nymag.com "whats going on"

The racism: On their website, the Republican Women of Clifton joked that Baskin Robbins had created a new ice-cream flavor named Barocky Road, which was half vanilla and half chocolate. But, this extended metaphor continues, the "vanilla portion of the mix is not openly advertised and usually denied as an ingredient," which doesn't even make any sense. Does "white woman from Kansas" ring any bells? It should. The apology: Laurie Hamilton, the site's webmaster, apologized after taking down the post. She noted, for the record, that Rocky Road is her favorite flavor.

The racism: Kentucky Congressman Geoff Davis referred to 46-year-old adult man Barack Obama as "that boy" at a Lincoln Day dinner, as in, "That boy's finger does not need to be on the button."The apology: In a letter he personally delivered to Obama, Davis apologized for what he graciously deemed his "poor choice of words."


The rise of President Obama as the first black president has ushered in an uncomfortable era for the nation's casual racists. While the urge to entertain friends and colleagues with historical stereotypes and hurtful prejudices has clearly become irresistible, what happens when that desire conflicts with one's duties as a GOP office-holder, strategist, or activist? When is it appropriate to compare President Obama to a monkey, or make a quip about his presumed love of watermelons, for example? The quandary is only heightened by our new age of social media, in which private jokes can easily become public. As they continue to navigate this moral gray area, most Republican Party members are erring on the side of ... erring — making or endorsing racially tinged or outright offensive jokes via e-mail, Twitter, Facebook, and old-fashioned paper, then awkwardly apologizing once they've made an ass of themselves. The latest example involved Young Republican vice-chairman Audra Shays, who posted an approving comment after a friend's dubious joke on her Facebook page last week, but it's a cycle that's steadily repeated itself since Obama emerged in last year's campaign.