Erick Erickson

==Political views and controversies==
''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' of London put Erickson on its "List of Most Influential US Conservatives", giving him a rank of 69th most influential in 2007 and 65th in 2010.<ref name="tellist2010">Hamden, Toby,  [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/6967325/The-most-influential-US-conservatives-80-61.html "The most influential US conservatives: 80-61"], January 11, 2010, ''The Telegraph'', retrieved May 30, 2010</ref> According<ref name=":3" /> to the 2007 newspaper article: "Erickson epitomises the new power of the internet. A small-government [[fiscal conservatism|fiscal]] and [[social conservative]] based in the South, he taps into and influences the Republican 'base' that the GOP's 2008 candidates are courting."<ref name="tellist07">Hamden, Toby, [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1435464/The-most-influential-US-conservatives-61-80.html "The most influential US conservatives 2007: 61-80"], October 30, 2007, ''The Telegraph'', retrieved May 30, 2010</ref> According to ''[[The Atlantic]]'', Erickson's conservatism is more traditional (as opposed to libertarian) and "deeply informed by his evangelical faith".<ref name="Atlantic-2015Jan"/> Erickson emphasizes small government, strong national defense, and the primacy of the traditional family.<ref name="Atlantic-2015Jan"/>

===Donald Trump===
During a [[CNN]] interview after a [[2016 Republican Party presidential debates and forums|Republican Party debate]] hosted by [[Fox News]] on August 6, 2015, [[Donald Trump]] had said that Fox News anchor and debate co-moderator [[Megyn Kelly]] had "blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever" while questioning him during the debate. The next day, Erickson disinvited Trump from a ''RedState'' gathering held in Atlanta,<ref name="Guardian">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/08/donald-trump-black-balled-by-conservatives-over-menstruation-comment|title=Donald Trump banned from RedState over menstruation jibe at Megyn Kelly|last=Jacobs|first=Ben|date=August 8, 2015|newspaper=Guardian US|access-date=9 August 2015}}</ref> calling Trump's remark "a bridge too far" and that even "blunt talkers and unprofessional politicians should not cross" certain lines, including decency.<ref name="Guardian"/> The following day, Trump released a statement stating that Erickson had a history of making controversial statements for which he has had to apologize, and that he, Trump, was an outsider who did not fit into Erickson's agenda.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Miller|first=Zeke J.|date=August 8, 2015|title=Donald Trump Fires Back After Outrage Over Megyn Kelly Remarks|url=http://time.com/3989656/donald-trump-redstate-gathering/|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|access-date=9 August 2015}}</ref>

Erickson described Trump as "a racist" and "a fascist", and insisted, "I will not vote for Donald Trump. Ever."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/05/us/politics/never-trumper-republicans.html|title=The 'Never Trump' Coalition That Decided Eh, Never Mind, He's Fine|last=Peters|first=Jeremy W.|date=2019-10-05|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-10-13|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> In February 2019, Erickson endorsed Trump for re-election in the [[2020 United States presidential election|2020 presidential election]].<ref>{{cite news | last1=Anapol | first1=Avery | title=Former 'Never Trump' conservative columnist endorses Trump in 2020 | url=https://thehill.com/homenews/media/429368-former-never-trump-conservative-columnist-endorses-trump-in-2020 | date=February 11, 2019 | newspaper=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]] | access-date=February 11, 2019}}</ref>

=== Gender ===
In 2013, Erickson was criticized by [[Elle Reeve]] in ''The Atlantic'' for saying in an interview on [[Fox Business Network]] that males dominate females in the "natural world" and it was only "science" for men to be the breadwinners for their families.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/05/erick-erickson-anti-working-moms-defense/314716|title=Erick Erickson Needs to Fact-Check His Anti-Working Moms Fairy Tale|last=Reeve|first=Elspeth|date=May 31, 2013|newspaper=The Atlantic|access-date=November 3, 2016}}</ref>

=== Guns ===
In December 2015, Erickson posted a picture of a bullet ridden copy of ''[[The New York Times]]'' that he had shot at. That day's edition contained a front-page editorial in favor of [[gun control]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.news.com.au/technology/online/social/the-gun-control-debate-is-starting-to-get-out-of-hand/news-story/8c7d90bbca3fdfed48505080335173e9|title=This is how crazy Americans are|author=Young, Matt|date=December 7, 2015|website=[[News.com.au]]}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/erick-erickson-gun-new-york-times-6681537.php|title=Conservative radio host fires bullets into '''The New York Times''' gun control op-ed|author=Pereira, Alyssa|date=December 7, 2015|newspaper=[[San Francisco Chronicle]]}}</ref>

Erickson spread a false story by RedState which claimed that 17-year old [[Stoneman Douglas High School shooting|Parkland, Florida school shooting]] survivor [[David Hogg]] was not actually at the Parkland school when it was attacked.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/27/us/parkland-students-hogg-gonzalez.html|title=Parkland Students Find Themselves Targets of Lies and Personal Attacks|date=March 27, 2018|work=The New York Times|access-date=October 28, 2018|language=en}}</ref> He later described Hogg as a "bully" after Hogg called for an advertiser boycott of right-wing Fox News host [[Laura Ingraham]] when she mocked him for not getting into a number of universities.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://money.cnn.com/2018/03/29/media/laura-ingraham-apologizes-david-hogg/index.html|title=Laura Ingraham's apology to David Hogg has not stemmed the advertiser exodus|last=Kludt|first=Tom|work=CNNMoney|access-date=2018-10-28}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/375595-erick-erickson-florida-shooting-survivor-is-a-high-school-bully|title=Erick Erickson: Florida shooting survivor is 'a high school bully'|last=Savransky|first=Rebecca|date=2018-02-26|work=TheHill|access-date=2018-10-28|language=en}}</ref>

=== LGBT rights ===
In August 2017, Erickson was one of several co-authors of the so-called [[Nashville Statement]], which affirmed "that it is sinful to approve of homosexual immorality or transgenderism and that such approval constitutes an essential departure from Christian faithfulness and witness." The statement, which was described as a "vicious, anti-LGBTQ manifesto" by the progressive activist group [[Human Rights Campaign]], was attacked by some [[Christianity|Christian]] leaders.<ref>[https://www.hrc.org/news/hundreds-of-christian-leaders-denounce-the-nashville-statement-in-an-open-l "Hundreds of Christian leaders denounce the Nashville Statement in an open letter,"] Human Rights Campaign, August 31, 2017</ref>

=== Attacks on public figures ===
In April 2009, Erickson described retiring [[Supreme Court Justice]] [[David Souter]] on his Twitter account as "the only goat fucking child molester to ever serve on the Supreme Court". In an appearance on ''[[The Colbert Report]]'', Erickson said the statement was "not my finest hour."<ref name="tellist2010" /> Erickson called Texas state senator [[Wendy Davis (politician)|Wendy Davis]] "Abortion Barbie".<ref name="Atlantic-2015Jan" /> In a blog post, Erickson considered whether President [[Barack Obama]] was "shagging hookers" and wondered whether [[Michelle Obama]] (whom he called a "Marxist harpy") "would go [[John and Lorena Bobbitt|Lorena Bobbit]] [''sic''] on him should he even think about it."<ref name="Atlantic-2015Jan" /> Erickson argued that President Obama won the [[Nobel Peace Prize]] because of an "affirmative action quota."<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/erick-erickson-is-sorry-about-some-of-the-things-he-has-said|title=Erick Erickson Is Sorry About Some of the Things He Has Said|magazine=The New Yorker|access-date=2018-05-30|language=en-US}}</ref> Erickson compared the Obama administration's health care communications director [[Linda Douglass]] to Nazi propagandist [[Joseph Goebbels]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/29/eric-erickson-on-past-con_n_516868.html|title=Erick Erickson On Past Controversial Statements: 'I've Definitely Had To Grow Up' (VIDEO)|last=Shea|first=Danny|date=2010-05-29|work=Huffington Post|access-date=2018-05-30|language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Augusto Pinochet ===
In November 2018, Erickson tweeted that [[United States foreign aid|foreign aid]] to [[Guatemala]], [[Nicaragua]], [[Honduras]], [[El Salvador]] and [[Mexico]] would be more effectively spent installing "[[Augusto Pinochet|Pinochet]] types" in these countries. He added that the US should "support strong leaders who support [[Free market economics|free market]] reforms and promote economic stability, even if with a heavy hand". When challenged on this proposal, Erickson replied "I'm hoping for some helicopters in this plan", a reference to the [[Death flights]] in [[Chile]] during Pinochet's regime.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Barnes |first1=Luke |title=Conservative pundit praises late Chilean dictator who threw political dissidents from helicopters |url=https://thinkprogress.org/conservative-erick-erickson-praises-pinochet-helicopters-552b2f3b6597/ |access-date=28 November 2018 |work=[[ThinkProgress]] |date=27 November 2018}}</ref>

[[Kathryn Sikkink]], a professor in International Relations at the [[Harvard Kennedy School]], responded to Erickson's remarks. She noted that "Pinochet was a Chilean dictator who committed massive human rights abuses," and that Erickson got the "facts exactly backward. Recent history and social science don't show that authoritarian regimes stop people from fleeing across borders. They show that they make more people want to flee."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2018/12/04/heres-what-erick-erickson-gets-wrong-about-dictators-and-migration/|title=Here's what Erick Erickson gets wrong about dictators and migration|last=Sikkink|first=Kathryn|date=2018|newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref>