Ted Nugent headlining Kansas GOP event? That sums up the state of today’s Republicans | Opinion

In 1981, when he was over 30 years old, the rock star Ted Nugent wrote and performed a song that has become a notorious part of his catalog.

It was called “Jailbait.” And it’s exactly what you think it’s about.

“Well I don’t care if you’re just 13/You look too good to be true,” Nugent sang. “I just know that you’re probably clean/There’s one lil’ thing I gots to do to you.”

I’m frankly embarrassed to type those lyrics. They’re disgusting. But typical for Nugent.

In other news, Nugent — now 75, still notorious — will be the keynote speaker at the Johnson County Republican Party’s “Grand Ol’ Party” shindig on March 8.

That’s right. Members of the Kansas GOP next will take a break from bullying LGBT kids (in the name of all that is right and decent, of course) to cavort with a notoriously libertine celebrity who became famous singing about sex, sex, sex. They’ll probably raise good money from Nugent’s appearance: A digital flyer for the event says tickets range from $100 to $300.

Side note: I don’t even pay that much to go see rock stars who are still popular.

The Kansas Republican Party — headed by Mike Brown, the former Johnson County commissioner — is also promoting the event, sending email announcements to constituents statewide. State Sen. Mike Thompson, the former TV weatherman turned legislative conspiracy theorist, encouraged his social media followers to attend.

Just to add a patina of legitimacy to Nugent’s appearance, Phill Kline — the former Kansas attorney general and former Johnson County district attorney whose law license remains suspended because of misconduct during his crusade against abortion rights — will deliver opening remarks at the event.

You know. To give it some dignity.

“Make sure you get your tickets to this great event early so you can hear two great Americans give their take on the current landscape in America,” Thompson wrote earlier this month on X, previously known as Twitter. “I’ll be there! Looking forward to it!”

Interesting, what counts as “great Americans” for today’s Kansas Republicans. A washed-up rock star and a disgraced, insurrectionist attorney. Maybe they couldn’t spring one of the Jan. 6 defendants from prison.

But it makes sense. Today’s GOP, after all, is the party of skeevy old men.

Donald Trump, after all, is the defining figure of the Republican Party, and uncut misogyny is one of his defining traits.

Who can forget the Playboy magazine cover, the “Access Hollywood” hot mic moment and the civil verdict for sexually abusing E. Jean Carroll? Trump treats women like dirt, when he’s not treating them as mere objects.

Nugent fits in pretty smoothly alongside Trump in today’s GOP, you have to admit.

To be fair, Johnson County Republicans aren’t hosting Nugent because of what I’ll euphemistically call his “sexual excesses.” (He’s straight, so it’s OK, right?) Republicans seem to like him because he likes to say violent, nasty things about Democrats.

During a 2007 concert appearance, for example, he brought guns onstage and started ranting about Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, then both senators and candidates for president.

“I was in Chicago and said, ‘Hey, Obama, you might want to suck on one of these you punk.’ Obama, he’s a piece of (expletive), and I told him to suck on my machine gun,” Nugent told the crowd. “And then I was in New York. I said, ‘Hey, Hillary, you might want to ride one of these into the sunset, you worthless (expletive).”

Another time, Nugent called Obama a “subhuman mongrel.” At least he half-apologized for that.

Democrats have their own skeevy old man problem, of course. We all know what Kansas Republicans would say if Bill Clinton headlined a party fundraiser here. They’d probably even be right.

But Clinton isn’t coming to Overland Park. Nugent is. And you’ve got to wonder what — if any — standards are left in today’s GOP. Own the libs and every other sin will be forgiven and celebrated.

Joel Mathis is a regular Kansas City Star and Wichita Eagle Opinion correspondent. He lives in Lawrence with his wife and son. Formerly a writer and editor at Kansas newspapers, he served nine years as a syndicated columnist.