Posted on 07/09/2008 4:10:35 AM PDT by TornadoAlley3
A banner slogan on the Pemberton Republican Club's Web site that said, "Obama loves America like O.J. loved Nicole," disappeared yesterday after local Democrats alleged racist campaign tactics. The Web master, Ed Kuck, a recently elected Republican County committeeman, said he had seen the slogan on an Internet site and copied it onto the club's Web page about a month ago as "a joke."
He removed it yesterday from the site, http://homewebs.net/pem, after a community person told him it would offend people, he said.
"I found out it was inappropriate, and I took it down," Kuck said, adding: "I just want to apologize to anybody who was offended, because that wasn't our intention at all."
Pemberton Councilwoman Diane Stinney said a Republican friend had called to tell her about the ad, saying: "I just want you to know I'm very disappointed with our Republican page."
Stinney then reported it to fellow Democrats.
She said the slogan had offended her, adding that Pemberton is a very diverse community.
"We've come a very long way, and we people of different colors still have a lot of growing up to do, but there are other issues that the two [presidential] candidates have to and should be addressing," she said.
Rick Perr, chairman of the Burlington County Democratic Committee, said that, although the phrase was taken down, he preserved a copy of it.
Comparing U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, the presumed Democratic nominee for president, "to O.J. Simpson, an accused murderer who was found civilly liable for his ex-wife's death, is reprehensible," Perr said in a statement. "Moreover, it is a veiled attempt at inserting race into the political arena, for which the Republicans should be ashamed."
Bill Layton, who heads the Burlington County GOP, immediately denounced the slogan as "despicable" and "the worst kind of tactics."
Layton said, "There's no place in Burlington County Republican politics for this."
He said his organization has successfully backed African Americans and women for county and state legislative offices.
The slogan referenced NFL Hall of Famer O.J. Simpson's acquittal in the 1994 murders of his former wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman.
The phrase has been making the rounds on Web sites, posters and campaign buttons.
Kuck said he had put it up when he went to add pictures of a rally at Burlington County College for U.S. Sen. John McCain, the presumptive GOP presidential candidate.
Kuck said the Pemberton Republican Club mostly concerned itself with local issues and candidates and probably wouldn't get too involved with the presidential race.
What an idiot for apologizing. Doesn’t he know that every thing he does will be called racist? I get so tired of cowards who cave in at the drop of a hat.
Exactly. And what did the pubbies get for all their groveling? A promise from the Dems to lord the banner over them despite its removal. Some people are looking for any excuse to be offended. Let them.
O.J. did love Nicole... before he murdered her. There’s no evidence Obama has ever loved America, but there sure is enough evidence he wants to murder everything it stands for.
Perfectly stated, fieldmarshaldj.
Looks like the Pemberton GOP is a black hole.
If it read “obama loves chocolate ice cream.” the rat would call it RACIST! Why worry? Just put up a picture of barack mcgovern and ask “Do you want a socialist president?”
“I found out it was inappropriate, and I took it down,”
You “found out”? What kind of mealy mouthed bs is that?
Tell these people to shove it. Good grief...stand up for something!
Will the GOP (particularly what passes for conservatives in my home state of NJ) ever stop walking on eggshells around race issues? There is racism and there is racism. This was not racist even if people are offended. Hell it is witty and funny!
Priest: And this offends you as a black man? OJ: No. This offends me as a murderer.
Obama loves America? Could have fooled me...
“What an idiot for apologizing.”
Exactly! It is getting worse too. Anybody who thinks this will go away or get better no matter who is president is quite frankly deluded. This will continue and in fact get worse as we progress down into this multicultural morass we have embraced over the last 40 years. Unless or until white people stand up and say enough it will eventually bury and destroy us. All these raced based political and social groups along with their useful idiots, the democrats and I guess now too the GOP, will do one thing and one thing only. Promote their race and find racism everywhere they look. Notice also as they constantly harp about “racism” that they never seem to find any emanating from their own.
LaRaza, the NAACP, MEChA et al are not bridge clubs.
It was perfectly appropriate because it was true.
Here is a phone number found on the site for the Rep Club of Pemberton NJ
609-332-4280
Voice your displeasure at their extreme cowardice as I plan to do.
I see. Sharpton can call the president of the United States a thug, Harry Reid can call him a “loser”, Farakhaan can accuse him of targeting blacks for death in New Orleans...and all of that isn’t hate speech...
but the O.J. remark IS hate speech.
And anyway, I thought O.J. was innocent...at least that is what all those people were celebrating, right? O.J. insisted he loved Nicole, so that ought to be a compliment to Obama.
Okay, what was inappropriate about it?
They certainly offend me.
Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)
I LOVE that “That’s Racist” logo! It always brings a smile to my face!
It portrayed Obama as athletic.
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