With Open Arms

In another example of the GOP allowing racism at part of their party's ideological base, Audra Shay was re-elected as the chairman of the Young Republicans National Federation.



You may remember her from her Facebook controversy when she responded positively to a blatantly racist comment directed toward president Obama.

Katherine Miller of Lexington, KY ( a voting member in the Young Republican delegation ) had this to say:

Elections bring a lot of emotion out of people....this controversy really is not the decisive factor for the majority of people voting here. There are so many important issues we are considering. It really has been played up a little bigger than it really is."

So, by Miller's own words, racism is not a decisive factor to the Young Republicans.

But the initial Facebook kerfuffle was followed by another, as reported on The Daily Beast:

*In October 2008, in the wake of news that an effigy of Sarah Palin was being hung outside an affluent Hollywood home as an offensive Halloween decoration, Shay replied, returning to the “LOL” style that she employed after the “coons” comment: “What no ‘Obama in a noose? Come on now, its just freedome [sic] of speech, no one in Atlanta would take that wrong! Lol.”

She picked up the thread again the next morning with a clarification and a new insight. “Apparently I could not spell last night. I am wondering if the guys with the Palin noose would care if we had a bunch of homosexuals in a noose.”

* Posting and endorsing a conspiracy-theory video that attempts to prove that Obama believes he can only “ensure his own salvation” and “fate” if he helps African Americans above whites, complete with Barnum-esque captions (“LISTEN AS HE ATTACKS WHITE PEOPLE”).

* Numerous posts in which Shay says that President Obama is “anti-American” and has “disdain of this country"

And this is a woman that was backed by Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal.

The further fractioning of the GOP ( in all its various forms and faces ) is not helped at all by recent scandalous behavior of their elected officals. Furthermore, the divisive rhetoric coming out of right-wing talk radio are pushing racially charged memes as acceptable forms of socio-political discourse.

As an aside, it is not just blacks in America that are having to deal with racism and threats. Fringe conservative groups like The Minutemen are being encouraged to murder women and children that are attempting to enter into America.

Certainly, these same people that are showing acceptance of not just intolerance but abject hatred to the point of praying for the death of those of alternate ethnicity will try to play victim by saying their rights to free speech are being infringed upon. Of course, we are all allowed to free speech, but no matter your statements, the right for others to respond to that ( and the response will vary dependant upon the statements made ) is in place just as much.