This problem is so much bigger than Marilyn Davenport...

[LaylaMonroe]

By now, you may have heard about yet another racist Republican who sent out a highly offensive email depicting President Obama as a baby chimpanzee.

Despite calls from members of her own party and the NAACP and other civil rights leaders, Marilyn has refused to step down. She apologized, but in her apology, she denied racism and said she didn't even consider that until people started calling the image racist. Frankly, I don't even know if it matters whether she steps down. Racism remains in our elected offices, and the fact that she actually had people to send it TO is even worse... According to the article I read, she sent it to "dozens of friends and fellow Republicans." I find it horrifying (though not surprising) that she is actually connected to dozens of people who wouldn't be offended by that. Dozens?

And people still insist that blacks are just crying racism for no reason and that there is no racism in this country. What a joke.

[Fenix]

So can someone please tell me how she honestly say she didn't know it was a racist depiction? How stupid is she, or how stupid does she think people are? Why a monkey? WHy not use a koala family, or a kangaroo family, or a lion family?

**Disgusted**

[sjonathan02]

I refuse to get up in arms about this for the simple reason that I will not allow a racist like her to see me bothered by her ignorance. I just can't.

[under13]

thats just part of being president, you get called monkeys and stuff. lol

[LaylaMonroe]

Davenport told the Orange Country Weekly that she was "sorry if my email offended anyone," but that she "simply found it amusing regarding the character of Obama and all the questions surrounding his origin of birth."

"The thought never entered my mind until one or two other people tried to make this about race," she wrote in her Saturday e-mail, and referred to Obama as being only "half black."

Davenport then accused the media of "making much ado about nothing," and indicated she would hunt down the "cowardly" person who leaked the contents of the e-mail.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2011/04/19/2011-04-19_goper_says_sorry_again_for_racist_obama_email_claims_to_have_received_threats.html#ixzz1JyvTe6qG

[LaylaMonroe]

I refuse to get up in arms about this for the simple reason that I will not allow a racist like her to see me bothered by her ignorance. I just can't.

I doubt she'll see you.

I've never been one to tell people what to get upset about as everyone has different "buttons." But, I'm glad someone is up in arms about it. Just like I'm glad someone's up in arms about all this "save the earth" stuff that I don't get involved in. It's not my button, but I'm glad it's somebody else's.

[sjonathan02]

I doubt she'll see you.

I've never been one to tell people what to get upset about as everyone has different "buttons." But, I'm glad someone is up in arms about it. Just like I'm glad someone's up in arms about all this "save the earth" stuff that I don't get involved in. It's not my button, but I'm glad it's somebody else's.

Your ADD is actin' up. I said 'like' her; not her specifically.

[LaylaMonroe]

Your ADD is actin' up. I said 'like' her; not her specifically.

Umm. Okay.

[Fenix]

The picture is so offensive! I wish we could take it down. 

[SirTJ]

People will be people.

[Arkhams Finest]

...at the time I received and forwarded the e-mail, I didn't stop to think about the historic implications and other examples of how this could be offensive...

Playing dumb won't fly.  If she isn't bright enough to IMMEDIATELY see how portraying a black person as a monkey would be offensive, she shouldn't be an elected official.  She knew what she was doing.

The only thing she didn't think about was what would happen if one of her 'friends' decided to rat her out for a profit.

[blyempowered]

I guess this end's the "America is Post-Racial" argument......

This is very sad!

[betnich]

SMH.....and the GOP wonders why it can't attract people of color....

[LaylaMonroe]

If they don't make this little nobody to step down, I truly hope that not another Black person in this country will vote Republican in the 2012 election. This is ridiculous. And they want to think Black people are so stupid that we'll be divided if the GOP puts a person of color on their ticket... not after this.

[sjonathan02]

People will be people.

This--this right here.

[blyempowered]

Yep...*sigh*

[LaylaMonroe]

And again, everyone has different buttons.

We can say "people will be people" to every single issue that arises in the world. Mother kills her 3 children. Oh well. People will be people. Muslim extremists crash planes into buildings, killing thousands. People will be people. Man throws acid in pretty women's faces. People will be people. Woman circumcises her son at home. People will be people. Parents force their daughters to be circumcised. We vote in people who allocate an average of $80k per year per prisoner and $9k per year, per public school student. People will be people. We shoot up colleges, high schools, army bases... people will be people. Some people care about some of those things. Some care about other issues. Some don't really have any buttons at all. As I said, to each his own.

Until the day Jesus returns, there will always be causes and people fighting for the causes that push their buttons.

Years ago, we weren't allowed to vote - or own property, drink out of any water fountain we wanted, shop where we wanted, go to school where we wanted... I'm sure someone said "people will be people."

[nessalynn77]

This--this right here.

Indeed.  But she doesn't represent all republicans any more than Al Sharpton represents all blacks.  She's an idiot, but that just makes her an idiot.  There are idiots like her, but I stop short of chalking up the whole party and their candidates to that designation. 

Nowadays, I'm seeing that each party and race has their share of idiots. 

I predict she'll step down under the pressure in about a couple of weeks or so.

[sjonathan02]

Indeed.  But she doesn't represent all republicans any more than Al Sharpton represents all blacks.  She's an idiot, but that just makes her an idiot.  There are idiots like her, but I stop short of chalking up the whole party and their candidates to that designation. 

Nowadays, I'm seeing that each party and race has their share of idiots. 

I predict she'll step down under the pressure in about a couple of weeks or so.

You have a great point.

[under13]

Indeed.  But she doesn't represent all republicans any more than Al Sharpton represents all blacks.  She's an idiot, but that just makes her an idiot.  There are idiots like her, but I stop short of chalking up the whole party and their candidates to that designation. 

Nowadays, I'm seeing that each party and race has their share of idiots. 

Truth.

This was my first thought. Why does it have to be racist just because it's an ape? Why can't it be about something else, like intelligence, tool-use, a big smile, bug eating, big ears, etc.? What if it had been a white gibbon instead of a chimp? </dvlsadvct>

Thats pretty much my point. Its funny how we all laughed when comedians and late night TV shows made fun of G.W. Bush, but when they say ANYTHING about Obama, racist or not, there's a huge problem.