Ohio GOP Politician Sends Incredibly Racist Email, Not Sorry
Salon’s Mary Elizabeth Williams reports: Ohio Politician Not Sorry for Incredibly Racist Email.
In an age where nearly every day a politician has to step forward and issue an apology for his role in a traffic mess or running over a flock of ducks or what have you, you’ve got to give Bob Carleton credit for breaking the mold. After the Norwalk, Ohio, city council member was questioned about sending out a December email the Toledo Blade has called simultaneously “insensitive,” “bigoted” and “cruel,” Carleton’s response has been to shrug that he thought it was funny. No halfhearted promises of sensitivity here. Oh no, not for Bob Carleton!
Back in December, the 71 year-old Republican sent the email to nearly two dozen friends, colleagues and the city law director. It bore the subject head “Spelling Bee Champ.” The text, which appears to have been going around the Internet for at least five years, reads:
My name be Eboneesha Hernandez, a African-Hispanic-American Girl who jus got a award for bein the bess speler in class. I gots a 47% on the spelin text and 38 points for being black, 10 points for not bringin drugs to class, 10 points for not bringin guns to class, and 15 points for not getting pregnut during the cemester. It be hard to beat a score of 120%.
White dude sit nex to me is McGee from Jaxon Mizipy. He got a 94% on the text but no extra points on acount of he have the same skin color as the opressirs of 150 years ago. Granny ax me to thank all dimocrafts and liberuls for suportin afermative axion. You be showin da way to true eqwallity.
I be gittin in medical skool nex an mabe I be yo doctor since Barrac takn over da healfcare in dis contry.
I know it’s a spelling-themed email, but here’s a math question: how many different groups is this offensive to, and how many unique slurs can you find in it?
Amazingly, not everyone Carleton sent it to - and he’s told the Blade he actually sent it to even more people - found it amusing. Norwalk law director G. Stuart O’Hara said, “I was shocked. I didn’t care for the joke, if that’s what it was supposed to be.” But the repercussions for Carleton have so far been nil. Mayor Rob Duncan, while admitting, “This is nothing that we would condone or endorse,” says it’s the city council’s responsibility to address the mail, noting, “Bob is technically not part of the administration. He is part of city council so we really don’t have authority over council.” The council, he says, didn’t even bring it up in its December meeting. And he supportively adds, “I think I know Bob well enough and I don’t think he would do anything malicious and intentional.” Go back and read the email and then think about that. Yeah, what’s malicious there? “I can see where someone would do that without thinking about it,” Duncan says. “But in our positions we have to think.” So apparently according to Mayor Duncan, Carleton’s offense isn’t racism but hastiness.
The wingnuts who spread this kind of racist shit are also the same ones who are like all HURR HURR REPUBLICANZ ENDED SLAVERY AND TEH DEMOCRATS IS TEH ORIGINAL RACISTS!!!11!!!!
MT #Guncontrol & #Racism Go Hand in Hand pic.twitter.com/bsj2pQbJmk #NJ2AS #2A #uniteblue
— 2ANow (@2ANow) January 13, 2014
HURR HURR
A Quick History Lesson: pic.twitter.com/RrIYR5LP48 #uniteblue #libcrib #p2— Rob B (@rovibe71) January 13, 2014
HURR HURR!!!!
Democrats then and now… #Obamacare #ThingsThatOffendLiberals #entitlements #lowinfovoter pic.twitter.com/Db3Xnn2Hdt— Traren (@traren0716) January 10, 2014
HURR HURR!!!1!!!
Here it is in black and white. Democrats have always had racist roots. #tcot #p2 #ocra #uniteblue #RedNationRising pic.twitter.com/uDtllQqQGG— Paul Revere (@PaulReverePress) January 13, 2014