Is Jr.’s pen mightier than broadcast?
Updated: Hank Williams Jr released a new single “Keep The Change” free to his fans Monday, and close to 150,000 have responded. Fans, friends and media are all downloading the song, which has received placement on such notable websites as TulsaToday.com, Hannity.com, Alan.com (Alan Colmes), KidRock.com, countless radio stations and many others.
“Artists have launched tens of thousands of email-for-download campaigns but Hank's 'Keep The Change' is the fastest growing campaign we've ever seen!” - Ian C. Rogers, CEO, Topspin.
Hank discussed the popularity of the song on ABC’s The View, where he was questioned about last week’s now-famous controversial remarks from Fox & Friends. Those comments resulted in ESPN pulling his musical intro to their Monday’s football telecasts.
Left-leaning hosts Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar of The View, Jon Stewart of The Daily Show, and Sarah Palin and Rush Limbaugh from the other side of the political landscape all came to his defense last Monday.
“Hank has always been provocative ... and said provocative things”, said Whoopi. “What kind of standards are we holding folks to when we say ‘Oh no, you can’t say...’ We can’t say ‘listen man, that’s not a good thing to do’ so instead we pull... Is that the right thing?” “Those among us who are without sin, cast the first stone,” Goldberg said.
“He was making a comparison...” said The View co-host Joy Behar.
“I think every American has the right to voice their opinion,” said co-host Elizabeth Hasselbeck.
“I don’t think you should be kicked off tv just for expressing yourself,” said Bill Maher on his HBO weekly show Real Time, in reference to Hank’s comments last week. “I am defending this guy.”
“What? They pulled the song?? We count on him to gauge our nation’s football readiness. If anything just give ‘em a slap on the wrist,” said comedian Jon Stewart. “By the way ESPN... you’re shocked? By Bocephus’ comments? You know, he’s been at ESPN for twenty years - have you met him? ... It’s Bocephus, man. He’s got a song about how things would be better if the south had won. The guy fell 442 feet off a mountain, cracked open his skull so bad he had to hold in his own brain and survive... Don’t act all ‘oh, my goodness’ when he says something down-home and gritty. That’s what he’s there for.”
Williams decided early last week to end the relationship with ESPN, making the trip to New York today to discuss his reasoning and the topic with various national outlets.
“Mickey is a mean mouse, and he has stepped in to ‘that pile’...” Hank said today, in reference to a quote from President Harry Truman, when asked about the fallout during today’s segment on The View.
“America is a country of choices - we have choices and options - and I have choices and options.” Hank said. When asked if he would stay out of future political discussions, he responded “How am I gonna do that? We want you to be President, we want you to be Senator ... I ain’t got time - I wanna go fishing!”
Editor's Note: Tulsa Today was glad to help draw attention to the controversy and the song, "Keep The Change." We were one of the first media to direct public attention to the download. Our publisher, David Arnett, has won two national awards as a First Amendment Advocate and it is no surprise to regular readers for him to opine on the subject. That original posting follows as published at 9:00 am, yesterday.
Tulsa Today Analysis: “Fox and Friends” could have explained in more politically correct terms the valid point Hank Williams Jr. was making on-air. Simply put; there is no valid purpose to meetings or golf with those who share no common ground. The current administration is Socialist at best or Marxist and constitutionally criminal depending on which documented published works are referenced.
The “Fox and Friends” hosts failed to provide context and days later ESPN dropped Country Music’s beloved Bocephus’ musical intro to Monday Night Football. Ok then, pick a fight and see how it goes. As Williams’ new song now released online for free rails, “This country sure as hell has gone down the drain. We know what we need. We know who to blame.”
Now Americans can decide and popularize for free Williams’ new song “Keep the Change.” How popular it becomes is outside the control of the politically correct broadcast elite. While there is a limit of 48 hours posted online for the download, fans can hope that limit is extended as Patriots rush to pass the news. Click here on the direct link to the specific page on Williams’ site to download "Keep The Change." In this musician’s opinion – it’s a good country rockin’ work.
Oh and wouldn’t ya know there is a t-shirt available at this link.
Williams got into hot water last week during an appearance on "Fox and Friends" when he said that Obama's round of golf with House Speaker John A. Boehner would be like "Hitler playing golf with Netanyahu."
If he had illustrated his point with a dictator other than Hitler to compare with President Barack Hussein Obama, he might've gotten away with it. By drawing on Adolph Hitler, who did not even kill quite so many citizens as fellow crazies Mao and Stalin in the 20th century's evil sweepstakes, Williams fatally crossed cable's fuzzy boundary of good taste.
Perhaps if he had called Obama "kind of a dick" like MSNBC political analyst Mark Halperin did a few months ago, he might've been slapped with a mere suspension. Hitler? The Left just hates that reference because the Nazi Party was officially named the National Socialist German Workers' Party and the Left wants Americans to think of “Socialist” as a kinder gentler totalitarian type regime these days. But Williams is hardly alone. People are always comparing politicians they despise to Hitler, the all-purpose bogeyman. The universally understood historic nature of the name means almost any idiot can catch the point even if they couldn’t find Germany on a map. Yes, Mao and Stalin have been referenced by Obama Administration officials as notable heroes, but let’s not confuse the issue.
In point of fact, without common ground meaningful substantive communications cannot occur. There is no compromise with evil that seeks to destroy you. As it is increasingly understood by growing numbers of American citizens, President Barack Hussein Obama has – during his term and by his policies – proven that the Left’s most treasured ideologies are total failures in direct conflict with economic prosperity and the most treasured American traditions of individual Liberty.
As to Hank William Jr’s rowdy friends; remember Mel Gibson’s line in Braveheart as he portrayed William Wallace’s war to overthrow English rule? In the first formal battle foray, he said he was going to start a war and his friends asked what they should do. The answer was simply “just be yourselves.”
Now Williams' rowdy friends can make their voices heard by just being themselves and download a great tune. Do it now. Show your loyalty to Hank Williams Jr. and your American patriotism. Click here to download, “Keep the change.”