Congressman Who Invited Ted Nugent to SOTU Ordered to Take Down ‘Obama Failometer’

Last updated on February 13th, 2013 at 10:30 pm

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Texas Republican Rep. Steve Stockman has been ordered to take down the 10-foot-long billboard “Obama Failometer” he hung in the Cannon House Office Building hallway. Stockman doesn’t seem to understand government very well, because his fail meter is aimed at criticizing Obama for a failure to create jobs. In fact, all of Obama’s jobs bills have been killed by the very body Stockman is a part of — the House of Representatives.

Stockman’s billboard hints at the new Republican strategy for getting minority voters to ignore the Republicans’ hostility toward them, by trying to stir up minority resentment against the President for the Republicans’ failure to address jobs.

Stockman issued a statement defending his billboard, “Washington needs more free speech. Millions of Americans are waiting for Obama to reverse his course and create jobs. The Obama Failometer is an objective, mathematical measure of Obama’s failure to create jobs. It is an important tool to focus attention on black and Hispanic unemployment and spur discourse on actions that create jobs for everyone.”

The House leaders were not fans (not helping the GOP rebranding effort, no doubt) and wanted Stockman to take the billboard down, as it violates the rules of the House Office Building Commission regarding displays in the hallways. It’s unclear who gave the official order to Stockman.

Stockman grew up in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan (Romney’s hometown) but spent some time as a homeless person until he found religion. Stockman is bringing Ted Nugent, a draft-dodger who threatened the President, to the State of the Union address as a statement against gun safety legislation. Stockman claims to be a born-again Christian. He credits “Gun Owners of America and Citizens United” with getting him elected. Stockman claims the the Tea Party and evangelicals as his Texas base.

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