Over the Thanksgiving holiday, Rachel Lauten, Communications Director for Congressman Stephen Fincher (R-Tenn.) wrote on her personal Facebook page that after seeing the Obama daughters’ bored reaction to the annual White House turkey pardon they should “try showing a little class. At least respect the part you play. Act like being in the White House matters to you.”
Predictably, the liberal media had a field day with the unknown Capitol Hill staffer’s comments, and Ms. Lauten ultimately resigned from her job but that didn’t stop MSNBC host Rachel Maddow from overreacting to the supposed controversy during her Monday evening program. The MSNBC host argued that Lauten’s comments demonstrate how President Obama has “had worse attacks than any other president that has come before him for a number of reasons, including race.”
After detailing the events that lead to Ms. Lauten’s eventual resignation, Maddow insisted that the staffer’s comments were “terrible and stupid” before bringing on Eugene Robinson, Washington Post columnist and MSNBC contributor to further slam the GOP staffer.
Robinson began his rant by dismissing Lauten’s apology:
I thought it was a pretty bad apology, to tell you the truth for this reason. She didn't apologize to them. She should have apologized to the people she offended. She offended Sasha and Malia Obama. She offended President and Mrs. Obama. She doesn't mention them in her apology. She should of addressed her apology to them because those are the people she offended with words that were, as far as I'm concerned, beyond the pale. I mean, this president is treated differently.
The Washington Post columnist then shamelessly suggested that Lauten’s comments were meant to portray the Obama daughters as “hypersexualized” African American women:
Boy I’ll tell you, at my house, that occasioned some slamming down of things over the weekend because it plays into this subconscious stereotype of black women as somehow [sic] and hypersexualized. It was awful.
Unsurprisingly, Maddow never challenged her guest’s assertion and instead claimed that Obama has been treated worse than any president in American history:
She apologized, more or less, and now is gone. I wonder if that is actually sort of an important sign that there is still a more in Washington about the president's family. I mean, this president and lots of presidents have had terrible attacks. I think that this president has had worse attacks than any other president that has come before him for a number of reasons, including race.
As the segment concluded, the two MSNBCers continued to pile on against Lauten with Robinson insisting that the GOP staffer had no choice but to resign:
I sincerely hope it has kicked in here and the fact that Ms. Lauten resigned so quickly, indicates that some things are sacred in Washington. And you don't go after the president's family, whatever you think about the president, you don't go after his young daughters in that way. 13 years old and 16 years old, it's just not allowed.
See relevant transcript below.
MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show
December 1, 2014
9:41:56-9:48:21 [6 minutes 25 seconds]RACHEL MADDOW: On Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, we got the traditional pardoning of the Turkey ceremony at the White House. President Obama pardoned two turkeys, Mac and Cheese. They will now get to live out the rest of their days at a Turkey farm in rural Virginia. And we all feel great about that while we eat other members of their species. It's like this pageant of mercy which we do. It’s very nice. We don’t really need it as a nation. President Obama's daughters, Sasha and Malia, they attended the turkey pardoning. Sort of put up a brave teenage face about the whole thing. But after it was over, they were targeted by the communications director for a Republican congressman.
Her name is Elizabeth Lauten. She's the Communications Director for this Republican congressman, Stephen Fincher of Tennessee. And Ms. Lauten wrote online, “Dear Sasha and Malia, I get you’re both in those awful teen years, but you're a part of the First Family, try showing a little class. At least respect the part you play. Act like being in the White House matters to you. Dress like you deserve respect, not a spot at the bar.”
For all the obvious reasons, and for a few more besides, the staffer did ultimately apologize for having said that online once her remarks started to get wide online circulation and attention. And again, this is a political professional, right? This is a communications director for a serving member of Congress. But political apologies are notoriously terrible. Here's how hers went in part.
“I reacted to an article and I quickly judged the two young ladies in a way that I would never have wanted to be judged myself as a teenager. After many hours of prayer, talking to my parents, and re-reading my words online I can see more clearly just how hurtful my words were. Please know, those judgmental feelings truly have no place in my heart. Furthermore, I’d like to apologize to all of those who I have hurt and offended with my words, and I pledge to learn and grow (and I assure you I have) from this experience.”
That House Republican staffer not only issued that lengthy apology, but the earlier today, she resigned, she officially resigned from her job working for that member of Congress. So the status of political apologies. Does an apology even help in a case like this? Does, what I think is a better than usual political apology, help in a case like this even though all political apologies by their nature are terrible? Why did this happen in the first place? Is this a rare instance of things going right in Washington because the apology was actually followed by a resignation? Joining us now is my friend, Washington Post columnist and MSNBC contributor, Gene Robinson. Gene, thanks for being here.
EUGENE ROBINSON: Great to be here, Rach.
MADDOW: I have to say, people doing dome stuff apologizing and quitting isn't a national news story, except I feel like this is a moment to take political temperature on the way that the Obama family is treated in politics, and whether or not we're getting any better at apologizing for doing terrible and stupid stuff.
ROBINSON: Well, first of all, I thought it was a pretty bad apology, to tell you the truth for this reason. She didn't apologize to them. She should have apologized to the people she offended. She offended Sasha and Malia Obama. She offended President and Mrs. Obama. She doesn't mention them in her apology. She should of addressed her apology to them because those are the people she offended with words that were, as far as I'm concerned, beyond the pale. I mean, this president is treated differently. Let's face it. And that's fine.
He can deal with that. But to treat his daughters that way is just way beyond. And that line about dress for respect and not for a spot at the bar. Boy I’ll tell you, at my house, that occasioned some slamming down of things over the weekend because it plays into this subconscious stereotype of black women as somehow [sic] and hypersexualized. It was awful. At the turkey pardoning. An event that’s all about silly. It’s supposed to be silly. They’re supposed to act silly. The president was goofy and acting silly. Every president acts silly at this thing. So where did that come from out of her? I think she should have just apologized to the family and said good-bye.
MADDOW: Well, she did end up saying good-bye in terms of leaving. She didn’t apologize to the family. She did leave her job. I wonder though, because she has quit, because this happened, people were very angry. She apologized, more or less, and now is gone. I wonder if that is actually sort of an important sign that there is still a more in Washington about the president's family.
I mean, this president and lots of presidents have had terrible attacks. I think that this president has had worse attacks than any other president that has come before him for a number of reasons, including race. But I wonder if we have seen a sort of a reification, a re-upping of that line that says leave the children out of this. We've seen it violated in the past, but there are consequences when that happens.
ROBINSON: Well, I hope we have. And, look, when Chelsea Clinton was subject to ugly criticism when she was in the White House. Totally uncalled for. The Bush daughters. The same thing as they went through their late teen years in the White House and were subjected to a kind of scrutiny that was often mean and there was a sort of self-correcting mechanism.
I sincerely hope it has kicked in here and the fact that Ms. Lauten resigned so quickly, indicates that some things are sacred in Washington. And you don't go after the president's family, whatever you think about the president, you don't go after his young daughters in that way. 13 years old and 16 years old, it's just not allowed.
MADDOW: We have been lead to believe that nothing is sacred in Washington or in politics, probably. But I think this is a story that tells us that actually that principle does still hold and that ought to be actually recognized and sort of put a rubber stamp on it. I would also say that we should coin a Eugene Robinson rule of apologies that you do actually have to apologize to the person who you did the terrible thing too henceforth.
ROBINSON: It's just a good idea.
MADDOW: Exactly. Eugene Robinson, Washington Post columnist. Gene, hanks for being here. I appreciate it.
ROBINSON: Great to be here Rachel.
