by David Knowles
The South Carolina Republican Party recently launched a campaign to reach out to minorities who have, for decades, wanted nothing to do with the state's GOP. On Sunday, however, longtime Republican activist Rusty DePass seemed to be doing everything in his power to thwart that effort when he was caught making a racist joke on his Facebook page about First Lady Michelle Obama. Over the weekend, a gorilla escaped from a zoo in Columbia, and according to the New York Daily News, DePass just couldn't resist what he saw as the perfect opportunity for humor, updating his status message to read,
"I'm sure it's just one of Michelle's ancestors - probably harmless."
Apparently, not only is DePass fond of racist humor, he also doesn't think too highly of evolution, either. One can tell a lot about a person from the apology he or she issues following an off-color joke, and on this score DePass seemed intent digging his hole a bit deeper.
...DePass told WIS-TV in Columbia, "I am as sorry as I can be if I offended anyone. The comment was clearly in jest."
Then he added, "The comment was hers, not mine," claiming that Michelle Obama made a recent remark about humans descending from apes. The Daily News could find no such comment.
One wonders if DePass feels the same way about RNC chairman Michael Steele.
The "I'm sorry if I offended anyone" line (but not sorry if I didn't) is something of a classic refrain for those who think they've done nothing wrong. DePass may think it's funny to liken black people to apes while exempting himself from that same genetic lineage, but it is comments like these that will ensure that the South Carolina GOP does not evolve beyond its current its current Neanderthal status.
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