When are people going to learn that Nazi analogies are still a social taboo?
Last night, for the first time in over 20 years, Hank Williams Jr. didn’t ask television audiences “Are you ready for some football?” His opening musical routine, which played before the kick off to every Monday night NFL game, was pulled by ESPN after Williams made an analogy that compared Barack Obama to Adolf Hitler.
During a Monday morning interview on “Fox and Friends” (of course), Williams took the opportunity to vent his frustrations about Speaker of the House John Boehner playing golf with President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden. The obviously conservative — not to mention culturally insensitive — Williams, had some strongly moronic thoughts on the golf outing. “It’d be like Hitler playing golf with (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu.”
In one simple eight-word sentence Williams did an incredible amount of damage. He simultaneously compared Obama to arguably the worst man in human existence, while likening John “stick so far up his ass he can taste it” Boehner to Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu. Williams went on to explain that the two parties are enemies, which is why they shouldn’t share a round of golf with each other. This is the kind of statement that can only happen on Fox News.
After ESPN announced that Williams’s iconic yet outdated musical number was being cancelled he issued the following “apology” through his publicist.
Some of us have strong opinions and are often misunderstood. My analogy was extreme — but it was to make a point. I was simply trying to explain how stupid it seemed to me — how ludicrous that pairing was. They’re polar opposites and it made no sense. They don’t see eye-to-eye and never will. I have always respected the office of the president… Every time the media brings up the tea party it’s painted as racist and extremists — but there’s never a backlash — no outrage to those comparisons. Working-class people are hurting — and it doesn’t seem like anybody cares. When both sides are high-fiving it on the ninth hole when everybody else is without a job — it makes a whole lot of us angry. Something has to change. The policies have to change.
I’m not sure what is funnier—the notion that Williams claims that he has “always respected the office of the president” or that the golf outing he’s commenting on happened over three months ago back in June. His biting political commentary that cost him the easiest job on the planet wasn’t the least bit timely.
What’s sad is Williams definitely thinks he made a grand political statement with his “extreme” analogy. He probably believes he lost his job for standing up for his political beliefs. In reality, he’s simply setting the ignorance bar at a higher level.
[Chicago Tribune & ESPN]
October 04, 2011 at 1:20 pm, sippi7300 said:
hank is an american ledgend! he has always had strong veiws when it comes to the welfare of the working class! and as a black man from mississippi, i belive he was pasionate about his statement. but was takin’ way wrong by you sissy people! god bless america and god bless hank jr.!!!!!!!!!!!
October 04, 2011 at 1:25 pm, Addedage said:
Who are you kidding? you may be from MS but you are no black man. No fully blooded black man would support this ignorant, drunken buffoon.
October 04, 2011 at 2:05 pm, Aluckydude said:
Fully blooded black man? Your ignorance is astounding. Do you really believe that african descent so thoroughly limits someone’s political views? You’re implication that sippi7300 is of mixed descent, and therefore open to your scorn, reveals you as a racist. God help us all if your statement shows how far we have come since the civil rights movement.
October 04, 2011 at 1:32 pm, Anonymous said:
Hank’s daddy was a talented, disturbed alcoholic. Hank Junior is a right wing redneck with absolutely no talent. But he has managed to carve out a nice career as a mindless, bellowing drunk, so at least the acorn didn’t fall very far from the tree.
October 04, 2011 at 1:34 pm, Tohmsa Hatrman said:
Hank Williams Jr. is proud of his ignorance and bigotry. That may appeal to the rednecks of football, but it should be repudiated by true and patriotic Americans. Williams has never served his country, preferring the safety of a guitar to the danger of the battlefield. He is something of a false patriot despite the twang.
October 04, 2011 at 1:36 pm, Anonymous said:
I think this represents a major problem in this country. According to Mr. Williams, if parties or people don’t agree, they shouldn’t try to agree. They should not look for common ground, such as, “What can we do that’s best for the USA?” or “How can we work together to defeat al qaeda?”
Instead, it seems his advise is for each to go their corner then come out punching. I’m sure he is only interested in removing President Obama from office, not for solving problems no matter who is in office.
Seems kind of short sighted to me. Using those rules, whichever party is not the majority is supposed to just sit on their hands and sulk until they can get the majority again. Childish.
October 04, 2011 at 1:36 pm, Anonymous said:
I think this represents a major problem in this country. According to Mr. Williams, if parties or people don’t agree, they shouldn’t try to agree. They should not look for common ground, such as, “What can we do that’s best for the USA?” or “How can we work together to defeat al qaeda?”
Instead, it seems his advise is for each to go their corner then come out punching. I’m sure he is only interested in removing President Obama from office, not for solving problems no matter who is in office.
Seems kind of short sighted to me. Using those rules, whichever party is not the majority is supposed to just sit on their hands and sulk until they can get the majority again. Childish.
October 04, 2011 at 1:36 pm, Baraksux said:
Most of you fail to see that Obama is as bad as Hitler!!! @(^#@!@ libtards!!!
October 04, 2011 at 10:16 pm, Fage said:
You are such a loser you named youself after Barak… Baraksux…
Who cares what this guys says anyhow. I am glad his damn song is finally not blasting before every monday night game anymore.
October 04, 2011 at 10:16 pm, Fage said:
You are such a loser you named youself after Barak… Baraksux…
Who cares what this guys says anyhow. I am glad his damn song is finally not blasting before every monday night game anymore.
October 04, 2011 at 10:16 pm, Fage said:
You are such a loser you named youself after Barak… Baraksux…
Who cares what this guys says anyhow. I am glad his damn song is finally not blasting before every monday night game anymore.
October 04, 2011 at 1:36 pm, Anonymous said:
Hank Williams, Jr. is a great example of what Forest Gump said best: “Stupid is as stupid does.”
October 04, 2011 at 1:47 pm, Mont750 said:
First, I agree with sippi7300, When did we become a nation of such cry babies. And as for Addedage statement, I guess to be considered a real black man one would have to agree with your disdain for Williams. Listen, I,m not some be fan of Williams, but it amazes me how some can say what ever that like and never get called on it. But when someone like Williams makes a questionable statement everyone gets their panties in a wad. Get over it or at least call it on both sides. Stop being a hypocrite!!!
October 04, 2011 at 2:16 pm, michael s said:
I think it’s adorable Hank Williams Jr. thinks John Boehner and Barack Obama are really mortal enemies! Like Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader! Pew pew pew vrrm vrrm!
October 04, 2011 at 3:00 pm, Cheapstuff2 said:
Get Over it We need people to say what the country needs to hear or we will wake up some day and ask ourselves how did this happen, we our too far down that road allready
October 04, 2011 at 3:56 pm, Hart72 said:
You fools never had a problem with Bush being compared to Hitler , but its your guy now and that really gets under your skin. I’m tellin’ you there are a lot of folks that agree with ol’ Bocephefus.
October 04, 2011 at 6:38 pm, drmac said:
The Tea Party and Conservatives are constantly being called racist and spewing hateful rhetoric. I just read these comments “mindless, bigot, redneck, stupid, bellowing drunk.” Really?
October 04, 2011 at 7:04 pm, Carter Walker said:
But when a liberal does it where is the outrage? Where is the outrage at the ridiculous things Garofalo, Penn, Damon, Moore say? I also love the bigot comments on here? What part of what Hank said was bigoted? Hilarious. Was he out of his element? Yes. Could he have used a better metaphor? Yes. Is it worse than some of things the lefties have said (Waters “go to hell” comment, or Penn calling Rice, Bush, Cheney despicable human beings etc)? No. As a matter of fact his was not even a direct comparison to Hitler just an overstated comment about the divide between Obama and Boehner.
October 04, 2011 at 7:13 pm, Anonymous said:
It makes me angry that drunken redneck hicks like HW Jr. get a national platform to spew their drivel.
October 04, 2011 at 7:16 pm, Josh said:
I feel he was right for what he said. Our dumb ass president is golfing instead of solving the problem with jobs. Whatever happened to freedom of speech in this country that our fore fathers wrote in the Constitution. People need to stop bashing someone for a opinion that we as Americans are entitled to and grow the hell up and see the real issue out there and that is we have a bum of a president with false hopes and promises and can’t deliver on them. Instead of fighting against each other fight together so our future can have a world to live in before Obuma destroys it.
October 05, 2011 at 5:19 pm, Michiganmitch said:
“Working class people are hurting”. Yes Hank but the teatardates are being manipulated by the Koch’s, you, other country entertainers like you and Wall Street. None has the well-being of working class folks at heart. Tax cuts for the wealthy don’t help working class folks. Hank is a greedy millionaire or should be if he hasn’t snorted or drank all his earnings. Obama is the enemy because he represents the image of someone who might uncut the massive upward redistribution of wealth and creator of debt featured by supply-side econ the last 30 years. Redneck beer swilling, racist Hank fans have much more in common with homeless blacks than they do with millonaires and will only wind up more like the homeless if conservatives get their way.