Hank Williams Jr. unrepentant after comparing Obama to Hitler
Hank Williams Jr, a noted Republican (he has in the past supported both Bush/Cheney and McCain/Palin) finds himself in some hot water today after an anti-Obama tirade on (where else?) Fox News.
Here’s the comments:
In an interview Monday morning on Fox News’ ”Fox & Friends,” Williams, unprompted, said of Obama’s outing on the links with House Speaker John Boehner: ”It’d be like Hitler playing golf with (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu.”
Asked to clarify, Williams said, ”They’re the enemy,” adding that by ”they” he meant Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.
Anchor Gretchen Carlson later said to him, ”You used the name of one of the most hated people in all of the world to describe, I think, the president.” Williams replied, ”Well, that is true. But I’m telling you like it is.”
As a result of this exchange, ESPN pulled Williams long running theme song from Monday Night Football (they have not yet stated whether or not they will bring it back for future games). In a statement made after that, Williams pretty much stuck to his guns:
”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.”
I might be crazy here, but I think someone who respects the office of the President would, you know, maybe think twice before comparing him with one of the most terrible dictators who has ever lived.
Williams then goes on to say the Tea Party should stand up against those who claim they are racists:
”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,” Williams’ statement continued. ”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.”
You know it’s interesting, when I read the story I thought “oh, someone else comparing Obama to Hitler, here we go again”.
But isn’t a little scary that now that such comparisons are so common on the Right Wing that they don’t worry us as much as they probably should?