David Chalian Apologizes For 'Joke'

David Chalian apologized for his “joke” today via Twitter and a privatized Facebook post. 

His statement on Facebook (it was privatized), via readers:

I am profoundly sorry for making an inappropriate and thoughtless joke. I was commenting on the challenge of staging a convention during a hurricane and about campaign optics. I have apologized to the Romney campaign, and I want to take this opportunity to publicly apologize to Gov. and Mrs. Romney. I also regret causing any distraction from the exceptional coverage of the Republican convention by Yahoo News and ABC News.

A “joke?” Who jokes about black people drowning? Apparently David Chalian does. According to Chalian’s stereotype, all black people are poor and only black people live in New Orleans or in any area where hurricanes are frequent. That’s not “stereotyping,” “racial,” or “bigoted” at all to Chalian, it’s a “joke.” 

Where is Chalian’s criticism of President Obama’s continued campaigning and fundraising during the hurricane? Is that also “bad optics?” Where is Chalian’s criticism of FEMA’s slow response and other agencies of the Obama administration? Where was Chalian’s criticism of Obama after the Nashville flood? Are we to infer from Chalian’s “joke” that Republicans have the ability to foretell the future and planned the convention to coincide with Hurricane Issac so that they — and by “they” I mean “all the white people” because there exist no minority Republican participants at all — could celebrate as a hurricane ravaged Gulf states?

This was a confession, not a mistake, it wasn’t a joke, and it wasn’t any sort of apology. Chalian tries to half-heartedly explain away his “joke” and take another dig at the RNC by again suggesting that the “bad optics” is due to their apathy of those suffering through Issac now. 

It’s classless and the furthest thing away from a “gift of God” as I can tell. Chalian seems only remorseful that he was arrogant enough to let his confession slip over a hot mic. That betrayal of his own interests is the only “joke.”