Once again a local Republican website has posted Woody Harrington‘s image equating The Grand Old Party with the Ku Klux Klan. It is unknown how long the image remained on the opening page.
A familiar Republican Party mascot pictured on the Patrick County GOP website hid Ku Klux Klan imagery in its negative space, before it was removed Friday.
An image seen front and center on the homepage of patrickgop.org warranted closer inspection, according to a text message sent from Del. Marie March, R-Floyd, to The Roanoke Times.
In the triangular white spaces between the legs of the Republican Party’s elephant mascot, black dots create the image of eyeholes.
original August 21, 2022 item:
The Republican Party in a couple of states is having cartoon problems.
The Lawrence County (Alabama) Republican Party posted a GOP elephant to Facebook.
© Mother Jones/Woody Harrington
Shanon Terry, the GOP chair in Lawrence County, apologized in a statement posted on Aug. 15.
“I would like to offer a deep and sincere apology for a picture that temporarily appeared on this page last night. A google search picture of a GOP elephant was used and later found to have hidden images that do not represent the views or beliefs of the Lawrence County Republican Party.”
“As chairman I take full responsibility for the error.”
As The News Observer reported Ms. Terry was who posted the image:
In a statement sent to McClatchy News by email, Terry said she would not be resigning from her position on the Lawrence County School Board. “I regret the mistake that was made, and it was just that — an unintended mistake,” the statement says. “The image posted by me on a political Facebook page was not done with any malicious or harmful intent… I do not support or agree with any hate group agenda and certainly would not try to further their cause.”
Snopes has more about the incident and identified the image as by Woody Harrington:
Clara Jeffery, the editor-in-chief of Mother Jones, tweeted that the KKK version of the elephant logo had been commissioned by the magazine from freelance illustrator Woody Harrington in 2020:
The hoods were not exactly hidden like the ‘Nina’ in a Hirschfeld drawing.
Northwest from Alabama…
The Nebraska Republican Party’s official Twitter account tweeted a cartoon depiction of oral sex Friday morning, claiming it’s from material taught in Nebraska schools.
We are choosing not to share the image on our platforms … A “potentially sensitive content” warning appears for some Twitter users, depending on settings.
The head of the Nebraska Democratic Party tweeted the NEGOP were fun haters.
The Nebraska GOP responded with graphic images in a tweet.
Like KMTV, TDC won’t be showing the full tweet. It is available here.
3 News Now has not confirmed the origin of the images, and the Nebraska Republican Party has not answered a question about where they come from. It appears it to be from “Gender Queer,” a graphic memoir exploring topics on sexuality. Omaha Public Schools has not yet responded to our question about whether it’s in any of the district’s school libraries.
And then:
OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — UPDATE, 8:20 p.m.: The tweet was deleted and Nebraska Republican Party Chairman Eric Underwood issued a second statement to 3 News Now. The party’s original statement posted to Twitter was also deleted.
“Late this afternoon, I was notified of a graphic picture that was posted on the NEGOP Twitter account. The post was not authorized and has been removed. The person responsible for the tweet, the outgoing communication director, has been removed from the account and is no longer responsible for any NEGOP communication.”
“Not only didn’t they not get it, they appropriated copyrighted art.”
Well thank you very much. Not only do I have to clean off my keyboard, but my nose hurts and I have to make a fresh pot of tea.
New motto for the Republican Party which formerly used “the party of family values” and more recently “ the party of law and order” now it will be: “the party who’s ends justify any means, including theft of digital material and lying”
. . . and they should spell it that way, too.
Trump started it with he unauthorized use of music, like the Village People’s gay anthems. My problem with the right-wing when they try to be clever or funny, they’re not original or even good.
@William Ramwell – I do not speak to politics but that particular issue didn’t start with President Trump, as those who will remember Tom Petty threatening to sue President Bush (the second one) over his use of I Won’t Back Down will attest.