Patent. Can I just say that Matt Bai's essay in the NY Times magazine is patently idiotic. Only somebody writing for the NY Times could hope to believe that the Democratic party would ever appeal to Southerners like Hank Hill in some idealistic future. As Hank would tell Mr. Bai, "Son, I'm gonna kick your ass."

If anything Hank Hill is the symbol of the King of the Hill REPUBLICANS. The King of the HIll Republican is the mainstream of the Republican party. From his identity as a Methodist, President Bush's faith, to his idealization of Ronald Reagan, Hank is the typical Republican. He worries about family values and property values.

The problem with Mr. Bai is that he wouldn't know a typical Republican if his life depended on it. To Mr. Bai and the rest of the liberal elite, the typical Republican is Thurston Howell the III. That is, they have an image of what a Republican should look like. Hank Hill must be an independent--despite countless references to him being a Republican including an entire episode in which he second guesses his support for George W. Bush based on the fact that Bush had a weak handshake--because, you know, he's not rich.

What Hank Hill does not represent is the libertarian wing of the Republican party---the so-called South Park Republicans. But surely he doesn't represent anything like Democratic governor of North Carolina Mike Easley's brand of politics. Easley is Bill Clinton redux--a liberal with a Southern accent and an army of poll watchers--and if there is one President lampooned more than any other on King of the Hill it is William Jefferson Clinton.

Man this pisses me off. And I say that as a South Park Republican who is an avid King of the Hill fan. To quote Hank again, "I don't have an anger problem, I have an idiot problem."

Hat tip to James Joyner, another Republican of the South Park and not KoH strain.

PS-I disagree with Half Bakered here. Dale Gribble is not a libertarian. Dale Gribble is a Lyndon LaRouche Democrat and on his more lucid days he might be a Pat Buchanan Republican. Trust me on this one.......I should know.

Posted by: Rusty at 12:14 PM | Comments (10) | Add Comment
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