Pittsburgh Area GOP Chair Calls Obama Supporters Retarded

Last updated on February 9th, 2013 at 04:32 am

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The chairman of the Pennsylvania Allegheny County Republican Party warmed up the crowd at an Election Night party by calling Obama supporters retarded.

According to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Allegheny County Republican Chairman Jim Roddey celebrated the special election victory of state Rep. Randy Vulakovich, by telling the crowd the following joke, “There was a disappointment tonight. I was very embarrassed. I was in this parking lot and there was a man looking for a space to park, and I found a space for him. And I felt badly — he looked like he was sort of in distress. And I said, ‘Sir, here’s a place.’ And he said, ‘That’s a handicapped space.’ I said, ‘Oh I’m so sorry, I saw that Obama sticker and I thought you were mentally retarded.”

Being a Republican audience, they cheered and applauded. It was uncertain whether they were applauding the ridiculing of Obama supporters or rejecting the “politically correct” society that finds the use of the word retarded inappropriate and offensive.

Back in 2009 Sarah Palin and the Republican Party jumped all over President Obama for comparing his lack of bowling skills to the Special Olympics, but so far Palin and her fellow Republicans have yet to condemn Roddy’s use of the R-word.

I guess it is fine for Republicans to use a slur against people with intellectual disabilities as long as they are talking about Democrats. It should be noted that Obama beat McCain, 57%-41% in the country in 2008, so perhaps the person with the mental limitation is the Republican chairman who thinks that insulting nearly 60% of the voters in the county will help his party is November.

Republicans once again display their class by not even being able to celebrate without insulting and demeaning others. Roddey shouldn’t just apologize. He should do his party and the human race a favor and resign.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

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Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association