A day after Huckabee joined the board, Jason Owen, whose Sandbox Management represents artists including John Oates, Midland, Faith Hill and Kacey Musgraves, sent a letter to the foundation, which runs the annual CMA Awards, threatening to pull his clients’ support on account of Huckabee’s “grossly offensive” political views and ties to the National Rifle Association.
“I will not participate in any organization that elevates people like this to positions that amplify their sick voices,” he wrote, according to the AP. “This was a detrimentally poor choice by the CMA and [its] leaders.”
The CMA said Thursday that Huckabee, who plays bass about as well as he runs for president, resigned immediately. Later in the day, Huckabee carried on his tradition of tweeting weak jokes, writing, “Got home from 28 hour trip from Taipei that lasted longer than my time on CMA Foundation board,” and published a long resignation letter than you can read in the Tennesseean.
“Until recently, the arts was the one place America could set aside political, geographical, racial, religious, and economic barriers and come together,” he wrote. “If the arts community becomes part of the polarization instead of bridging communities and people over the power of civil norms as reflected in the arts, then we as a civilization may not be long for this earth.”
