Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin gets his picture taken with Duck Dynasty cast members.
Fulfilling their usual role, Republicans invited Willie Robertson of Duck Dynasty to the State of the Union address on Tuesday, presumably highlighting his family as a role model for unabashedly speaking your mind about being really, really antigay.
For her part, first lady Michelle Obama invited NBA athlete Jason Collins as her guest to the State of the Union on Tuesday, highlighting his example as a proud gay man.
Collins wore a suit and tie, noting on Twitter that he'd wore a "Move Beyond It" badge as part of that campaign's fight against labels and stereotypes. His tie was part of Jesse Tyler Ferguson's collection called Tie The Knot, meant to promote marriage equality.
Robertson wore his trademark American flag bandana on his head, plus an untucked and unbuttoned white dress shirt under a suit jacket. His father, Phil, is fresh off a huge controversy for calling LGBT people illogical and then comparing gay love with bestiality and terrorism, adding that he never saw blacks being mistreated in the South prior to the civil rights movement.
Boy, though, did the Republicans line up for pictures. "I stand with Duck Dynasty!" tweeted a grinning Texas Rep. Steve Stockman, who pointedly walked out in the middle of President Obama's address.
Ratings for the show are taking a nose dive recently. We'll see whether the popularity of these Republicans does the same.
See who else wanted some wall art for their congressional offices:
