South Carolina GOP Activists Apologizes For Michelle Obama Racists Remark
Thursday, June 18, 2009 at 11:00AM
It's not easy being a Republican these days. The party is going through a painful process of seeking new leaders and defining a clear vision for electoral victories.
And then, there are the wackos. While all the parties have them, recently the GOP has found some crazy racists coming from under rocks - undermining any hope of connecting with voters with a positive message.
In the latest incident, a South Carolina GOP activist, Rusty DePass, compared Michelle Obama's ancestors to a "gorilla" in a Facebook post.
After the expected furor, he has apologized. According to the South Carolina newspaper The State:
“I am truly sorry for any offense I have caused,” DePass said to a small crowd of NAACP supporters who turned out for the noon press event. “My remark was clearly inappropriate, and I apologize for writing it.”
The NAACP had called on DePass to make a clear apology.
DePass said he also had written a letter of apology to Michelle Obama. He declined to make the contents of that letter available to the public. During Wednesday’s press briefing, DePass called his remarks “offensive,” “flippant” and “indefensible.”
“I have embarrassed myself as well as my friends and associates and the members of my family,” DePass said in his prepared comments. “All I can do is ask you to forgive me.”
The routine apology, with the "for any offense I have caused" clause, may help cool tempers, but it is unlikely to wipe the slate clean.
South Carolina was the fulcrum of the start of the Civil War and then the KKK, and most recently, the subject of a debate over flying the Confederate flag over the state capitol. It would seem that some of that old racist attitude is alive and well in the Palmetto State.
michelle obama,
politics,
racists,
south carolina 
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