The latest addition to the ever-expanding "Tacky and racially inspired insults from Michelle Obama haters who should know better" file: The Kansas City Star reports that the state's House speaker, Mike O'Neal, has (sort of) apologized for an email poking fun at a photo of first lady Michelle Obama's windblown hair, comparing her to the Grinch and mockingly calling her "Mrs. YoMama":
The emails featured pictures comparing Mrs. Obama to the Grinch, a Dr. Seuss character, because of their similarly wind-blown hair.
“Sorry, just had to forward this latest holiday message,” O’Neal reportedly wrote in the email he shared with fellow Republican lawmakers. “I’ve had worse hair days, but this is pretty funny.”
According to the Lawrence Journal World, O’Neal forwarded from his personal computer the email that said, “I’m sure you’ll join me in wishing Mrs. YoMama a wonderful, long Hawaii Christmas vacation — at our expense, of course.”
… A spokeswoman for O’Neal said the speaker didn’t write the “YoMama” remark about the first lady. And O’Neal said late Thursday in statements that he didn’t notice that in the text of the original email before passing it along.
“Cartoons are intended to be humorous. This one made me laugh — I’ve had bad hair days too,” said O’Neal, who represents a district that includes Hutchinson. “I forwarded it too quickly, missing the text included in the body of the email. To those I have offended, I am sorry. That was not at all my intent.”
Wait, "Mrs. YoMama"? What is the punch line there? Oh, it's that she's black. Knee-slapper. And how convenient that O'Neal skimmed over that bit.
Just two weeks ago, Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) issued a note of apology to the first lady for referring to her "large posterior" and "big butt."
What's "humorous" to us is watching white, male Republicans all the way from Rush Limbaugh to state legislators continue to express their true worldview with demeaning and often racialized comments about the first lady that say much more about their character than they do about her.
Read more at the Kansas City Star.
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