http://www.latimes.com/news/printeditio ... 6591.story


Altered Obama photo in GOP club newsletter sparks outrage
Illustration shows the candidate's head on donkey's body on a bogus $10 bill that says 'Food Stamps.' Leader of the Upland women's group denies racism, but a state party official decries the image.
By David Kelly, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
October 17, 2008
A Republican women's club in San Bernardino County sent out a recent newsletter with a photo of Barack Obama surrounded by fried chicken, watermelon and ribs, sparking widespread outrage and rebuke from GOP leaders and Democrats.

The illustration shows the Democratic presidential candidate's head atop a donkey's body on a bogus $10 bill referred to as "Obama Bucks." Inscribed on the money are the words "United States Food Stamps" surrounded by stereotypical African American food.

The October newsletter went out to about 200 members of the Chaffey Community Republican Women, Federated, based in Upland.

"I apologize to anyone who was offended because that was not my intent," said club President Diane Fedele. "It was poor judgment on my part. It was strictly an attempt to point out the outrageousness of Obama's statement that he doesn't look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills."

The caption reads: "Obama talks about all those presidents that got their names on bills. If elected, what bill would he be on ????? Food Stamps, what else!"

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Fedele said the mailer merely parodied the statements Obama made during a debate last summer and wasn't racist.

"If I was racist, I would have looked at it through racist eyes," she said. "I am not racist, which is why it probably didn't register."

Club member Kristina Sandoval agreed.

"None of us are racists," she said.

The use of watermelon, ribs and fried chicken was innocent, she said.

"Everyone eats those foods, it's not a racial thing."

That's not how club member Acquanetta Warren -- a Fontana city councilwoman and an African American -- saw it.

"My daughter who is 16 was standing over my shoulder when I opened the e-mail, and her mouth dropped wide open," Warren said. "I actually turned the screen away and sent her to her room so she wouldn't see. I don't want to talk to anyone; I want a written apology so the public knows that this is not right and this is not representative of the way Republicans think."

She's known Fedele a long time and is shocked by the newsletter.

"When she didn't see a problem with this, I knew something was wrong," said Warren, who is also vice chairwoman of the California Republican Party for the Inland Empire. "This is an isolated, crazy thing. Our chairman is outraged. We just don't do this."

Indeed, Fedele drew a sharp reprimand from Ron Nehring, California Republican Party chairman.

"Any material that invokes issues related to race is absolutely unacceptable, tarnishes our party, diminishes the hard work of the tens of thousands of volunteers who are working hard every day for our candidates, and must be condemned," he said in a statement Thursday. "This material I've seen inspires nothing but divisiveness and hostility and has absolutely no place in this election, or any public discourse."

His statement also referred to an image on the Sacramento County GOP website this week showing Obama in a turban beside Osama bin Laden with the words: "The difference between Osama and Obama is just a little B.S." The site also exhorted members to "Waterboard Barack Obama."

"I called the chairman and said, 'You need to take that off your website,' and he took it off," said Hector Barajas, spokesman for the state GOP.

Fedele and the others at the Chaffey Community Republican club are volunteers and can't be fired. Aside from politics, they also do volunteer and charity work throughout the community.

Gary Ovitt, a county supervisor and chairman of the San Bernardino County Republican Party, is scheduled to meet with Fedele on Monday to discuss the incident.

"He is disgusted and appalled by it, and he believes it is blatantly racist and offensive no matter what the intent was," said Burt Southard, Ovitt's spokesman. "These are individual clubs. This one in particular may be one of the largest in the state and is one of the most active."

A spokesman for the Obama campaign in California, Gabriel Sanchez, declined to comment.

State Sen. Bob Dutton (R-Rancho Cucamonga) represents the area, and his wife, a Latina, is a member of the club.

"I thought it was unacceptable and a failed attempt at humor," Dutton said. "My wife isn't taking it personally because she knows the people involved. I called Diane and talked to her and told her it was inappropriate. She is a sweet lady without a mean bone in her body. But we all have to be more sensitive."

Democrats weren't as charitable.

"I think it's sad and unbelievable that they can't see how offensive this is," said Carol Robb, head of the San Bernardino County Democratic Party. "People are losing their homes, we are in financial chaos and the best they can do is a caricature of Obama on a donkey's body and food stamps. How out of touch with the 21st century can you get?"

david.kelly@latimes.com

Lol

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lol

It's local to me, though I've never been a member of that group. And it's obviously racist. And probably more shocking because we ARE so racially diverse in Southern CA that you rarely see bullshit like that.

Not to defend the indefensible...but if she TRULY didn't think it was racist, then she was being elitist thinking of those items as things poor people stereotypes.

And Upland is much like the city I live in, divided by the extremely wealthy and multimillion dollar homes in the north end of town (near the mountains) then upper class a bit further down, then upper middle class...then the mid to south end of town, apartments and rentals with a lot of subsidized housing and low income families.

They're almost like big cities microsized (though my town has 50k people and we consider ourselves somewhat 'small town'). Except that there's also clear geographical lines too.

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Fuck that, rich people like watermelon too.

Fried Chicken / BBQ = good stuff no matter what income level you are, although KFC sucks.

Talk about racist!

Southern Sheriff Pulls Over Obama Campaign Bus For Broken Taillight

Agreed

There was an AWESOME southern BBQ place in our town called BAMBAM. Run by a guy who was a former Pasadena police officer (retired). He even opened a branch in Las Vegas...but then suddenly it closed. Turns out he went through a nasty divorce.

I weep over the loss of that BBQ sauce, it was the best ever. And his mom's sweet potato pie recipe.

KFC absolutely sucks. But every so often I get a total craving for their chicken skin. lol

And I wouldn't classify myself as rich, but I love watermelon. And watermelon water ice (omfg so good)

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wonder what the cool aid symbol was for?

jonestown?

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Jake Rivers - Senex Legio
Get off my Lawn alliance

black people like red drank

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naw deyz be likin dat o-range an grape

dont be axin no qweshunz

People who don't have a lot of money often buy powered drinks because it's a lot cheaper than soda for the kids. In areas where poverty tends to be defined by race (IE: everyone in the projects in X location are varying shades of brown ) it can be seen as racist.

Just as 'ribs' tended to be identified with blacks because it was considered a poor cut of meat that the whites didn't want...so they gave it to slaves, and later sold it along with other pieces considered garbage to blacks (and other races).

Watermelon...and this is going off what I know and my guess...so I could be wrong...anyway watermelon was often seen as 'dangerous' in the 1700-1800s. Malaria existed in the US but no one knew what caused it. Most people identified it with specific regions, such as swampy, marshy areas and felt it came from the 'bad air' (which is what malaria means even). Mosquitos thrive in such areas.

So do watermelons. So many people believed they'd make you sick.

Now here's something pretty racist I encountered recently back east. I was getting eaten alive my mosquitoes while talking to a woman and had to leave. I retold the story later...and the people I told it to asked if she was black. (She was). I was then informed black people don't get bitten by mosquitoes. I shit you not.

Now I tend to be the person that gets bitten a lot....and they do tend to like some people more than others, but that's about it. However I'd assume that racist shit started because many blacks from specific areas of Africa were probably immune to malaria (genetically) or had the genetic protection to experience only mild malaria.

Thus, they didn't seem to get sick from the 'bad air' ...and they could eat watermelons safely.

As for KFC...c'mon everyone knows Popeye's is where it's at. Or Church's.

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wow way to over answer a simple question

I found the answer interesting. ;P

Additionally the genetic protection some Africans have against malaria is also what causes sickle cell anemia (in people with both recessives).

_insert 'the more you know'.jpg_

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Nice!

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cak, make that a smiley!

Negative, Bo Jangles (sp) is the best chicken and dirty rice joint around...

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"Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." -Henry Louis Mencken
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VEGETARIAN -Noun (vej-i-tair-ee-uhn): Ancient tribal slang for the village idiot who can't hunt, fish or ride.

Bojangles is a religious experience.

Sarissa Candyangel

we don't have them around where I live. I don't even think they're in Southern CA as I've never seen one.

The only place I'll get chicken from at this point is Boston Market.

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bojangles and popeyes, iirc, are owned by the same holding corporation and have the same menu, so it's basically the same place.

I could be wrong and probably am, but I've never experienced a difference between the two places.

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World of Warcraft: Kallaystra, Gweila, Steakumn, Tarathia [ Feathermoon/Horde ]

That'd be funny, Vanamar. Popeye's closed down on the street down from where I live, and was torn down. 2 months later, Bojangles opened up.

boston market is one of the worst places for food

they got shut down in az for health code violations and they had to pull all their restaurants out. haha.

who what where how?

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"Creating Havoc and Pie Since 2001!"
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