Duck Dynasty’s bigoted, homophobic Phil Robertson is now an official GOP hero. He was not only invited to speak at Thursday’s Republican Leadership Conference – and “brought the house down,” according to Sean Hannity – but Robertson followed that up with a two-segment interview on the Hannity show. There he doubled down on his disgust at "perversion," which I think we can all agree is a code word for "gay."
In case you’ve forgotten, here’s what Robertson said in the January edition of GQ:
Re African Americans during Jim Crow:
They’re singing and happy. I never heard one of them, one black person, say, "I tell you what: These doggone white people"—not a word!... Pre-entitlement, pre-welfare, you say: Were they happy? They were godly; they were happy; no one was singing the blues.
Re gays:Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men.
and
It seems like, to me, a vagina—as a man—would be more desirable than a man’s anus.
Those comments so repulsed people that Robertson was suspended from A&E, though he was soon reinstated. But to Hannity and his Republican BFFs, that just seems to make Robertson all the more appealing.
In his all-Republican Leadership Council show last night, Sean Hannity once again showed just how comfy cozy he and the GOP are with bigots and bigotry.
As we’ve come to expect on Fox, Hannity spun Robertson’s intolerance as refreshing honesty: “He did stir up some controversy after daring to speak his mind about his religion, his faith.” We know that was to be admired because Hannity immediately added, “Now, he addressed the conference earlier this evening and brought the house down. …Everybody want to welcome Phil to the program?” A big cheer resulted.
“I watch every episode. Y’all watch Duck Dynasty?” Hannity asked enthusiastically. Another big cheer ensued.
After Robertson threw down his coffee cup, commanded some of the “girls” there to pick it up, then yelled, “I’m kidding!” Hannity continued by painting Robertson as some kind of spiritual leader: “I think you’re a preacher at heart and you believe that America has a spiritual battle it needs to fight.”
Robertson said, “I just feel a little more comfortable dealing in the spiritual realm, even with the persecution, whatever comes with it.”
Making a ton of money off the persona couldn’t hurt, either.
Later, when discussing his decision to become a Republican, Robertson said he read both the Democratic and Republican platforms. He said he knew he wasn’t a Democrat after reading their platform. He continued:
I read the Republican platform. I said, “Well, they don’t rip human babies from their mothers’ womb. I said, “They’re not endorsing perversion.” So I said, “You know what? I think I’m a Republican.”
Somebody hooted approval in the crowd.
There was no challenge from Hannity. Not a word about Robertson’s odious views on race. Even though they are not all that different from Cliven Bundy’s. And even though Hannity called Bundy’s comments “downright racist, …repugnant, … bigoted and …beyond disturbing.”
If the Republicans are really trying to be more inclusive – or even to just look that way – you have to wonder why they’re championing this guy.
This post originally appeared on News Hounds, where we watch Fox so you don't have to!
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