- Ian Bayne, 39, is running for the 11th District of Illinois in the US House of Representatives in 2014
- He is not the first conservative politician to rush to 'Duck Dynasty' star Phil Robertson's defense
A Republican candidate for Congress from Illinois says ‘Duck Dynasty’ patriarch Phil Robertson is the ‘Rosa Parks of our generation.’
Ian Bayne, 39, and running for the House of Representatives seat for the 11th District of Illinois, made the comparison to Ms Parks in an official statement released Friday on his website.
Mr Bayne, from the Chicago suburb of Aurora, is running against a handful of other candidates in the 2014, according to the Daily Herald, which first flagged the remarks.
‘In December 1955, Rosa Parks took a stand against an unjust societal persecution of black people, and in December 2013, Robertson took a stand against persecution of Christians,’ Mr Bayne said.
‘What Parks did was courageous,’ he added. ‘What Mr. Robertson did was courageous too.’
The GOP candidate’s comparison of the reality star to the famous civil rights activist came under immediate criticism.
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after the he came under fire for his racially charged remarks to GQ.
‘I never, with my eyes, saw the mistreatment of any black person,’ he told the magazine. ‘Not once. Where we lived was all farmers. The blacks worked for the farmers.’
‘They’re singing and happy,’ he continued. ‘I never heard one of them, one black person, say, ‘I tell you what: These doggone white people’—not a word.’
Mr Robertson was immediately suspended from ‘Duck Dynasty’ as several conservative politicians came to his defense.
Outspoken: 'Duck Dynasty' star Phil Robertson has ignited a firestorm with his comments to GQ
‘Phil Robertson and his family are great citizens of the State of Louisiana,’ Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal said in a statement. ‘The politically correct crowd is tolerant of all viewpoints, except those they disagree with - I remember when TV networks believed in the First Amendment.’
Even more damning footage emerged Thursday of an anti-gay sermon given by the 67-year-old born-again Christian.
‘They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents and they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless.'
More...
- EXCLUSIVE: Duck Dynasty's $400m empire flourishes despite homophobia racism scandal as fans flock to support Phil and Walmart SELLS OUT of show merchandise (and A&E is cashing in with Christmas marathons)
- 'They invent ways of doing evil': Future of Duck Dynasty in jeopardy as SECOND vicious anti-gay rant from Phil Robertson emerges... and the family rally round their patriarch and threaten to quit show
Fans of the show have completely bought out Walmart’s stock of ‘Duck Dynasty’ merchandise, showing that not everyone is upset with his controversial comments.
The Robertson family is currently in discussions with A&E over the future of the show.
