GOP state official quits after 'Daily Show' interview. He said what?
When will politicians learn that fake news shows can get you in just as much trouble as real ones? Maybe even more trouble, since they tend to have much bigger audiences.
North Carolina Republican Party official Don Yelton is the latest public figure to stumble upon this truism. Or more properly, former Republican Party official Don Yelton, as he resigned after his appearance in on Jon Stewart鈥檚 鈥淒aily Show鈥� on Wednesday.
Mr. Yelton 鈥� who until Thursday was a precinct chairman in North Carolina鈥檚 Buncombe County 鈥� talked with 鈥淒aily Show鈥� correspondent Aasif Mandvi about a new state law that requires photo identification to vote. Civil rights advocates charge that such laws are intended to suppress minority votes.
Asked if he was a racist, Yelton paused, then said he鈥檇 鈥渂een called a bigot before.鈥�
鈥淎s a matter of fact, one of my best friends is black,鈥� he added.
Things went downhill from there. Yelton told "The Daily Show鈥� correspondent that he鈥檇 had a caricature of President Obama dressed as a witch doctor sitting on a stump, but that the drawing made fun of the president鈥檚 鈥渨hite half, not his black half.鈥� (Mr. Obama鈥檚 mother was white, his father black.) He complained that blacks could use the N-word, but not whites. Only he didn鈥檛 say 鈥淣-word鈥�; he said the word itself.
鈥淵ou know we can hear you, right?鈥� Mr. Mandvi said in the on-camera interview.
Yelton went on to say that the photo ID law would 鈥渒ick Democrats in the butt.鈥�
鈥淚f [the photo ID law] hurts the whites, so be it. If it hurts a bunch of lazy blacks that want the government to give them everything, so be it,鈥� Yelton said.
The comments went viral after "The Daily Show鈥� posted a video clip of the interview on Thursday morning. Yelton defended his remarks to a local publication, but the state party itself began to furiously backpedal.
By Thursday evening, Yelton was out. North Carolina GOP chairman Claude Pope said that the comments were 鈥渃ompletely inappropriate and highly offensive鈥� and that Yelton was speaking only for himself, not for the party as a whole.
Mr. Pope said that the Buncombe County GOP chairman had told Yelton the party would take steps to remove him if he didn鈥檛 resign.
Of course, more experienced operators than Yelton have run afoul of 鈥淒aily Show鈥� questioning this month. Two weeks ago, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius appeared on set for an interview with Mr. Stewart himself, and it was 鈥渃ringeworthy,鈥� .
Stewart started off by saying they would have a race. Secretary Sebelius could begin to open the Obamacare sign-up website, and he would start downloading 鈥渆very movie ever made.鈥� They鈥檇 see who would be done first.
After that, Sebelius just seemed taken aback by Stewart鈥檚 questions. Asked how many people had already signed up for Obamacare, she said, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know.鈥� He kept asking why businesses had received a delay in the mandate that they provide health insurance to employees, while individuals have not received a delay in the mandate that they purchase health insurance.
鈥淢aybe she鈥檚 just lying to me,鈥� Stewart said in a monologue near the end of the show.
Stewart has hammered the Obama administration on its rollout of the Affordable Care Act over a number of shows. That鈥檚 a big problem for the president because "The Daily Show鈥� reaches just the kind of person that Obamacare needs 鈥� generally healthy young people, who don鈥檛 cost insurers much money.
Maybe Obama himself should appear on the show to try to swing him over, suggested Washington Post political expert Chris Cillizza earlier this week.
鈥淲hat Stewart says matters 鈥� a lot,鈥� .
