Whether he’s on stage at a rock concert or in the halls of the Capitol, Ted Nugent has a penchant for making offensive comments, and his latest op-ed for the ultra-conservative World Net Daily is no exception.
He writes, “Barack Obama, the guy who received roughly 93 percent of black American votes, is the clear and present engineer of the destruction of black America.”
But is it all Obama’s fault? Whew! Fortunately Nugent says no. “It’s not all the president’s fault, but the economic and social policies he endorses are destroying what is left of a once proud and strong black America.”
He doesn’t reserve his disdain just for the president either, calling Vice President Joe Biden, “a disgrace and clown” and “a national embarrassment.”
After rattling off a handful of well-worn facts about the disproportionate impact of the great recession on the black community, he claims that the Democratic Party “has been the engineer of the destruction of black Americans,” without making any attempts to explain how he thinks the party’s done that. He must really think African American voters are naive if he thinks simply telling them they should blame Democrats for their troubles will be enough to win them over.
Unfortunately for Nugent, there’s ample evidence to make the opposite argument to his own. The president has recently announced a series of proposals designed to help minority communities, including expanding access to pre-school and making higher education more affordable. He’s also pushing to increase pay for those earning a minimum wage, of which African-Americans are a disproportionately large group. Don’t forget Obama’s support for the Voting Rights Act, which Republicans are actively trying to dismantle.
With no factual basis, it’s a pretty argument to say the least, especially coming from the man who recently argued the South should have won the Civil War.
Nugent also claims he celebrates Black History Month “every day,” which must explain why he recently tried to compare the plight of gun owners to that of Rosa Parks. Apparently celebration does not necessarily lead to comprehension.
At the end of the day, this article could just be a publicity stunt for the music tour Nugent announces in the final paragraph, where he announces his 2013 music tour, titled “Ted Nugent Black Power 2013″ which he claims will feature “world-class virtuosos” paying tribute to “our black heroes.”
His final line: “Say it loud: my music is black and I’m proud!” With the things that he says, his music taste may be the only thing to be proud of.
Morgan Whitaker