What Racism? (pt. 3)

What, no hot sauce?

Unsurprisingly, this comes to us from the part of California I lived in as a child: that good old Inland Empire.

The latest newsletter by an Inland Republican women’s group depicts Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama surrounded by a watermelon, ribs and a bucket of fried chicken, prompting outrage in political circles.

The October newsletter by the Chaffey Community Republican Women, Federated says if Obama is elected his image will appear on food stamps — instead of dollar bills like other presidents. The statement is followed by an illustration of “Obama Bucks” — a phony $10 bill featuring Obama’s face on a donkey’s body, labeled “United States Food Stamps.”

The GOP newsletter, which was sent to about 200 members and associates of the group by e-mail and regular mail last week, is drawing harsh criticism from members of the political group, elected leaders, party officials and others as racist.

The group’s president, Diane Fedele, said she plans to send an apology letter to her members and to apologize at the club’s meeting next week. She said she simply wanted to deride a comment Obama made over the summer about how as an African-American he “doesn’t look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills.”

“It was strictly an attempt to point out the outrageousness of his statement. I really don’t want to go into it any further,” Fedele said in a telephone interview Tuesday. “I absolutely apologize to anyone who was offended. That clearly wasn’t my attempt.”

So, a food stamp (something only black people use, I guess) with Obama, chicken, ribs, Kool-Aid and watermelon (food only black people consume, I guess), wasn’t meant to be offensive and outrageous. It was meant to lampoon how outrageous Obama was for bringing up the fact that he looks different.

Except, the McCain campaign did make an ad with a dopy looking picture of Obama on a hundred dollar bill before Obama brought up his appearance in reference to U.S. currency.

The president of the group offered this excellent defense:

She said she doesn’t think in racist terms, pointing out she once supported Republican Alan Keyes, an African-American who previously ran for president.

“I didn’t see it the way that it’s being taken. I never connected,” she said. “It was just food to me. It didn’t mean anything else.”

She said she also wasn’t trying to make a statement linking Obama and food stamps, although her introductory text to the illustration connects the two: “Obama talks about all those presidents that got their names on bills. If elected, what bill would he be on????? Food Stamps, what else!”

ALAN KEYES?!  First of all, there’s no way she supported Alan Keyes.  I’m not buying it.  She’s in Chaffey, California.  That means she didn’t support his bid for the Senate in Illinois, and I doubt she supported him over Dole, Bush, or McCain. He’s just the first (and only) black Republican who came to mind.

[Via.]