SoCal Racist Republican--This Isn't Just Racist, It's Obscene

You know, it gets hard to fight one’s instincts sometimes. Part of me wants to condemn an entire group of people because of the actions of one. Part of me wants to consciously “be charitable” which is how I try to behave towards others when their behavior might be suspect or when I may vehemently disagree with an action or perspective.

But at some point you just have to say “Enough!”. At some point you have to loudly proclaim that there’s just no excuse for a person or their perspective as manifested through their actions and then extend that to the entire group of individuals that they represent.

But this morning when watching the news on KTLA (an independent channel in L.A. which has arguably the best morning show on all of TV) I was appalled, aghast and incensed by the action of an official of the Orange County Republicans who over the weekend apparently thought that it was innocent fun to post via e-mail a photo and caption of Pres. Barak Obama which is totally, 100% racist. The person then had the temerity to try to excuse herself by claiming that it was done as a joke and was not racist.

Here’s the picture sent out by Orange County Republican Committee member Marilyn Davenport:

The e-mail was captioned, “Now you know why—no birth certificate!”

And here is what Ms. Davenport had to say about it:

“I’m sorry if my email offended anyone, I simply found it amusing regarding the character of Obama and all the questions surrounding his origin of birth,” said Davenport. “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.” (LA Times)

Forty or fifty years ago, a U.S. Supreme Court justice said of pornography that he didn't know how to define it but sure knew it when he saw it. Well, I might not necessarily be able to define racism but I sure know it when I see it or hear it. And this is about the most blatant example of racism I've seen in years. I hope Republicans everyone are ashamed of what one of their members has done. (That was one of the worst things my Dad would ever say when we had done something wrong as a kid--"Shamey on you."

Yes, Marilyn Davenport, "Shamey on you." Unfortunately, in your smug superiority you never learned that basic lesson. You have shamed yourself and the entire organization you represent. "Shamey on you."

So, according to her own words she’s either bigoted, ignorant or just plain old stupid. And, by extension, what does that make Republicans in general? I guess I’ve seen more and more of this in the last couple of years from the so-called “Tea-Baggers” and from “mainstream” Republicans.

So, enough! This morning I was going through some old Jimmy Buffett music. Perhaps this lyric is applicable to Ms. Davenport: “Were you born an asshole or did you work at it your whole life?”

I haven’t conferred this award for a while but Marilyn Davenport earned it and deserved it. So here’s to you, Ms. Davenport, the not-coveted “Caput in Recto” Award: