Ted Nugent Conservatives

Double Right Gonzo: The Biz vs. the Nuge

Way back in the Reagan era, P.J. O'Rourke called them "pants-down Republicans" (who wanted both tax cuts and Debbie Harry) and later "Republican Party Reptiles":

We are opposed to: government spending, Kennedy kids, seat-belt laws, busing our children anywhere other than Yale, trailer courts near our vacation homes, all tiny Third World countries that don’t have banking secrecy laws, aerobics, the UN, taxation without tax loop­holes, and jewelry on men. We are in favor of: guns, drugs, fast cars, free love (if our wives don’t find out), a sound dollar, and a strong military with spiffy uniforms.

There are thousands of people in America who feel this way, especially after three or four drinks.

At the turn of the century, the label was "South Park Republicans":

"The term refers to a kind of irreverent post-liberal or anti-liberal attitude or sensibility, one very in tune with popular culture. But it's not a coherent, fully developed political philosophy. You do find this attitude among a lot of younger Americans, as I show in my concluding chapter, which is based on lots of interviews with right-of-center college kids."

Those right-of-center college students, for the most part, aren't Alex P. Keaton-clones, decked out in Ralph Lauren double-breasted navy blue blazers. They're more likely to look like every other college kid: jeans, sneakers, and T-shirts advertising their favorite rock groups. But there's one thing that South Park campus conservatives abhor: "Political correctness drives them nuts", Anderson says. "In interviewing students, for instance, it was clear how much the PC conformities of the campus Left turned them off."

The new description for the same old concept was a headline I couldn't resist: "The Ted Nugent Conservatives."



Author Bernie Quigley doth quote his Tedness:

RINOs are Fedzilla punks who feign support for conservative principles only when it serves their political interest. RINOs are also known for their moderate positions such as supporting tax increases, federal "bailouts," "comprehensive immigration reform," advocating more counterproductive gun control that guarantee more innocent victims, opposing the death penalty, and growing and sustaining Fedzilla and all its toxic mongrels by going along with the liberals.

I say we launch an attack on all fronts. Uncle Ted hereby declares it is open season on RINOs. No bag limits or permits required. Conservative ideas, arguments and votes are the weapons we will use.

Quigley adds:

Mitt Romney, said to have been first choice of the Bush camp in 2008, with Eric Cantor, representative in Virginia and Jeb Bush are... carry(ing) the torch of the Eastern Republican tradition.

Ted Nugent Conservatives would include (Tex. Gov. Rick) Perry, Mark Sanford, Governor of South Carolina, Libertarian Ron Paul and Sarah Palin.

While Palin and Nugent share an affinity for killin' fur-bearin' critters like moose, it's telling that the image of a "hip" GOP draws on an entertainer 30 years past his prime. Hell, even the metaphor isn't fresh.

While I can't come close to endorsing the Motor City Madman's politics, it goes without saying that he nevertheless kicked ass back in the day.