Embattled rock star takes on leading force in Democratic Party
by Joe Kovacs
Rock star Ted Nugent is blasting the head of the Democratic National Committee as a “brain-dead, soulless, heartless idiot” in connection with controversy over his remarks that some think sounded like a threat against President Obama’s life.
Nugent had told the National Rifle Association over the weekend that “if Barack Obama becomes the president in November, I will either be dead or in jail by this time next year.”
Today, Nugent told former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee it was “ridiculous” to think he was threatening the president, but understood why the Secret Service is now investigating.
“I respect their duty to do so,” he said. “The rules of engagement for the Secret Service is to respond even when someone as maniacal as a Wasserman Schultz or Pelosi or Boxer or Feinstein” complains.
DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz has been slamming Nugent’s comments, saying, “Mitt Romney surrogate Ted Nugent made offensive comments about President Obama and November’s elections this weekend that are despicable, deplorable and completely beyond the pale.”
“We have more than 200 days to go in this election,” she added. “If the GOP and Romney are willing to accept this kind of rhetoric at this stage of the campaign, I can’t imagine what they’ll accept in September and October.”
The DNC also put out a video showing Romney once said “it’s been fun getting to know Ted Nugent.”
In response, Nugent told radio host Dana Loesch, “Wasserman Schultz is such a brain-dead, soulless, heartless idiot, that I could not be more proud that this soulless, heartless idiot feebly attempts to find fault with Ted Nugent because I am on the right track, and she just encourages me to stand stronger.”
The left has called for Romney, the Republican front-runner for the presidential nomination, to denounce Nugent’s remarks, and campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul issued a statement saying, “divisive language is offensive no matter what side of the political aisle it comes from. Mitt Romney believes everyone needs to be civil.”
When Nugent was asked about that, the musician said, “Mitt Romney’s already denounced my guitar playing because it’s too sexy. … Mitt Romney is a great American. Mitt Romney believes in the First Amendment. Mitt Romney knows what I’m saying is true. He puts into words for him. I put it into words for me.”
He continued: “Even guitar players qualify as ‘We the People’ where I come from. When I write, I write about the positive glow of productive America and why the Golden Rule, and the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights are guiding forces for the greatest quality of life in the history of humankind. And anyone that disagrees with me disagrees with that.”
Los Angeles Times editorial writer Jon Healey told Democrats to relax, that Nugent is just a rock ‘n’ roller.
“Nugent is no more a surrogate for Romney than the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. is for Obama,” Healey wrote. “Just because someone with a microphone urges people to vote for a candidate doesn’t make him or her a ‘surrogate’ for the campaign.”
The Secret Service says it is aware of Nugent’s comments and conducting “the appropriate follow-up.”
“I have never in my life threatened anyone’s life. I’m incapable of threatening anyone’s life. Because I’m about positive change, my entire speech, all my articles,” Nugent told Loesch.
“I spoke at the NRA and I will stand by my speech. It was 100 percent positive. It’s about we the people taking back our American dream from the corrupt monsters in the federal government under this administration and the communist czars he’s appointed.”
“See, I’m a black Jew at a Nazi-Klan rally, and there are some power-abusing corrupt monsters in our federal government that despise me because I have the audacity to speak the truth to identify the violations of our government, particularly Eric Holder and the president and Tim Geithner, ad nauseam,” Nugent explained.
The NRA has posted video of an interview with Nugent from over the weekend, with some provocative rhetoric around the 5:00 mark:
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