Houston Mayor Annise Parker[1] on Saturday took a shot at Duck Dynasty patriarch Phil Robertson[2] , calling the backwood baron of duck calls and reality TV star a "redneck wingnut" in relation to his views on homosexuality.
Parker, in a midday tweet, called Robertson views "completely irrelevant," reportedly following on a previous discussion.
"I was serious. Who cares?," Parker wrote on her official mayoral Twitter account.
The comment drew rebuke from others, who questioned whether it was appropriate for an elected official to resort to name-calling.
Robertson, founder of a Louisiana-based duck calling business and star of the popular Duck Dynasty television show, was removed by the show's network, A&E, after a magazine article appeared in which Robertson called homosexuality a sin. In the piece, he compared homosexuality to terrorism and bestiality, said being gay was "not logical" and observed that blacks he knew growing up were not unhappy during segregation.
The comments and suspension set off a national debate on Robertson's[3] right to expose what he held were his Christian beliefs and the network's right to take him off the air for speaking his mind.
Parker waded into the controversy with little to lose, said University of Houston[4] political science professor Richard Murray[5] . Parker is term-limited from running for a fourth term, but still has two years to go in the mayor's office.
"It will be interesting to see if this becomes a pattern of letting her hair down electronically," Murray said of the tweet.
Parker's office did not return phone calls and emails seeking comment.
On substance, few should be surprised at Parker and Robertson holding different views. Parker is openly gay, and Robertson is a self-proclaimed "Bible thumper."
"It is not out of character for either one," Murray said.
What is changing, as all elected officials are learning, is the political landscape, he said. Public life often demands that officials have public profiles on platforms such as Twitter that make the statements reach a broader audience.
"You need to be tweeting all the time," Murray said. "But it is a dangerous habit and you might regret saying something the moment you hit send."
If there is any political fallout, Murray said it will be dealings with state lawmakers, some of whom tilt more toward Robertson's views than Parker's. The tweet could also come up should Parker secure a nomination for a federal post, which some have speculated is possible.
Locally, she has little to fear with her last city election behind her, Murray said.
"And fortunately for the mayor there are not many of us rednecks left in the city," Murray said, noting his own rural roots.
References
- ^ Annise Parker (www.chron.com)
- ^ Phil Robertson (www.chron.com)
- ^ Robertson's (www.chron.com)
- ^ University of Houston (www.chron.com)
- ^ Richard Murray (www.chron.com)
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