerry's ice cream. I'm not buying their politics. I'm buying their products. And I think people need to quit being so ridiculously fearful that somebody might have a point view that is different from mine.

I expect people to have a different one. I just expect them to treat each other with civility and a sense of respect.

BOLLING: Mike, what -- have you heard from any of the -- you know, the gay and lesbian groups in support?

I know there's going to be a kiss-in on Friday. I get that. But are there any groups that are saying, look, we are gay, we are lesbian, but we are also for the First Amendment, so we are in support of you, Huckabee?

HUCKABEE: Yes.

You know, to their credit, I think there have been a number groups that have said that. There have been editorials in The Los Angeles Times and The Boston Globe and The New York Times, of all places, all recognizing that this is a fundamental issue where a mayor cannot tell some executive that he cannot have a point of view.

Now, there have also been some very hateful things. One of the reasons I got involved was because of the extraordinarily vile things said to Dan Cathy, which was hate speak and economic bullying, trying to disenfranchise him from his ability to make a living and make a living for thousands of Chick-fil-A employees.

There have been people who wished me dead on my Facebook page. And they have said some evil things. But after 20 years in politics, I have said it is going to take a whole lot more than that to make me upset. I will have to take half a baby aspirin tonight just to sleep through that.

(LAUGHTER)

BOLLIN: A baby aspirin.

All right, Huck, thank you so much, sir. We will speak to you again soon.

HUCKABEE: All right, Eric, good to talk to you.

BOLLING: You, too, sir.

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