Sunday, February 23, 2014

We Need Some R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Gregg Abbott is leading the crowded Republican field in the primary race for Governor of Texas.  Recently, he welcomed aging rocker turned political groupie Ted Nugent to his entourage.
  • Ted Nugent, in an interview with Guns.com in January:  "I have obviously failed to galvanize and prod, if not shame, enough Americans to be ever vigilant not to let a Chicago communist-raised, communist-educated, communist-nurtered subhuman mongrel like the Acorn community organizer gangster Barack Hussein Obama to weasel his way into the top office of authority in the United States."
When asked about Mr. Nugent's diatribe, Mr. Abbot replied that he wasn't interested in what Mr. Nugent "may have done or said in his background.  What I do know is that Ted Nugent stands for the Constitution."  After prodding from Republican leadership, Mr. Nugent was asked to apologize.  He did...sort of.
  • Ted Nugent, in an interview with conservative radio host Ben Ferguson this past week:  "I do apologize--not necessarily to the President--but on behalf of much better men than myself."
what eye thynk:   I was not moved to tears by this "apology."  All he really did was make it clear that he stands by his original statement and the only reason he is even pretending to be remorseful is because somebody told him to be.  

Knowing the type of hateful, over the top rhetoric Ted Nugent spouts every time he gets near a microphone, I have to wonder why Republicans court him.  (U.S. Representative Steve Stockman (R) Texas, who walked out of this year's State of the Union address, invited Nugent to be his honored guest at the State of the Union address in 2013.)


As Michelle Cottle of The Daily Beast wrote last week:


"Abbot's snuggling up to Nugent is not about the Second Amendment or the Fourth Amendment or any part of the Constitution.  It is about courting and stoking the absolute ugliest, most paranoid...elements of the GOP coalition. We're not talking here about garden-variety gun lovers or small-government enthusiasts or evangelical values voters.  We're talking about people who find it quaint when Nugent starts raving about how black people are lazy or how disgusting he finds gays or how Hillary Clinton is a "toxic c**t" and "a two-bit whore for Fidel Castro."  We're talking about people who find it hilarious when Nugent waves his little guns around and froths, "Hey Hillary! You might want to ride one of these into the sunset, you worthless bitch."


To be sure, not all Republicans are this distasteful; but the fact that the majority doesn't seem to do much to discourage nut-cases like Ted Nugent or those who laugh with him and encourage him, taints them all.  


There are simply too many Republicans like Sarah Palin, who used her Facebook page to explain her endorsement of Greg Abbott:  "If he's good enough for Ted Nugent; he is good enough for me."


Tina, come back!

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