Ted Nugent Backpedals On Hateful Violent Rhetoric After Republican Congressmen Are Shot
Ted Nugent is known for his hate-filled speeches against Democratic politicians. In 2015, Nugent spoke at the National Rifle Association (NRA) annual meeting where he endorsed shooting then Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev). Nugent spoke about how Reid was a “lying prick” and then spoke about a hypothetical situation where an audience member might need Reid’s assistance.
“If your child is dying and there’s only one way to get to the doctor, would you get on Harry Reid’s boat to get there? Then your child’s dead. I’d get on the boat, I’d get there and then I’d shoot him.”
This isn’t the only time that Nugent has been extremely vocal about calling for violence against Democrats. He has threatened violence against then-presidential candidate Barack Obama, calling Obama a “piece of s**t,” and saying that Obama could “suck on my machine gun.”
He also wasted no words when speaking about Hillary Clinton. About Clinton, Nugent said that she could “ride one of these into the sunset, you worthless b***h.”
During the same event, Nugent made comments that recommended that the audience members in the NRA needed to “ride onto that battlefield and chop their heads off in November.”
Nugent’s passion and flair for showmanship have served him well in his many years as a guitarist, as his legions of fans can attest to. His extremely conservative stance in politics and his style of not holding anything back during his speeches have garnered him numerous speaking engagements; not just with the NRA, but also at Republican caucuses and speaking events.
However, in light of the recent attack by a lone gunman on the Republican congressmen warming up and practicing for the Congressional Baseball game, Nugent has recently come out to say that he doesn’t want to engage in “hateful” political speech anymore.
He appeared on the “Curtis & Eboni” show on WABC, speaking after the GOP congressional shooting.
“I cannot and I will not and I encourage even my friends/enemies on the left in the Democrat and liberal world that we got to be more civil to each other. The whole world is watching America where you have the God-given right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And we have to be more respectful to the other side.”
Nugent also made note of his previous attacks on Obama and Clinton, trying to explain why he made the vitriolic comments. According to him, his adrenaline fueled what he was saying, combined with his anger at the current political climate.
“I’m not trying to make excuses, but when I made those wild a** comments on stage against then-Senator Hillary Clinton and then-Senator Barack Obama,” Nugent explained, “I don’t know if you can grasp the degree of adrenaline and intensity and over-the-top animal spirit and attitude that I live on stage.”
In the future, Nugent has said that he is going to avoid saying anything that could be interpreted as condoning or encouraging violence as a means of political resolution. He wants to back down, and step away. And, he clarified, if it does get angry and hateful again, he’s going to go away and not engage in any sort of hateful rhetoric anymore. He concluded the on-air interview by heralding a new battlecry for America.
“Zero Violence.”
[Featured Image by Paul Sancya/AP Images]
