North Carolina state Rep. Larry Pittman became the latest elected Republican to disrespect and insult the president, with a “joke” about Obama being a traitor from Kenya.
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Republican North Carolina state Rep. Larry Pittman said, “Someone had posted something with a picture of Barack Obama and across it said ‘traitor.’ And, you know, I don’t always agree with the guy, I certainly didn’t vote for him but I gotta defend him on this one. I just don’t think it’s right at all to call Barack Obama a traitor. There’s a lot of things he’s done wrong but he is not a traitor. Not as far as I can tell. I haven’t come across any evidence yet that he has done one thing to harm Kenya.”
This video comes on the heels of Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) being outed as the House Republican leader who told President Obama “I cannot even stand to look at you.” The racism and hatred towards President Obama has quite possibly grown since his reelection last year.
What Pittman said was a disrespectful delegimization of the President of the United States disguised as a “joke.” Elected Republicans still refuse to accept the fact that Barack Obama was legitimately elected president twice. The racism being demonstrated by Republicans has become a part of their platform. It is the language they use to entertain and connect with their base.
The idea that election of Obama would somehow made made this country post racial was a fairy tale driven by the media. After Republicans made the decision to use race as a weapon against President Obama, the nation has been taken back to a much uglier time in our recent history. It was part of the Republican strategy to “take their country back.”
Republicans have not realized that this strategy does not work for them. After four years of race baiting, President Obama won a second term. This stuff plays well in red districts and states, but it has destroyed the image of the Republican Party. When Republicans disrespect the president, they disrespect their country.
The only people who are still hanging on to the birther stuff are Republicans. The only people who think it is funny are the racists who are obsessed with delegitimizing President Obama. The only traitors to their country are the Republicans who shutdown the government because they are still protesting the voters’ choice to give this president a second term.
This is who President Obama’s opposition is, and this is what he has to deal with every single day of his presidency.
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.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
