FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Timothy K. Rusch tim@fitzgibbonmedia.com

This week, news broke that Congressman Joe Walsh (R-IL) referred to President Barack Obama as “son” and said that he was never ready to do his job. In an attempt to rally his supporters and denounce President Obama, Rep. Walsh said:

“There’s something different on the ground and I think it’s going to overtake us all again. I think it’s going to overtake the political class. I think it’s going to respectfully pick this president up and pat him on the head and say, son, son, son, Mr. President, you were never ready to be president, now go home and work for somebody and find out how the real world works.”

These latest remarks reflect Rep. Walsh’s history of making racially inflammatory comments and encouraging his supporters to discredit President Obama’s leadership. Earlier this year, Rep. Walsh told a suburban Chicago audience that “[The Democratic party] want the Hispanic vote, they want Hispanics to be dependent on government, just like they got African Americans dependent on government. That’s their game.”

The following is a statement from ColorOfChange Executive Director Rashad Robinson:

“Once again, Rep. Joe Walsh has decided to stoke racial fears about President Barack Obama in order to leverage support for his own campaign. His comments not only demonstrate the lack of respect for President Obama’s position, but also for the millions of American voters who elected him into office in 2008. Walsh’s attempt to discredit President Obama’s leadership succeeds only in demonstrating that he is unfit to lead.”

“As the country draws closer to election day, the ColorOfChange community will remain vigilant and vocal as candidates such as Walsh race-bait and stoke race-based fears. We will continue to call out their efforts to divide America, and we will hold them accountable.”

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With more than 800,000 members, ColorOfChange.org is the nation’s largest Black online civil rights organization.