White House confirms Emanuel used ‘R-word’ slur
February 2nd, 2010
ABC’s Jake Tapper, writing on the network’s ‘Political Punch’ blog, says an unnamed White House official confirms that Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel did use the term “f–ing retarded” as an insult at a weekly strategy session last fall, and that he has apologized to the head of the Special Olympics.
“The White House remains committed to addressing the concerns and needs of Americans living with disabilities and recognizes that derogatory remarks demean us all,” the official said.
The unnamed official said Emanuel called Special Olympics chairman Tim Shriver when the report of his choice of words first appeared in a Wall Street Journal story last week, Tapper reported. The Special Olympics is heading up a campaign called “Spread the word to end the word,” which aims to ‘raise the consciousness of society about the dehumanizing and hurtful effects of the word ‘retard(ed)’ and encourage people to pledge to stop using the R-word.”
President Obama made a similar apology to Shriver just about a year ago, after he joked on the Tonight Show that his poor performance at bowling was “like the Special Olympics or something.”
Fox News and the New York Daily News report that Sarah Palin is calling on the White House to fire Emanuel over the incident. In a post on her Facebook page, the former Alaska governor said Emanuel’s use of the expletive was “heartbreaking” and charged that his “degrading scolding” had been “completely ignored by the White House.”
Her post was entitled, “Are you capable of decency, Rahm Emanuel?” An excerpt:
Just as we’d be appalled if any public figure of Rahm’s stature ever used the “N-word” or other such inappropriate language, Rahm’s slur on all God’s children with cognitive and developmental disabilities – and the people who love them – is unacceptable, and it’s heartbreaking.
Earlier posts here.
(Photos of Rahm Emanuel and Sarah Palin from New York Daily News)
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February 2nd, 2010 at 11:34 pm
To those who are arguing that the “R-word” is not offensive, I would like you to read the full article by Liane Kupferberg Carter’s on today’s Huffington Post. It expresses what I feel when I hear this word. I am hurt by it and offended.
Also, why is only apologizing to Special Olympics enough? I have a child with Down syndrome and I don’t feel like an apology to Tim Shriver includes my child or my family. There are many with cognitive delays who aren’t a part of that fine organization.
Finally, politics has nothing to do with this issue. I happen to be a Democrat (like that matters). I am offended no matter who uses the word as a slur. I do think that it is a shame that the White House made no statement about this issue, even though they have gotten many messages about it, until Sarah Palin said something. It seems it was not worth acknowledging until it was made political by Mrs. Palin and that saddens me.