Ricky Skaggs, Toby Keith Medals Not a “Reaction” to Impeachment
Amid the United States House of Representatives passing an article of impeachment against President Trump on Wednesday, January 13th for inciting a violent and deadly riot at the US Capitol on January 6th, President Trump was at the White House awarding National Medal for the Arts to both Country Music Hall of Famer Ricky Skaggs and Toby Keith, according to reports.
The news spread quickly, and put country music right in the middle of the political imbroglio. However, reports by Rolling Stone and other outlets that the awarding of the medal was a quote “reaction” to the impeachment are false. Instead, it was a preplanned ceremony orchestrated in advance that happened to coincide with the fast-moving impeachment vote, Saving Country Music can confirm.
On Thursday morning (1-14), Rolling Stone published a story with the headline, “Trumps Impeachment Reaction: Give Toby Keith and Ricky Skaggs Medals.” According to the publicist for Ricky Skaggs, the 66-year-old was at the White House on Wednesday and did receive the National Medal for the Arts, but the bluegrass legend had been previously-scheduled to receive the award in 2020. The ceremony was rescheduled due to COVID-19, and Wednesday’s White House event had been in the works before the impeachment motion to make sure it was fulfilled before the end of the President’s term.
Saving Country Music also reached out to the publicist for Toby Keith who said they could not comment, but did say they had yet to see any official announcement or confirmation that Toby Keith had received the award, and could not confirm if Keith was at the White House on Wednesday, but would update with any new information if or when it was made available. The White House also has not released any information on the handing out of the medals, making it unlikely it was a ploy to distract from impeachment.
Nonetheless, with the acrimony hanging in the air amid the Capitol riots and impeachment, the awarding of the National Medal of the Arts to Ricky Skaggs, and potentially Toby Keith will sully the distinction for the two country stars in the minds of many. New England Patriots football coach Bill Belichick was offered the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Trump recently, but refused the medal due to the fallout after the Capitol attack.
Toby Keith has long been a lightning rod in country music and beyond, especially due to his hit “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue (The Angry American),” which was his answer to the 9/11 attacks. Though Keith is regularly portrayed as a reactionary conservative, he was a Democrat when the released the song, and remained so throughout much of the Obama Administration, before refusing any party affiliation. Keith performed at inauguration parties for both President Obama and President Trump.
Ricky Skaggs has been much less of a polarizing character in country music over his Hall of Fame career, collaborating with a wide host of artists from all across the political and cultural spectrum. In recent years, the mandolin player and singer has been more outspoken about his faith, and has voiced support for President Trump.
Previous presidents in the modern era would regularly award a dozen or so National Medal for the Arts per year. Loretta Lynn was a recipient of the award during the Obama Administration. But President Trump has handed out very few over his term. Bluegrass performer Alison Krauss also received a National Medal for the Arts from President Trump.
The distinction for Ricky Skaggs and Toby Keith comes as country music finds a strange footing in the final days of the Trump Administration. After the riots at the Capitol, Rolling Stone also published a report denouncing the wives of of country music stars Jason Aldean and Brian Kelley of Florida Georgia Line for spreading false rumors via their Instagram accounts. Though the posts by these women were certainly alarming, the article seemed to be an effort to unfairly pin either responsibility, acceptance, or the spreading of false information about the Capitol attacks upon the greater country music community as opposed to isolated incidents by the spouses of country stars.
The awarding of the National Medal of the Arts to Ricky Skaggs and Toby Keith does not help the effort of many in the country music community who denounced the attacks to distance from the current political acrimony, and the conspiracy theorists and those continuing to spread false information about the recent United States Presidential election.
More information if or when it becomes available.
January 14, 2021 @ 12:26 pm
I just want to say further:
I will always lobby for Ricky Skaggs to receive any and all awards he has coming to him, and he most certainly deserves a Medal for the Arts, from the current President or any other. That said, it is gravely unfortunate that he received this under the current circumstances, and frankly, I don’t blame anyone for saying he should have refused it until better circumstances materialized. This puts Ricky’s name in headlines for all the wrong reasons.
As for Toby Keith, I probably wouldn’t award him much of anything. But he was the biggest thing in country from 00 to ’10. Whether he deserves this or not is in the eye of the beholder, but I do think it’s easy to make the case there were much deserving before him. But again, this is not publicity he needs, though in Keith’s case, it can’t hurt.
January 14, 2021 @ 12:45 pm
You said exactly what I was feeling. Skaggs deserves all the recognition in the world, but I’m not feeling good for him (especially since Bill Belichick turned it down).
January 14, 2021 @ 2:50 pm
Are the awards for a Belichick and Skaggs not different.
January 14, 2021 @ 2:59 pm
Belicheat was supposed to receive the Medal of Freedom. All fall under the “Medal of …. ” ceremonies.
January 14, 2021 @ 3:02 pm
I would have paid to see him parade his medal around Buffalo. Or NYC. Or anywhere else for that matter.
January 14, 2021 @ 3:11 pm
I’ve seen some writers speculate the NFL asked him not to go to the ceremony. But Belichick turning his medal down (a man who wins at all costs) made Skaggs kind of look bad.
January 14, 2021 @ 3:13 pm
Possibly so. But if his medal was planned last year that sucks. It also sucks that Keith was even considered.
January 15, 2021 @ 6:23 am
I’m guessing that Ricky is more of a Mike Pence guy than a Trumper. To me, that has has its own problems, but then again I’m not a white evangelical Christian. To refuse the award might have caused him some problems with his own community and probably a good section of his audience. I saw him almost three years ago in the DC area and the audience definitely had a different look to them than say, a James McMurtry crowd. Looked like a lot of church going folks from “surrounding areas.” (i.e., perhaps from the exurbs a good distance outside of the beltway) Still, the way that Trump was willing to throw Pence to the lions recently might have given him an out if he were so inclined.
January 14, 2021 @ 12:56 pm
Facts don’t matter to the easily outraged and emotional driven.
Thank God, we have Trigger to keep things straight in the country music world.
January 14, 2021 @ 1:14 pm
A couple days ago I was wondering when, not how they would connect the dots to country music.
What happened was wrong on many levels, but is going to be milked for more than it’s worth, on many fronts.
January 14, 2021 @ 3:02 pm
Some are attempting to exploit a tragedy to take ground in the culture war in country music by acting like most country music fans and artists are Q-Anon and sympathize with what happened at the Capitol. But if the best evidence you can come up with is an Instagram story post from Jason Aldean’s wife, you’re stretching. That said, I don’t want anyone who sympathizes with what happened being embraced by the country music community, and I’m glad there has been a reckoning for some.
The timing of handing out these medals put country music square in the crosshairs and completely unnecessarily. It played right in the hands of country music’s detractors.
January 14, 2021 @ 4:28 pm
I saw many people accusing right wing agitators of things during the summer, and in some cases they could have been right. It’s not unthinkable. If that’s the crime against country music, it’s more than a stretch, it’s grasping at straws. The censorship and overreaction will be something akin to the patriot act. It swings both ways. Freedom fries anyone?
January 14, 2021 @ 4:35 pm
I don’t think there are many people who take Rolling Stone seriously. Pretty sure most liberals understand that the ceremony was pre-planned and in no way a “reaction” to the impeachment. Skaggs is very talented and deserves recognition. But the only reason he gave Skaggs and Keith the medal is because they support him.
January 14, 2021 @ 1:26 pm
Toby can be a bit of a twat on occasion, but overall, he made some damn good music in between some terrible songs. Even his terrible songs were mainly for humourous content, come on, Red Solo Cup was hilarious, admit it.
He has even pointed this out in response to modern pop country that sure he helped start it, but it was in a mix of quality country, not an entire empty genre.
I don’t think any backlash would matter to him anyway.
January 14, 2021 @ 4:43 pm
I agree with all of this. I’ve been thinking the same thing for a long time.
January 14, 2021 @ 5:38 pm
I’ve always liked Toby and never understood the disdain for him on this site.
January 15, 2021 @ 12:40 am
Its tough for me as he is my number one favourite artist, through good times and Shitty Golfer so its difficult when you have the left sniping and country music fans taking a kick as well. That said I try not to lose sleep as its just opinion and I move the discussion in my head from the internet and to a bar and think well I would probably laugh over that criticism.
Toby deserves plaudits but you have to think is John Rich muttering “bastard” under his breath right now.
January 15, 2021 @ 7:04 am
I Like Girls Who Drink Beer is an all-time pop country song, for me.
He has a ton of dumb cash grab songs…but his good stuff is better, and more country, than even someone like Luke Combs.
He’s an idiot for taking a medal from this traitor, though. He’s usually pretty savvy.
January 16, 2021 @ 5:36 am
Fuck you trigger for censoring my posts and not his.
January 16, 2021 @ 8:23 am
Mike,
I have censored Cool Lester Smooth’s comments. Multiple of them. Again, folks need to understand you are NOT going to see comments that are deleted. Because they’re deleted. I will delete ANYONE’s comments that make direct and personal insults to other commenters that cross a clear line of decency. If you don’t want your comments deleted, don’t make them in the first place. You all know where the line is.
January 14, 2021 @ 2:27 pm
wait a minute — Ricky Skaggs is 66 yrs old? I would have guessed a decade younger, but then I remembered that he got an early start.
January 14, 2021 @ 2:30 pm
I see fuckin Easy Ed (No Depression) just put Toby Keith and Ricky Skaggs on cancel culture notice and all the zombies in the comments section are done with Ricky Skaggs. All I do is fight with the left and fight with the right and what for? I should just let everyone cancel each other out and I won’t have to see anyone at concerts.
January 14, 2021 @ 2:37 pm
One side is doing the canceling, and they ironically call themselves anti-fascists.
January 14, 2021 @ 2:49 pm
Stop the bullshit right now! Both sides (left and right) are equally responsible for cancel culture. Remember when the right was ready to cancel Garth Brooks for wearing a SANDERS football jersey at his Detroit show? I’ve seen comments recently canceling Tyler Childers and Chris Stapleton for supporting black lives matters and Carrie Underwood for singing a duet with John Legend. And wasn’t the first ever cancel culture incident aimed at the Dixie Chicks for speaking out against President Bush?
This is no spin zone here, take that fake news out of here. I’m in no mood.
January 14, 2021 @ 3:12 pm
Facts always piss off the emotional Left. The progressives are not being silenced by anybody. Media and tech are doing their damndest to silence the Right. Your bitchy mood doesn’t change that.
January 14, 2021 @ 3:31 pm
Are you completely nuts. What facts are you raving about. The fact that Biden will be president next week. You rave about the right. God help us if that mob ever get anywhere. Imagine posting themselves on social networks, smiling for the camera ans telling us how smart they are. Jesus, the Left has very little to worry about. The progressives are doing a great job of silencing themselves.
January 14, 2021 @ 4:51 pm
Paddy must have had a news blackout this summer in potato land as the Left peacefully burned down most of our major cities.
January 14, 2021 @ 7:28 pm
yeah, paddy. didn’t you hear we don’t have cities anymore?! /s
January 15, 2021 @ 7:07 am
Nothing to be done, Paddy.
We’ve all got our kinks, and Mike just loves sucking the dicks of traitors who murder cops.
January 15, 2021 @ 9:31 am
Lester, the cop killers are BLM and Antifa. Im not surprised that you are confused. Nice dress, BTW.
April 18, 2022 @ 1:37 pm
You guys forget, at least Toby is for the military, which the new administration isn’t, imagine. Him and Trace Adkins are the only two that have come out to support the military in a while. Trump is no worse than the others, they haven’t been caught yet.
January 14, 2021 @ 4:40 pm
You sure are a little snowflake man aren’t you?
January 14, 2021 @ 5:02 pm
I bet I could take your girlfriend, sweety.
January 14, 2021 @ 7:30 pm
not the first woman you’ve hit, huh
January 15, 2021 @ 6:30 am
Hi, Genital. You think about hitting women? No wonder progressives prefer men.
January 15, 2021 @ 7:45 am
another mind boggling leap in logic from a clearly bigly brained individual.
mike honcho – says he could beat up a girl, therefore someone else did instead.
of course!
January 15, 2021 @ 9:32 am
Genital, you can take a girl without beating her up. At least other people can. You may be different.
January 15, 2021 @ 9:45 am
you really don’t know how to choose your words, huh? now it sounds like you’re drugging “girls” and kidnapping them.
you really do just see women as objects that you can “take”, huh? and let’s not forget the homophobia by calling kimberly a lesbian as an insult.
January 15, 2021 @ 10:20 am
Keep trying Genital. People are tired of Democrats ascribing their own inequities on others.
January 15, 2021 @ 10:43 am
had to pull out the thesaurus this time so you didn’t accidentally tell everyone where you hid the bodies, huh?
let me get this straight, you’re sick of people calling you a misogynist and homophobe (which you clearly are) because that’s “ascribing their own inequities on others”, but you can’t see the irony of the right violently storming the u.s. capitol because they think the election was unfair and unjust? give me a break. you guys really do project.
looking forward to your response where you either compliment me on wearing a dress (like you did to cool lester above, because you think that’s an insult -what are you four years old?) or trying to assert your manliness to strangers on the internet – you’ve already told us how good you at getting with women, but like how many? shoot us a number. we’ll all be really impressed!
January 15, 2021 @ 10:47 am
This conversation is not topical to this story or useful to anyone. Please move on.
January 15, 2021 @ 8:04 pm
Hey now, Gentile – GIRLS wear dresses! And girls are GROSS!!!!
Mike Honcho’s solemn dedication to never, ever touching the flesh of a woman is why he has so much time to comment in this forum!
Unfortunately for the rest of us…no woman on the planet will ever (willingly) change that aspect of Mike’s life, so we’re stuck with him.
January 14, 2021 @ 5:07 pm
I’m no fan of Keith – mainly for the music, although the Dixie Chicks stuff was bad too, but Ricky Skaggs can do no wrong as far as I’m concerned.
January 15, 2021 @ 4:49 pm
Yeah, those damn lefties really fucked Kapernick over didn’t they…
January 15, 2021 @ 5:08 pm
You know jack shit about football. He wasn’t good enough, and a cancer in the locker room. He made out much better than his football talent would have allowed him. Quit relying on government to make up for your own shortcomings.
January 14, 2021 @ 11:38 pm
Hoptowntiger, I think you have the right idea. I’m gonna take it a step further and buy just enough land to isolate myself in the woods and bury the rest of my money. Then, once all these folks slit their neighbor’s throats in the name of red or blue like the bloods and crips only with less honor and integrity, I’m gonna dig up my money and buy all their land for cheap at estate sales (after I pay whichever government is in power a bunch of taxes they can squander of course). There may come a time when the best bet for smart folks like you is to bet against these other folks coming to their senses. I admire your still fighting the good fight but, if there comes a time when, instead of trying to reason with the unreasonable online, it makes more sense to crank some Hank JR., buy some beer, and go off grid a while, make sure you have all the stuff listed in the song and go survive!
Disclaimer: To any government entities or affiliates of any political parties, the forgoing statements are a joke. A joke was a concept that once existed whereby a person made a statement that person did not necessarily believe to be true for the purpose of humor. My ACTUAL beliefs mirror the beliefs of the political party currently in power. Also, I wasn’t actually drinking beer in the woods, I have actually been missing because I have been traveling the country informing people of how the applicable political party is 100% correct in every possible way.)
January 14, 2021 @ 4:03 pm
I can’t believe Trump hadn’t already given ol’ Toby Keith this award. Feels like he definitely did. Must be a mistake.
January 14, 2021 @ 4:29 pm
@rickie. No, it was probably Ted Nugent
January 14, 2021 @ 4:23 pm
Rolling Stone published a story on unverified conjecture?
Surely not. Their writing staff maintains the utmost journalistic integrity, and is much too lax to want to duke it out with someone like Toby Keith.
January 14, 2021 @ 4:34 pm
Assume use of the word “duke” was intentional….
January 14, 2021 @ 4:44 pm
Haha it was, as was “lax”.
January 15, 2021 @ 12:59 am
Rolling Stone Magazine is a terrorists rag.
Plain and simple.
January 14, 2021 @ 4:23 pm
The sooner the Right realizes it was duped by a con artist, the sooner it can regroup and become a legitimate movement.
January 14, 2021 @ 4:53 pm
Sure, bro. Just keep on eating what they are feeding you until you wake up Venezuela, and the political elite have all the capital.
January 14, 2021 @ 5:09 pm
Bro, the political elite already have all the capital. Trump has done everything the elites wanted and needed him to do in order to consolidate power. Trump was a Democrat longer than he’s ever been a Republican. He’s an actor who played his part PERFECTLY.
January 14, 2021 @ 5:30 pm
Folks, let’s please try to keep this discussion somewhat on topic. Thanks!
January 14, 2021 @ 5:14 pm
What was the con? He did everything I wanted him to do except throw Hillary Clinton in prison.
January 15, 2021 @ 7:08 am
Big fan of cop killers, this one.
January 15, 2021 @ 9:06 am
Killing cops, or anyone for that matter, is horrible. But just a few months ago you were siding with the BLM riots and Antifa riots where far more people were injured and killed. Are you confused, forgetful, or just a hypocrite? I didn’t agree then and don’t agree with what happened last week, but Trump didnt cause it.
January 15, 2021 @ 9:34 am
I vote “Fucking Moron”. These guys seem to ignore anything that doesnt agree with the narrative. You give him too much credit
January 15, 2021 @ 10:34 am
Hypocrite. Like all his kind. Funny now how the Left wants to love cops after spending the summer calling for their jobs.
January 15, 2021 @ 10:58 am
willful ignorance is a blight on society. you are either actively working to not learn what the defund movement is about or ignoring it to fit your worldview. it is not about getting rid of the police force. it’s about a shift in funding allocation away from arms.
January 15, 2021 @ 1:13 pm
Wealth redistribution is communism, Comrade Genital.
January 15, 2021 @ 2:23 pm
redistributing public funds (taxes) to fund different public things is not wealth distribution.
January 15, 2021 @ 8:12 pm
I value human life. That’s why I supported the protests in the summer (but, again, not the white supremacists using it as an excuse to murder cops), and it’s why I don’t support terrorists trying to lynch our elected representatives.
Faith. Patriotism. Fiscal Responsibility. The sanctity of human life. Choice is pretty clear…unless you’re an incel from Philly who loves Josh Turner, and is desperate for strange grown men to give him the validation no woman ever will.
July 4, 2024 @ 6:26 pm
Man, I’m not from Philly, not sure where you got that from? Thank God for that. I do enjoy Josh Turner’s music and the ladies.
I support all those causes. Hence, why I am a conservative.
January 14, 2021 @ 5:04 pm
I suppose he went somewhat astray after 9/11, but it’s hard to look at Toby’s early career and not admit he has some great country songs. Who’s That Man, Does That Blue Moon Ever Shine On You, and I’m So Happy (with Sting) come to mind. Not my first choice to receive such an award, but if by him receiving it someone like Jason Aldean doesn’t…well, ok.
January 14, 2021 @ 5:42 pm
I always thought Toby Keith’s worst stuff was stuff like “I wanna talk about me” and “Getcha some”. Ironic because “I wanna talk about me” was co-written by the same guy who wrote “ He stopped loving her today.”
January 14, 2021 @ 5:45 pm
Should’ve been a cowboy was the most played song of the decade in that era
January 14, 2021 @ 5:07 pm
Trigger,
Since you brought up the election, are you an evidence-denier, or an evidence-ignorer?
January 14, 2021 @ 5:37 pm
I think there’s fuckery in every election, and the last one was no different. But there was not nearly enough fuckery to overturn the results in the 3 to 5 states it would take to change the Presidential election results. Donald Trump lost, and his unwillingness to take an ‘L’ and live to fight another day not only has now cost him his ability to run again, his standing moving forward in the Republican party, but also probably his business empire, while the collateral damage is now affecting country music and so many other sectors of society.
January 14, 2021 @ 8:18 pm
Trigger
Where’s my response? If you don’t want to post it, would you please delete my original question as well?
January 14, 2021 @ 8:39 pm
We’re not getting into a debate about the Presidential election here. I don’t want to delete your original question, because I would also have to delete my response.
January 15, 2021 @ 8:31 am
Honky:
Your response, like many of mine, is CENSORED by Trigger, because he is a left-winger, and he gets TRIGGERED when someone posts ANYTHING that would not meet the approval of CNN, MSNBC, PBS, the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Democrat National Committee, Black Lives Matter, Antifa, and the Chinese Communist Party.
Don’t get me wrong. It’s his website and he can do with it what he likes, but he is extremely fearful of incurring the wrath of the drooling idiots who constitute the majority of the population of Austin.
January 15, 2021 @ 11:27 am
I will give credit where credit is due!
Thanks, Trigger!!
January 15, 2021 @ 4:18 pm
Big Tex,
He does this to me all the time. I make an assertion, or pose a question (loaded or otherwise); he responds to my question with what I can only assume he believes is a takedown of my original point. I then reply back with a dismantling of his weak-kneed, uninformed, and factually inaccurate response, and even offer sources, only to have it deleted so that he can save face. If he really didn’t want to discuss the election, he should not have written about it.
That’s why I asked for my original comment to be deleted; I don’t want to be involved in a discussion where I’m not permitted to speak freely.
January 15, 2021 @ 4:26 pm
Big Tex,
Although take a look at how he regularly censors the living crap out of me, but lets all these folks below go on and on about it.
January 15, 2021 @ 4:30 pm
Honky,
Again, you only see the comments I delete from you. You don’t see the comments I delete from everyone else. I’ve asked numerous folks politely to keep the discussion on topic.
January 15, 2021 @ 7:02 am
Wholeheartedly agree.
January 15, 2021 @ 7:10 am
And also, of course, the lives of 5-7 people, including a cop.
January 15, 2021 @ 7:36 am
Isn’t there a new Apple watch coming out soon?
January 15, 2021 @ 11:38 am
Trigger, there was SO much cheating in this election (by the democrats) that even Ronnie Milsap could see it! I live in Michigan, one of the biggest cheating states. Trump is ahead, when suddenly the vote counters in Detroit forcibly kicked out all of the Republican poll watchers. After that, the dems “suddenly” found the proper amount of ballots to stuff into the ballot boxes to put Gropin’ Joe in the lead. You know, in the Old West, if someone got caught cheating at cards, they usually got shot. We need to apply that same standard to election cheaters, except bullets are expensive, so we should HANG the bastards! After all, it is the “green” solution, as it doesn’t use any energy, and you can then re-use the rope for other purposes.
(I had to throw the comment with Ronnie Milsap in there to keep this relevant to country music.)
So, the bottom line is this, Donald Trump is STILL the president, and Gropin’ Joe is NOT!
The political left must think those of us on the right are all “Cowards of the County,” but those lefties won’t like it when we lock the door (and start beating the crap out of them)! (Had to throw a Kenny Rogers reference in there, too.)
January 15, 2021 @ 12:58 pm
Dear Lord. You people still aren’t over this? Every bit of your “evidence” has been debunked, if you bother to search for it from reputable sources. And courts all over the country have had every opportunity to evaluate it. Trump has lied to you because he cares about nothing but himself. And you’ve believed it. And you’re continuing the threats to violence.
“But Trump said the word ‘peacefully,’ so he didn’t incite anything!!!”
January 15, 2021 @ 1:10 pm
Jared, it’s hard to show the “evidence” of cheating when the other side won’t let you watch them count the ballots, so you can’t see them stuffing extra bogus ballots into the system. And especially, Michigan had “mail-in voting” which should actually be called “mail-in voting fraud” as there was no chain of custody of the ballots. Anyone could add any number of ballots to the count. Michigan, and the other cheating states, MUST re-do their election.
Hey, Jared, how about you and me playing poker. We can wager our houses against each other. Now, you can keep your cards up on the table, but I will hold my cards below the table. When I produce a winning hand (like the cheating Democrats), you won’t have seen any “evidence” of cheating, because you won’t have been able to see me switch to a pre-seeded hand that I was hiding under the table! So, to save time, why don’t you just hand over the title to your house!
The left are calling us Patriots “seditionists,” but it is the left, by stealing the election, who are the seditionists. Remember, when you deny us the ballot box, we still have the cartridge box, and it’s just a matter of time until it comes into play.
And if you are implying that the “reputable sources” are the lamestream media, then you are blinder than Ronnie Milsap, Ray Charles, and Stevie Wonder combined! The media has long ago been infiltrated by the political left, and they have zero credibility.
Yeah, I’ll “get over this” when you lefties get over your unreasonable hatred of Donald Trump! Which is to say, never. Not to mention how the left says Trump is “inciting” people to riot, when the left was all-in for supporting violent BLM/anti-am riots throughout 2020! (Yes, they are not “antifa” as they are NOT anti-fascist–they ARE the fascists, using tactics right out of the fascist playbook. They are “anti-American” hence they should be called “anti-am”.)
January 15, 2021 @ 1:14 pm
Folks, we’re not going to litigate the last Presidential election here. This is a country music website, and these discussions never go anywhere. Please keep comments on topic.
January 15, 2021 @ 6:13 pm
There’s nothing to litigate. Rusty wants us to buy a conspiracy theory that thousands of people in several states worked together to rig an election, and somehow they have all kept their secrets. And they only bothered to rig the presidential votes, not the House and Senate votes. And that is supposed to be more likely than an unpopular president who managed a disastrous covid response receiving fewer votes than his moderate, highly respected opponent. One of us is delusional.
January 15, 2021 @ 6:18 pm
Trigger, Rusty is literally advocating the murder of his political enemies.
January 14, 2021 @ 5:12 pm
Wait Tobys publicist didn’t know if he was at the White House?
January 14, 2021 @ 5:20 pm
This is publicist-speak for “he totally was but pretending to not know is the option that will draw least controversy.”
January 14, 2021 @ 5:54 pm
I can’t imagine a career as a publicist. Like marketing, it’s just a slightly unethical job. No one in those fields can give you a straight answer.
January 15, 2021 @ 12:31 am
Seriously these three gentleman are well deserving.Our country is about to head into a downward spiral at worp speed may God’s mercy be with us.
January 14, 2021 @ 7:51 pm
I feel all better now- Rolling Rock is on top of it- correct?!
January 15, 2021 @ 2:50 am
Rolling Stone has become a poisonous publication over the last few years. It used to be a good for music but now it is so often about politics and it is obvious they are not tolerant of views that do not accord with theirs. I am more interested in the music. If Keith and Skaggs won the medal, good for them. Really pleased for both of them.
January 15, 2021 @ 7:14 am
No WuK, they did not WIN the medals. They were awarded them by a very controversial president. The fact that he awarded them demeans the award. Almost compares to his use of pardons. He throws them out like sweets. Unfortunately some of the recipients, those that fully deserve them, come in for undeserved criticism.
January 15, 2021 @ 7:50 am
You are in Ireland, correct? If you aren’t then I have misunderstood your previous posts and you can ignore the following.
Why are you spouting off about a country you know nothing about? I generally give Canadians and Mexicans a pass when it comes to talking about American politics, because the great Satan dominates North America to such a degree that Canadian and Mexican culture, to a large extent, has been replaced by debased American culture. But, if you don’t live here, aren’t adjacent, and have no ties to here, shut up.
Half the country regards Trump as a “controversial president” and half the country regards Obama as a “controversial president.” In case you were unaware, the Left owns every institution in the West, including the media. Please don’t tell me that you are so dumb that you regard what the court media says as truth.
January 15, 2021 @ 8:04 am
Yes, I am in Ireland. However my son, daughter in law and four grandchildren live in your godless country. You say the left owns everything in the west including the media. Really. Have you ever been to Las Vegas or Arizona or Texas. I think you are full of air. Deflate before you take off and land on the moon. For your info I spent 2 yrs in the USA.
January 15, 2021 @ 8:21 am
You are absolutely correct that this is a godless country, controlled by demons. It wasn’t always that way, but it has been for a long time.
My grandmother was born in the Baltics. I know very little about this area and don’t pretend to. I am mostly Irish and still have much family in County Clare. What does that have to do with anything? My father’s family has been here for over 400 years. I’m a Native American. My point is that if your family hasn’t been here for at least three generations, just pipe down. You have nothing of value to offer.
I’ve been to every state except the Dakotas and Alaska. What point are you trying to make about Las Vegas, Arizona, and Texas? I don’t understand. In case you weren’t aware, US states function as administrative zones for the Empire. They are no longer self governing and the federal government and courts control everything of importance that goes on at the state level. If the fed gov and courts don’t control it, then its an issue they don’t care about.
If you don’t understand that the Left owns every institution in the US, and most of the West, there is no point in discussing anything.
January 15, 2021 @ 8:36 am
You are really up the left. My point is that the media in Nevada, Arizona and probably the Dakotas are anything but liberal. And Alaska and Idaho. Who owns Fox News. You are mostly Irish, you say. But you then say Native American. With family from the Baltics and Ireland you must be really confused.
January 15, 2021 @ 8:47 am
You must be drunk. I don’t blame you. Behan was great before he descended into drunken disarray. Don’t let that happen to you.
I don’t know what “up the left” means.
You are wrong about the states you mention. We have a national/international corporate media which crafts what we are supposed to think and dictates from the top down. “Local” media, to the extent that it even exists, just parrots whatever narrative the corporate media lays out for them. Fox News is pretty much passe. Most of their viewers have dementia or died of COVID in the past 10 months. It was never “conservative.” It was really just a neo-con operation and a welfare/warfare, open borders, crony capitalism propaganda machine. The “right” in this country was purged from the end of WWII and was almost completely gone by the 90’s.
If your family has been in a place for over 400 years, you are as native as anyone else. I’m Native American.
January 15, 2021 @ 10:02 am
I thought all presidents were controversial in some way or other as indeed most politicians seem to be whatever side of the Atlantic. Certainly President Trump is not the first in living memory to be impeached or be considered controversial at least by some. All presidents hand out a number of pardons some would say are controversial. Obama certainly did. Whether ‘won’ or ‘awarded’ both Toby Keith and Ricky Skaggs deserve their honour and well done to them both. My view is that they have ‘won’ the honour. They would deserve it whoever the president is in my view. The fact that they have been awarded the honour now does not detract from its value to its recipients. It is from the President of the USA. Well done to them. Well deserved.
January 15, 2021 @ 3:38 am
after the death of Tony Rice i’ve been falling in the bluegrass rabbit hole over again. Saw many incredible performances by Ricky Skaggs, mandolin ,guitar, vocals whatever he just kills it!
The man deserves every medal in the world even coming from Darth Vader in person.
January 15, 2021 @ 4:53 am
TK is worth about half a bill. He can buy any medal he wants to.
I don’t know why anyone would turn down a legitimate medal from the office of the president of the United States. This isn’t a post-Super Bowl, Big Mac-infused party we’re talking about here.
January 15, 2021 @ 7:12 am
“Got a cop killed by inciting a violent insurrection against the USA” is a solid reason not to associate with someone, haha.
January 15, 2021 @ 12:03 pm
Indeed:
https://tinyurl.com/y3ufvgu7
No one has anything to fear from the truth, except a liar.
January 16, 2021 @ 4:50 am
https://abc7ny.com/new-york-city-crime-nyc-shootings-gun-violence/8495935/
This is what the “defund movemen”, the BLM movement and all other progressive liberal movements will get you. And if you are too ignorant to see it there is no hope for you
January 15, 2021 @ 9:24 am
GOD exists in this country, and around the globe.
Lots of evil, to be sure.
The Lord is greater. Make no doubt.
January 15, 2021 @ 1:35 pm
Donald Trump gave Alison Krause the same award last year, and like Skaggs and to an extent Keith, she is most certainly deserving of the honor. Regardless of circumstance and who is in office, when the right people get recognized, that should be appreciated. I don’t understand why each thing has to be overtly political.
January 15, 2021 @ 2:51 pm
Yeah, why can’t Trump like him or hate him give a deserving human or artist an award and that is it. If I personally was worthy of a Presidential Medal of Freedom (and I am not), or an artist award, I would take it from any president, from Clinton, Bush, Obama, Trump or Biden. Its counter productive to make everything a political issue to keep trying to stay divided. Let some efforts be organic devoid of a underlining statement. On a different note same topic, Hubbard and McGraw are getting killed right now for a song about UNITY. McGraw and Hubbard supported Biden which is fine if that is there choice, but now they are getting crushed for simply asking to come together in America. What are we doing? I bet the song is awful I honestly have not listened to it. I bet the message is pure and strong, and something we need right now. Trigger maybe a write up on it? God Bless America!
January 15, 2021 @ 3:11 pm
The new Tim McGraw / Tyler Hubbard song is not very good, but I’m not going to hold it against the dudes fro trying to quell tensions. I may say something about it at some point.
January 15, 2021 @ 4:26 pm
Living where I live country music is practically a bad word. And streaming country music (on my radio show) can get me labeled in all the wrong ways. Especially because I open my show with three gospel tunes every week.
It is partly why I do it, to fight the damn “woke” noise about country music and music in general. It’s about tradition not religion for me. I it’s been my mission to preserve country music tradition for a while now. And CA where I live gave us Merle Haggard (and Bakersfield sound) plus Jon Pardi, Laurie Lewis and others so country music is not just some southern business like people seem to think here.
January 16, 2021 @ 8:27 am
Comments section is closed. It will reopen if/when folks can stay on topic.
January 18, 2021 @ 9:50 am
… “those continuing to spread false information about the recent United States Presidential election.” … ??? That “false information” hasn’t been proved false, it would need to be investigated first to be proved false .. sorry but that’s the way this country used to operate.