Bill Maher shredded both Duck Dynasty’s Willie Robertson for disrespecting the American flag at the State Of The Union, and Republican hypocrites for not saying a word about it.
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Maher said, “New rule, when you’re invited to the president’s State Of The Union address wear your good bandana. Nice to see you observing the dress code, Cletus. But you know if Beyonce wore that, they would say she was bringing down America from within. But somehow everybody is cool with this 1840s gold prospector sweating goose grease into the Stars and Stripes. All because his homophobic daddy invented a whistle that makes ducks horny.”
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Maher was right. If Beyonce, or any other supporter of the president showed up wearing the Stars and Stripes to the SOTU like Robertson did, Fox News would be screaming for days about how they hate America. They would be indignant over the disrespect that the Obama showed both for the flag, and for those who have fought and died for what it means.
The tirades would be endless. Rush Limbaugh would claim that the act of wearing the flag at the State Of The Union was proof that Barack Obama isn’t really an American. The name Alinsky would tossed around endlessly, and many conservative news cycles would be consumed by faux outrage. None of this happened because the Duck Dynasty guy is a Republican.
Paul Ryan happily looked the other way while posing for a picture with the reality TV star, because what could be more appealing to homophobic 2016 Republican primary voters than a pic with America’s First Family of racial intolerance and homophobia? This the same political party that threw a hissy fit when then candidate Obama wasn’t wearing his flag lapel pin, but they are totally cool with some D-list reality TV star disrespecting the flag because he is one of them.
This is a prime example of the sort of hypocrisy that plagues the Republican Party. Beyond their wildly unpopular agenda, Republicans don’t get that selective application of their “values” is a major turnoff for millions of Americans. In Republican land, it is ok to disrespect the flag and the president’s SOTU as long as you hate what they hate.
Duck Dynasty and the GOP were made for each other, because they are both fading into oblivion.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
