What follows is repulsive (note: strong,vile language below). But it bears emphasizing that, not content with having turned the House of Representatives into a laughingstock, the GOP’s latest brilliant idea is to make a mockery of the State of the Union by inviting the most flamboyantly misogynistic, racist, perverted, homophobic, violence-crazed buffoon they could dig up. (Maybe some senior strategist figured it would help with the youth vote? “Hey, Cat Scratch Fever went double platinum!”).
THIS is the sort of thing that gets you a GOP invite to the State of the Union:
“I was in Chicago and I said hey Obama, you might want to suck on one of these you punk; Obama, he’s a piece of shit, and I told him to suck on my machine gun [brandishing two two machine guns]. Then I was in New York and I said, ‘Hey Hillary you might want to ride one of these into the sunset you worthless bitch…. Then I was out in California and I thought, Barbara Boxer, she might want to suck on my machine gun, hey Dianne Feinstein ride one of these you worthless whore.”
–Ted Nugent, Diplomat & Wit, on the need to forge bipartisan consensus
“Jailbait you look so good to me
Jailbait won´t you set me free
Jailbait you look fine fine fine
I know I´ve got to have you in a matter of time
Well I don´t care if you´re just thirteen
You look too good to be true”
–Ted Nugent, Poet Laureate of the GOP, sums up the Right’s Traditional Family Values in verse
“That Nadine, what a teenage queen
She come to town; she be foolin’ around
She lookin’ so clean, especi’lly down in between; what I like
Wang dang, what a sweet poontang
A shakin’ my thang as a rang-a-dang-dang in the bell
Down on the street you know she can’t be beat
She’s so sweet when she yanks on my meat”
—Ted Nugent, Artist & Lover, explains the GOP position on family planning
“If the NBA had any true gay convictions, the NBA should host a Homosexual Night. During halftime, the homosexuals could come down on the court, hold hands and prance around the court to music by the Village People. The NBA could then give each homosexual a pink basketball as a symbol of solidarity.”
–Ted Nugent, GOP Sports Analyst, explains the rationale behind DOMA
“There’s a lot of white people in this crowd — I like that! (Dubuque) is a white town.'”
–Ted Nugent, Pundit, summarizes the GOP’s positions on Multiculturalism and Diversity
“Pimps whores & welfare brats & their soulless supporters have a president to destroy America. What subhuman varmint [Obama] believes others must pay for their obesity booze cell phones birth control abortions & lives.”
–Ted Nugent, GOP Strategist, provides post-election analysis
So: am I being unfair here, in making The Nuge the poster boy for GOP values? After all, there’s certainly no love lost between Rep. Stockman and Speaker Boehner, and I do like to imagine that sensible folks among the GOP elite are tearing their hair out. But silence is always a form of complicity, and the failure of everyone from the beltway establishment to RMG, no matter what their feelings about guns and gay people, to decry this stunt as the insult to both the man and the office that it is, is simply another example of the extent to which the Party is in the grip of some of the most seriously crazy far right whackjobs I’ve seen in my life. I have a pretty strong stomach, but that first quote, above, sickened even me; that Stockman and his buddies weren’t hauled in to the Speaker and Whip’s offices and told no freaking way is just another indication how out of control the Party is.
On the upside, as TPM points out, this is likely to be another Eastwood moment:
The gun rights community may not be doing itself any favors by giving Ted Nugent a seat at the State of the Union speech Tuesday night.
The outspoken rocker will be a guest of Rep. Steve Stockman (R-TX), one of the most vocal opponents of new gun control legislation following the Newtown, Conn., school massacre. But proponents of things like creating universal background checks and other gun regulations predicted on Monday that Nugent’s appearance will be a boon to their side and make it harder for gun rights advocates to make their case.
“If there’s better evidence that the NRA’s Washington lobbyists have lost their way, I can’t think of it,” Mark Glaze, director of New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s Mayors Against Illegal Guns, told TPM Monday. “They keep finding new ways to alienate their own members, which is a strange way to run a membership organization.”
As for Ted: “I will go in at least 20 pounds lighter than I normally walk. I will be going in sans the hardware store on my belt. I live a well-armed life, and I’ve got to demilitarize before I go.”
Oh, one last note: not to suggest he’s irrelevant either aesthetically or politically, but in 2012, Nugent toured with Styx and REO Speedwagon (hey hey, my my); also in 2012, Obama won Michigan by ten percentage points.
We have Gabby Giffords:
Here’s a link:
http://youtu.be/-yVLRu2QDR0
…since Joe Wilson yelled “you lie!” to the President during his health care address.
Mr. Wilson’s outburst was surely rude.
Mr. Nugent’s lyrics, quoted above, go far far beyond mere rudeness. Look at the uproar that ensued around Rev. Wright — that sermon was NOTHING in comparison to this offensive rubbish.
The GOP has turned into a nauseating mob.
I was refering specifically to acceptable behavoir and messages being sent within the House chamber itself. In other words if a Congressman can call the President a liar to his face there’s nothing that’s off limits and unfortunately I can’t even say I’m shocked that a member of Congress would invite Ted Nugent to make a point. The President truly is hated by fellow elected officials, even to a greater extent than Clinton was. I do not understand it and racism while undoubtedly a factor has never completely satisfied me as an explanation.
What am I missing?
Not just to explain the hate directed at President Obama, either. Jeremiah Wright preached a sermon that, while passionate, was not remotely anti-American. It was, primarily, black. The cadences, metaphors and symbols, call-and-response — those are how African-Americans worship across America. What other factors, other than racism, explain the visceral rejection of that sermon, especially when compared to the tolerance or even celebration of the vile imagery of Mr. Nugent?
Whether we name it “racism” or “partisanship” (that just happens to come from the GOP while an African-American Democrat holds office) makes little difference to me.
I think we are watching the American political system collapse. We are continuing to pursue suicidal — literally! — policies towards climate change, guns and shooters, and the economy. Our much-vaunted “free press” has completely lost the ability to differentiate fact from fiction in the statements of public officials.
I wish the press gave Nugent and the other nutjob celebrities and preachers who backed Romney the same raw treatment they gave Wright. I dislike aspects of what Wright said but the endless out of context quotes aren’t nearly as offensive as Nugents in context quotes.
In my view, America would benefit from hearing Mr. Wright’s full sermon — and then debating the issues it raises. Those debates would, in my view, illuminate the real character of those elected officials who endorse Mr. Nugent’s disgusting utterances.
booed his Sermon on the Mount, IOKIYR!