Doug Lamborn Apologizes To Obama For 'Tar Baby' Comments

Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Co.) has apologized for the controversial “tar baby” comment he made on a local radio show last week while discussing President Barack Obama and the debt ceiling debate.

On the 630 KHOW Capils and Silverman radio show, Lamborn said:

“Even if some people say, ‘Well the Republicans should have done this or they should have done that,’ they will hold the President responsible. Now, I don’t even want to have to be associated with him. It’s like touching a tar baby and you get it, you’re stuck, and you’re a part of the problem now and you can’t get away.”

On Monday, Lamborn sent a personal letter to President Obama “apologizing for using a term some find insensitive,” his office said in a press release. The congressman was “attempting to tell a radio audience last week that the president's policies have created an economic quagmire for the nation and are responsible for the dismal economic conditions our country faces. He regrets that he chose the phrase 'tar baby,' rather than the word 'quagmire.' The congressman is confident that the president will accept his heartfelt apology."

Lamborn told the Denver Post “I absolutely intended no offense, and if this is at all on his radar screen, I am sure that he will not take offense and he'll be happy to accept my apology because he is a man of character.”

Listen to Lamborn's controversial remarks here.

Comments

[Circa Hatertarian]

04:41 PM on 08/16/2011

I love when Republicans use emphatically racist terms and then act as if they didn't understand what the word meant. Republicans make themselves out to be the most uninformed people in the world.

Remember the one about Planned Parenthood being 95% abortions or whatever it was?

"I never said I was making a factual statement. Everyone who knows me knows I am careless with statistical inconsistency." (paraphrased)

Does tar baby have any other use than the derogatory one? It's as if he said the n-word and then retracted it by saying "No, when I said the n-word I should have just said 'problem'". What an absolute idiot.

[blkgrapes2000]

04:06 PM on 08/13/2011

Regardless of what he meant, I blelieve he is intelligent enough to use a more appropriate word to describe what he meant. There is no excuse.

[smk1]

05:03 PM on 08/06/2011

I am without words. As a American who happens to be of color, within the + and - of his age group, I am apalled. Sen. Lambort, you did not make a mistake... you forgot you were in the age of technology where every byte is caught. Remember that there are many other 'tar babies' and every other racial epithet you can think of will be voting in the next election NEAR YOU! As I have said before, the election of President Obama has rattled folks about their thoughts of racial equality (not just a black vs. white thing) and maintaining status quo.
Those who are still saying that race is not the case are not being truthful. Stand up and say, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! This is why the U.S. does not have an identity because we keep excluding those who do not fill the 'ideal' of colonialism. SMH

[Sarah Matteau]

10:29 PM on 08/06/2011

You are right, enough is enough. I'm am not a person of color, and I too find this appauling. I think people seem to forget we are all of the same race. The human race. Aside from the color of our skin, we really aren't so different. My son watches sesame street, and instead of calling Gordon (a man of color) black, or dark skinned or African American, he calls him the bald man. Everytime he says it my heart smiles. Children don't see color, it's adults who give them the idea that skin color makes us different or that skin color defines us. My son gives me hope of a more beautiful tomorrow, where people realizes there is only one race, and that is the human race. Hopefully tomorrow this congressman will get booted out of office, because there is no place or excuse for calling anyone a "tar baby".

[ppsquared]

02:00 PM on 08/06/2011

The use of tar baby was perjorative and deliberate. Very often, people say exactly what they mean, hope it is couched in language that slips by without censure; then assumes apologizing is sufficient. When apologies are sincere, they are often accepted. The apology given by the Congressman seem disingenuous, insincere, and places the impetus on President Obama to accept it or, what - he won't be a man of character? I am appalled by the behavior of those who continually lose focus on the issues and resort to bullying, name calling, and a lack of respect.
I am even tired of the lack of respect of those who refer to the President as Obama (are you a personal friend), Barak...can you bring yourselves to say President? He is the President and that, alone, accords a level of respect regardless as to
whether or not you agree with him. It's called civilty!

[francesrudley]

07:47 PM on 08/07/2011

CIVILITY INDEED! SADLY WE LIVE IN A WORLD THAT SCARCELY KNOWS THE MEANING OF THE WORD. JUST BEING A HUMAN BEING SHOULD GARNER A CERTAIN MEASURE OF RESPECT.

[willybobs36]

12:48 PM on 08/06/2011

WOW, Now it is too bad, too late. Comments don't mean anything any more. We now have bigger fish to fry. Republicans went in to cut spending by 41/2 Trillion. Democrats said no and now stock markets are crashing and the Credit rating is down graded. Now you know what the Republicans and the Tea Party was trying to tell them Democrats and OBAMA. Thats why People are so mad.
BOB

[ppsquared]

02:02 PM on 08/06/2011

they broke it and should fix it.

[willybobs36]

11:21 AM on 08/08/2011

HEY ppsquared, They broke it and need to fix it. You just don't get it They can't fix it. They are to busy fighting and calliing each other non Americans and other bad names. What do you expect?? We need to fix it. NATIONAL SALES TAX Everybody will have to pay then. No cheats.
BOB.

[willybobs36]

12:54 PM on 08/10/2011

You Guessed it, now the Dems. are trying to blame the Tea Party for the market DOWNS. Did you forget ?? The Tea Party are AMERICAN PEOPLE. This is also why some people in Congress are so mad. Who is Obama and going to blame next????
BOB.

[Bad Monkeys]

07:42 AM on 08/05/2011

These people were around in 2008. They haven't gone anywhere!

Crawling out from underneath their rocks again..............

[JavaJuice]

06:56 AM on 08/05/2011

This man is an embarrassment to thinking white people. I'm shocked he apologized, most Republicans never do.

[francesrudley]

07:49 PM on 08/07/2011

HE MUST BE UP FOR RE-ELECTION.

[amd02148]

04:11 AM on 08/05/2011

Doug is probably the first one at church, so he can get a seat in the front row, pays his tithes, listens to the sermon, says god bless you and amen. As soon as he leaves the church the first thing he says is look at that tarbaby, I hope he's not trying to steal my car.

[Wesley Holbrook]

02:06 AM on 08/05/2011

Come on now, we just know the GOP aren't full of racists...LOL!!!!

[MelodieSays]

07:21 PM on 08/04/2011

unbelievable.

[autla anderson]

07:11 PM on 08/04/2011

I don't think any thing he said was racist.I could see if he was referring entirely about the president other than the situation, but gee, some people have to make assumptions.Wow!

[Sarah Matteau]

10:45 PM on 08/04/2011

"The Tar-Baby is a doll made of tar and turpentine used to entrap Br'er Rabbit in the second of the Uncle Remus stories. The more that Br'er Rabbit fights the Tar-Baby, the more entangled he becomes. In modern usage according to Random House, "tar baby" refers to any "sticky situation" that is only aggravated by additional contact. The expression tar baby is also used occasionally as a derogatory term for black people (in the U.S. it refers to African-Americans; in New Zealand it refers to Maori), or among blacks as a term for a particularly dark-skinned person. As a result, some people suggest avoiding the use of the term in any context"

There's the definition for you, it's not really an assumption, it's obviously a racist comment. Regardless of how he attempts to defend it

[passingthrough97]

07:41 PM on 08/05/2011

I'm sure you did your internet research to back up your claims. Many things can be taken out of context and I seriously doubt this dude would have purposely made a remark like that just to turn around and take it back causing heat to a political party alreaded called racists. I have no hope for America because of this right here. America made a grave error by treating folks bad for their skin color but now its backfiring and again, we are treating folks different for their skin color. I'm sure if a black guy had of said something along those lines the media and everyone else would have convieniently let if alone. Its almost like a Witch Hunt now ( Sorry if I offended anyone that claims themself as a witch or used to be called a witch

[amd02148]

04:05 AM on 08/05/2011

It's 2011 and you're this clueless? So so sad.

[NoWMDs]

06:47 PM on 08/04/2011

Typical POTUS envy from someone that will never become one.

[Marci Economidis]

04:46 PM on 08/04/2011

Before JFK supported the Civil Rights movement, the South was solidly Democratic because the GOP was the party of Lincoln. Anybody who wonders why the South votes so solidly Republican now need only look back to 1960.

[francesrudley]

07:54 PM on 08/07/2011

NOT LOSERS . . . JUST PLAIN LIARS! THEY KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THEY MEAN WHEN THEY SPEW OUT THIS RACIST EVIL LANGUAGE. IT IGNITES AND EXCITES THEIR BASE. IT IS EASY TO APOLOGIZE BECAUSE THEY HAVE ALREADY MADE THEIR POINT! YOU CAN COUNT ON ME - I AM ONE OF YOU. THESE ARE CODE WORDS TO LET THEIR BASE KNOW THEY ARE WITH THEM.

[educatormary]

11:27 AM on 08/04/2011

Hindsight is always 20-20; especially when one gets reamed about impulsiveness and lack of foresight.

"...I sure he'll accept my apology because he is a man of character". If Lamborn really believed this, he wouldn't have used the slur to begin with. When we think people are people of character, negative comments/insults should not rise to the surface. We have too much character to be taken in by a lie.