Ed needs a little bit of an election week wind-down, so while there will be some real content today and this weekend, right now let's commend Hank Williams Jr. for slipping us a roofie, holding us down, and forcibly penetrating our ears with his "McCain-Palin Tradition" song. And possibly his penis.
If you need a 90-second version of what is wrong with the GOP, this is it. Whether or not your eardrums can handle the nails-on-chalkboard sound coming from the speakers, read the lyrics. It is as if a team of WWE personalities set out to write a foreword to Michelle Malkin's new book, to be read aloud backed by a jug band. Did anyone else laugh a million black-hearted laughs at Hank II as he performed at McCain's "Victory Party" on election night? Nothing like being the entertainment at a funeral.
Could right wing America possibly crank out anything more difficult to listen to? Yes. Yes they can. They can make things so bad that they cannot be understood in our lifetime.
Chris says:
This is the Republican Party. Simply stunning. Listening to this song is like being Ned Beatty's character in Deliverance when he gets ass raped.
As for the Ann Coulter love song, one of your quotes from Y318 best fits: "Ann Coulter is the place where boners go to die."
Nate says:
I hate Hank Jr.
Total piece of shit.
His dad was awesome, and so is his son, Hank III. Jr. just sucks.
peggy says:
This reminds me of the saying that heaven will be boring because all the good musicians go to hell. Except in this case, heaven is the GOP. Which, I think, makes everyone happy: they can have boring-ass eternal moral superiority, and the rest of us can enjoy ourselves (as sinfully as possible?).
b. freret says:
I don't know, Ed. I know you call people retarded all the time, and it is well applied. I'm not one to judge, but it seems beneath your abilities to pick on people who really ARE retarded. Not particularly sporting. Just a thought.
Kulkuri says:
I used to like Hank Jr. Now after watching part of the video clip, I'll no longer buy his CD's. I couldn't watch all of it, the lies just made my stomach twist into knots.
pmayo says:
Define "irony": the candidates for the party of "family values," dancing around to a song sung by a renowned abuser of alcohol and illegal drugs who abandoned his own son.
Not to mention that the original version of this song celebrates the Williams' family's "family tradition," that is, death by alcohol and drug abuse. The complete and utter lack of self-awareness here is particularly galling.
J. Dryden says:
I had this reaction watching the Ann Coulter song: "Jeez, I don't know what Ed's talking about–this is obviously a witty parody of a mindless celeb-stalker who dumps his girlfriend and alienates all of his peers in a batshit, self-delusional pursuit of a woman who doesn't even know he exists–plus the fact that it's Ann Coulter and in order to 'impress' her he's adopted her moronic ideology makes it even funnier! It's a joke! And rather clever! It's even kind of catchy! Why the hell is…" And then my inner monologue trailed off when I saw who produced it. And I realized that it was dead-earnest. That the dumping of the girlfriend in favor of a Coulter-crush was meant…unironically.
And I wept.
Michalob says:
I love the whole gender equality and empowerment of women quip about 2/3 of the way through the song. That really makes me feel good, knowing the GOP is really on my side, as a woman. However, I don't feel the half-sentence dedicated to the issue really makes up for the fact that my ears were just raped for almost 5 minutes.
Dustin says:
haha i remember that "where boners go to die" line. i wonder if we were in the same class or if that's just a y318 ed burmila staple.
i also remember a couple months back when ed posted "the worst song ever created". well that doesn't have anything on this hank williams song…
AC says:
How the "boners go to die" line went in my y318 class…
Some slide about Bill Clinton's taste in women…Ginnifer Flowers comes up, then Monica, then that line, and the worst picture of Hilary popped up. Very Classy, Ed.
Chris says:
I took Y318 in Spring 2006. The "boners go to die" line was just one of the many highlights.
beau says:
chris, if only this ended with hank jr. stumbling around with an arrow sticking out of him.
hmmm.. too harsh?
Chris says:
No
j says:
Wow, seriously wow. I would have thought a person would have to go to a landfill to dig up such rubbish.
The most confusing part: in the Ann Coulter video, she is standing next to McCarthy's tomb. Is she agreeing with McCarthyism, or is she saying that McCarthyism is dead but unknowingly basing all of her political ideology in the vein of McCarthy? In short, is she stupid or ironically stupid?
Brandon says:
Yeah, and the GOP wonders why they are losing the educated, urban vote. Trotting out Hank Williams Jr. and Lee Greenwood probably ain't the best way to appeal to the youth vote.