A top California Tea Party and GOP leader refuses to quit after sending a racist email with a photo depicting Obama as a monkey in a family portrait. Marilyn Davenport has described her racist email with the above photo as “just an Internet joke,” saying, “Oh, come on! Everybody who knows me knows that I am not a racist. It was a joke. I have friends who are black. Besides, I only sent it to a few people—mostly people I didn’t think would be upset by it.”
Davenport, who is a top Southern California Republican party official and a Southern California Tea Party activist, reportedly sent the email with the title, “Now you know why no birth certificate,” is now in hot water with the Republican Party and the right-wing media.
Howard Portnoy at Hot Air calls Davenport’s actions, “The last thing the GOP needed,” and claims, amazingly, that they “threaten not only to reignite baseless charges that any criticism directed at the president by the right is a function of racism but to help reenergize his flagging base.” Because how could anyone, after three years of right-wing, GOP, and Tea Party racism, time and time and time again, be seen as racism? Portnoy goes on to say, this time rightly, “The damage is done—and I predict the repercussions will be long-lasting and devastating.” (Emphasis added.)
In response to calls for her to quit her Tea Party and GOP leadership roles, Davenport wrote to R. Scott Moxley at The OC Weekly, saying, “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. 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. We all know a double standard applies regarding this President,” Davenport continued, after sending a subsequent email to the same recipient list, demanding to know who “the coward” was who supplied The OC Weekly with the original racist email. “I received plenty of e-mails about George Bush that I didn’t particularly like yet there was no “cry” in the media about them. One only has to go to YouTube or Google Images to see a plethora of lampooning videos and pictures about Obama, Bush and other politicians. That being said, I will NOT resign my Central Committee position over this matter that the average person knows and agrees is much to do about nothing.
“Again, for those select few who might be truly offended by viewing a copy of an email I sent to a select list of friends and acquaintances, unlike the liberal left when they do the same, I offer my sincere apologies to you – the email was not meant for you.
“For any of my friends or acquaintances who were the recipients of my email and were truly offended, please call me so I may offer a sincere verbal apology to you. Sincerely, Marilyn Davenport.”
Moxley broke the story Friday and wrote, “Orange County might be a beautiful oceanfront locale, but it’s also home to Holocaust deniers, vicious anti-gay bigots and freakish big-haired televangelists.” He notes this is reportedly the Orange County GOP’s third racist episode to make national headlines, with this image (above) of what the Obama White House might come to look like, according to Orange County Republican Mayor Dean Grose, who sent it in an email to supporters.