UPDATE 2: The Denver Post’s Social Media/Engagement editor, Daniel Petty, responds to former Congressman Tom Tancredo’s criticism of the Post for cutting the “chains gaffe”:
@ttancredo It was a bad edit by an editor that had no journalistic merit. We had full story, video online, corrected in the paper, ran today— Dan Petty (@danielpetty) August 16, 2012
UPDATE: Breitbart reported today that the Denver Post not only buried the Biden/"chains" AP story, but actually removed Biden's "chains" quote from the version in its print newspaper. Technically, newspapers are allowed to edit AP stories for length, but why remove the entire reason for the article in the first place?
Earlier this week Democratic Vice President Joe Biden told a group of supporters in Danville, Va. that Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney wanted to "put y'all back in chains". See the video below. Last year, about this time, U.S. Congressman Doug Lamborn made a racially-insensitive remark ("tar baby") and had to apologize over and over again, and we're just wondering where the outrage over Biden's inflammatory comment is?
Not only did the Obama campaign not apologize, these so-called leaders went a step further and reiterated the statement. Obama apologist Stephanie Cutter went further saying:
"For months, Speaker Boehner, Congressman Ryan, and other Republicans have called for the ‘unshackling’ of the private sector from regulations that protect Americans from risky financial deals and other reckless behavior that crashed our economy…. We find the Romney campaign’s outrage over the Vice President’s comments today hypocritical, particularly in light of their own candidate’s stump speech questioning the President’s patriotism. Now, let’s return to that ‘substantive’ debate Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan promised 72 hours ago, but quickly abandoned."
Um, Ms. Cutter, nobody on the Republican side is threatening anyone with slavery. In fact, Republicans (if anything) are simply offering freedom. And further, if the media did its job, maybe Romney wouldn't have to even address the situation.
Again, where is the outrage?
During last year's racial faux pas, even the Denver Post noted "though the term is often defined as a sticky situation, it carries some historic usages that are racially insensitive."
Kjersten Forseth, executive director of Progress Now, offered last year, "it sounds like he's calling the president a tar baby, and I find that really offensive."
Where is the Kjersten's same outrage this year? MoveOn.org organized a rally in protest – where is the MoveOn.org rally this year? NAACP Colorado Springs Chapter President, RoseMary Harris Lytle wrote this in a letter in response to Lamborn's "tar baby" comment:
"As your constituents, we are profoundly troubled by the interview in which you so inappropriately used the term "tar baby" in speaking about President Barack Obama and his policies. Other than media reports and the three sentences posted on your website, we your constituents-have heard nothing."
Where is the NAACP when Democrats apply racism – where is the NAACP outrage over the Rep. Allen West racist ad showing him punching an old white lady and this issue?
Earlier this summer, Denver Post editorial page editor Curtis Hubbard wrote a piece enumerating the challenges that this Congressman had since he took office.
Where is the same piece on Vice President Joe Biden? He surely has plenty of gaffes from which to select? The Post could have written a robust post on Biden's gaffes, but it didn't. We aren't going to accuse the Post editorial staff of bias; however, we will say it's a missed opportunity.