Awhile back, I posted an item in which I elevated a newsmaker to the status of Douchebag of the Week. Since there are countless douchebags out there, the idea of doing one every week is a bit daunting, but every now and then, someone comes out of the woodwork with an act of such complete douchery, that it simply must be recognized. The fact that we already have a Douchebag of the Week and it's only Monday says that we are truly living in the Douchebag Golden Age.
This week's "Douchey" goes to..........South Carolina Republican activist Rusty DePass.
So, why does the jovial Mr. Depass get the coveted Douchey? Well, it seems over the weekend, the Ruster made a comment on his Facebook page about a gorilla that escaped from a zoo in Columbia, SC. The comment?
"I'm sure it's just one of Michelle's ancestors - probably harmless".
You don't have to be brain surgeon to assume he was talking about First Lady Michelle Obama. He has apologized saying, "I am as sorry as I can be if I offended anyone. The comment was clearly in jest". He then added, "The comment was hers, not mine," claiming Obama made a remark about humans decending from apes. Several new agencies have not found any comment made from the First Lady.
So, let's see: old white guy - check. Southern - check. Calling an African-American woman a gorilla - check. Turning it around to say it was her fault to begin with - check. Congrats Mr. Depass - you have fullfilled the qualifications for Redneck Stereotype. All that's missing is a picture of you in a tank-top and cutoffs at a Lynard Skynard concert.
After all the hullabaloo last week over what Letterman said about Palin's kid, I'm waiting for the outrage. Something tells me, it won't come. I know Mr. DePass doesn't speak for the majority of southerners, but seriously, he's not helping the image, Southern Friends. They keep saying the South will rise again. We're waiting. Start by rising above this douchebag.
Rusty DePass - DOUCHEBAG OF THE WEEK!!!!!!!!
TIP:
Enter the amount, and click "Tip" to submit!
crazypants
AnandaPratt
jimmymac1025
Kathy Riordan
wakingupslowly
Joan Wilder
Salon.com
Comments
That is time in comparison to this one.
Looks like I am going to have to try harder to get the coveted Wonderhorse Douchey. Ought to do a top forty. You know, the WD-40?
Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk.
Stop, stop! My sides!
Good catch.
Rated & Cheers!
These people win elections...It's truly scary.
Rated
G - don't worry - you'll always be my Number One, you cranky old coot!
Finger - I'm sure KO is already on this and will no doubt do a better job.
Owl - there's just so many to choose from.
Trig - yeah. Sad, eh?
Kind - I read that this guy also said that 9/11 made New Yorkers Americans again. I still don't know what the hell that means.
Richly deserved, this one.
Somewhere, Strom Thurmond is smiling at Senator DePass.
As it is, you could not have made a better choice.
Smith - ooh, the douche-chills. Those are rough.
OE - yeah, it's going to take quite the act to surpass this guy. Sadly, I'm not worried that someone will.
Verbal - I can't even imagine what that would possibly look like. But would love to find out!
Gus - I just don't get. To be fair, DePass is not a Senator. He is an activist for the GOP, but has not been elected to the Senate. Sorry if my post insinuated that.
Floyd - I'm sure he did, it just hasn't been caught on tape yet - ha
"I apologize if I offended anyone" = "I'm sorry as hell you guys caught that - you ain't as dumb as I thought, dammit".
V/R, Rictresa is a pretty awesome photo shopper, as are Deven and Barry. I'll bet there are quite a few others.
Any volunteers for designing the DOTW award?
Smoke 'em out, Sheldon. We need to keep tabs on bigots and haters more than ever. Racists and antisemites beware, you will be exposed.
Oh, and one saving grace of this graceless bigot: At least he seems to believe in evolution. (Ok, lame joke. But I bet if you asked him he'd say he doesn't.) Hypocritical as well as bigoted.
d
A Facebook posting by a pathetic old man in a transparent and laughable attempt to reach out to young (and evidently racist) voters with no sense of what actually passes at funny isn't worth her time and she knows it. If she responds at all, it will be tactful and consise. There will be no feigned outrage, no Today Show appearances and no invitations to the country to imagine one of her kids being assaulted by David Lettermen.
Is there an e-card we could send the techno-giant to congratulate him on his award?
Good one, Sheldon.
--rated--
Rated!
RATED
Are we gonna see DePass/Palin in 2012? Or will Palin be afraid that he'll make dapass at her daughter.
Really. All 15 year old girls should stay away from De Pass.
DePass has some serious competition for "Douchebag of the Week".
(rated)
I'll chime in with the chorus - nice catch Shelly. And I swear these aren't cut-offs. They're...um...just really short jeans.
Also from the great state of South Carolina, we bring you GOP operative Dan Green:
"Just heard Obama is going to impose a 40% tax on aspirin because it's white and it works". He actually apologized (not a fake "if anyone was offended" non-apology. (h/t to Josh Marshall's TalkingPointsMemo
But don't call yet. We have one more, in Tennessee Sherri Goforth, an executive assistant for Republican State Senator Diane Black has been passing around a picture montage of the 44 Presidents, all you see in the 44th square is a picture of wide white eyes in a black square, 'cause Obama's a "spook" - get it? Personally, I laughed my ass off, but I was thinking of Goforth's future employment prospects at the time (h/t to GoldnI at The Daily Kos , yo uneed to scroll down for it.
Regardless, he's in a position of some political influence, and he should know better than to make a reprehensibly racist comment like that.
Gorillas have no boodies. Black people have huge, lush boodies.
Gorillas have straight hair. Black people have nappy hair.
Gorillas have relatively small genitals...
Well...you get the point.
I maintain that Rusty DePass has the intelligence, lips, boody, hair, and genitalia of a gorilla, and is thus closer in many ways to a gorilla.
i had not heard this. thank you for writing about it.