S.C. GOP Activist Insults First Lady, GOP Leader Michael Steele Silent
The silence from the Republican Party was deafening when Columbia, S.C., GOP activist Rusty DePass, posted this comment on Facebook about an escaped gorilla from Riverbanks Zoo: “I’m sure it’s just one of Michelle’s ancestors — probably harmless.”
DePass later admitted to a CNN reporter that the “Michelle” he alluded to was indeed, first lady Michelle Obama.
“I am as sorry as I can be if I offended anyone. The comment was clearly in jest,” he said.
Robert Coble, mayor of Columbia, condemned the comment, calling it “inappropriate and racist.”
“I don’t think there’s anything funny about that comment. That is the first lady of the United States. We’ve had a long tradition of wonderful first ladies and I don’t think any of them deserve that kind of comment,” Coble told CNN.
Incredibly, DePass went on tell CNN that, “The comment was hers, not mine,” adding that the first lady had allegedly made remarks to media outlets that humans are descended from apes. There is no record of Mrs. Obama ever uttering such a sentiment.
So let’s sum up: “I am as sorry as I can be if I offended anyone,” is not, in fact, an apology for one’s actions, but for (possibly) offending someone. That’s not even close to an apology. Furthermore, DePass’ assertion that “The comment was hers, not mine,” is an outright lie.
What is more egregious than DePass’ ham-handed behavior and lame apology is the Republican Party’s failure to repudiate it. In an interview with rolling out in February 2009, Michael Steele, the party’s first African American chairman, said: “For far too long — and I have said this for the long years I’ve been with this party — we have sat on the sidelines and [let] others define our agenda for the black community. Well, I’m here to do that.”
Steele’s silence is troubling and does not signal a willingness to be inclusive and engage the black community. If you want to change the image of your party with black voters Mr. Chairman, now’s the time to speak up. –michele fling, additional reporting by terry shropshire
