Racist Teaparty Republican apologizes for Obama chimpanzee e-mail

[jefferson_dem]

Official apologizes for Obama chimpanzee e-mail

(CNN) -- A California Republican official has apologized for sending an e-mail that depicts President Barack Obama as a young chimpanzee.

"To my fellow Americans and to everyone else who has seen the e-mail I forwarded and was offended by my action, I humbly apologize and ask for your forgiveness of my unwise behavior," Marilyn Davenport said in a statement obtained by CNN.

Davenport, who is a Tea Party activist and an elected member of the central committee of the Republican Party of Orange County, said she felt the e-mail was a joke, CNN affiliate KTLA reported.

The e-mail contains a doctored photo of what appears to be a family portrait of two adult chimpanzees posing with a young chimpanzee with Obama's face pasted on it.

The caption that ran with the photo says "Now you know why no birth certificate," the affiliate reported.

Davenport said she would not repeat her error in the apology that included two Bible passages.

<SNIP>

http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/04/19/california.apology/index.html?eref=rss_politics

[RoccoR5955]

1. Too late... Fire her ass! n/t

[mwb970]

2. Why do people DO crap like this anyway?

Is Davenport's job so easy that she has lots of time to compose and send racist, bigoted e-mails running down the leader of her country? Is she so full of hate that for an hour or two this idiocy was her top priority? What is WRONG with these people anyway?

republicans call themselves "patriots", I call them "traitors". (I say tomato, they say "I've got mine, screw you!")

[NBachers]

3. "Unwise behavior"

The verbal contortions they go through in their un-apologies . . .

[Mz Pip]

6. more like

pig-ignorant dumbshit racist but then that sort of insults pigs.

[Prof Lester]

17. Also insults shit too.

Poor old shit don't deserve such slander. No way.

[ZombieHorde]

29. Agreed. Shit is better than republicans. nt

[jberryhill]

10. Oh, the whole political apology ritual is nonsense anyway

As if there were any uncontorted words that would make anyone say, "Oh, well, okay then."

Seriously, it is such a waste of media bandwidth.

1. Politician does something stupid.

2. People are offended.

3. Politician makes lame defense.

4. Politician is cornered with demand for "apology".

5. Politician issues words of vague regret.

6. Everyone screams "apology is insufficient".

The word "apology" has been beaten into meaninglessness. In its original form, it referred to a reasoned explanation of a position, opinion, or belief.

Nobody - nobody - ever lets go of the stupid thing in step 1 in the first place. The bottom line is that nobody in a position of responsibility should have sent that email, and the action demonstrates the actor's unfitness for a public role. There are not any "magic words" that would change the underlying reality there, so the "oh, the apology was conditioned or limited" thing is just part of the timeworn public ritual of the political apology.

[alsame]

4. "included two Bible passages" - the GOP equivalent of

a 'get out of jail free' card.

[yellowcanine]

5. Was one of the Bible passages, "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.?"

[RichGirl]

7. Some republicans are....

...asking her to resign.

Comparing this to Bush chimp thing is different because although we had fun with it, no Democratic congressperson was sending around emails.

[vaberella]

8. Favorite line, "to everyone else who has seen the e-mail I forwarded and was offended by my action"

So basically if you're not offended, then we're cool. These racist bitches....gotta love them. They really keep it real. :puke: <-- I vomit in glee.

[flpoljunkie]

9. My thoughts exactly! The usual Republican 'non apology' apology.

[jberryhill]

11. What would constitute an actual apology?

Some things are inexcusable for a public official in the first place.

I'm always fascinated by these demands for an apology, and then objection to its form.

Seriously, can you draft a sequence of words that would have made this all better?

People that do shit like she did should simply be run out of town on a rail and the apology ritual can be skipped.

[vaberella]

20. I don't think anyone on DU is asking for an apology. I know I'm not.

However it's the way the "apology" is given that is pretty interesting in and of itself.

[jberryhill]

23. It always is... to someone... that's my point

Name one instance of the "I apologize for a racist comment" which was ever not "pretty interesting".

It's a tired ritual. Someone who reveals sentiments such as this should be dismissed, period.

[jenmito]

33. An actual apology is to say, "I'm sorry for what I did." NOT, "I'm sorry for anyone who was

offended by what I did..."

[mimitabby]

12. hey, didn't we used to call W the chimp?

I thought it was proven that he was closer to Chimpanzees genetically than any other living person.

[Hippo_Tron]

34. And if there was institutionalized racism against white people in this country, we would be wrong

But despite tea party claims to the contrary, there isn't.

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Balbus]

14. I guess chimpanzee is a derogatory term for black people.

Though I've only seen that reference here on DU.

[totodeinhere]

15. Well, I would think it would be derogatory to call anyone a chimp, regardless of their race.

Wasn't that the whole point when they called GWB a chimp at DU? Didn't they call him that to be derogatory?

[Prof Lester]

18. I'm guessing you're not a person of color.

I've heard it many times. And worse.

[CakeGrrl]

16. GWB was called out for a personal resemblance. Obama is being labeled because of his race.

Major difference.

No one assumed that whites are generally chimp-like because GWB's facial expressions were pointed out as chimp-like.

The motivation for calling or portraying Obama (and in some corners, the First Lady) a monkey stems from the racist notion that blacks as a race in general are only a few steps removed. In other words, to the racist, blacks are more like primates than humans.

Recall the monkey hats seen at Palin rallies in 2008.

Years ago, some sportscaster (Howard Cosell?) got in a bunch of hot water for referring to a black football running back as "a little monkey". The racist implications go way, way back.

[Prof Lester]

19. That's right.

Calling W a chimp was an ad hominem alright. But attacking Obama that way is basically attacking an entire race of people and harkens back to the Klan blowing up little children and hanging 10,000 black men and women as an ongoing state of terrorism that lasted for a looooong time. If she printed up one of those Nazi picture of a Jew with huge nose and claws and fangs and such.. well it's obvious that Jewish people would harken back to the Holocaust, right? Maybe white folks don't get it. In fact, I can't think of any way the white side of me could be insulted that way. Except maybe bringing up the Klan thing or the Nazi thing etc., neither of which my white side ancestors had anything to do with. But all the same there it is.

[jberryhill]

24. Correct - In Freepland they call Obama "Odumbo" because of the way his ears stick out

That is not a racial characterization, but the name of a famous elephant character, and elephants are characterized by large ears.

Plus, it has "dumb" in it.

Infantile, but a perfectly fine race-neutral insult.

[bindelh]

21. Yes n/t

[Solomon]

22. We may have called Bush "chimp" here on DU, but I don't recall

any congressperson doing so. BIg Difference.

[Katharella]

25. The photo of Obama with monkey family! -Immaturity!

Hi everyone, I'm new here, but I just wanted to comment on that photo.

1. I think it was pretty mean whoever actually just SENT IT TO the President, regardless of who is in office. THAT is making it a personal jab.

2. If it were just one of the ordinary photos people make of ALL our Presidents, then it shouldn't be an issue at all. There was one floating around the net while Bush was in office that had a monkey making about 10 faces he had made while someone got a quicksnap of him in speeches. There was no issue of it, the people got their giggles out of it, but the President didn't make an issue of it.

They are "PRESIDENTS" they do understand they are going to be the brunt of jokes and it happens with EVERY President in office. Even President Clinton said he enjoyed watching the Saturday Night Live skits of him and the White House people! So, obviously they are smart and good humored enough to take jokes!

I don't think anyone should EVER make personal jabs, but what I had read is that it was an "ear" joke, which the President doesn't seem like he's a person who wouldn't understand someone making fun of his ears, that is SO LITTLE of his concerns, there are much bigger problems for him to deal with than someone making fun of his ears!

While I agree, yes it is RUDE for anyone to make fun of ANYONE'S physical appearances, they STILL DO, and just as children in school make fun of the children who are overweight, underweight, their names, kids can be cruel and it's a parents responsibility to bring their child up NOT to make fun of others, and teach them it's wrong. Still it happens. Maybe when the President was a child in school, kids teased him about his ears not being small! It's a physical feature that obviously isn't bothersome to him or if it was he certainly could of had cosmetic surgery, just like anyone else to fix it, but I don't think he has a problem with it, since he did not do anything to make his ears smaller!

Seriously, on my own note, I would say, I would rather our President have larger ears because maybe then he will listen as we know, even animals perk up their ears to hear better, as well as people who are hard of hearing will lean their better ear towards a sound they wish to hear! My father was this sort of a person. A mortar went off by his ear in WW2 and made him hard of hearing in one ear, so he always leaned in with his other ear to hear better, and always used his good ear for talking on the phone.

So for someone to SEND the photo to the President, was just a childish as a child in school, and IF the President had time, should have written this person back, and telling them that it is disheartening when (or if) they are a grown, they should act their age, and if they are going to make jokes about him, to make it a joke to the county's people and be immature and not make it a personal jab. Like I said, he has more to worry about than a petty thing like that. A physical thing as such does not effect how he would run the country or do his job.

Whoever made it, and SENT IT, just needs to grow up and realize that "SOME" other people ARE bothered by personal jabs, and it hinders their self esteem.

As a newcomer to this forum, I am not allowed to post my own photo, so I picked one that best describes what I think of people over all. I was not, or am not a Bush supporter, but the "child" in me, pretty much just gives a finger gesture to people who are just as childish as me! I would NEVER make a personal jab to anyone to their physical features, like their eyes are too big or their lips too small, someone could very easily call me bird lips, my lips are rather thin, but I would just give you the "finger gesture" and go on about my life as others have no problem. Oh, my forehead is not perfect either, so maybe we can have a movie viewing on it. Those interested in seeing how that bothers me, just go follow my youtube account so when I make a video you can make fun of me! But at least I'm showing my face, and I have not run out and gotten surgeries to change my physical appearance! OH MY, and I could stand to lose a few lbs, but the people who like me, for ME, they seem to have no problem with my physical features. However, since I do have a tendency to gather some extra baggage on my backside, my comeback is, I can lose weight, but there's not much one can do about stupidity. But I would not call a mentally handicapped person "stupid."

Have a wonderful day, to those of you who are not going to send me hate mail! -Peace, love and happiness, Katharella!

[JTFrog]

32. This wasn't an "ear joke", but nice try.

Nobody should be making excuses for this racist shit.

FFS.

:wtf:

[and-justice-for-all]

26. She can shove that apology up her ass....nt

[Name removed]

27. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[shellgame26]

28. Why is it the most vile people

use passages from the bible to give them cover?

[Alcibiades]

30. Where's the full text?

Specifically, I'd like to see what Bible passages she's citing.

[jenmito]

31. That's one of those non-apology apologies:

"To my fellow Americans and to everyone else who has seen the e-mail I forwarded and was offended by my action,..."