SERIOUSLY, ANOTHER RACIST GORILLA JOKE?

As this is being posted, right wingers think they can mount a campaign to get David Letterman fired as host of CBS’s The Late Show for making a joke about Sarah Palin’s daughter that sounded like he was advocating statutory rape. One of the reasons why David Letterman is going to be forgiven by the public is because he wasn’t trying to be malicious and his record of not being malicious speaks to that. The same can’t be said about the right wingers that have been going after the Obamas, especially since they have had their asses handed to them for making a particular joke just a few months ago. On his now-deleted Facebook account, a Republican activist in South Carolina Rusty DePass responded to the news that a gorrilla escaped from a zoo in Columbia, SC that it was probably an “ancestor” of Michelle Obama. Apparently he forgotten that when the New York Post ran a cartoon equating the first Black President to an ape, the outrage was so bad Post owner Rupert Murdoch had to personally apologize. He was reminded. Effectively. Still, you have to wonder about how conservatives who cry all the time about being ridiculed expect that to stop if they keep doing crap like this. Then again, no you don’t. This is what they are and this is all they have. So the respect they are looking for is always going to be elusive so long as they cannot deal with issues on something higher than the third grade level.

WIS News 10

COLUMBIA, SC – A state Republican activist has admitted to and apologized for calling a gorilla that escaped from the Riverbanks Zoo Friday an “ancestor” of First Lady Michelle Obama.

A screen capture of the comment, made on the Internet site Facebook, was obtained by FITSNews, the website of South Carolina politico Will Folks.

The image shows a post by an aide to state Attorney General Henry McMaster describing Friday morning’s gorilla escape at Columbia’s Riverbanks Zoo.

Longtime SCGOP activist and former state Senate candidate Rusty DePass responded with the comment, “I’m sure it’s just one of Michelle’s ancestors – probably harmless.”

DePass told WIS News 10 he was talking about First Lady Michelle Obama.

DePass has been involved in state politics for decades, and helped elect Republican Governor Jim Edwards in 1974. He was an early South Carolina supporter of former President George W. Bush in 2000.

We asked some of DePass’ political allies and rivals what they thought about the comment.

“Even if it was taken out of context – its not something that should have ever been said. It’s sad, disappointing, and unfortunate,” said former SCGOP Chairman Katon Dawson.

Columbia Mayor Bob Coble also condemns the comment.

“You know, I think the comment is inappropriate. It’s a racist comment,” he says. “I think Mr. DePass should apologize.”

We spoke with DePass over the phone Friday night. He said, “I am as sorry as I can be if I offended anyone. The comment was clearly in jest.”

“You know, I don’t think there’s anything funny about that comment,” says Coble. “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 type of comment.”

DePass took his apology a bit further. He also said, “The comment was hers. Not mine,” saying the first lady made statements in the media recently saying we are all descendents of apes.

But an Internet search for those comments turned up no news articles of the like.

“I don’t know of any,” says Coble.

All of that aside, the mayor wants a clear-cut apology.

“Rusty DePass is well known in the community, and I know he’s done very good things in addition to his political work,” says Mayor Coble. “I don’t want a comment like that coming out of Columbia, South Carolina for the world to comment on.”

The comment has been removed from Facebook. DePass’ Facebook page has also been deleted.