Nevada cattle rancher Cliven Bundy has been in a standoff with the US Government for more than a decade that recently came to a head. Bundy, who has been running his cattle illegally on public lands without paying the grazing fees, currently owes the Federal Government about $1.2 million in back fees. That’s a lot of hamburgers. Yet when the BLM came to round up and seize the cattle Bundy was still keeping on federal lands he managed to turn it into a big populist cause, endorsed by right-wingers and libertarians who saw the roundup as a case study in government over-reach. Armed supporters rallied at the Bundy ranch and actually cause the BLM to suspend its plans. Score: Bundy 1.2 Million – BLM 0.
So, flushed with the glow of victory Bundy walks out to address his gathered supporters and a New York Times reporter. Does he talk about cattle? The constitution? States’ rights? Those are all good talking points for his cause. Nah. Instead, he launches into a rambling diatribe about lazy “negroes” and how the Black people he sees in Las Vegas “never learned to pick cotton” and just depend on Federal subsidies. Yes, that’s right, a guy who owes the US government more than a million dollars is calling other people lazy welfare cheats.
Watch now as every right-wing politician who supported his cause now run for the hills and trip over themselves trying to put distance between them and him.
Score: Bundy 0 – Bundy 0.
The Original Spin 