Lauren Pierce, President Of College Republicans At University Of Texas At Austin: Obama Assassination 'Tempting'

Lauren Pierce, the president of the College Republicans at University of Texas at Austin, said on Twitter Wednesday that the idea of assassinating President Barack Obama was "tempting."

At approximately 2:30 p.m., Pierce posted, "Y'all as tempting as it may be, don't shoot Obama. We need him to go down in history as the WORST president we've EVER had! #2012."

The tweet came hours after police arrested a man for firing shots at the White House, leaving two bullets in the executive mansion.

Pierce joked that "it must be a slow news day" after ABC News posted a story on her comment:

Pierce told ABC News that the comment was a "joke" and that the "whole [shooting incident] was stupid." Giggling, she said that an attempted assassination would "only make the situation worse."

"Insofar as she's a representative [of the College Republicans], maybe it shouldn't be said, but she's made a positive statement in a way," said Cassie Wright, the group's vice president.

"I don't really see anything wrong with it," Wright added. "It's just a personal comment, not representative of any group. Just freedom of speech, you know?"

Amid growing attention, Pierce removed the post and apologized on Twitter for her actions.

"It's never funny to joke about such a serious matter," she said. "I have learned a very valuable lesson."

@laurenepierce
Lauren Pierce

I apologize for my previous tweet. It was in poor taste and and should never have been written.

November 16, 2011 10:15 pm via web Reply Retweet Favorite

Comments

[dantisa]

04:18 PM on 01/20/2013

I seriously don't get what's the whole fuss is about. Just like the NRA video about Obama's kids. Neither one came up with these things and are just voicing the opinions of the many in the Republican party. This is the result of the years of brainwashing and propaganda - listening for endless hours to only the same sources of information - Rush Limbaugh, Levine, Savage, Fox News and etc. You will accomplish nothing by locking her up.

The reform should start with education, however given the state of things it might be too late.

[Kevin Carmon]

11:23 PM on 11/10/2012

Lock her up. She's a terrorist.

[Aaron Kirchmann]

01:04 PM on 04/26/2012

Seems to me a young lady didn't think before she tweeted. Seems to be an epidemic these days. The saying used to go "open mouth, insert foot". Nowadays, it's more like "Open Twitter.exe, insert foot". I call it Foot-in-Twitter, but you get the idea.

[jack Winn]

02:44 PM on 03/18/2012

Don't apologize, Lauren. We like to know what you're thinking.

[pricelister]

09:49 AM on 02/11/2012

I don't plan to vote for Mr. Obama and disagree with him on many issues. Disagree...that is your right as an American. Wishing your President...yes, YOUR President...to fail is wishing your country to fail. I know a lot of people in Texas. They send me lots of racist emails about the President.

[Racer Jim]

10:02 AM on 11/21/2011

President Obama was the target of all kinds of hate and racism as soon as he became the President-elect. No other American president has had to face the pure nastiness and disrespect that he has endured from Congress. I mean to call the President a "liar" ...to stand up on national televison as a congressional leader and say that your "Number one priority is to see to it that he is a one-term President" and then to refuse to act to save the nation simply because President Obama is not of the same ethnic persuasion! My God! I have seen hate and prejudice and I have known it. I have suffered through it. I had hoped that our colleges and universities were preparing young people who could lead our nation away from its past but Ms. Pierce and her ilk have certainly dashed that hope for me. I wish her and her family well. I hope hers was just a stupid and unfortunate comment and that no one ever jokes about killing a member of her family in cold blood.

[eastport111]

03:15 AM on 12/20/2011

to Racer Jim,
Yes her comment was in poor taste but she is entitiled to her opinion.
He is a liar and should be a one-term president but not because he is black. If he were white he would still be the worst president ever,just my opinion.

[Fred Chavez III]

06:18 PM on 02/22/2012

if he was white, you'd like him just a little bit better, just my opinion.

[eastport111]

08:17 PM on 02/22/2012

to Fred Chavez lll,
No that is absolutely untrue. I can't stand him because he is not American,can't tell the truth about anything and is ruining our country.
If he were white I would still feel that he is the worst president that we have ever had,this has nothing to do with his color but because he is himself. If we have another black president that is fine with me as long as it is not this one.

[Racer Jim]

03:38 PM on 12/20/2011

I'm glad that what eastport111 said was just his or her opinion. From where I sit, along with a number of other Americans, Barack Obama is one of the best presidents ever. He has kept his word on a number of campaign promises and kept the country from going into a major depression. Many of us know that he will never receive credit from the "majority" because he is Black. They won't admit that but the number of people who know it's true is staggering. We also know he will receive little to no cooperation from the republicans and some democrats...but he's still making progress. I can't wait to see what he does in his second term.
Finally, Ms. Pierce's comment wasn't just in poor taste. It was disgraceful but it drives home my point. She said openly what a lot of people just like her are thinking.

[sugacan1]

11:30 PM on 11/20/2011

"We need him to go down in history as the WORST president we've EVER had!"

The mindset of the Republican party. They will make sure every policy fails, even if it happens to be one that will benefit the American people, just to make sure Pres. Obama fails. She is not the first to admit this.

[eastport111]

03:16 AM on 12/20/2011

to sugacan1,
I agree.

[Judy Parker]

02:56 PM on 11/20/2011

You people are unreal she did'nt threaten to shoot him . She just had the guts to say what most people don't. Whether you agree are not it's called freedom of speech, which is a constitutional right.

[Bluejay00234]

04:14 PM on 11/20/2011

Who are these people who wants a man to be murdered? Repubs, you?

[LovelyGirl]

08:59 PM on 11/20/2011

You think most people want President Obama to be assassinate. Let's see Ms. Parker let's figure out if the FBI can find out more about you. I despise George Bush, but never ever wished someone would kill him.

[eastport111]

03:21 AM on 12/20/2011

to Lovely Girl,
I don't think most people want him to be assassinated even if he is hated.
I don't think she did either,just expressing her opinion in a tasteless way.
We still have freedom of speech here.

[elmmaestro]

06:51 PM on 11/19/2011

"I apologize for my previous tweet. It was in poor taste and and should never have been written."

Republicans love to talk about personal acoountability, but notice how she phrases her apology in the passive voice? There is a big difference between "it... should never have been written," and "I never should have written it." Of course, such a conscious distinction is lost on those who would support her, but what would you expect from a crowd who believes that Obama recently said Americans are lazy, or that John Kerry blamed American soldiers for getting us "stuck in Iraq"?? It is no coincedence that the party who works to destroy our public schools is the same party that benfits from the fact that so many voters have no ability, or inclination, for critical inquiry.

[MP4LUV]

03:28 PM on 11/21/2011

i concur your thoughts

[Judy Parker]

11:24 PM on 11/21/2011

She did not threaten the president.

[Marge Hodgson]

01:39 AM on 11/24/2011

Your opinion doesn't carry as much weight as the Secret Services' . It sounded like a threat to me. Albeit from an airhead.

[Judy Parker]

04:47 PM on 11/28/2011

You have the right to your opinion just like I have a right to mine.

[elmmaestro]

06:34 PM on 11/19/2011

I wonder what Gabrielle Giffords would have to say about this, but even moreso I wonder what Lauren Pierce would say about Gabrielle Giffords.

[bettestreep]

02:06 AM on 11/20/2011

Lauren is the sort of person who would cheer when a Democrat politician is shot or killed.

She and her fellow Texan clods must be really peeved that Giffords has made a fantastic recovery and is inspiring so many with her courage and bravery.

[NJProgressiveIndie]

05:56 PM on 11/19/2011

With apologies to Keith:

Lauren Pierce--TODAY'S WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD!

[Marge Hodgson]

02:56 PM on 11/20/2011

I wonder what prompted her to apologize. Could she have become aware that for suggesting the assassination of a president, she could be arrested and do some serious jail time? Ms. Pierce has some serious intellectual malfunctions. Could it be that these dysfunctional rubes are still searching for a democratic president worse than their (Republican) last one? Sorry folks. President Obama comes nowhere close to being that lacking in ability.

[NJProgressiveIndie]

07:57 PM on 11/22/2011

Like most sick people who call for President Obama's murder, I think the only reason she "apologized" is because she got caught. If someone on the left called for Bush's assassination, you'd hear the roars of "Treason!" and "Off With Their Head" from everything with a pulse on the right.

And you're absolutely right in Tea Bags-R-Us desperately trying to make Obama worse than their so-called best.

[jack Winn]

02:46 PM on 03/18/2012

I wish you were even close.

[lw1]

05:12 PM on 11/19/2011

I hope she reads all 11,000 comments.

[vidian6]

04:15 PM on 11/19/2011

I don't understand how that can't be considered inciting violence against the president. This person should be arrested.

[johnpw41042]

04:41 PM on 11/19/2011

She should be arrested. She committed a crime, but some on this thread think just because it involves a female, she is young, she giggles, she thinks she made a joke, and it is not serious when thinking of taking a human life is not serious.
I am sure had it involved a member of their immediate family they would be looking at this differently. Or better yet, if this young lady was suggesting the same thing about a Republican those people would be all up on arms.

[Marge Hodgson]

02:59 PM on 11/20/2011

She should be arrested. Where is the Texas Attorney General.

[eastport111]

03:28 AM on 12/20/2011

to vidian6,
I don't get the impression that she was inciting violence,she just expressed her opinion and chose the wrong words.
If anyone were moved to try to kill anyone I think it would take more than just one tasteless comment from another person. Thinking about killing anyone is indicative of a sick mind so there would already be a problem.

[FR]

11:53 AM on 12/21/2011

"Thinking about killing anyone is indicative of a sick mind so there would already be a problem."

Now tell us how Miss CollegeRepublicanPresident was NOT thinking about that since she tweeted about it ...

[wisemom3990]

03:25 PM on 11/19/2011

THIS is a story? Oh, heavens. Looking for gaffes by which to be morally shocked, anything to get the people's minds off the mess he has made.

[johnpw41042]

04:37 PM on 11/19/2011

So, you think that suggesting or even bringing up taking a human life is not a serious matter? How would you feel had this girl suggested or brought up taking one of your children's life? If that does not matter to you in any way then I feel sad for you.
The taking of a human life is a serious matter. Being taken in a political sense does not diminish the fact it is a human life. I would say the same thing even if it was GWB that we were talking about. This young lady showed no sense of respect for human life and that is the main point of what we are talking about. It is people like you who want to trivialize this and defend her even though she committed a crime. How can you take this so lightly?

[RenePA]

11:42 PM on 11/19/2011

***At approximately 2:30 p.m., Pierce posted, "Y'all as tempting as it may be, don't shoot Obama. We need him to go down in history as the WORST president we've EVER had! #2012."***

You are right, this is just the simple voice of an incredibly simple-minded person. These kinds of inane remarks are made by millions of simple-minded voices every day.

However... This simple-minded creature is also the "president of the College Republicans at University of Texas at Austin" ... which would indicate that she SHOULD be above simple-mindedness.

One would think that a person who calls themselves 'wise' would be aware of the fact that leaders in this country (even of our youth) should exude the caliber and remarks of something other than simple-mindedness.

One would also think that a person who calls themselves 'wise' would also certainly be aware of historical fact that extends to at least the past decade, in that Obama did not create any sort of mess, the previous administrations did.

However much one may chose to argue about whether or not he's doing a good job of cleaning up said mess, he - in fact - did not create it. Oh, heavens.

[vcgh2000]

03:17 PM on 11/19/2011

Why is it that so much more than there share of B. S. originates in Texas ?