Ted Nugent: Worst political endorser ever?
Ted Nugent on Tuesday doubled down on his recent political provocation, telling the Dana Loesch radio show that the Obama administration is full of 鈥渃orrupt monsters鈥� and 鈥渃ommunist czars鈥� and that House minority leader Nancy Pelosi is a 鈥渧armint鈥� and 鈥渟ubhuman scoundrel.鈥�
Mr. Nugent did not take back the assertion he made at last weekend鈥檚 National Rifle Association convention that if President Obama is reelected, 鈥淚 will either be dead or in jail by this time next year.鈥� The Secret Service has already confirmed that it will be visiting the aging shock rocker to determine if that phrase is an actual threat.
鈥淪ee, I鈥檓 a black Jew at a Nazi-Klan rally ... because I have the audacity to speak the truth to identify the violations of our government,鈥� Nugent told the Loesch show.
Wow. Ted Nugent identifies with Sammy Davis Jr. 鈥� who knew? Beyond that, we鈥檝e got this question: Who鈥檚 happiest about Nugent鈥檚 visit to political crazy town 鈥� Democrats or journalists?
Democrats are certainly trying to take advantage of the moment, since Nugent publicly endorsed Mitt Romney last month, something the presumptive GOP nominee and his sons crowed about at the time. The Democratic National Committee has rushed out a rapid-response video that tries to hang Nugent around Mr. Romney鈥檚 neck, metaphorically speaking.
But Nugentgate has given some commentators the opportunity to set their umbrage machines to 鈥渟tun." They鈥檙e calling on Romney to condemn Nugent by name, perhaps while shattering copies of the 1978 LP 鈥淭ed Nugent Double Live 鈥� Gonzo!鈥� (The Romney campaign has issued a generic statement condemning divisive political speech.)
鈥淯ntil the candidate condemns the rocker, we should all assume he鈥檚 fine with that kind of talk from a surrogate,鈥� wrote The Washington Post鈥檚 Jonathan Capehart on Tuesday in an opinion column.
OK, we鈥檒l agree that Nugent鈥檚 words are so far over the top that at this point, he鈥檚 approaching the outer rings of Saturn. (鈥淲e are Braveheart. We need to ride onto that battlefield and chop their heads off in November!鈥� he said last week.) It鈥檚 illegal to threaten the president, as the Secret Service soon will be reminding him.
But Romney surrogate? As we wrote Tuesday, we鈥檙e not sure Ted Nugent is a Ted Nugent surrogate any longer. Many of his rants aren鈥檛 so much speech as derogatory words linked together at random. (See 鈥渂lack Jew at a Nazi-Klan rally,鈥� above.) He earned the nickname Motor City Madman in the 1970s. He鈥檚 had 40 years to perfect that act.
One thing is certain: The Romney campaign is marking him down as the worst celebrity endorsement they鈥檝e yet received. On Tuesday, Nugent not only said that he stands by his previous words, but he also said that Romney agrees with him.
鈥淢itt Romney knows what I鈥檓 saying is true. He puts it in the words for him; I put in the words for me,鈥� Nugent told the Loesch show.
Well, Ted, think of it this way: You鈥檙e making big problems for Romney at the moment. What if he wins? Will he be grateful for you? Nope, he won鈥檛. We figure there鈥檚 a good chance you鈥檒l be in trouble with the White House no matter who sits in the Oval Office next January.
