Hunting entrepreneur and reality TV star Phil Robertson’s speech Friday before the annual Conservative Political Action Conference revealed a stark contrast between CPAC faithful and attending news media: While the crowd seemed to savor the Duck Commander’s stemwinder, the speech’s length and sermon-like qualities drew mostly snickers from the press.
Robertson appeared at the conference, which is being held in the Gaylord National Resort and Convention in National Harbor, Md., to receive Citizen United’s “Andrew Breitbart Defender of the First Amendment Award.”
Citizens United designated Robertson for the award after he weathered intense criticism in late 2013 for his remarks questioning same-sex couples and gay lifestyles.
“All of us ought to be able to speak freely,” Robertson, who stars on A&E’s popular reality television series “Duck Dynasty,” said Friday as he took a Bible from a bag and launched into a wide-ranging address that featured quotes from the Bible and the founding fathers, exegesis of some of those quotes, alarming health statistics, and even some advice on the best way to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
Referring to his 2013 comments on traditional marriage and the furor over his questioning of same-sex relationships, Robertson said: “[I]f you hate me because I told you that … I love you anyway.”
Advising attendees on how best to decrease their chances of catching a sexually transmitted disease, he said: “You want a medically safe option? One man, one woman — married for life.”
Elsewhere, after citing figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Robertson noted that there are currently 100 million people in the U.S. with sexually transmitted diseases, adding later that it only takes 30 seconds to catch herpes.
It’s the “revenge of the hippies!” he joked, a remark met in the media section of the Gaylord’s spacious Potomac Ballroom with titters from the press and cheers from attendees.
“Sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll have come back to haunt us in a bad way,” said the founder of the Duck Commander duck-call company, which the Robertson family has been built into a $40 million enterprise. “I don’t want you to get sick and die.”
Pundits and reporters weighed in on Robertson’s remarks in real-time. Most media reviews were negative.
“And now Duck Dynasty guy is receiving some sort of award at #CPAC because…of course he is,” MSNBC’s Krystal Ball said.
The Washington Post’s Hunter Schwarz said, “Phil Robertson of ‘Duck Dynasty’ is talking about the Founding Fathers and STDs and I’m guessing he won’t be invited to the ’16 convention.”
The New York Times’ Jonathan Martin characterized the address as a “bit of fire and brimstone” with an “open bible on podium.”
“[T]he Duck Dynasty guy is going on at length about STDs. [So] that’s pretty interesting,” BuzzFeed’s Rosie Gray quipped.
The Economist’s David Rennie said of Robertson’s address: “Officially strangest CPAC speech as Duck Dynasty patriarch riffs on herpes, STD stats…”
“Duck Dynasty Phil Robertson is giving a crazy rant at #CPAC2015 attacking sex for bringing disease,” added the Huffington Post’s Mike Signorile, a veteran journalist who helped pioneer the practice of outing gay celebrities and notables.
These sentiments were not widely shared by conference-goers, many of whom cheered and applauded Robertson’s numerous Bible-based declarations.
Robertson wields considerable clout in Pelican State politics. The Robertsons provided key support to Vance McAllister during his successful 2013 run for the 5th District House seat — and just as quickly disowned the married McAllister when he was caught in a surveillance-camera kiss with a married employee. McAllister went on to come in fourth in a Republican primary that included Robertson’s nephew among the challengers.
At CPAC, Robertson beseeched attendees to “stand on the Bible” and to “hold onto your weapons!”
He then moved on to an extended discussion of authoritarian regimes and the Islamic State, saying that the absence of Christianity makes them all the same.
“I don’t see a dime’s worth of difference in any one of ’em,” he said.
As Robertson continued his speech, joking at one point that he was just “getting warmed up,” he appeared to go over his scheduled time limit, causing certain members of the press to become restless.
“Hope #CPAC2015 has a vaudeville hook …they are going to need to get Duck Dynasty Phil off stage,” the Daily Beast’s Jackie Kucinich riffed.
The Huffington Post’s Jason Linkins was unimpressed with the address and the decision by conference organizers to have Robertson open for Bush.
“Between putting Trump in front of a bunch of [Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., supporters] and sending Jeb on after Duck Dynasty guys, I’m ready to call it,” he said. “CPAC schedulers are frontrunners in 2015’s troll of the year contest.”
“The Duck Dynasty guy is still talking,” Politico’s Michael Kruse added.
Reason Magazine’s Matt Welch tweeted, “I want this Duck Dynasty speech to go on for two more hours.”
“Wrap it up!” a credentialed member of the press said loudly in the media section of the Gaylord ballroom.
Robertson eventually exited the stage, making way for Fox News’ Sean Hannity and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, but only after conference organizers played him off with theme music.
