Nugent insists 'subhuman mongrel' comments not racist, promises to stop 'calling people names'
(CNN) - Conservative activist and rocker Ted Nugent, whose comments referring to President Barack Obama as a "subhuman mongrel" sparked outrage across the political spectrum, insisted Monday that his remarks were not racist.
In an interview with CNN's Erin Burnett on "OutFront," Nugent said he would "stop calling people names," but he didn't back off the incendiary rhetoric that landed him in the political spotlight in recent weeks.
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"Instead of using terms like ‘subhuman mongrel,’ I'm going to get right to the meat of the matter where our president is a liar. He lies about you can keep your doctor period. Over and over again he lies about Benghazi. He's lying about the IRS," Nugent said.
"So I won't call him names anymore. I'm going to get right down to the nitty-gritty and identify the criminal behavior by the people abusing power in the United States government."
Last month, Nugent called the president a "subhuman mongrel" in an interview with Guns.com.
"I have obviously failed to galvanize and prod, if not shame, enough Americans to be ever-vigilant not to let a Chicago communist-raised, communist-educated, communist-nurtured subhuman mongrel like the ACORN community organizer gangster Barack Hussein Obama to weasel his way into the top office of authority in the United States of America."
He later apologized, though not necessarily to Obama.
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, the likely GOP gubernatorial nominee this year, came under heavy criticism from Democrats this week for campaigning with Nugent, and conservatives on the national political stage, such as Texans Gov. Rick Perry and Sen. Ted Cruz, have distanced themselves from Nugent.
Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky struck a more stringent tone when he called on Nugent to apologize, which he did last week in a radio interview.
"They think I'll be more effective if I back off that Detroit street fighter rock 'n’ roll stage rhetoric," Nugent told Burnett. "I'm here to tell you I'm going to do that because I do respect people like Gov. Perry and the great Greg Abbott and Rand Paul and Ted Cruz, and because I do represent a lot of the same people that they do, believe it or not, I think I owe it to those great Americans to be more civil when I represent them."
After Nugent apologized, he quickly pivoted to what he sees as a bias in the media, attacking CNN and other news outlets in the "propaganda industry" for seizing on his original comments.
Before the interview, Nugent prodded Burnett to listen to comments Obama made on "The View," where he used the word mongrel. In the clip, Obama used the word to underscore the need to treat people of different races with respect.
"The interesting thing about the African-American experience in this country is we are sort of a mongrel people," Obama said in a 2010 interview on the ABC show. "I mean we're all kind of mixed up. That's actually true for white America as well, but we just know more about it. So I'm less interested in how we label ourselves and more interested in how we treat each other."
Nugent said the President is "creating class warfare intentionally to get Americans to draw this line in the sand where I've never seen such political discourse in all my life."
CNN's Dana Davidsen contributed to this report.
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He is washed up and a druggy, so who listens to such filth?
Ted Nugent has no self respect let alone respect for others. Everyone has a right their own opinions, views comments. but his blatant disrespect for the President no matter what your affiliation and the words he chose to use to describe him is abhorrent.
Ted Nugent is a pedophile. Don't believe me???? Look up the lyrics from his song "Jailbait"!
The fact that the GOP loves Ted Nugent, speaks volumes about how LOW they have gone!
I find this to be disturbing as well as disgusting. I'm at a loss for words really. It is blatantly racist and his real view slipped out of his moth while in a glazed over rage. I had tons of his music which I have since deleated. I would be afraid to go( not that I ever will now) to any venue where he is at. His divisive words could incite riots or even a random shooter to prove to him exactly what the 2nd ammendment has become all about. He needs to understand that not only racist white republicans carry guns. Hope he is as quick at dodging bullets as he is the truth.
@ Mack....... exactly!!! Sick man, Ted Nugent.
So when liberals call Nugent an inbred Redneck is that racist too? Or are we just cherry picking what is racist?
Ted Nugent hating and name-calling everyone ant-american who disagrees with him is itself anti-american and revealing of lower consciousness.
He's not interested in the lies and distortions that come from his party.
Our country was built on the freedom and power of 'civil' disagreement.
Thank you,
Michael Anthony
Who cares what this admitted pedo says..
On the bright side, he's a gift that keeps on giving.
Ted's not doing the law-abiding citizen firearm carry movement any good with this. I think when he speaks like this we lose ground in what should be a non-emotional, factual discussion, like John Lott's "More Guns = Less Crime". John blew Dick Durban out of the water, so to speak, in the Senate hearing. even getting Dick's favorite witness to have to agree most gun violence is black on black so therefore law-abiding citizen carry wasn't racist. Left Dick sputtering as he had nothing to come back with except tired, worn out slogans.
This racist fanatic needs to shut up.
I wonder if the black blues players in Chicago consider Ted to be one of them???
What does Buddy Guy think?
Who is Ted nugent?
Ted Nugent, Dennis Rodman – Dennis Rodman, Ted Nugent .... nuff said.
Actually I don't know anyone that couldn't be discribed as a mongrel (myself included), I fail to see it as racist or derisive.......just correct. He's wrong on the subhuman part though.
Please go to Florida, Ted, where someone can deem you a threat and act accordingly.
Ted
Time to pay up on your promise. Shoot yourself in the head.
What a one sided attack on the man. Disgusting
Great work Erin!!!
Can't he, Goobernor Perry, and Darth Cheney all go on a hunting trip while down in Teaxas?
Way to go Ted. Call it like it is...BTW, He has never smoked or done drugs.
castaway
"That's why I get my news from Fox and I get my laughs from Chicken Noodle News"
------–
Based on the rest of your statement it is pretty obvious where you get your "news".
Who cares about that nut case.
Some members of the right wing have been jumping back and forth over the line of, the obvious racist behavior of some of its members. Ted said in a public forum; what some right wingers say behind closed doors. Have you noticed the lack of incensed narrative from, once respected republicans. Its almost like the repubs and tea poopers are recruiting for the dems and independents.
It's Ted Nugent's turn to earn the respect of those of us who care a out logic and reason, truth and the whole picture.