If independent voters hope for a more thoughtful tone in our political campaigns and for signs that American political campaigns are not becoming one long polarizingm, demonizing, rage filled talk show style rant, they will have to keep looking. Rocker Ted Nugent says that the Romney campaign has told him not to tone down the kinds of comments that led to the Secret Service paying him a visit:
Ted Nugent, after a Secret Service investigation, a canceled Army concert and an outpouring of criticism, said presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney’s camp “expressed support” for the controversial comments he made about President Obama last month at the annual National Rifle Association meeting.
The no-holds-barred Texas rocker told CBS’ “This Morning” that Romney’s campaign told him to “stay on course” and not to tone it down after Nugent said he will “either be dead or in jail by this time next year” if President Obama is re-elected.
“I got the sensation it was, not from Mitt himself or Mrs. Romney, stay on course Ted, freedom of speech is a beautiful thing,” Nugent said in the interview, which aired Friday morning.
The Romney campaign responded by re-issuing the statement it put out two weeks ago, shortly after Nugent’s comments at the NRA went viral.
“Divisive language is offensive no matter what side of the political aisle it comes from,” Romney’s spokeswoman Andrea Saul said in the statement. “Mitt Romney believes everyone needs to be civil.”
Sorry.
The Romney campaign reissuing the statement doesn’t quite do it. Given his new comments, this is effectively a non-denial denial — a CYA statement.
There has been no FIRM DENIAL that these comments were over the top.
And no denial that the campaign or someone connected with it has urged Nugent to continue throwing out the reddest red meat to those who need to hate and feel their very world is at risk if someone from another party gets in power. What’s puzzling is that there are so many specific issues on which Barack Obama can be criticized in detail. But it’s easier — and more politically productive — to hit the emotional hot buttons.
It’s interesting how in our politics there’s lots of talk about changing the verbiage when something like THIS happens. But in the end, nothing stands in the way of the pursuit of raw power. And over the top language that makes people hate another party is what drives people to the polls. Americans forget our political history — until a new item in history is added.
Then there’s more talk, more ringing statements — and the old patterns and resume.
UPDATE: You can make your own judgment on Nugent and whether this is someone the Romney campaign should apparently embrace or if those who are critical of him are blowing it out of proportion by watching the interview yourself:
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.