This clearly racist photo was sent by Marilyn Davenport – an elected member of the central committee of the Republican Party of Orange County and Tea Party activist with the caption “Now you know why – no birth certificate!” Davenport insists it is not racist, just humorous.
The picture was sent in an email from Davenport, who expressed surprise that it offended people. She said “I simply found it amusing regarding the character of Obama and all the questions surrounding his origin of birth . . . In no way did I even consider the fact he’s half black when I sent out the email. In fact, the thought never entered my mind until one or two other people tried to make this about race.”
To their credit, various Republican leaders have denounced the picture. She, however, remains on the Central Committee and GOP officials have expressed doubt over the ability to remove her under their bylaws. I find it odd that a political organization cannot remove someone who has espoused racist or hateful views to the embarrassment of the Republican Party.
Source: NY Daily News
Well said, AY.
I am with the Not Clearly a Racist photo/card….. I could see myself sending something like this out….not of course with Obama but some family member…. Most of my posts are self evident of my sick humor…..
However, in the context that it was used I clearly see that it was racial in tone, nature and purpose……
I initially was going to cut and paste to a group that I belong to….but then I recall that there are a few people of color…. I decided against it…..
Legally speaking, I recall some of the language out of Brown vs the Kansas Board of Education regarding De Facto/De Jure Discrimination and Invidious Discrimination….So from the context that this is used…..Hell yes…it is by its very fact….
De facto is a Latin expression that means “by [the] fact.” In law, it means “in practice but not necessarily ordained by law” or “in practice or actuality, but without being officially established.” It is commonly used in contrast to de jure (which means “concerning the law”) when referring to matters of law, governance, or technique (such as standards) that are found in the common experience as created or developed without or contrary to a regulation.
Invidious discrimination applies a differentiation scale to people who belong or who appear to belong to certain groups. This type of discrimination is an unfair and often illegal practice that can go on daily in many different forms. Invidious discrimination is often committed based on age, gender, sexual orientation, race, skin color, religion, social status, abilities, physical characteristics, mental illness, and more.
Invidious discrimination is a form of distinction that makes a line between one group and another group. The group discriminated against is generally seen as being lacking, lower, or deficient in some way. An individual, group, political body, or business can practice invidious discrimination.
When this type of discrimination occurs, the ramifications can range from a slight discomfort to even murder or death. If institutionalized discrimination occurs, a large number of people are often affected. A disastrous example of institutionalized discrimination is slavery, where certain persons who are related to slaves are treated as non-citizens, or even in some cases, inhumanely.
There are the only two possibilities. If she doesn’t see the racism, she’s an idiot. Oh wait, that makes her an idiot either way, doesn’t it?. Okay, one choice—she’s an idiot.
Rest assured she’ll be gone within 48 hours. This is way too embarrassing to die.
Of course the woman who sent this image denies that she’s a racist. Racists always deny their racism, just as pedophiles always deny their pedophilia.
A racist’s self-description as broad-minded and tolerant is not to be believed.
Woosty’s still a Cat, I would submit there is a direct connection between our sad state of institutionalized bullying and the quaint and rapidly failing notion that we do not call out others on their magic-thinking when they insist on assaulting the public square with mean-spirited nonsense.
Religion, for example, is used to come down like a ton of bricks on, say, gays. For centuries, if not millennia. A gay person, even in 2011, is unable to escape hurled negative thought and imagery on a daily basis. The blows are unending. And then we have the nerve to cluck our tongues at gay suicide teen rates after we put the gun in their hands and told them WTF cares, st. jeebus the redeemer certainly don’t.
This is but one area of the tea people’s retarded preoccupations.
Mike Appleton’s piece beginning another thread on the four R’s of the GOP/tea people says it all. We have to start saying No, you are a crazy person because you believe in magic, and the world is now too complex for your silliness. Prove it, we must demand.
I would support an ecumenical service with this as the homily.
“I don’t see the problem! People depicted Bush as a chimp all the time!”
“Well, for one, that makes you unoriginal, and for two…”
and people are perplexed about the viral epidemic of bullying here in the US?
“Frank wrote: That ‘witch doctor’ picture? The ‘pimp daddy & ho’ picture? The ‘watermelon white house’ cartoon?”
Also add the NY Post chimp cartoon.
Agree with James in LA — she should be fired. ASAP.
I do not buy the “amiable cluelessness” excuse. I am utterly uninterested in how many needy people should would feed. That didn’t work for touchy-feely preists, it won’t fly here. She has dishonored her position and should be removed. While I am sure thousands of such pictures cross the Toothless Wire of the intertubes on an hourly basis, they have no business coming from any elected official. There is no “joke” here. Only a severely brain damaged woman with the mental age of a high school sophomore.
How did that get through WordPress… Sorry for the double posting.
http://dirtyhippies.org/2011/04/17/tea-party-activists-racist-email-shocks-orange-county-gop/ (Swarthmom mom posted this to Mike Appleton’s thread)
It’s worth reposting.
——————————-
cpromise,
From the above link:
Davenport responded initially by blasting the leak as “cowardly,” and attacking the “liberal media.”
YEah! I am NOT a racist its just that them there coloreds have no sense of humor.
That ‘witch doctor’ picture? The ‘pimp daddy & ho’ picture? The ‘watermelon white house’ cartoon? All good, harmless fun – absolutely no racist content there at all. Just those jung . . . er porch . . . ummm . . . (what the hell are calling ’em these days?) THE BLACKS are just too damn sensitive.
Thanks for the update Elaine M.
From Elaine’s excerpt:
Whitacre continued: “She is not a perfect lady, but she is no racist. She is a gentle person who would feed you, help you, be there for you if you were in trouble. She is known as a pleasant, loving person, and it kills me that she is being attacked by this non-story knowing her mindset.”
Yep, just another “compassionate conservative”…
Thanks for the update Elaine M.
From Elaine’s excerpt:
Whitacre continued: “She is not a perfect lady, but she is no racist. She is a gentle person who would feed you, help you, be there for you if you were in trouble. She is known as a pleasant, loving person, and it kills me that she is being attacked by this non-story knowing her mindset.”
Yep, just another “compassionate conservative”…
This will be blamed on the “liberal media” for making such a big deal of it. The pattern with these people is predictable. Behave badly, get caught, poor behavior is exposed to others, blame exposure of behavior for negative reaction, continue being self-richeous and rude.
These emails are more common than you think.
[UPDATED: Baugh is Powerless] Racist Orange County Republican Email: President Obama and His Parents Are Apes
By R. Scott Moxley, Sun., Apr. 17 2011
Orange County Weekly
http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/2011/04/racist_orange_county_republica.php
Excerpts:
Tim Whitacre, a longtime conservative Orange County Republican activist in Santa Ana, defended Davenport: “Marilyn Davenport is a staunch, ethical Republican lady. There is nothing unethical about this from a party standpoint because it wasn’t sent out to the party at large with any racist statements and it wasn’t signed as a central committee member. As a private individual, she is just real big on Birther stuff. One of her passions that drives her is the president’s lack of forthrightness about where he was born. Marilyn believes that nobody knows where he was born and so this picture says a thousand words.”
Whitacre continued: “She is not a perfect lady, but she is no racist. She is a gentle person who would feed you, help you, be there for you if you were in trouble. She is known as a pleasant, loving person, and it kills me that she is being attacked by this non-story knowing her mindset.”
*****
Scott Baugh, chairman of the OC Republican Party, told Davenport that the email was tasteless, Davenport–a Fullerton-based political activist–admitted to me during the telephone interview.
“You’re not going to make a big deal about this are you?” she asked me. “It’s just an Internet joke.”
But Baugh believes the email is a big deal.
“When I saw that email today I thought it was despicable,” Baugh said. “It is dripping with racism and it does not promote the type of message Orange County Republicans want to deliver to the public. I think she should consider stepping down as an elected official.”
The tea party or republican party has been sending these “ape” images through the internet since Obama was nominated.
Democrat can play the same game too. Just replace Obama with Bush and insert a caption “Now you know why George Bush is dumb” or something.
Racist? Nah, more of speciesist. No matter whose picture they use, it’s an insult to monkeys everywhere…