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October 31, 2011 in Nation/World
Depiction of zombie Obama shot in head draws fire
RICHMOND, Va. — A Halloween-themed graphic featuring a zombie President Barack Obama with a bullet hole in his forehead provoked widespread outrage and the attention of the Secret Service Monday after a local Republican committee in Virginia used it to scare up interest in Halloween parade political activities.
The montage, a banner on a mass email to Loudoun Republicans, mingles seasonal images including a jack-o-lantern, a disfigured U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi and a throng of flesh-hungry zombie Obama supporters.
The posterized image of a rotting, undead Obama with a bleeding, large-caliber hole an inch above his right eye prompted Democrats to cry foul and Virginia’s Republican governor to denounce it as “shameful and offensive.”
“This is a disgusting and violent portrayal of the president of the United States,” said Democratic Party of Virginia spokesman Brian Coy.
Gov. Bob McDonnell, through spokesman J. Tucker Martin, called on the Loudoun GOP to “apologize for their actions, and to immediately ensure that such imagery is never used again.”
Virginia GOP Chairman Pat Mullins said such an image “has no place in our politics. Ever.”
Loudoun County GOP chairman Mark Sell said in an email response to The Associated Press that the graphic was “a light-hearted attempt to inject satire humor into the Halloween holiday.”
“Apparently, some individuals have interpreted an image of Barack Obama that appeared within the email as intending to portray the President as a victim of a violent crime,” Sell wrote. “Nothing could be further from the truth, and we deeply and sincerely apologize to the President and anyone who viewed the image if that was the impression that was left.”
There was no reply from Sell to a follow-up email seeking an alternative explanation for the nickel-sized hole in Obama’s forehead.
The image was first reported in a post Monday on the conservative northern Virginia blog, Too Conservative. The post’s author, identified as a “Loudoun Insider,” said he’s no Obama fan, “but putting up a photo of him as a zombie with a bullet hole in his head?”
“Someone should send this to the US Secret Service,” the blog post concluded. The Secret Service is in charge of the president’s security.
“We are aware of the situation,” said George Ogilvie, a Secret Service spokesman in Washington.
The image the Loudoun GOP altered is the red, white and blue image of a determined-looking Obama gazing upward that, emblazoned with the caption “HOPE,” became a ubiquitous Obama poster during his 2008 campaign.
It was created from a copyrighted AP photo taken in 2006 when Obama was a U.S. senator appearing at the National Press Club in Washington. The AP sued over the unlicensed, uncredited and uncompensated use of its photo. The litigation was settled earlier this year.
© Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Stocks plummet as outlook in Europe dims 
misjustice on October 31 at 4:15 p.m.
Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley, and Kennedy all shot dead…and gun shots that wounded T Roosevelt and Reagan…as well as 15 other Presidents that had attempts on their lives…funny, ain’t it?
Ed Byrnes on October 31 at 4:21 p.m.
During the depths of the Watergate scandal conservatives used to say “Respect the office even if you do not respect the man holding the office.” Perhaps some of the hyper-conservatives behind this sort of nonsense could do that.
Ed Byrnes
another_perspective on October 31 at 4:21 p.m.
Newtons 5th law. For every action there is an opposite OVER REACTION.
dataxman on October 31 at 4:30 p.m.
at least they didn’t show him swinging from a tree…
You do have to wonder where the outrage was when books, movies, pictures, effigies, etc of Bush were all over the place a few years ago. Selective outrage really is tiresome…
selkirks on October 31 at 4:32 p.m.
Ed makes a good point, as per usual.
You would think that asking for at least some respect and civility would not be too much to ask.
jddavis on October 31 at 4:40 p.m.
dataxman is right about the lack of outrage when similar “things” were portrayed about Bush.
No matter who is in office, this is unacceptable.
Kivaari on October 31 at 4:49 p.m.
Getoverit. This is a holloween image. A Zombie Obummer is no worse then the images used by the leftist against all of our Republican presidents. You leftist need to stop peeing on yourselves over such silly stuff.
Spudbob on October 31 at 5:02 p.m.
DATAXMAN: I, for one, thought that Bush was a terrible president but I was still outraged over the kind of things you mention.
For those of you, “but the other guys did it too” apologists. That weak excuse didn’t work when you were in elementary school and it doesn’t work now.
dataxman on October 31 at 5:25 p.m.
Spud - not apologizing - I don’t see anything wrong with it. As was mentioned by Kivaari, it is a Halloween image. Like I said, at least it wasn’t a hanging effigy. Zombies are hot right now - so it is even topical. While I feel Obama’s policies will leave this country in a zombie-like state, It is not a depiction of the President. I was commenting on the typical panties-in-a-wad reaction you get from the left when things like this happen.
lowtechmaster on October 31 at 5:29 p.m.
The Office of the President, and whoever occupies it, should be free from this crap! It is a crime to threaten the President. Why is this image not a crime? It seems to threaten the life of the President! The same law should be invoked for anyone who does something similar to any President!!
misjustice on October 31 at 5:34 p.m.
I would be down with just a Zombie depiction of the President but a Zombie with a gunshot wound to the head, given this nation’s history of violence against its Presidents, is not okay…no matter what party the President belongs to.
MrBloggy on October 31 at 5:34 p.m.
Difference between depicting Obama as a bullet holed zombie is that is a secret service engaging symbolic threat. Only a teanderthal would like it, and only a teanderthal would not understand it.
Depicting George W. Bush as a microcephalic chimpanzee grinning idiotically while fingerpainting on the walls of the oval office with his own feces while Dick Cheney tossed him pieces of fruit and ordered predator drone strikes on innocent Iraqi babies is, as much as you partisan ‘thuglicans may not want to admit it, pretty accurate and not at all threatening.
Diana on October 31 at 5:35 p.m.
I wonder if Gabby Giffords thinks it’s funny.
dataxman on October 31 at 5:47 p.m.
Diana - pretty poor taste calling a someone who has suffered a horrific brain injury a zombie. You should be ashamed!
Diana on October 31 at 5:54 p.m.
dataxman, I’m sure you think your post is rip roaring funny and clever, but it isn’t.
dataxman on October 31 at 5:59 p.m.
As witty and clever as yours. Trying to conflate a zombie Halloween costume with the shooting of Gabbie Giffords by a mentally deranged individual is typical of the disgusting politics of the left.
norpass on October 31 at 6:08 p.m.
Hmmm, Obama zombie shot in the head is over the top. The Too Conservative blog maybe should have portrayed the Obama as the simple warmonger he is.
The Obama didn’t seem to mind to much about the lynching of Muammar Qadaffi.
misjustice on October 31 at 6:29 p.m.
No, dataxman, Diana did not conflate.
She asked a simple question, relating it to a politician that survived a head shot, about finding the current attempt at humor by a campaign that used a visual depiction of a politician with a head shot…whether the critically injured Giffords would find it “funny” or not???????…pretty simple really.
Even for simpletons…
@ Norpass, Mo Mo wasn’t lynched; shot through and through…in a “fire fight”… Mo Mo could have avoided his eventual fate by accepting our State Department’s efforts to move him to an undisclosed location. He declined safe harbor and met his end, as many dictators do.
Bruce (aka thatoneguy) on October 31 at 6:29 p.m.
Important nerdy note: Even an eight-year-old knows that if you shoot a zombie in the head, the zombie dies. Therefore, you can’t shoot someone in the head and then bring them back as a zombie. Loudon County Republicans can’t even get their monster lore right.
(copied + pasted from the SLOG)
dataxman on October 31 at 6:42 p.m.
bruce - I think the head shot came after he was a zombie (as in the effigy is of a dead zombie)
RedCedar on October 31 at 6:48 p.m.
I can understand some individual drawing a picture like this, but I can’t begin to understand why a county GOP chairman would try to defend something that any thinking person would surely find to be in egregiously poor taste.
Note to Republicans: If you want to win the 2012 election, find yourself a seriously inspiring candidate — someone who understands the real issues, can articulate them with both inspiration and intelligence, and has demonstrated an exceptional ability to get things done — and find them yesterday if not sooner. They are not going to win the election by hating Obama. And the longer they continue this parade of buffoons and snoozers that passes for a primary contest, the less chance they have of winning it at all.
misjustice on October 31 at 6:51 p.m.
Off topic but more important than GOP buffoonery; Kim Kardashian filed for a deevorce! I know! Shocking!
Pigrobin on October 31 at 6:54 p.m.
Poor taste, childish and deserving of the Secret Service jacking up a few of the Loudoun Republicans. I recommend the Secret Service post pictures of ‘em spread eagled on the floor on the Dept of Treas. web site to remind them of their place. A caption saying “this is what happens when you act like an idiot” might be appropriate.
dataxman on October 31 at 7:17 p.m.
misj - any bets on how much one of the cable stations will pay for exclusive rights for a divorce show?
misjustice on October 31 at 7:32 p.m.
10 million dollars? But not sure which venue, I don’t have cable…Poor Kris, he found out by watching TMZ…If any couple had a chance at makin’ it, I thought it was those two kids!
; )
misjustice on October 31 at 7:40 p.m.
http://bluevirginia.us/
View for yourselves…to me the “zombie” explanation doesn’t wash.
The part that depicts the President is an iconic poster with a bullet hole…not that zombie like to be able to claim that was the intent, IMO…I mean, don’t zombies walk with their arms extended straight out in front of them?
If the photo had shown that type of image maybe I’d believe their explanation. But all they did was put a bullet hole in a campaign poster…
I dunno…
dataxman on October 31 at 7:41 p.m.
Gotta give her credit - she did put 72 days into it. What is sad is more people know the details of this then the impending financial implosion of Europe, the Arab Spring or Putin taking over Russia (again). This is why I don’t have cable either. Plenty of news on the ‘net and I get four PBS channels!
mtharves on October 31 at 7:45 p.m.
teanderthal, MrBloggy, that’s the best yet.
MJ,
Kim made 18 million for the wedding; I think the divorce is worth at least that much.
Kivaari on October 31 at 7:50 p.m.
Quite a few Republican presidents have been shot or shot at. Where is your outrage? This is simply a holloween gaff of no significance to anyone with a brain. To get all wound up over it is silly stuff. Where is your outrage at the feature length motion picture about the assassination of Bush? Why is it OK to hang all US presidents, why is it OK to show all of them since Hitler died as being Hitler? For you dilbert libs, it is always OK to portray Republicans in a poor light, but oh don’t ever let a democrat get portrayed as some lower life form. The people with the desire to censor others free speech, always seems to be the liberals, with the exception of the child molesting amongest your herd.
Obummer is the worst president since Carter. He is just one of the many losers in the long string of progressives going back to Teddy Roosevelt.
Get over it. Every party thinks the other parties followers are brain dead zombies. Just how do you people keep thinking liberalism and progressive ideas have any merit?
Perhaps showing Obummer with a shrunken head, lips and eyes sewen shut and stuck on a pole would be more appropriate. Afterall, a shrunken head has more brains then he and his followers.
misjustice on October 31 at 7:54 p.m.
Dataman, I know! Precisely my point, and why I introduced the off topic post…
*sigh*
another_perspective on October 31 at 7:56 p.m.
I vote Kivaari as presidential stand in.
Google Kivaari and you just might agree.
another_perspective on October 31 at 7:56 p.m.
I vote Kivaari as presidential stand in.
Google Kivaari and you just might agree.
Kivaari on October 31 at 7:57 p.m.
Just enter “obama zombie pictures” and see what he has going for him since before he was elected. How many hundred images can you come up with? You are just a bunch of whining babies.
misjustice on October 31 at 8:01 p.m.
Kiv, see the first post on this thread…
Geez….
Oh, and thanks for the cogent argument; the child molestor part was especially convincing.
tobiasg on October 31 at 8:18 p.m.
but…but…but…*cries*
Does it make it any less of an issue? Instead of being a MAN and saying “no, this is wrong, no matter which side you’re on” you (kivaari) would rather play the “but…but…but…” *cries* game.
johnclarke on October 31 at 8:20 p.m.
@Kivaari
Just how do you people keep thinking liberalism and progressive ideas have any merit?
It’s a little thing called “history” my friend. I’m pretty sure that you can read since you are posting and stuff. You might want to review the last decade’s scorecard. Revenues for the nation are at the same level as the Eisenhower years, at about 15%. Alan Greenspan himself has stepped up and admitted all of the right wing views on “free market” didn’t work out so well. We’re still trying to get out of two wars. The economy, while starting to recover is still reeling from the GOP deregulation spree. Sure, you can say that President Obama has had 3 years, but the GOP has successfully blocked any attempt at fixing the real problems. So, I have one question for you. What the exactly is YOUR plan? Let me guess, cut taxes.
misjustice on October 31 at 8:20 p.m.
“I know all there is to know about the cryin’ game…”
johnclarke on October 31 at 8:22 p.m.
Hey, who put the extra “the” in my post.
Kivaari on October 31 at 8:27 p.m.
Misjustice, Did you ever notice that about the only free speech rights the left fights for are for perverted sex issues. The NAMBLA crowd loves the left. It is the left that wants to shut down conservative radio and TV. The conservatives love leftist radio and TV, since all six or seven libs watch and listen. It is Obama’s FCC chairman that wants controls on free speech.
Don’t bother looking up the word, “kivaari”, it is Finnish for “rifle”.
The first Finn word I learned from my Finn mother. My grand father was a soldier in the Russian Army, while it was the Grand Duchy of Finland, under the control of Czar Nicholas (Grand Duke of Finland). At one time I had a substantial collection of Russian-Finn-Soviet small arms of the pre-WW2 variety.
Misjustice, I don’t think your first posting conveyed much of a message. So, What? The fact that this county chair used a stupid zombie image of Obama out of hundreds that have been created in the last 4 years has absolutely no relationship to the issue of presidents being shot at. The image is a halloween themed bit of art. It isn’t anything new. We conservatives have always looked upon Obama and his followers as being brain dead fools. Just like your tribe dislikes we conservatives. At least my tribe has a founding document crafted in this country, not a foreign article of enslavement used by Obama.
misjustice on October 31 at 8:30 p.m.
JC, Don’t look now but someone has anger management issues…
Quick! Soros!
Everyone, except Kiv cause he’s already had too much, DRINK!
dataxman on October 31 at 8:36 p.m.
Soros. Soros. Soros. Soros.
That ought to get missj a bit tipsy
misjustice on October 31 at 8:43 p.m.
Oh, dataxman, you bad!
I’m gonna have to go view Kim and Kris’s wedding photos to get over this thread; back to a happier point in time!
: 0
johnclarke on October 31 at 9:06 p.m.
“We conservatives have always looked upon Obama and his followers as being brain dead fools. Just like your tribe dislikes we conservatives. At least my tribe has a founding document crafted in this country, not a foreign article of enslavement used by Obama.”
Ok, Kivarri/Finish rifle - you are officially out to lunch.
misjustice on October 31 at 9:09 p.m.
Wow! I didn’t know that the Fins owned the Constitution of the United States of ‘Merica! I thought that it belonged to all ‘Mericans…my bad.
another_perspective on October 31 at 9:13 p.m.
Kivaari. Time to turn in your NAMBLA membership. You can keep the NGA.
misjustice on October 31 at 9:16 p.m.
National Gallery of Art (NGA)? Kiv doesn’t strike me as the artsy type…but I could be wrong.
MrBloggy on October 31 at 11:46 p.m.
kivaari \kih-vah-wee\ noun An animal husbandry practice developed by Laplanders to artificially inseminate reindeer using a walrus penis bone and scrotal containment vessel pre-softened by the American political movement of the far right known as “Teanderthals” or “Teabaggers.”
From Merriam-Webster Online
Spudbob on November 01 at 7:18 a.m.
For anyone who is okay with the depiction of President Obama as a zombie with a headshot wound ask yourself if you would feel the same if a Democrat functionary depicted a Republican president (or front running candidate) in the same way.
If you think it would be okay I would question your taste. If you think it would not be okay then … well you figure out what that makes you.
greenlibertarian on November 01 at 8:46 a.m.
It’s not about independent random hyper-partisans passing around depictions of dead pols.
It’s about OFFICIAL RECOGNIZED PARTY MEMBERS passing such garbage around.
Get a freaking clue.