GOP Bigwig Tampa Florida circulates Obama Death Joke Email

[RamboLiberal]

Al Austin, a longtime, high-level Republican fundraiser from Tampa, today sent to his list of political contacts an e-mail containing a joke that refers to the assassination of Barack Obama.

When asked about the e-mail, Austin said it was a mistake and apologized and that he wouldn’t knowingly have circulated it. He said he planned to send an apology and retraction to the same e-mail list.

The joke concerns a group of schoolchildren discussing the definition of “tragedy” as opposed to “great loss” or “accident.” The punch line comes when one child says that if an airplane carrying Obama and his wife, Michelle, “was struck by a ‘friendly fire’ missile and blown to smithereens,” the event might be a tragedy “because it certainly wouldn’t be a great loss, and it probably wouldn’t be an accident either.”

Austin acknowledged sending the e-mail to his list of political contacts but said he forwarded it without fully reading it and didn’t know what it said. That list included at least two reporters.

According to the forwarding history on the e-mail, it had gone through at least two other individuals before being sent to Austin on Tuesday.

Austin, a prominent real estate developer long known as one of the state’s leading Republican campaign fundraisers, has served in recent years as finance chairman for both the national and state Republican parties.


Ugly sh*t!

http://www.tboblogs.com/index.php/news/story/top-tampa-gop-figure-circulates-joke-about-killing-obama/

[YDogg]

1. what a sorry piece of shit

[SoonerPride]

2. The cross burnings and nooses will come out before 11/4. Watch for it.

America is full of sick fucks.

[RetroLounge]

3. He's only sorry he got caught...

Asshat.

RL

[Awsi Dooger]

4. I experienced a local "Kill him" moment today

Unbelievable. I wanted to confront the guy but it was 7 AM and I was dragging, preferring to close my eyes in the waiting room and try to rest.

A friend of mine is undergoing chemo and radiation here in Las Vegas. I drove her to radiation at 7 AM, earlier than her typical appointment because the chemo was also today. Naturally there was a different group in the waiting room at 7 AM, people I'd never seen. When Lois was called for treatment the two old guys in the waiting room started talking politics. The first one said, "I wouldn't touch Obama with a hundred foot pole, but the other guy is no bargain himself."

That prompted this reply from the other guy, who looked to be in his 70s. Both of them were white. This is very close to verbatim:

"I tell you what about Obama. He better watch himself. My great grandfather was in the military. My grandfather was in the military. My father was in the military. I was in the military. The military has a way of not allowing something to happen, if they don't want it to happen. I'm not saying it will, but don't be surprised."

I briefly opened my eyes in disgust. The guy who said it has lowered his voice slightly, but I easily heard every word. The other guy apparently was shocked himself, changing the subject immediately.

But I'm convinced there's more talk like that than we dare believe.