Councilwoman Karin Uhlich apologizes to Tea Partiers for sexual slander
October 30, 2009 by Robert Mayer
Filed under Blog
Hi everyone,
In our last email, we alerted you to the fact that Councilwoman Karin Uhlich’s campaign used the dismissive, sexual slur “tea-baggers” when referring to supporters of the Tucson Tea Party.
It is unacceptable for a City Council member to dismiss thousands of voting constituents and local residents.
Your phone calls and emails made the difference and held our currently elected representative accountable. Soon after we notified you of her derogatory remarks, Councilwoman Uhlich’s office received dozens of phone calls from constituents demanding an explanation.
Only hours later, Uhlich issued a campaign press release blaming her campaign manager for the remark, saying that she does not believe Tea Partiers to be extreme in any way and does not advocate using derogatory remarks to describe us.
To read her full statement, click here.
UPDATE The apology has been removed from her campaign website! I’ll take that as her being insincere. But you can still view the Google cache of the apology by clicking here.
Both the Arizona Daily Star and KGUN9 News followed up and pressed Karin Uhlich on her campaign’s choice of words.
The Pima County Democratic Party has been using this kind of language to describe Tea Partiers for months now, but with polls showing a dead-even City Council race, Councilwoman Uhlich is trying to pander for votes. If she too believes in government accountability, as she says in her statement, then why didn’t she push harder for the Rio Nuevo audit to occur before the election?
We must judge the City Council representatives, including Karin Uhlich, on their cumulative actions rather than on the words of a single press release. Those actions speak much louder than words. And for the past four years, those actions have failed the city of Tucson.
I hope that you will join us this Saturday for the get-out-the-vote walk as well as on Tuesday for our get-out-the-vote rallies. This race is too close to call and we need everyone who can lend a hand to volunteer.
As I have said many times before, even if you live outside the city limits, what happens in Tucson affects you. This is our chance to get some real representation on the council and get this city turned around!
A big thanks again to all of you who continue to support the Tucson Tea Party’s efforts to bring real change to this city. You have held your Councilwoman responsible and they will think twice before trashing informed voters again.
Trent Humphries & Robert Mayer
Organizers, Tucson Tea Party
P.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) has been getting off the hook lately due to the City Council race. The House of Representatives has unveiled the new, more monstrous government-takeover-of-healthcare bill, and we think it’s about time for another rally at her office. What do you think?
News Media and Video
Rhonda Bodfield of the Arizona Daily Star covered Councilwoman Karin Uhlich’s remarks as well as her response to the Tucson Tea Party.
KGUN9 has an impressive news segment on the issue, in which reporter MaryAnn Martinez really presses Councilwoman Uhlich hard for a response.
I watched the segment from KGun9. Councilwoman Uhlich repeatedly stated, “… people want to focus on what really matters … to everybody in Tucson.” What really matters is that words mean things and people need to be responsible for their actions. “What really matters in Tucson”, is that irresponsible city officials are voted out. That is our FOCUS!
I wish I lived there - Tucson has had regular, huge tea parties for the past 7 or so months! This woman proves she does not deserve to be re-elected. This was no slip of the tongue, this was deeply rooted arrogance and stupidity. She needs to be sent packing!
Kinda like CNN and MSNBC, CBS, ABC, NBC calling the tea pary attendants teabaggers, and then crying and whining their ratings have dropped! Or like a President who tells half of America to shut up and go away, oh but I want you to spend, spend, spend money. Then doesn’t understand why people aren’t spending. (besides his hoax of a ’stimulus’ to create millions of jobs, which was nothing more than pay offs to his wall street, banking and Union (SEIU and ACORN buddies).
Why in the hell are we so interested in apologies? I am not going to give this woman a pass because she got caught saying what she really thinks. Why would anyone think that her ‘apology’ means anything other than ‘go away and stop calling me.’
We place too much on the apology in our society, allowing semi-intellectual idiots to place derogatory and inflammatory and downright dirty memes in our culture and then ask for a pass because…whine whine whine.
She said what she said. She should be removed under a public decency clause. Decency, councilwoman. Look it up.
Just visiting your site from Instapundit. My wife and I were at the March on Washington and various Tea Parties in Nevada leading up to the march. We have been maligned by our current leaders and I for one have a very long memory. Cathy I agree with you, these people, every.single.one must go. They have no respect for we the people and it was glaringly expressed in their contempt for us. I think the current election in NY and VA is starting to open their eyes that we ment business when we march. They didn’t listen to us then but they darn well will listen when we vote them out. Please support us in getting rid of dingy Harry Reed.
ANY ELECTED OFFICIAL who is less than respectful to his/her employers should be fired with immediate impact. I prefer Dr Guillotine’s method - ‘pour encouragez les autres’, to mix French centuries…
SEND CONTRIBUTIONS: NY-23; NJ and Virginia governor races; Opponents of Boxer; Reid; and when they run Schumer, Frank. Conservatives can play the same game as regressive liberals.
Gripe, pester, write, fax and call any politician who you don’t like. They don’t know you exist if they don’t hear from you. Volunteer, contribute, fight. We have nothing to loose since we have lost much already. We want our country back.
PS: Cancel print media and if you can stand it, cable until 2010 election is over. If we don’t get majorities in the House and Senate, consider keeping TV off until 2012 election is over. It ain’t propaganda if you don’t hear or see it.
Anderson Cooper should get great credit in the MSM for coming up w/ the slur “teabaggers”…you stay classy, Anderson.
“Teabagger” is true hate speech. It is hate speech when used by CNN Anderson Cooper. It is hate speech when used by Rolling Stone Matt Taibbi. It is hate speech when used by Karin Ulrich.
All these people need to be called on it.
It will be forever Anderson “Teabag” Cooper.
Sticks and stones may break your bones but words do permanent damage.
Best of luck to all of you in Tucson from this Utahn!