Ted Nugent to attend State of the Union. Will that backfire?
Rock star/gun rights advocate Ted Nugent is attending Tuesday night鈥檚 State of the Union address, Rep. Steve Stockman (R) of Texas announced Monday.
Representative Stockman invited Mr. Nugent and gave him a ticket to sit in the gallery overlooking the House chamber. The Texas lawmaker, who recently made headlines by threatening to file articles of impeachment against President Obama over executive actions on gun control, said he was excited to have a 鈥減atriot鈥� like the Nuge as his guest.
鈥淎fter the address I鈥檓 sure Ted will have plenty to say,鈥� said Stockman.
Yes, yes he will. That鈥檚 certain. But beyond that we have to ask: Is this a good idea?
After all, Nugent will be sitting in the same room with children from Sandy Hook Elementary and other victims of gun violence. He鈥檒l also be sitting in the same room with Mr. Obama. You鈥檒l remember that last spring several members of the Secret Service visited Nugent for a chat after he said that if Obama were to be reelected 鈥淚 will either be dead or in jail.鈥� The agents came away convinced that Nugent was a bigger threat to grammar and decorum than to the president, but still.
Advocates of gun control claim to be gleeful about the forthcoming Nugent sighting. They figure he鈥檒l be outrageous enough to frighten a large swath of the viewing public. After all, this is a guy who markets his , and in the past he has told both Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton, in explicit terms, what they should do with his machine guns. He talks about the administration鈥檚 鈥渃ommunist-Mao-Che鈥� agenda. All of his clothing appears to be camo.
Also, he is a media magnet. Who do you think will draw more cameras post-SOTU: House majority leader Eric Cantor, or the National Rifle Association board member who wrote "Cat Scratch Fever"?
鈥淚t definitely adds more coverage. And it鈥檚 going to play terribly for them,鈥� Ladd Everitt, spokesman for the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, on Monday.
Liberal pundit Greg Sargent goes further, saying that Nugent鈥檚 appearance only emphasizes The Crazy, the hard right aspect of the GOP that party leaders such as Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana have complained turns off moderate voters.
鈥淚f I were the GOP leadership, the prospect of further comments from Nugent after the speech would have me a bit worried,鈥� .
We鈥檒l admit that at times it sounds as if Nugent鈥檚 verbs are only faintly acquainted with their subjects, and his sentences are delivered with enough force to unfurl a thousand flags. But the left should keep this in mind: The Nuge is a professional performer. Part of his persona is an act. When he wants to, he can dial it down and sound coherent. And he represents a widespread hunting-oriented point of view.
He did a number on gun-control advocate/talk show host Piers Morgan last week, for instance. Invited onto Mr. Morgan鈥檚 show as part of its continuing gun coverage, Nugent blasted the veteran British journalist, saying, 鈥渨ould you leave us the [expletive] alone!鈥�
鈥淚 think you鈥檙e obsessed with guns,鈥� during an interview in a gun shop. 鈥淣inety-nine point nine nine percent of the gun owners of America are wonderful people that you are hanging around with today. Perfectly safe. Perfectly harmless. Wonderful, loving, giving, generous, caring people.鈥�
OK, it did sound at one point as if Nugent called Morgan 鈥淧ierce,鈥� and he talked so fast that Morgan needed a crowbar to get a word in edgewise. But 鈥渇elony recidivism鈥� rolled off Nuge鈥檚 tongue like butter. He鈥檚 more articulate than many think.
Also, he will not be armed Tuesday night. Just in case you were wondering.
鈥淚 will go in at least 20 pounds lighter than I normally walk,鈥� he told The New York Times on Monday. 鈥淚 will be going in sans the hardware store on my belt. I live a well-armed life, and I鈥檝e got to demilitarize before I go.鈥�
