Greg Abbott Hearts Ted Nugent
By: Amber Paaso, Democratic nominee for Texas Representative, District 26
Courage: mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty. – Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2014.
I know the Nugent/Abbott alliance has been all over the media and perhaps you are ready to move on to the next controversy. Well, I am not and I hope that you aren’t either. This is an opportunity to discuss the qualities of a leader and how his or her choices reveal to us their true selves. Earlier this week Ted Nugent heralded Abbott for his courage for inviting him into his campaign despite the backlash. When word got out of Nugent’s campaign participation for Abbott, the number of attendees skyrocketed. We must then ask what this tells us about society as a whole and more importantly how we view courage.
Ted Nugent
The sexist and racist comments by Nugent are repugnant to most yet so many stay silent. Others go so far to call him a true patriot and great defender of our Constitution. People look to leaders for guidance and integrity. They are role-models for our children, our future leaders. Abbott, Romney and other GOP candidates who have aligned themselves with Ted Nugent are condoning his hatred and utter disrespect. When one stands by while another disparages women by calling them pigs and depicting them as such on his album cover or makes repugnant accusations toward our President, that person condones such behavior through inaction. Good people who stand by while others do or say horrific and disparaging things perpetuate and endorse such behavior through that silence. Leaders must lead by example. Will we make mistakes? Sure, but then own those mistakes and show some accountability. Abbott’s offhand remarks that he couldn’t read everything Nugent has said steeps in ignorance and lack of true leadership. Above all, it is a sign of cowardice.
Throughout the State, domestic violence and rape crisis centers provide leadership and equality training to youth. The PEACE (Peer Educators Acting for Change and Equality) Project, a program led by the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault, engages, educates and supports youth activists to create social change and equality across Texas. This program and many others encourage students to help victims of bullying by not tolerating hateful behavior (See the links below for more details on the OAG’s youth programs). So, how does this tie into to Abbott, Nugent and the question of courage? These educational programs are funded by grants from the Office of the Attorney General. Yes, while supporting anti-bullying and primary prevention of dating violence and sexual assault, Abbott stands proud next to a man who spews hatred and discrimination which are often the core to bullying, harassment and assault. Abbott needs to put his mouth where the money is!
Abbott’s acceptance of Nugent’s support was anything but courageous. More than that, it was a perfect example of hypocrisy. Courage means to stand strong in the face of fear, danger or loss of disreputable friends. If only Abbott had the courage to stand up to the racist and sexist beliefs that Nugent spreads, he could have shown he is a true leader. People look to leaders for guidance and integrity. We expect them to be an example and surround themselves with those who share their values and goals. We must hold our leaders to a higher standards. Abbott has failed on all these fronts. He never had my vote, but now he no longer has my respect. The question is …. does he have yours?
https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/victims/grants.shtml
https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/teens/leaders/
https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/teens/resources/dating.shtml
https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/teens/resources/bullying.shtml
You guys should start a campaign where you xerox copies of Ted’s worst offenses against women and mail them to Greg Abbott’s office with a note saying “while you were out campaigning with Ted Nugent, I found this. FYI. Women of Texas.” He really doesn’t care about the racism and the gun buggery, but he does care about the gender gap.
1Go Amber….
2Well said! Unfortunately the good ole boys view this stuff with a wink and a nod. That attitude is what perpetuates the objectification of women.
3Agreed! I think Greg Abbott respects the celebrity of Ted Nugent more than he truly cares about the victims of sexual assault and domestic violence.
Go Amber!
4I don’t disagree with anything the writer has written.
That is why I find this so…….. puzzling.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/19/texas-domestic-violence_n_4816138.html
This man is running as a “Democrat” for Harris County District Attorney.
Is it possible to find out where a candidate really stands on issues such as this…… before they end up on the ballot, and have a lot of us who ……… shall we say….. disagree with their position and are asked to vote………… absolutely cringing?????
One of the reasons I no longer vote straight ticket.
Just curious.
5Holy Gohmerts! Does Abbott really think Nugent’s penchant for underage girls will pass the gohmert test with women or many fathers of daughters? Brothers, uncles, cousins, grandfathers and more will find the Abbott/Nugent stage show to be disgusting.
Heck of a job, Gregg, alienating almost as many men as you have women. The Wendy Davis for Governor Campaign thanks you.
6Off-topic but interesting, because it was right there in Juanita Jean’s neighborhood:
Black legislator wins disputed election
February
20
1874
On this day in 1874, after considering a challenge from his Democratic opponents, the Texas Senate confirmed the election of Walter Moses Burton. Burton was brought to Texas as a slave from North Carolina in 1850 at the age of twenty-one. He belonged to a Fort Bend planter, Thomas Burke Burton, who taught him how to read and write, skills that served him well in later years. After the Civil War Burton became one of the wealthiest and most influential blacks in Fort Bend County. He became involved in politics as early as 1869, when he was elected sheriff and tax collector of Fort Bend County, and served as the president of the Fort Bend County Union League. In 1873 Burton campaigned for and won a seat in the Texas Senate, where he served for seven years, from 1874 to 1875 and from 1876 to 1882. In the Senate he championed the education of blacks. Among the many bills that he helped push through was one that called for the establishment of Prairie View Normal School (now Prairie View A&M University). When he left the Senate in 1882 Burton was given an ebony and gold cane for his service in that chamber. He remained active in state and local politics until his death in 1913.
From the Texas State Historical Association Texas Day-by-Day that I get.
7That ain’t no tribute to the motor city madman. She is waaaayyyyyyyyyy too freaking old for that dirty old pedophile. Advice for Secret Service agents from ol’Ted hisownself-Next time you visit him to chastise him for threats to the Potusremember,you can’t grill him till you kill him. Tough,aged Nugent backstraps anyone?
8I want to be on record as opposing abbott and nugent and all others like them regardless of label. I don’t hate these people and their acolytes as doing so would waste my time, energy and soul. I do, however, have no respect for them. One issue of this disrespect concerns those who didn’t serve like nugent who went to extraordinarily disgusting efforts to dodge Nam and allow someone else to suffer/die in his place. bush also belongs in this category.
9The frightening thing about all of this is the number of voters who will give them power.
Ted on Ted: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/02/20/1279073/-Ted-Cruz-says-it-s-President-Obama-s-fault-people-listen-to-Ted-Nugent?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+dailykos%2Findex+%28Daily+Kos%29
There has to be a Santorum or a gohmert joke in there somewhere.
e platypus onion, will take a pass on any Nugent products. No amount of tanning would remove the stench from his hide.
10This is what I think Ted Nugent represents. He stands for abuse and scorn and bullying and has an ego the size of Texas.
11https://medium.com/open-ticket/a6558174b38d
OK, all those men who attend Nugent’s hate tests and see the album covers and hear his oinking should understand that they are painting their own selves with the same pederast – pornographic brush. This is my scientific conclusion based on the old adage that when you lie down with dogs you get fleas.
12PKM: “Does Abbott really think Nugent’s penchant for underage girls will pass the gohmert test with women or many fathers of daughters?”
Unfortunately, the gohmerts cheering him on include women and fathers of daughters. They see the “famous guy” pimping their Yosemite Sam brand of ‘Muricanism, and they are completely blinded to the horrors of what these guys promote and are. That’s what scares me so much about the future of my state (Texas) and, in fact, the whole south.
We’ve got to turn this place blue.
13I wish I could vote for Amber Paaso.
Instead, I get Paul Workman. How any moral, sentient human can support Abbott confounds me.
14Just to add to what was already pointed out in the body of the blog, Abbot’s office certifies the SANE nurses who collect the forensic evidence from the victims of sexual violence. His office provides the training materials for these nurses and for advocates who work with these same victims.
Additionally, Abbott’s office has a cybercrimes division that does nothing but ferret out online predators and prosecutes them.
If I were a victim of sexual assault, I would be so offended by this pair, I’m not sure what I would do!
15Thanks for all the great comments. This was in the Texas Freedom Network’s daily email and I wanted to share:
Quote of the Day
“We are not going to do anything to distance ourselves from Ted Nugent. If we had concerns about some of the things that Mr. Nugent has said or done, we wouldn’t have reached out to him and asked him to become involved in our campaign on such a high level.”
16— Todd Smith, spokesman for the campaign of Sid Miller, a Republican state legislator running for Texas Agriculture Commissioner. Smith was addressing questions about racist and other deeply controversial statements Nugent has made in the past.
http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2014/02/agriculture-commissioner-candidate-stands-by-ted-nugent.html/?nclick_check=1
In 1977 Ted released Cat Scratch Fever, which included “Wang Dang Sweet Poontang”. What else exactly DO YOU need to know about this Madman????
Patriot? Hardly.
Defender of dis, dat or de other? No.
He is exactly in 2014 what he said he was in 1977.
17If I was in Texas I would reprint those album covers and copy all legal papers that document Ted Nugent’s perversions and tie
18those politicians to them with barb wire. Repel women, repel
parents and fathers and any one with brain cells and a heart.
Make billboards out of them. That Abbott thinks this is fine
tells people all they ever need to know about him.
Has my respect for Abbot diminished? Nah — it was already rock bottom…which, come to think of it, might be what he’s counting on!
If we tune him out, if we don’t raise a ruckus every single time he proves he’s an idiot, we run the risk of letting his crew gloss over his un-qualifications (the things about him that make him un-qualified for the job)…
19Good point, James Bear. We need to be asking the Abbott campaign exactly how Nutjob Nuge fits the purported ‘family values’ agenda.
Holy Gohmerts! Terrorist Ted is not a voice any sane parent would want their child to hear.
Guns, God and Gohmerts. The GOP is bat crazy gomert, beyond Bachmann, Ted ineligible insane.
20Ted who?
21Great discussion and thanks for the support. Remember that even if you can’t vote for me, there are other ways to help. Check out my website at http://www.amberpaaso.com
22i’m in San Antonio where we have enough gohmerts of our own (Lamar Smith comes to mind), but I have sent my name off to Amber and to Kim Ogg in Houston who’s running against that poor-excuse-for-a-man-not-to-mention-Democrat, Lloyd Oliver (the cretin gohmert Miemaw alludes to with her link). I can sure make phone calls from home to get out the vote even if I don’t live in their districts — my phone has plenty of free minutes that need using. Hope they understand though that I have TIME but no MONEY, unlike Battleground Texas where no one can read.
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