Historical Keepsake Photo: Tennessee GOP Staffer Emails Racist Obama "Spook" Photo

UPDATE: A former aide to ex-Vice President Dick Cheney said on CNN Wednesday morning that Sherri Goforth should be fired for emailing a racist photo to colleagues.

Racism cannot be tolerated for those who have the public trust. This individual said that 'I sent it to the wrong person.' Well, she needs to be looking for a new job, she needs to be fired. It's a poor reflection on her institution that she works in in the state Senate in Tennessee, and a poor reflection on her member. ... Racism has to be stamped out. That's why I said this staffer needs to go. And I think the appropriate course of action would be for this staffer to be dismissed.

Watch, via ThinkProgress:

* * * * *

Sherri Goforth, an executive assistant for Tennessee State Rep. Diane Black (R-Gallatin), sent this picture out to other legislative staffers:

The email was headlined "Historical Keepsake Photo."

One staffer who received the email publicized it online:

I talked to my local rep, Mark Maddox about it, and described the picture to him at a recent fund raising event. I think he was as appalled as I was. I was going to post it last week but there was a death in my family and I had to think about it.

Because it made me mad.

But, you know, people need to know that this stuff is going on. I would be just as angry if a democratic staffer had sent it.

Dammit, Tennessee, haven't we moved past this kind of crap. I'm serious.

Goforth admitted to sending the email, but she apologized only for sending it to the wrong people.

"I went on the wrong email and I inadvertently hit the wrong button," Goforth said. "I'm very sick about it, and it's one of those things I can't change or take back."

Get HuffPost Politics On Facebook and Twitter!

Comments

[AA9586]

I don't really know what to say about this, UNBELIEVABLE!!!!

[xxmaryxx]

If I was to have sent that e-mail with no question would I be been fired..Get rid of her

[Ohsnap]

It is apparent why the GOP is in the minority. They can't look fifteen minutes into the future. At one point the woman must have asked herself...how will this reflect on me if this gets out? If she didn't think about this, she has no business serving in public office. If she did, she should be fired anyway because she is an idiot.

[darnsannity]

Jon Ziegler ranted about Lettermand vs Sarah Palin today .But there were no mention of first lady being called.......and this email by GOP.Double standards or hypocrisy ?

[Cye]

Selective moral outrage.

[HPfanRJ]

both

[Ohsnap]

There are severe limits to one's intelligence-- but there are apparently no limits for Stupid.

[Mojocrat]

You must be talking about TheSarge.

[TheSarge]

In an interview on a liberal satellite radio show, Rev. Jeremiah Wright attempted to clarify his comments to the Newport News, Virginia. Daily-Press about “them Je*ws” preventing him from speaking to President Obama.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/06/rev-wright-i-meant-to-say-zionists-are-keeping-me-from-talking-to-president-obama-not-jews.html


Where is the flaming of Wright.

[HurricaneNorm]

Since when is Jeremiah Wright a government payed employee of any state senate? Nice try though. Way to rally against the "flaming" of government payed bigots.

[craphappens]

been done, lets focus on one at a time.

[ToniaB]

Jeremiah Wright is NOT and elected official; neither is he employed by an elected official! I am not defending his comments, but what he has said and will continue to say as a private citizen has nothing whatsover to do with this incident!!!

[MarsAmbassador]

Wright isn't an elected official. And he's just a black version of all the ignorant racist Southern religious types, so it's a wash. But good luck finding a steady stream of racist Democrat elected officials. All the stuff like this comes from Republicans. It's endemic and just par for the course with them.

[toxicbrainpoison]

She should have made bush the black spirit. hes the demon afterall.

[ECB]

Great way to expand the base Repubs ~

[steveo5150]

racsism is a disease of the heart.

[Arrecho]

You're right.

[returnofthejedi]

It is a disease of the mind which ifects the entire body.

[Angelaaaa]

Once again, not sorry for the act itself - just getting caught out. There is definitely a moral vacuum here not to mention a deep hole left by the departure of her good sense. Offensive, yes, but mostly - really, really stupid. Please tell me this woman is only in charge of ordering paperclips.

[barksalot]

As in most cases it's the caught part that brings the sorrow

[Rynox]

Firing the staffer is just grandstanding. The point is this is how Republicans feel. They are unamerican and out of touch.

[Nella79]

This woman should face reprecussions for her actions. But to say that this is the way Republicans feel, make you sound just as ignorant as she does by sending it to the wrong people. Let's not forget the republican party was established to stop the act of nationwide slavery and helped to put an end to slavery that was pushed and practiced by democrats.

[Mojocrat]

Leave her alone!!! She's a young fertile, pure white Southern woman....she must procreate with a god fearing, pure white, racist southern male to keep the movement alive. Long live the Grand Old White Party...hail....hail

[Trueheart]

GoForth and disappear.
You've got to have your head anally impacted to not understand that this is racist.

[MarcusT]

I have been unable to decide if the whole 'thou shall not joke racially' rule has any value. From Prior to Rock it's popular and apparently acceptable. www.stuffwhitepeoplelike.com is some of the funniest stuff I've read lately. And didn't Obama engage in some racially inspired humor when he shouted out to the GOP chair with a "sup" ? I've spent many years as a white minority, from growing up in Nairobi to living in Harlem-recently-and "we" always make jokes that would be considered racially oriented. It seems more about culture, to my mind. I am beginning to suspect that this is primarily driven by that group of white people who live so segregated lives that they just don't know how to honestly navigate the neighborhood. All that said, I couldn't see the photo.

[don]

The photo is a collection of official portraits of the presidents of the Unied States with the last one being just two eyeballs in a black square. The only thing cultural about it is the sort normally found in petri dishes. I'm Polish and there are a slew of jokes about my culture and the stereotypes engendered by it. Some jokes about blacks are good natured and play on stereotypes, but this and others like it are not of that genre. They are mean spirited, hurtful and meant to perpetuate a stereotype of an inferior subclass of human beings, and they are offensive. This is reminiscent of the cartoon charactures of Jews with big noses spread in nazi propaganda to demean and deny the humanity of Jews. So it is with this type of racial "humor"..

If the staffer feels that the only thing wrong here is that the wrong people saw the picture, she is sadly mistaken. This is out and out bigotry that's shocking for someone who is supposedly educated and entrusted with important work that impacts the lives of us all. I, for one, am uncomfortable in learning that such small minded thinking exists in such high places. This isn't just feet of clay, this is sh/t for brains.

[MarcusT]

"I, for one, am uncomfortable in learning that such small minded thinking exists in such high places"

Dear Don,
I regret to inform you that although I was also shocked when I first experienced the people who manage our, and every other country, I have come to accept it as the way of the world.

[Nella79]

In my personal experience with having a large family that is racially mixed, it seems that those with the biggest problem are those it does not personally effect.

[ToniaB]

Unfortunately in my expereince; a picture like the one in question is usually offensive to and personally affects more than just the person to whom it was intended... In this case how can you clarify the intent of the person that created the photo...? Who exactly was it designed to personally affect... It was not adressed and mailed to the President; it was circulated by e-mail then posted online for all to see, be affected by and personally take offense to.

[ChinaC]

Electing an African-American for president takes the racist issue off the table. There will be jokes, photos, caricatures, and other things that will be funny and some not so funny. Obama and his followers need to grow a thick skin and stop accusing people of racism.

[RuinedSaint]

No, it doesn't. If it did, the bigots wouldn't be pissed about it.

[Tiyers]

How is calling him a spook not racist?

[jlab]

You are pretending that the problem with racism is about people accusing each other of it. By that logic, there'd be no more murder if we could stop having people arrested and tried for murder. That's not quite how it works.

[Ohsnap]

This pretty much sums up my problem with the Republican party. Growing a thick skin is what minorities and women have been told for years. How about this--quit saying moronic things. Or do say moronic things, but not complain when we complain?

[Jennifer Russell]

No, I'm sorry to say, electing a black president did NOT take race off the table. In fact, the racist rhetoric is worse. From this chilling, disgusting photo to Rush Limbaugh saying things like extending benefits is offering reparations to Black America for slavery. Racist and wrong! If you look at the story, it wasn't Obama who was saying this aide needed to be fired - it was a Republican! I am appalled and saddened that anyone would find this photo worthy enough to forward and outraged that a staffer in a public office would think it was appropriate. She does need to be fired. Anyone who forwarded this in the private sector would be fired immediately. There should be no debate. Period.

[GrannyPants]

I was sickened by this. People who have not had to deal with racism or discrimination on a regular basis don't really have any idea how painful it is to keep being reminded of scars from the past. Can we move on please!