Should Hank Williams Jr. have been dumped by ESPN for the Hitler/Obama comment?

[OmahaBlueDog]

Hank Williams Jr., the singer whose various videos for the hit song "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Monday Night" has served as the intro to "Monday Night Football" for 23 seasons, compared President Barack Obama to Adolf Hitler during a Monday morning appearance on "Fox and Friends." The statement led to ESPN pulling his popular intro segment, best known to fans for its "Are you ready for some football?" ending, for Monday night's game between the Indianapolis Colts and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

During a discussion on the 2012 presidential race, Williams began discussing Obama's golf outing with Speaker of the House John Boehner. He said it was a political mistake, on par with "Hitler playing golf with Netanyahu."

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Hank-Williams-Jr-pulled-from-ESPN-after-compari?urn=nfl-wp8592

[txwhitedove]

1. Absof'inglutely! Dixie Chicks weren't given the right to free speech

when they were merely embarrassed that Bush was from Texas, and were ostracized for the comment. Bocephus compared our President to Hitler, which is bizarre.

[msanthrope]

12. They had free speech. The government didn't censor them.

And ESPN isn't the government. It can do what it wants.

[txwhitedove]

15. Any "speech" is not entirely free if one's life is threatened just for giving an opinion.

[Toucano]

27. Who's life was threatened?

Ostracizing someone does not threaten their life.

Maybe it did in the 17th century, but not today.

[txwhitedove]

37. If I'm not mistaken, the Dixie Chicks were cursed and threatened back then.

[Cid_B]

16. Cause no one ever compared a president to Hitler....

*must keep straight face*

Also, Dixie Chicks were the perfect example of free speech. They were free to say what they liked and the industry and fans were free to reject it.

Same goes for Hank as well btw...

[SoutherDem]

2. Obama/Hitler?

I often compared Bush to Hitler, just show how stupid "Jr" really is.

[Autumn]

3. Yes, Because he is a no talent moron

and a real pig.

[DinahMoeHum]

4. HW Jr is a wet shit-stain on his daddy's legacy. . .

Without the last name, he'd be a novelty-style country singer at best.

[Erose999]

46. I disagree, without his daddy's last name and the doors it opened for him, he might have had to

actually work hard to get anything which would have built his character to something deeper than "drunken party redneck".

Waylon's son Shooter is pretty similar to Hank Jr. in his attitude, work ethic (or lack therof?), and nativist/jingoistic perspective. I paid $20 to go to one of his shows and my friends and I walked out maybe 20 minutes into it. It was that bad.

[bluestate10]

5. Dump him. He is a shitty singer in addition to a wingnut. nt

[Ian David]

6. Tell Hank to shut-up and sing. FUHW. n/t

[Dawson Leery]

7. Remember what country radio and country fanbase did to the Dixie Chicks?

Natalie Maines was but ashamed that Bush was from her state.

Hank Jr. is comparing Obama to Hitler without ANY proof.

[razorman]

9. However we may feel about it, that did not violate the rights of the Dixie Chicks.

The fan base refusing to buy their music is not the same as government cracking down on them. The same thing can happen to HW, Jr., without interfering with his right to free speech.

[Dawson Leery]

11. I never have called for government censorship.

What happened to Hank Jr. is similar to what happened to the Dixie Chicks.

[Generic Brad]

22. Of course he had proof

The President played golf with Boehner. In wing nut world, that pass for proof.

[razorman]

8. The government has no right to do anything to him over this. He has a right to say what he wants.

The network, on the other hand,does have a right to pull him, if they believe his remarks will hurt their business. The Dixie Chicks' rights were not violated when they spoke out, since a boycott is not violation of the First Amendment. Likewise, if the public wants to organize a boycott of Williams and his network, that is their right.

[Fumesucker]

10. Are you ready for some GODWIN?

[hlthe2b]

13. His long dead father will always have more success & talent...

No comparison, whatsoever. Suck them apples, JR.

What a cretin. :eyes:

[Tom Ripley]

31. Nocephus is long overdue for that backseat death

[rustydog]

14. "Are ya ready for some BIGOTRY, A GOP partay?"

Once again, I bet every single GOP candidate has no comment on This numb-nutted bigots hateful comments.
Just like it is Herman Cain's fault Perry's ranch was named niggerhead...
The GOP is one sad excuse for a political party. A pretty good excuse for a neo-nazi group, though.

[rustydog]

17. I wouldn't be surprised if he was named Perry's running mate.

[cynatnite]

21. He plans on running for the senate here in TN...

:puke:

[JoePhilly]

18. Hank is supporting the terrorists by attacking the President during war time!!!!

[emilyg]

36. Of course we never attacked Bush.

[lib2DaBone]

19. ESPN was right. For REAL Country..listen to Americana Radio...

http://americanaradio.org/ama/displaychart_beforetracks.asp?mode=lw&dtkey=

[Motown_Johnny]

20. Hitler comparisons are unacceptable.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

32. Sez you, Adolf!

[MADem]

34. Funniest comment on this thread...! nt

[Name removed]

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[Capitalocracy]

23. If Hank's a Fox viewer...

I bet he's awful confused about why he's in trouble right now. All he did was go on a channel he watches and say the same things they say on that channel all the time. Apparently he caught the message but he didn't learn the code.

[OwnedByFerrets]

24. Why is this even a question?

[Scurrilous]

25. Yes. n/t

[a kennedy]

26. Screw him.....saw the video of him saying that....and he's

the worst for saying that.....the worst.

[AsahinaKimi]

28. HE WAS dumped for one night only ...

The problem is, he will be back next Monday.

[Bjorn Against]

29. As much as I despise Hank Williams I had to vote that ESPN was wrong

The reason I voted for them being wrong is because I think about what would happen if the tables were turned, if it were someone on my side I would be upset if ESPN fired them for a political statement so conisistency demands I take the side of Williams no matter how repulsive I find him. I can not defend his words, but he was speaking for himself and was not representing his employer when he spoke, I don't like the idea of people losing jobs or contracts on the basis of political views expressed outside of work. I don't like taking Williams side but I would be a hypocrite if I did not think he should be treated the same way people on my side deserve to be treated.

[MADem]

33. Oh please--the guy who quacked for the AFLACK duck got fired for his comments, too.

He got fired for making tasteless Japan tsunami jokes on TWITTER. Never mind that he makes his LIVING making tasteless jokes, they let him go anyway. http://mashable.com/2011/03/15/gilbert-gottfried-japan-twitter/

Shit happens. If you want to rep any kind of money-making franchise that has customers from all sides of the political and cultural spectrum, don't say stupid shit that will piss off that constituency.

I would not be surprised if Hank violated some terms of a contract he has with the NFL. He certainly brought disrepute upon them by calling our President Hitler and "The enemy." So fuck Hank--he's a no-talent BUM.

[Bjorn Against]

35. I would never defend the content of Hank William's comments

I understand very well that ESPN has the right to fire him, but I don't support their decision to do so for the same reason I would not support the decision if it were someone on my side. People should be able to express dissenting political opinions publicly without fear of losing their job and livlihood, that is a principle I hold to even for those whose ideas I find repulsive.

[MADem]

38. People who work for an outfit that has fans from all ends of the political spectrum do NOT have the

right to mouth off without consequences. They need to understand that, to some extent, they represent the agency that pays them.

Now, Hank does not "work" for ESPN. He didn't get "fired."

They just don't want to use that racist, wingnut, President-bashing, asshole's song anymore.

And GOOD for them!! Hank can go home and get drunk with all his Rowdy Friends--maybe they'll buy the beer, since he'll be a bit skint when the residual check doesn't turn up anymore.

You pipe up, you take your chances. Ask Gilbert Gottlieb about that stuff--and he didn't call the President of the US "The Enemy."

[Name removed]

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[Tom Ripley]

30. Fuck yes!

[SpartanDem]

39. I've hated that song for years

so I'm really happy about this

[WonderGrunion]

40. I hear it's the new theme song at FireDogLake

All my fake-liberal agitator friends are coming over tonight to compare Obama to Hitler.

[SidDithers]

41. LOL...

:thumbsup:

Sid

[LWolf]

42. Yes. nt

[madokie]

43. Hank junior sucks big time

so yes they were right in dumping his sorry ass

[Ikonoklast]

44. Never could stand that asshat.

Mumbling, drunken, stupid nativist lout whose grasp of politics is less than that of an inanimate object..he's a Fox News executives dream demographic.

If his last name wasn't Williams, most people on this planet would be wondering just who in the hell is this guy, and why should I care what he thinks about anything?

[Erose999]

45. I guess all Hank's rowdy friends must have had other plans. LOL

Fuck Hank Jr.

This isn't the first time he's made a stupid bigoted statement about Obama. I remember seeing a video one time where he was showing off one of his shotguns and talking about how "Obama's goin' after all the guns" or some shit like that. He's an idiot.

[Name removed]

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[LynneSin]

49. It's one thing to speak out negatively against a president. Another to compare to Hitler

I probably wouldn't have complained if it was just a negative attack. But Hilter purposively murdered 6million+ Jews and other 'undesirables'.

ESPN was smart to unload him.

[Name removed]

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