Audra Shay Wins Young Republican Race Despite Facebook Racism Controversy

Audra Shay, 38, has won the post of chairman of the Young Republicans -- despite accusations that she endorsed racism on Facebook.

Shay's candidacy, supported by Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, hit a snag in recent weeks when she responded to a comment made by a friend on Facebook saying "need to take this country back from all of these mad coons" with "You tell em Eric! lol." Other Young Republicans chimed in, saying the comment was racist and questioning Shay's response. Shay issued a statement saying she "was not aware of the racial comments until sometime later" and was only responding to her friend's other remarks.

I immediately deleted the derogatory and outright disgusting comments and subsequently posted a statement on my Facebook Status stating that in no way, shape or form are the comments posted by other individuals a reflection of me or my beliefs as an American, a Veteran, a Mother or a Candidate. I do not, nor would I ever, condone that type of language or behavior.

But more controversial comments from Shay were found by the Daily Beast. After an effigy of Sarah Palin was hung, she said "What no 'Obama in a noose? ... I am wondering if the guys with the Palin noose would care if we had a bunch of homosexuals in a noose." She's also written that President Obama "attacks white people" and posted a video claiming Obama believes he has to help African-Americans over whites to "ensure his own salvation."

Voters at the Young Republicans convention said the whole scandal was just politics.

"Elections bring a lot of emotion out of people," said delegate Katherine Miller, 24, Lexington, Ky. "But this controversy really is not the decisive factor for the majority of people voting here. There are so many important issues we are considering. It really has been played up a little bigger than it really is."

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Comments

[emmalee]

Goes to show how strong racism still exists in this country and Republicans are reminding us every day just how racist they really are!

[justchill]

i believe that in order to be a repugnican, one needs to be a racist...i­t's a prerequisi­te...and insisting that you are not a racist when deep down inside you truly are works just as well...

[Rogan]

That's because they like liars, too. Didn't used to be this way: I used to know some decent guys, who were Republicans. Now, in 2009, the Republicans are all liars, and they support other liars. They won't admit it though, because they're all so serious, about being liars. It's disgusting and disturbing.

[Bude]

I hate to be the one to break it to you Audra, but you're not young anymore.

[DisagreeDisagreeably]

Even the 'young' republicans are old!

[Bude]

I think you're on to something.

[mendelcrosses]

I am surprise that people are surprised that she won. This was not An American election. It was a republican party election.

A party that strives on hate,racism and fear. The more a racist you are,the more likely it is to win office in this party. So hearing that people are surprise to see a racist winning an office in the racist party is a bit like people failing to understand why qualified journalist are never hired at FoxNews.

[DisagreeDisagreeably]

The youngest republican they could find is 38yr old r-acist. This bodes well for democrats and independents.

[fireW]

This is quite typical for repubs, as the continue to demonstrate that their "value" system isn't bothered by such behavior. She posts a racist statement and then claims she was unaware of it. Predictably, she then blames the media's for reporting it. The party of values & responsibility. Right.

[Periwinkle]

Between this and the racism at the Free Republic site recently reported on by a Canadian newspaper, I can't imagine why any person of color . . . or any person who respects human rights . . . would get anywhere near the Republican party. It's very sad there is an entire generation of the same waiting in the wings.

[onenvrnos]

Yep,that's the really disheartening reality.

[belfam]

Surprising NOT!

[dwright]

I wonder how Michael Steele feels about this - he has been quiet for a while.

[clearthinker2008]

He probably doesn't like it, but he's with them because he believes in their conservative values. If you are a conservative minority I guess you feel it's the republicans or nothing. I don't understand why people don't understand that not all blacks are democrats and that not all blacks believe the exact same things.

I'm a progressive and the dems don't give me all I want from a party, however it's the dems or nothing right now. I have a better chance of them supporting at least some of my positions on issues. Health Care, being my main focus right now with gays and everyone having equal rights a close second. However, if I was in the Pro Life, Pro Business, Pro creationist, where would I have to go if not the republican party?

When you look at it a little more in depth it's not about self loathing, as a lot of white people seem to believe any black in the republican party hates himself or herself and that's not necessarily the case.

[Rogan]

Regardless of where you stand on issues, you can't vote for incompetents, criminals, or liars.

I wasn't old enough to vote in 1980, but I might have abstained: Reagan was obviously a louse, but Carter, a great man in many ways, turned out to be a pretty weak president.­.. in 1976, Carter did get dealt a weird hand, but it would be hard to argue that President Carter did not then play that hand badly. Honestly, or not. Thus: incompetent.

I was hesitant to vote for Clinton, seeing clearly a wide streak of sneaky opportunistic political creature in him. But I supported him the second time: other than being too "centrist" for me, I thought he'd done a great job, from 92-96.

But this is what puzzles me: many Republicans seem to loathe Clinton for having been a criminal and a liar. Even though Clinton's lies and criminality, didn't even pertain to his work, directly. But I get it: Republicans seem to care, about honesty, even more than I do. So: why, why, why, are Republicans, now, in the 21st century, so willing to, not merely turn a blind eye to, but avidly embrace mendacity and corruption, and even incompetence, in so many of their leaders and elected officials? I don't understand­... I just don't understand. (I get that liars want to vote for liars, and incompetents support same, sort of unconsciously, maybe, but man, elections are too important, to trust your unconsidered emotional impulses.)

[floridafun]

like on every other topic, i am betting he will be for her, then apologize and be against her, then apologize for that and be for her again ;-)

[tangelan]

She won because of not despite of.... This is where the Republican party is going. I think they were already there, it's just more public. As time creeps on to the 2010 and 2012 election cycles more and more Republicans will come out of the closet. An entire segment of the population is devolving. I'm not even a scientist but I find this fascinating.

[Bude]

My mom's 86, she thinks 38 is young.

[grf67]

No surprise. Most republicans are racists.

[1differentdrummer]

"Despite" or because of?

[atexasdem]

These kinds of comments are not just "politics as usual". These kinds of comments are not "just a joke". Obviously Audra Shay is a "good republican".
What these kinds of comments are is verbal slips revealing what the republican party is all about. Party leaders like Senator Jefferson Beauregard Sessons want us to ignore his comments about the NAACP being a bunch of "troublemakers" in his state of Alabama. He publicly talks about how civil rights get "shoved down peoples throats". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Sessions
The one good thing I can say about these republicans, they finally are revealing themselves as the lieing racists bigots that they are. I suppose if you choose to be a member of the republican party then you have to support the party line. You have to be opposed to civil rights, you have to be opposed to equal rights for all, you have to hate "coons". What is especialy scary is that it seems they are raising their young to be just as bigoted as the seniors.
I look forward to the day that the national republican party is as discredited and laughed at like the KKK.

[BabaLou7]

A good friend of mine who lives in Richmond, VA, capital of the Confederacy, reports that there is a surge in people displaying the Confederate flag proudly outside their houses these days.

[Rogan]

They're not "verbal slips." They're ancillary evidence of how good the communications technology us getting.