California Republicans Depict President Obama as a Chimp [VIDEO & PHOTO]

Politics | hiphopucit | April 18, 2011 at 2:22 pm

Civil Rights leaders are demanding the resignation of an Orange County Republican official who reportedly sent an email containing a photo depicting President Barack Obama as a chimpanzee.

Marilyn Davenport, a tea party activist and elected member of the central committee of the Republican Party of Orange County (RPOC), claims the photo was a joke.

The caption accompanying the photo read

“Now you know why no birth certificate.”

Someone on the 73-member committee leaked the email to the OC Weekly.

The RPOC is reportedly supporting the efforts to urge Davenport to step down, and has called for an ethics investigation.

Davenport said she has no plans to resign.

“I simply found it amusing regarding the character of Obama and all the questions surrounding his origin of birth,” Davenport wrote. “In no way did I even consider the fact he’s half black when I sent out the email. In fact, the thought never entered my mind until one or two other people [Scott Baugh, Orange County GOP boss, and this writer] tried to make this about race… I received plenty of emails about George Bush that I didn’t particularly like yet there was no ‘cry’ in the media about them.”

Davenport continued:

“That being said, I will NOT resign my central committee position over this matter that the average person knows and agrees is much to do about nothing.”

President Obama is scheduled to make a campaign stop in Southern California this week. He will attend a fundraiser at Sony Pictures studio in Culver City

The California Republican Party issued a statement Sunday condemning Davenport’s email, calling her actions unacceptable and intolerant.

“The California Republican Party believes the actions in question are completely unacceptable,”

Chairman Tom Del Beccaro said in a statement Sunday.

“We are supportive of our local Chairman’s efforts so far and want to make it clear that we do not condone intolerance in any way. Our party has made a commitment to nurture its historical standard of opportunity for all, and we will not let the insensitivity of one person deter us in moving forward on that path.”