Marilyn Davenport Must Resign

Orange County GOP Central Committee member Marilyn Davenport sent a racist e-mail depicting President Obama as an ape, with a caption, questioning his birth certificate. She has asserted in a private email to Orange County GOP leaders that she will not be stepping down, and she apologizes to anyone who may have been offended. She maintains that "in no way did I even consider the fact he's half black when I sent out the email" and decries the "double standard" that applies to President Barack Obama. See the OC Weekly for the full text of the email. Marilyn Davenport in her press conference stated that she sent this racist e-mail to selected people in her press conference April 20, 2011, which further proves she knew it had racist overtones. She maintains that she did not know it was offensive, and that she has African American friends. Why didn't she send the e-mail to her non-white friends? It was deliberate and inflamatory. She should resign as a public servant in politics.

The Associated Press reports that Republican Party of Orange County Chairman Scott Baugh wants to launch an ethics investigation about the incident, and that he thinks she should resign. Baugh said, "It's just highly inappropriate, it's a despicable message, it drips with racism and I think she should step down from the committee."