Erick Erickson: ‘I was joking’

(Nutjob photo by Joeff Davis)

Macon City Council member, RedState.com editor and Peach Pundit Poobah Erick Erickson is collecting cyberscorn for comments he made at the recent CPAC conservative political convention.

Erickson suggested the success of progressive bloggers relative to their conservative counterparts is because progressives have more free time. Conservatives “have families because we don’t abort our kids, and we have jobs because we believe in capitalism,” he said.

Contributors at AtlantaIndignationCouncil.com Blog for Democracy followed DailyKos’ lead and pounced on Erickson:

“He seriously thinks progressives don’t have families OR jobs?”

“Right wing nutjobs are icky.”

“People like him often need to be knocked off their high horses, but so often aren’t.”

I spoke to Erickson this afternoon and he confirmed something that should have been perfectly obvious to anyone who’s ever read Peach Pundit or spoken to him in person.

He was being sarcastic.

“I was joking,” he said. “I was laughing when I said it. Other people were laughing.”

The only person who didn’t realize he was joking, he said, was the person who posted the comments without noting it was a joke.

I wonder how many minutes will pass before the Indignation Council jumps on me for defending a “right wing nutjob.” My guess is 60-90. At most.