Ted Nugent may yet turn out to be the Jerry Sandusky of the aging rocker community. Like Sandusky, he’s surrounded by true believers who ignore a shrieking smoke alarm because they think he’s fireproof.
Daily Kos is unapologetically a progressive site, so I read this post by Bill Schmalfeldt assuming that there was a slant in the claim that Mitt Romney sought Nugent’s blessing. I can see where a candidate might have problematic endorsers and find it politically awkward to get some distance from them. I pictured Mitt Romney kind of wincing as he said, ‘thank you for your support.’
But Bill at Kos links to the Texas Tribune, and here it is…
Nugent described himself as an “improvise, adapt, and overcome” guy and said he doesn’t begrudge Romney for positions he has taken in the past. For example, while Nugent admits to being “offended and repulsed” when Romney signed off on an assault weapons ban during his time as governor, he understood the context given Romney’s location at the time.
“He was in Massachusetts,” Nugent said. “He wasn’t in America.”
It was on a phone call with the candidate earlier today that Nugent gave his blessing. He talked to Romney by phone while he was at a sporting goods store in Michigan “celebrating the orgy of guns and ammos and bows and arrows and camouflage clothing and hunting and fishing and outdoor family supplies.”
Before endorsing him, Nugent demanded that Romney pledge there would be no new gun laws or restrictions on Second Amendment rights in his administration. Romney obliged. Nugent also warned Romney about the “out of control” U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
Now, I notice that this is Nugent’s version which might be just a little grandiose. MSNBC asks the question, ‘who called whom’? Did Romney draft Nugent, or is Romney just stuck with Nugent now?
Nugent is popular with part of the base, but he’s heavy baggage. From Suzi Parker at the Washington Post…
Presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s camp tepidly denounced Nugent’s comments about Obama, [which he will be explaining to the Secret Service] but has said nothing so far about his comments on Schultz and Pelosi. “Divisive language is offensive no matter what side of the political aisle it comes from,” Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul said. “Mitt Romney believes everyone needs to be civil.”
When Nugent endorsed Romney in March, his son, Tagg Romney, tweeted, “Ted Nugent endorsed my Dad today. Ted Nugent? How cool is that?! He joins Kid Rock as great Detroit musicians on team Mitt!”
So okay, the Romney camp was outraged that Hillary Rosen, who is not even in the Obama administration, snarked about Ann Romney never needing to work outside the home. The White House disowned that statement. Will Mitt Romney’s campaign disown Nugent’s profane and hateful statements about women in government? Will Romney even acknowledge that Massachusetts is part of the United States? Do they really want this guy on ‘team Mitt’?
A mild plea for everyone to talk nice is not an answer to a gun-waving draft-dodger who has at least one flamingly inappropriate relationship with an underage girl, who is telling the press that you came begging for his blessing. I’m almost starting to miss the pious ‘family values’ Republican Party. I think Newt and Rush drove a stake though that. Ted Nugent is a nasty piece of work.
Read the rest of Daily Kos here.
Kmareka.com 
I don’t know why Romney needs this guy.
He is a phony blowhard,going on about people being “Bravehearts”and all that,because when he had the chance to seve his country in the Vietnam era,he fabricated illness to avoid the draft.He also had a very questionable relationship with a young girl.I almost think the gun control crowd pays this guy to run his mouth.
Almost.
I am very uncompromising about 2nd amendment rights and I really despise Schultz,Pelosi,and Holder.I don’t much care for Obama either,but I think the language Nugent used was incendiary.
Of course,Farrakhan was going on about assassination of “leaders”the other day,and the Jews of course,and he really went in the gutter saying how Black people destroy their own race by having relations with Whites-that must hit close to home for you Nancy,as it does for me.Yet,you always give the man who Rev.Wright’s hateful church gave a lifetiime award to a wide berth.Why?It wouldn’t be politically correct?
Reverend Wright did not dodge the draft, he is a veteran like you. He served in the Marines and the Navy, as a medic. The United Church of Christ is not hateful. Stroll on down to the Round Top, Beneficent Church of Christ, if you want to understand that denomination. Reverend Wright has said indefensible things, but when you look at his career you can see that he has served our country as a service member, citizen and minister. He is now retired, and speaking as an individual rather than active minister of his church. I don’t think it’s fair to make a false equivalence between Wright and Ted Nugent. Or to lump him together with Louis Farrakhan who is a self-appointed, would-be spokesman for all black Americans, most of whom have no use for him.
I do think it’s a dilemma for Mitt Romney, now that Nugent has friended him, it’s hard to peel him off.
Wright served in the military-so did Klansman Louis Beam,and that scumbag “reverend”who founded Aryan Nations-so what?The service had all kinds of people who served honorably and then went on to do bad things.
The point is that Wright dirtied up his church when as an ACTIVE minister he gave a lifetime achievement award to Louis Farrakhan-Obama sat quietly through that and has never answered for it.
It is not a false equivalence-as esteemed a man as Warith Deen Muhammad,now regrettably deceased called out Farrakhan as a murderer.Mr.Muhammad was the leader of most Black Muslims in America and I saw many of his speeches and not a word of hate or racism could be heard.But he did tend to tell the truth,even about his own father.
Hey,let’s be honest-if Romney denounced Nugent,you still wouldn’t vote for him.If Obama denounced Farrakhan I wouldn’t vote for Obama.That’s just the way it is.Another thing-Farrakhan has a paramilitary of thousands in bowties to do his bidding-Nugent has himself.and that’s about it.
BTW-I have no right to suggest that the United Church of Christ as a sect is hateful-I hardly know a thing about it-I was referring to the specific church Wright was pastor of.