(CNN) -- Cliven Bundy -- the Nevada rancher turned conservative folk hero for bucking the federal government's attempts to stop his cattle from grazing on public land -- admits he doesn't understand the bipartisan uproar over his comments suggesting blacks might have been better off under slavery. 
 
 But in a contentious interview Friday on CNN's "New Day," Bundy stood by his remarks, saying he's not a racist but only somebody who speaks his mind, perhaps using politically incorrect language. 
 
 "Maybe I sinned, and maybe I need to ask forgiveness, and maybe I don't know what I actually said, but when you talk about prejudice, we're talking about not being able to exercise what we think. ... If I say Negro or black boy or slave, if those people cannot take those kind of words and not be (offended), then Martin Luther King hasn't got his job done yet," he told anchor Chris Cuomo on Friday, adding, "We need to get over this prejudice stuff." 
 
 Bundy brought up civil rights leader the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks, who was arrested in December 1955 for not giving up her seat on a public bus to a white man. The arrest sparked the Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott. 
 
 King would have wanted Parks to sit anywhere on a bus, according to Bundy. The 67-year-old added: "I want her to sit anywhere in the bus, and I want to sit next to her anywhere in the bus." 
 
 In one exchange with Cuomo, Bundy said, "I don't know how to talk about these ethnic groups. ..." 
 
 "Then don't," Cuomo said. 
 
 For two decades, Bundy's cattle have fed off government-owned land without paying grazing fees like thousands of other ranchers. He claims he won't do business with the federal government because, in his view, the Constitution doesn't say Americans can't use land owned by the federal government. He said he'd be willing to talk with state and local authorities.. 
 
 "I'll be damned if this is the property of the United States. They have no business here," he said on "New Day." 
 
 "This is a sovereign state, the sovereign state of Nevada. The federal government has nothing to do with public land in Nevada." He said other ranchers are as frustrated as he is. 
 
 This stance made him a darling of some conservatives in the media and Republican circles upset over what they've deemed government overreach. Militiamen rallied by the side of the 67-year-old rancher as federal rangers tried to force him off his land. 
 
 Bundy won that standoff, but he didn't stop talking. 
 
 Speaking to reporters over the weekend, he recalled driving by a public housing project in North Las Vegas, Nevada, and seeing "at least a half-dozen (black) people sitting on the porch, they didn't have nothing to do." 
 
 "Because they were basically on government subsidy, so now what do they do?" he added in comments first reported by The New York Times and later seen on video. "They abort their young children, they put their young men in jail, because they never learned how to pick cotton. 
 
 "And I've often wondered, are they better off as slaves, picking cotton and having a family life and doing things, or are they better off under government subsidy? They didn't get no more freedom. They got less freedom." 
 
 The remarks have since gone viral, drawing widespread condemnation from Democrats and Republicans alike. The rancher said he doesn't feel "abandoned" by the uproar by the likes of right-wing radio firebrand and Fox News host Sean Hannity, who has ripped what he called the "ignorant, racist, repugnant, despicable comments." 
 
 Sen. Rand Paul, who originally supported Bundy's case, issued a statement Thursday decrying Bundy's racial comments. 
 
 "His remarks on race are offensive and I wholeheartedly disagree with him," said the Kentucky Republican, who's considering a 2016 presidential run. 
 
 Cliven Bundy: Another conservative folk hero exposes racial nerve 
 
 GOP Sen. Dean Heller of Nevada earlier called Bundy's supporters "patriots." But on Thursday, the senator's office said he "completely disagrees with Mr. Bundy's appalling and racist statements." 
 
 Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, who had not weighed in on the land dispute, said Bundy's words were "beyond the pale." 
 
 Politicians denounce Bundy's racist remarks 
 
 On Thursday, in an exclusive interview with CNN's Bill Weir, Bundy was asked to elaborate on his remarks. He explained he'd been simply "wondering whether (blacks) are that much better off in the situation we're in now." 
 
 He backtracked somewhat, insisting he "didn't really mean it to compare (African-Americans' current plight) with slavery. I meant to compare it with maybe life on the farm or life in the South, where they had some chickens and the gardens, and they had something to do." 
 
 At the same time, Bundy stood by his general premise that blacks once had better lives -- stating that, right now, "they don't have nothing to do with their children, their family unit is ruined. ... That's what I was referring to. I don't think they have the life that they should have" because of the government. 
 
 How did he arrive at these generalizations? 
 
 "I feel that, because I see that," Bundy explained. He said, "I don't think I'm wrong. I think I'm right." 
 
 Weir at one point challenged the Nevada rancher about whether he was any more or less a "welfare queen" since his cattle have been feeding off the government, literally, by eating grass on public land. 
 
 Bundy's response: "I might be a welfare queen. But I'll tell you I'm producing something for America and using a resource that nobody else would use or could use. I'm putting red meat on the table." 
 
 On Friday, the Bundy Ranch Facebook page elaborated on the rancher's "New Day" comments. The post concluded with these sentences: 
 
 "I am doing the same thing Rosa Parks did -- I am standing up against bad laws which dehumanize us and destroy our freedom. Just like the Minutemen at Lexington and Concord, we are saying no to an oppressive government which considers us to be slaves rather than free men. 
 
 "I invite all people in America to join in our peaceful revolution to regain our freedom. That is how America was started, and we need to keep that tradition alive." 
 
 In a press conference later Friday, Bundy added that while he is "tired" personally he is "not tired of talking about race." 
 
 "It's time the United States had a discussion about race," he said. "... I think all races should be talking about this, having their opinions and defending their liberties." 
 
 CNN's Joe Sterling and Jason Hanna contributed to this report. ||||| Sean Hannity reacted to Cliven Bundy‘s slavery remarks at the top of his radio show Thursday, making it clear he finds them unequivocally repugnant and horrible, but also calling out Democrats for racially insensitive remarks made on the left that were never condemned or rebuked. 
 
 Hannity admitted he’s incredibly “pissed off” about the whole thing, saying, “His comments are beyond repugnant to me. They are beyond despicable to me. They are beyond ignorant to me.” He said that plenty of conservatives have been supporting Bundy’s case because of sincere beliefs about eminent domain abuse but now they’ll all be “branded because of the ignorant, racist, repugnant, despicable comments by Cliven Bundy.” 
 
 Hannity cried, “Every conservative that I know does not support racism, period!” He said liberals “get a pass” for this sort of thing, but made it clear unlike hypocrites on the left, “I find it repugnant no matter who it comes from.” 
 
 Listen to the audio below, via The Sean Hannity Show: 
 
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 Have a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.com ||||| Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy is at the center of a dispute with the Bureau of Land Management. On Saturday, April 19, Bundy gave a news conference to supporters and media gathered near his ranch. This footage is an excerpt of those remarks. (Jasonpatrick11/Bambuser.com) 
 
 Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy is at the center of a dispute with the Bureau of Land Management. On Saturday, April 19, Bundy gave a news conference to supporters and media gathered near his ranch. This footage is an excerpt of those remarks. (Jasonpatrick11/Bambuser.com) 
 
 Prominent Republicans and conservative news media outlets rallied in recent weeks around the cause of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, whose armed standoff with authorities over grazing rights on federal land had made him an instant folk hero on the right. 
 
 But Bundy’s GOP defenders, including Sens. Dean Heller (Nev.) and Rand Paul (Ky.), rapidly abandoned him on Thursday following reports of incendiary remarks that the white rancher made about minorities. Bundy wondered aloud whether blacks would be better off as slaves picking cotton, and alleged that people of color are “against us.” 
 
 The controversy marks another major headache for establishment Republicans working to build better relationships with blacks and Hispanics — crucial voting blocs that have increasingly supported Democrats in recent elections. The GOP is in the midst of a messaging tour aimed at reintroducing the party to minority voters, including lawmaker visits to minority neighborhoods and to historically black colleges. 
 
 “It undermines the broader, more important goals to rebrand and reestablish a conversation with a community that looks suspiciously upon most of the things you say,” said former Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele, referring to African Americans in particular. 
 
 Steele, who was the RNC’s first black chairman, added that Republicans must declare that “there is no place for this level of ignorance and stupidity around matters of race in our party.” 
 
 Bundy and his family are entrenched in a decades-long battle with federal authorities after the rancher refused to pay fines for illegally grazing his cattle on federal land. The dispute escalated this month when Bundy and an armed militia of supporters had a standoff with federal agents who attempted to seize his cattle — a confrontation featured prominently during numerous segments on Fox News Channel. 
 
 A growing number of Republican lawmakers and conservative pundits had expressed support for Bundy’s cause, while top Democrats — including Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) — denounced him as a vigilante and domestic terrorist. 
 
 The New York Times on Thursday reported a series of racial comments Bundy made during the weekend to a reporter and supporters gathered at his ranch. Later Thursday, The Washington Post obtained a video recorded by a Bundy supporter that included all of the remarks. 
 
 “I want to tell you one more thing I know about the Negro,” Bundy said, according to the video. “I’ve often wondered: Are they better off as slaves, picking cotton and having a family life and doing things, or are they better off under government subsidy? They didn’t get no more freedom. They got less freedom.” 
 
 He also recalled 1960s-era riots by what he called “Negro” groups in Los Angeles. He said he “hardly ever” saw a black person until he was almost a teenager and noted that he is surrounded by white faces. 
 
 “Where is our colored brother? Where is our Mexican brother? Where is our Chinese — where are they?” Bundy said. “They’re just as much American as we are, and they’re not with us. If they’re not with us, they’re going to be against us.” 
 
 Before those comments were publicized, a number of prominent Republicans had offered support for Bundy’s cause. Heller, Nevada’s junior senator, said Bundy and his makeshift militia were “patriots” during a local news interview. 
 
 And Paul said he was sympathetic with Bundy’s opposition to federal ownership of grazing land, while distancing himself from the militant side of Bundy’s resistance. “I’m for obeying the law, and I’m not for a violent outcome,” Paul said Monday. 
 
 Much of that support evaporated Thursday. RNC Chairman Reince Priebus called Bundy’s racial comments “completely beyond the pale” and “100 percent wrong.” Paul said the remarks were “offensive,” while a spokesman for Heller declared them “appalling and racist.” 
 
 Fox News host Sean Hannity — who had been one of Bundy’s leading champions — said the comments were “beyond repugnant.” But Hannity also lamented that outrage over the remarks would overshadow the “legitimate issue” of government overreach. 
 
 Bundy insisted in several media appearances that his comments had been taken out of context, although he repeated some of his observations regarding slavery. “I’m not racist,” he said on one radio show. “They’re making it a racist-type thing.” 
 
 The rancher is the latest in a series of figures — including rock singer Ted Nugent and “Duck Dynasty” reality show star Phil Robertson — who made controversial racial remarks after being championed by conservatives. Republican operatives acknowledge that those associations have damaged the party’s attempts to rebrand itself. 
 
 Crystal Wright, a conservative commentator, said, “Republicans are part of our own problem,” given the regular embrace of figures such as Bundy. 
 
 “My parents didn’t sit-in at lunch counters so that they would be told that they would have been better off learning how to pick cotton,” Wright said. “We as conservatives don’t do a great job of cleaning up these racial missteps.” 
 
 The GOP, which has long struggled to attract minority voters, has redoubled its outreach efforts in the wake of President Obama’s reelection and continued growth in the proportion of nonwhite voters that has made it increasingly difficult for Republicans to win national elections. 
 
 Prominent Republicans have toured minority neighborhoods nationwide, pushing a message that they are the party that will bring new economic prosperity to impoverished communities. Rep Paul Ryan (Wis.), the party’s 2012 vice presidential candidate, has revived his practice of making regular visits to poor areas of inner cities to meet with residents. 
 
 Paul and Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) also have addressed audiences at historically black colleges. Priebus is slated to speak this month at one of those schools, Central State University in Ohio. 
 
 Some Democrats and political scientists argue that conservative ideology focused on “state’s rights” — an issue linked with preservation of slavery and Jim Crow laws — makes it exceedingly difficult for Republicans to attract minority voters. Bundy’s comments, they said, show a common connection between anti-government ideology and racial animosity. 
 
 “He is a window into the soul of modern conservatism,” said Ian Haney López, a law professor at the University of California at Berkeley, who wrote a book called “Dog Whistle Politics.” He added, “A demonization of minorities and a demonization of the government in modern conservatism — those are inextricably linked.” 
 
 But many Republicans, including several black GOP operatives, reject that liberal critique. Although the party stumbles on occasion, they said, Republican history is no more racially clouded than that of the Democrats, who dominated the South during the segregation era. 
 
 “I just don’t buy the notion that voters are going to see anything more than a single racist rancher in Nevada,” said Ron Christie, a GOP strategist and former special assistant to president George W. Bush. “In the coming weeks and months we’ll see the Democrats saying, ‘See, we told you that Republicans are racist.’ I don’t think a lot of people will buy it.” 
 
 Jaime Fuller contributed to this report. ||||| Nevada Rancher Cliven Bundy attempted again on Thursday to clarify controversial remarks, but did not walk back what many saw as racist comments he made earlier to the New York Times. 
 
 “I may not have a very big word base or vocabulary,” Bundy said, but added that he knows what he means, “when I say slavery.” 
 
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 At a press conference Thursday afternoon, Bundy defended his comments saying he did not say that black people were better off as slaves, just that he was wondering. 
 
 (Also on POLITICO: 10 things to know about Cliven Bundy) 
 
 “I’m still wondering,” Bundy said, who repeatedly referred to black people throughout his presser as the “Negro community.” 
 
 “They seem to be slaves to the welfare system … but they have an opportunity,” Bundy said. 
 
 Regarding the attention his initial comments have since received, Bundy said he won’t “condemn” the media, adding it has led to a conversation. 
 
 “It really don’t matter to me if you twist my words up,” Bundy said. “It matters that my heart goes out to the people of this world and they understand what I stand for.” 
 
 Earlier on on Thursday, Bundy tried to clarify his comments on race, saying that he was just “wondering” whether black people would be better off as slaves. 
 
 “I’m wondering if they’re better off under a government subsidy and their young women are having the abortions and their young men are in jail and their older women and children are sitting out on the cement porch without nothing to do,” the Nevada rancher said in a radio interview on The Peter Schiff Show. 
 
 Bundy repeated similar comments at his afternoon press conference again asking whether black people would be happier in the South. 
 
 Bundy caused outrage from figures on the right and left Thursday with statements on race first reported by The New York Times. 
 
 On Schiff’s show, Bundy continued: “I’m wondering are they better off being slaves in that sense or better off being slaves to the United States government in the sense of the subsidy. I’m wondering. The statement was right.”
– Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy is standing by his widely condemned remarks on slavery even as most of his conservative allies hastily back away from him. "I don't think I'm wrong," Bundy, who wondered if black people were "better off as slaves, picking cotton and having a family life" than living "under government subsidy," tells CNN. "I think I'm right." He says he had been "just wondering" if black people are really better off now, adding that instead of slavery he really "meant to compare it with maybe life on the farm or life in the South, where they had some chickens and the gardens, and they had something to do." More: Bundy, who is embroiled in a dispute with federal authorities over grazing rights, admitted that having his cattle graze on public land might make him as much of a "welfare queen" as people who survive on government checks. "But I'll tell you I'm producing something for America and using a resource that nobody else would use or could use. I'm putting red meat on the table," he said. Despite some slight backtracking in the CNN interview, Bundy's remarks to a radio show yesterday were almost identical to the ones that first caused offense, Politico finds. "I'm wondering are they better off being slaves in that sense or better off being slaves to the United States government in the sense of the subsidy. I’m wondering. The statement was right," he said. Bundy's remarks have been strongly condemned by former allies including Sens. Dean Heller and Rand Paul and pundits including Sean Hannity, Mediaite reports. "His comments are beyond repugnant to me. They are beyond despicable to me. They are beyond ignorant to me," said the Fox host, adding that he fears the remarks overshadow the "legitimate issue" of government overreach. Conservative commentators including Crystal Wright said they feared the controversy will be yet another setback for the GOP's attempts to attract minority voters, the Washington Post finds. "My parents didn't sit-in at lunch counters so that they would be told that they would have been better off learning how to pick cotton," Wright said. "We as conservatives don't do a great job of cleaning up these racial missteps."