Ted Nugent at the Gov. Rick Perry's inaugural ball.
(Via YouTube)
Considering his front-runner status, you would think that Mitt Romney would shun certain endorsements. Like from people who, you know, say the president and a Senator should "suck on one of my machine guns." But Romney seems to believe he needs every friend he can get.
His latest acquisition in that department is chickenhawk has-been Ted Nugent. In keeping with his neo-Confederate persona, Nugent conceded that secessionist Rick Perry was really his favorite, but he tweeted Friday that he had endorsed Romney.
Since Mitt has to keep the wacko brigade on board, his campaign team didn't immediately say, "Thanks, but no thanks," to Nugent. There was a good reason for that. Romney knew ahead of time that Nugent was going to come out with the endorsement after talking with him on the phone.
Here's the endorser in all-out violent hatespew mode:
I was in Chicago last week 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 one of my machine guns. Let’s hear it for them. I was in New York and I said, “Hey Hillary, you might want to ride one of these into the sunset you worthless bitch.” Since I’m in California, I’m gonna find Barbara Boxer she might wanna suck on my machine guns. Hey, Dianne Feinstein, ride one of these you worthless whore.
Nugent endorsed Romney, giving him slack despite the former governor's signing an assault weapons ban: “He was in Massachusetts. He wasn’t in America.”
How many more states does Nugent think aren't America? California? Check. New York? Check. Can I just guess here and say that it's unlikely any of the outs are part of the Old Confederacy that tried to actually get out?
Nugent says he made the endorsement after talking to Romney by phone while shopping in in Michigan at a sporting goods store “celebrating the orgy of guns and ammos and bows and arrows and camouflage clothing and hunting and fishing and outdoor family supplies.” But his support had a price, Nugent claimed. He says Romney agreed he not would push any new gun laws or restrictions on the Second Amendment.
As Mark Howard writes:
This was not some random, unsolicited freak who confessed his adoration for the candidate, and over whom Romney had no control. Nugent was a prize that Romney actively pursued. [...]
There is absolutely no excuse for this sort of vilification to be used in the political arena. Reasonable candidates should shun people like Nugent, not court them.
But court them he will. Given his unwillingness to go further than a modest
not the language I would have used regarding Rush Limbaugh's fierce attack on Sandra Fluke, it's obvious Romney doesn't want to lose any possible supporters no matter what. If they were to show up in sheets and hoods that aren't 450-thread Egyptian cotton, however, he
might take issue with their fashion sense.
