Political people way too eager to involve themselves in “Duck” outburst

I hadn’t planned to write a word concerning the recent alleged controversy over one of the “Duck Dynasty” characters making comments implying he’s not sympathetic toward gay people.

FOSTER: Will he benefit?

For one thing, I have never watched the television program on the A&E cable television station. The premise of it just strikes me as being stupid, and I don’t care what this person has to say about much of anything!

SO FOR ME to come out and denounce him for being a dink who needs to get a clue about this being the 21^st Century and how we as a society have evolved just strikes me as being overkill. There already are too many people out there who feel compelled to trash this person.

Just as there are others who will eagerly latch on to the guy because he’s willing to “speak the truth” about “the homos” and other people whom they are determined to think ill toward. That says more about their own warped attitude towards people.

But those people do have the potential to cast ballots, which is why there are political people who are eager to cater to them.

Locally, the Illinois Review website (which also tries to appeal to many of those ideologue-motivated readers) pointed out how Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner has his campaign ads appearing on the web site maintained by the business of the family in the program.

THAT, IN AND of itself, doesn’t mean much. My understanding is that Rauner is using his personal financial advantage to try to get his name out in as many places as possible – giving himself so much name recognition that the rest of the GOP candidates are buried under it and can’t dig their way out!

While the Capitol Fax newsletter reports how one of Rep. Bill Foster’s challengers for the congressional seat – Republican Ian Bayne of Aurora – is going around calling Phil Robertson the equivalent of Rosa Parks.

JINDAL: Forgetting 'free' speech?

Bayne wants to think that Robertson willing to say what he did about gay people was “courageous” and “a stand against persecution of Christians.”

Which makes me wonder if there are some people who call themselves “Christians” who believe that persecution occurs whenever they’re not permitted to persecute other people! And how offended REAL Christians ought to feel that others are using the label to describe their own thoughts.

IT ALSO MAKES me wonder about the need of some political people who feel compelled to seek out the votes of these people.

CRUZ: From govt shutdown to Duck?

These government officials, many of whom aspire to higher offices in the future, are making a conscious choice about whose support they want come those future Election days.

Which is what made a Washington Post story from Friday all the more interesting.

Amongst the political people across the country who have decided to publicly side with Robertson include Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal; Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas; and one-time Vice Presidential hopeful Sarah Palin.

IN PALIN’S CASE, I’m inclined to laugh. Who expects her to ever run credibly for anything again? But the other two have strong enough presidential aspirations that the day will probably come when the public is asked to contemplate whether either one deserves a stint living and working on Pennsylvania Avenue in the District of Columbia.

The Post also spoke with Ralph Reed of the Faith & Freedom Coalition, who defended the political people who are siding with Robertson by telling the newspaper, “These voters are paying attention, and they are going to remember who stood up.”

Actually, Reed – the one-time Christian Coalition director who himself has run unsuccessfully for office – is correct on this point.

People are paying attention to how these would-be politicians act. We will remember who felt compelled to take this incident as an issue that somehow felt serious enough to take a stand.

WE’RE GOING TO remember those, such as Jindal (who has said he “remembers when TV networks believed in the First Amendent”) who don’t comprehend the concept of free speech to realize that those who disagree also have the right to express that dissent.

Which may come back to roost to the point where politicos will wish they had just kept their mouths shut now.

 

Perhaps they never watched the Disney film “Bambi” and the moment when Thumper told us, “If you can’t say something nice, done say nothing at all.”

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