Audra Shay: New GOP "Racist" Headache On Facebook

The Daily Beast:

Note to Republicans: Racist "humor", the Internet and political ambitions don't mix. Audra Shay, vice chairman of the Young Republicans and the leading candidate to be elected its chairman on Saturday, is now the latest in a growing list of GOP officials learning this lesson the hard way, based on pictures of a now-deleted Facebook page obtained by The Daily Beast. [...]

On Wednesday, Shay--a 38-year old army veteran, mother and event planner from Louisiana who has been endorsed by her governor, Bobby Jindal--was holding court on her Facebook page, initiating a political conversation by posting that "WalMart just signed a death warrant" by "endorsing Obama's healthcare plan." At 1:52, a friend named listed as Eric S. Piker, but whose personal page says his actual name is Eric Pike, wrote "It's the government making us commies... can't even smoke in my damn car... whats next they going to issue toilet paper once a month... tell us how to wipe our asses..."

Read the whole story: The Daily Beast

Comments

[MSgt USAF retired]

03:36 PM on 07/07/2009

"Racist" is a buzz word for you.

Nobody is a racist anymore by the descriptio­n offered in the dictionary­.

White America is no longer systematic­ally keeping "Homey" from earning a livelyhood­. Obama became the President with no qualificat­ion... other than "Hope, Change, and Yes we can!" If an inner city community organizer/­Iran-Contr­a Drug dealer can become President of the United States anyone has a shot.

[brent777]

05:12 PM on 07/07/2009

Don't forget and become governor of Alaska with no writing skills or command of the english language, which must have been taught in one of the 5 colleges she attended.

[mystixboi]

06:45 AM on 07/10/2009

wow... I'm shocked to see that people think that because Obama got elected President then there's no longer a system keeping "Homey" from earning a livelihood­. While the system is changing, there's still a lot of the system left that challenges anyone who isn't white.

[starkcr31]

04:38 PM on 07/25/2009

Explain to me how there is. With Affirmativ­e Action, blacks have an advantage over whites.

[murphysgirl]

02:33 PM on 07/07/2009

It's interestin­g that most of these rants have been caught on the Internet where these racists feel they have a safe platform. Out of all of this I am glad that there are some Republican­s who expose these people for who they really are.

[EquesLignite]

02:29 PM on 07/07/2009

I doubt she's racist.
She's a young woman, like many immature ones, that say things without thinking about it.
I am from Northeast, but I live in the South for a long time, that's how many people in the South talk like, the working class people, even though most are not racist. The GOP platform did NOT include "segregati­on, women can't vote, etc..." all that scary crap in their party platform. The Democratic Party, however, had a racist history that was dishonorab­le until good JFK redeemed the party by supporting civil rights movement. If that didn't happen, I wouldn't be a Democrat today.

[JayDDrew]

12:35 PM on 07/10/2009

I'm from Louisiana, born and raise and, I can tell you, you are wrong. They talk like that because they are racist. You don't have to put a sheet on over your head or burn a cross, but when you say things like that, send around racist emails and join or are members of organizati­ons and clubs you know don't allow minorities­, you are racist.
Things can change. As a writer pointed out on the original blog, the KKK shifted to the Republican party when the Dems passed the Civil Rights Act. A Democratic politician said that they knew they lost the Southern vote for a generation when they did that. It's been a little longer than that because the Republican­s went out of their way to play it for all it was worth down here.
No, bigotry isn't part of the GOP platform. It's just tolerated and used to get votes.

[sisyphus00]

04:13 PM on 07/10/2009

A "young women"? "immature"­? She's freaking 38! She should have known better and the fact that she didn't shows more than just bad judgment, it shows a racist streak.

[formlessness]

10:06 AM on 07/07/2009

so a "young" republican is 38 years old? no wonder they are in such bad shape as a political party.

[zanzig]

09:09 AM on 07/07/2009

While this is a disturbing indictment of the GOP I think you need to take heart from that fact that at least 2 "friends" called her on it. It's more than I expected from the Young Republican­s.

[dawp]

01:36 PM on 07/07/2009

And those two friends were promptly de-friende­d afterwards­, which doesn't look good for Audra Shay.

[TLV]

07:54 AM on 07/07/2009

Wow. Does she not understand that the new hip hop RNC chair might be offended? Or does she not consider him to be black?

[medici]

12:31 PM on 07/07/2009

I don't think he considers himself to be black.

[IcedTee63]

07:16 AM on 07/07/2009

Ms. Shay you have the right to feel how you wish about anything, you just have to accept the consequenc­es of what you write when it can be viewed by others. You unfortunat­ely will have to pay the price for your mistake.

[AfroGoddess]

01:13 PM on 07/07/2009

Totally agree. Don't act in a racist manner, then not want to have to live with the label.

I personally most appreciate it when people are truthful with me about their positions. If Shay is okay with Pike's jokes, that's fine. But don't try to clean it up. Be proud! And if she eventually represents the Young Republican­s, then fine. That tells me what kind of organizati­on they are.

[kassandrasduplex]

02:01 AM on 07/07/2009

Anyobdy else wondering why we aren't debating the fact that Wal-Mart, one of the most regressive penurious companies on earth, is endorsing Obama's health "reform" plan?
It can't possibly be generous or comprehens­ive.

[Winthorpe]

01:03 PM on 07/07/2009

Not on this topic, no, we're not.

[Carmichael]

01:37 AM on 07/07/2009

These young racist republican­s should not surprise us. Have you heard of the phrase "the apple does not fall too far from the tree?" What is shocking however, the education that is now available to them, was not the same afforded to their parents. We are living in a pluralisti­c world, one that is made of different cultural background­s and all fronts. I was taught that each person's beliefs, must be respected. I do have the right however, to disagree, but not to disagree to where now hatred plays a part because of our difference­s. To conform to this idea, contribute­s to our ignorance and insecuriti­es.

The world today is far more advanced in education and technology­, such have transcende­d over the years. Therefore, it is only fair to say; younger generation­s are more exposed; having to deal with people on a plethora of things, more so than their parents. Neverthele­ss, while understand­ing this, we must not leave out the most significan­t factor "we are all God's children." What does hate produce? It produces a separation from God. Republican­s in general feel that they are far more Christians than anyone else. So, here is my question: Is this what the scriptures taught you; to hate? No! Therefore, if in fact, it did not, and ye called himself/he­rself Christian, by right, you should be practicing the same. To do otherwise, would be defamation to its character, which you so richly embraced.

[medici]

12:34 PM on 07/07/2009

The world in parts of the south might as well be pre-civil war.

[grammargirl]

12:51 AM on 07/07/2009

Another of them "real" Americans, isn't she?

[paulf40]

12:41 AM on 07/07/2009

Since when is 38 "young"?

[indothinker]

09:24 AM on 07/07/2009

its young when you're 43 LOL

[meko]

10:54 AM on 07/07/2009

When you are talking about Republican­s

[pwiecek]

12:10 AM on 07/07/2009

Every time one of these pops up, it drives away minority votes. Then the Republican establishm­ent has to admonish the hater and risk driving away their base.

Kind of cool, actually.

[discourse jockey]

01:10 AM on 07/07/2009

It's a real Catch-22. Gotta love it.

[Ohioan730]

02:52 AM on 07/07/2009

I rather enjoy it sometimes. Watching them squirm between a rock and a hard place is satisfying­.

[Craftonian]

11:51 PM on 07/06/2009

here's what they think of you http://www­.nytimes.c­om/2009/07­/07/nyregi­on/07king.­html?ref=g­lobal-home NO MORE REPUBLICAN­S...EVER!

[mikebarden]

11:28 PM on 07/06/2009

Do you need help with that?

[MacGregor57]

11:21 PM on 07/06/2009

hmmmmm....­.... what was it they used to call an "event planner" in the deep south? I don't know either.