California Republicans in Hot Water for Hate-Based Attacks on Obama

Republicans across the United States are getting into a lot of hot water these days for hate-based attacks on Barack Obama, and "tolerant" California is no exception. Earlier this week, the Sacramento County Republican Party and its chair, attorney Craig S. MacGlashan, caught some well-deserved flack for posting anti-Obama materials on the county GOP website including a call to "Waterboard Barack Obama" and a statement equating Obama with terrorist leader Osama bin Laden. Having removed the materials Oct. 14 in the face of sharp criticism from Republicans as well as Democrats, MacGlashan later found it necessary to apologize for the materials even as local Republicans called for his resignation. MacGlashan's wife, a Sacramento County supervisor, also condemned the materials, calling them "hateful, stupid and offensive."

Following these events in Sacramento another instance of hate-based Republican attacks on Obama was reported Oct. 16 in San Bernardino County east of Los Angeles. Here, an organization of Republican women circulated a newsletter including a depiction of Barack Obama on a US food stamp surrounded by a watermelon, ribs, and a bucket of fried chicken (pictured here). Diane Fedele, president of Chaffey Community Republican Women Federated, was also forced to apologize for the picture but denied any racist intent despite the obvious racial stereotypes included in it. As in the Sacramento case, state Republican officials were forced to condemn and disavow the San Bernardino attack.

There was a time, not so long ago, when Republicans could get away with hate campaigns like this, particularly on the local level free of national attention. Thanks to the internet, those days are gone.

Craig S. MacGlashan is an attorney with the Sacramento law firm of Nageley, Meredith, and Miller (8001 Folsom Boulevard, Suite 100, Sacramento CA 95826). The firm can can be contacted by telephone at (916) 386-8282 or by e-mail at mail@NMLawFirm.com. MacGlashan may be directly contacted for comment by telephone at the same number or by e-mail at cmacglashan@nmlawfirm.com. MacGlashan sits also on the board of directors of the Saramento Valley Lincoln Club, a conservative political action committee, and is married to Sacramento County Supervisor Roberta MacGlashan.

Diane Fedele and the Chaffey Community Republican Women Federated may be contacted by e-mail at diane1354@mindspring.com and diane1354@verizon.net, by telephone at (909) 981-0493, by fax at (909) 982-6880, or by mail at P.O. Box 974, Upland CA 91785. Chaffey Community Republican Women Federated meet the fourth Wednesday of every month, 7:00 p.m., at the Magic Lamp Inn, 8189 Foothill Blvd., Rancho Cucamonga CA 91730.