Welcome to “This Week In Crazy,” The National Memo’s weekly update on the wildest attacks, conspiracy theories, and other loony behavior from the increasingly unhinged right wing. Starting with number five:
5. Ted Nugent
Right-wing media personality and noted birther Ted Nugent, who recently solved “the black problem” in America, returned this week with more advice on promoting racial harmony. During a Tuesday appearance on Nick Cannon’s podcast (yes, that Nick Cannon), Nugent clarified that he is not a racist — in fact, as evidenced by his love of rock pioneer Chuck Berry, he’s actually an “anti-racist.”
With that out of the way, he went on to explain that old ladies should fear black people, because they’re basically the same thing as vicious dogs.
Media Matters explains:
Referencing July 19 remarks by President Obama that addressed issues of race in the country, Nugent said that a “little old white lady” who “clutches her purse tightly and shivers” when an African-American man joins her on an elevator has not wrongly “prejudged” in the same sense that “stormy clouds” are accurate predictors of a destructive weather event.
….
Nugent made a second analogy concerning racial profiling, stating, “I think when you use the word profile, if a Dalmatian has been biting the children in the neighborhood, I think we’re going to look for a black and white dog.”
For those of you keeping score at home, Nugent should have been dead or in jail three months ago.
4. E.W. Jackson
Photo: markn3tel via Flickr.com
E.W. Jackson, the extreme right-wing candidate for lieutenant governor in Virginia, had an interesting response to President Obama’s remarks on the George Zimmerman verdict.
Like many Republicans, Jackson blamed Obama for “racializing” the real problem at hand. Unlike most Republicans, Jackson is convinced that the actual cause of urban violence is sex.
“I certainly intend to go into these communities where at-risk youth are — I’ve been doing it all my life in ministry — and talk to them about the need for being married before you bear children. Stop treating your bodies as sexual objects,” Jackson said in response to a question on “Stand Your Ground” laws. “[W]e’ve got to begin to rebuild the family because in my view, that’s where the problem really lies.”
Jackson’s theory on reducing urban violence by stopping people from having sex doesn’t make a lot of sense on its face. But it does help to explain why Ken Cuccinelli, who once supported a ban on adultery — wanted Jackson on his ticket.
Think Progress has audio of the interview.
3. Steve King
Representative Steve King (R-IA) made headlines this week for asserting that for every potential DREAM Act beneficiary who is a valedictorian, “there’s another 100 out there that weigh 130 pounds and they’ve got calves the size of cantaloupes because they’re hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert.” But he made This Week In Crazy for doubling down on the ridiculous smear.
In an interview with the right-wing Breitbart.com, King reiterated his belief that most DREAMers are actually drug mules, and shrugged off the nearly universal condemnation of his statement.
“You know when people attack you—in this business, when you’re in this business, you know that when people attack you, and they call you names, they’re diverting from the topic matter,” King told Breitbart’s Matthew Boyle. “You know they’ve lost the debate when they do that. We’ve talked about it for years. Tom Tancredo and I joked about it that that’s the pattern. When people start calling you names, that’s what confirms you’ve won the debate.”
Tom Tancredo seems like an odd choice to look to for political advice. But if he’s right, and being mocked directly correlates to political success, then the 2016 Steve King vs. Louie Gohmert presidential primary ought to be a blast.
2. Louie Gohmert
Speaking of Gohmert, the excitable Texas congressman returns to the list this week for comparing African-Americans to lesser prairie chickens and insects, among other animals, during a debate on a civil rights amendment.
After Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN) offered an anti-discrimination amendment to a bill meant to delay regulatory action, Gohmert objected — claiming, without much explanation, that the bill would actually protect the rights of various animals.
“There is nobody in this chamber who is more appreciative than I am for the gentleman from Tennessee and my friend from Michigan standing up for the rights of race, religion, national religion of the Delta Smelt, the snail darter, various lizards, the lesser prairie chicken, the greater sage grouts and so many other insects who would want someone standing for their religion, their race, their national origin and I think that’s wonderful,” Gohmert mocked.
Gohmert’s comments predictably angered civil rights activists; as Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) told Think Progress, “this is not a snail darter’s amendment, it is not an environmental amendment, it is a civil rights amendment, and we’re talking about the civil rights of people — the civil rights of people that have been violated egregiously for generations in this country.”
On the plus side, given some of Gohmert’s past rants about animals, Nadler should really be happy that this one wasn’t worse.
1. Donny Ferguson
Donny Ferguson, the communications director for Representative Steve Stockman (R-TX), proved this week why he fits in so well with his crazy boss. Ferguson, perhaps best known for “uncovering” the liberal plot behind food stamps, has a heck of a theory on the birth of the royal baby. Behold his Twitter account during the public unveiling of baby George Alexander Louis:
Kate “gave birth” less than 24 hours ago, but now looks like she was never pregnant #RoyalBabyConspiracy #RoyalBabyTruth
— Donny Ferguson (@DonnyFerguson) July 23, 2013
Why fake a royal baby? “£243M boost to UK economy” http://t.co/0chrAAgrrr #alexjones #royalbabyconspiracy
— Donny Ferguson (@DonnyFerguson) July 23, 2013
Notice the “baby” never moved. #royalbabyconspiracy
— Donny Ferguson (@DonnyFerguson) July 23, 2013
Yes. Too big to be newborn. More proof of a “royal baby” conspiracy. #royalbabyconspiracy RT @emzanotti Also, the #RoyalBaby is huge. HUGE.
— Donny Ferguson (@DonnyFerguson) July 23, 2013
Perhaps the saddest thing about the #RoyalBabyTruth is that Ferguson tagged Alex Jones in one of the tweets, only to be ignored by the conspiracy king. When your conspiracy is too far out there for even InfoWars, you know you’ve “won” This Week In Crazy.
