Rusty Depass, the dude who claimed Michelle Obama forced him to make a racist joke, is now making an actual apology. The piece goes on to note that Republicans in South Carolina actually do worst than the national party with blacks. I guess as the seat of secession and then Redemption it makes sense. I wouldn't expect much change, though. The GOP in South Carolina doesn't think any of this is a problem.
The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons, and an Unlikely Road to Manhood 
Copyright © 2009 by The Atlantic Monthly Group. All rights reserved.
Rusty Depass has beautiful chins.
Rusty Depass has beautiful chins.
Rusty Depass has beautiful chins.
Hmmm...the old triple post for a triple chin gag.
But seriously, I actually think his apology is as sincere as he could have done it. I'm not mad at the dude. In fact when I first saw his joke, I laughed---not because it was funny, but because I knew that it would inevitably lead to the song-and-dance we're seeing now. Fake apology, real apology, maybe some community service/outreach, followed up by an ad with Ron Christie, and his scat session with Michael Steele, etc. The only thing missing was him telling us about how some of his best friends were black. We've heard this album before and it always sounds the same.
And I also laughed because these people are slowly but surely ensuring the destruction of their political party. It won't be long now before the GOP joins the Whigs and Federalists resting comfortably upon the ash heap of history. You can't stop these people from being destroyed by the hate they've propagated for years---especially when they continue to cling to it. And since you can't save them from themselves, I've just decided to get out the popcorn and the soda, cause the GOP's got plenty of nuts to go around.
Not a gag-- I got "comment error" all three times. Nonetheless, I was at fault. I am sorry for my own error. Michelle Obama did not make any remarks about triple posts that I know of.
the beauty of our information-age is that all politics are now national, even international as A.Sullivan is practicing, and while there are still many pockets of the political realm where these kinds of race-based politics serve local political interests well they are increasingly counterproductive for the national parties such that self-interest may start to curb some of this kind of rhetoric and may open up the public debates to highlight less, at least overtly, racialized issues.
I'm still a bit underwhelmed. I mean, sure, it's an actual apology, but I want full flavor, not this light smoke. Funny thing, I didn't expect even this much, but if you're gonna 'mea culpa', do it up!
The Confederate flag -- long may it wave.
I get the feeling he's angry with the Obamas for uspetting the "natural order" of things - an order in which he he benefits more than most. He lashes out because he believes that putting the "uppity" in their place in a very public way is how you hanlde those who step outside the lines of acceptable behavior.
In D&D terms, Rusty Depass is pretty much Lawful Evil.
I have very mixed feelings about all of the publicity that these racist comments and apologies are getting.
On the one hand, exposing those who make these comments certainly illuminates their ignorance and their hatred. In the case of elected representatives, it can make it difficult for them to stay in office and that is a significant consequence.
However, things tend to escalate. There is always some fool out there who wants to take this to the next level and it seems that the racist comments just continue to get worse. What I think we're seeing now is unprecedented disrespect for a First Lady although Hillary Clinton might be a rival for that distinction.
I suspect Michelle has thick skin, but this is way, way past my tolerance level for this kind of disrespect.
It needs to stop.
I think the attacks on Hillary were worse. It is mostly the far right that hates Michelle, whereas many on the left (myself included) long disliked Hillary.
there is no sincerity here. come on. he doesn't think he did anything wrong. folks like him never do. he's offended that he has to even utter an apology of any sort to these Uppity Nigras.
Agreed. The only thing he's sorry about is what this incident could possibly do to his career.
That poor Rusty DePass, having to apologize because that mean old First Lady made him.
I'm sorry, I must have missed something. How the **** is this Mrs. Obama's fault again? I feel bad for any sane South Carolinian, that people like this get to represent them.
Sorry - I didn't finish that first sentence. It should've said:
"That poor Rusty DePass, having to apologize because that mean old First Lady made him make that joke about her.
I wonder if we're looking at a J-curve situation where they're stuck at the top of the left curve.
The SC GOP can't really lose anymore black votes, but apologizing for these sorts of remarks could conceivably lose them white votes from their base without gaining them any black votes in the short term.
In those circumstances, acting like unapologetic racist idiots might be a viable local maxima which may not be perturbed until they start losing white votes as a consequence of their remarks.
I hadn't realized this was Facebook. So this week we have SC Republicans attempting to use Facebook and Twitter to make racist jokes, and TN Republicans attempting to use e-mail to make racist jokes, and all failing. Far from embracing new social network technologies, Republicans clearly need to return to writing letters.
Also, this
This is like the Palin rallies. There are a few wackjobs, and everyone around the wackjobs kind of hums quietly to themselves and wishes Rusty wouldn't be embarrassing that way, rather than getting outraged and drumming Rusty right out of the party. Tolerance of wackjobs sends the message that, even if you don't exactly agree with the wackjob, he isn't saying anything that you feel you need to disagree with out loud.
I was taught as a child that a real apology meant acknowledging specifically what you did wrong. This guy comes close but doesn't quite go all the way, he says he was wrong but doesn't admit why.
Ironically the only guy in the recent series of public apologies to do that was David Letterman. Who is still being attacked by Palin and her supporters. Come to think of it the only person who was the brunt of an inappropriate joke who made a stink about it was Sarah Palin. Feigned outrage and victim hood seems to be pretty much exclusively a right wing phenomena anymore. Heck I can't even remember the last Al Sharpton demonstration over a perceived injustice(unarmed guys getting shot by cops don't count, those are legit).
It is telling that some in the South Carolina Legislature blocked a resolution that expressed sympathy for Michelle. I mean talk about tone deaf, people it was one of those meaningless no cost things, there was no downside to it, sheesh talk about never missing an opportunity to miss an opportunity.
The photos of him surrounded by the guys from the NAACP are just so predictable they would be funny if the whole thing weren't so disgusting. What an ass.