Republican Diane Black's "Strongly Worded Reprimand" To Racist Staffer Revealed
By Logan Murphy Thursday Jun 18, 2009 4:30am
Apparently,Senator Diane Black (R-TN) isn't ready to part company with her racist staffer, Sherri Goforth. Goforth, who sent out a highly offensive photo of President Obama on an official government e-mail account received a letter of reprimand from Senator Black, but as of yet, still has her job. The letter of reprimand has been made public, Think Progress has it and more:
As the Knoxville News Sentinel reports, the Tennessee Democratic Party has obtained a copy of this “strongly worded reprimand,” which is barely a slap on the wrist. Black advises Goforth not to send communications that are “derogatory regarding any minority” and adds, “I look forward to working together in the future within these guidelines.” The letter:
The pressure is on Senator Black to fire the racist she has working in her office, but she's not budging. When Ron Christie, a former aide to Dick Cheney thinks you should go, you know you've screwed up. Contact her and let her know how you feel. Remember, be polite.
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P.S......atta girl Sherri.....hahaha...DB
If I had said something like that at work I would have been terminated.
Are you in the christofascist confederate states of Merka?
I wish to apologize for the above comment that I, Radically Moderate ad infinitum, posted this morning.
It was a crude and ugly attempt at satire and I only meant to lampoon the obtuse Congresswoman and her delightful if not comically flawed staffer.
If anyone below the said post took offense to my satire I only wish that I had taken the time to explain the true meaning of said satire.
Again
I only meant to poke fun at hypocritical Repugs and their lack of proper social skills.
Thank You
;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-)
Perfect, the problem isn't that she's racist. It's that she violated the email policy. Yet another reason why repugnacans are fading into the trash heap of history, right where they belong.
You can be a racist as long as you don't send personal emails.
It's not a matter of offensive content; it's that the incorrect forum was used. Glad we got that straightened out.
..the way the "Reprimand" sounded, Sen. Black held to her own racist convictions and made sure that Sherri Goforth understood completely that violating "e-mail policy" is really a bad thing.
If she permits this kind of behaviour from her staff and doesn't take more extreme measures to deal with it when caught red-handed, what am I to think about here convictions and ethics? Why is this women a member of the Senate?
Wow! Ms Black can really throw a punch and pull one even better at the same time.
In other words, Sherri is doing a heck of a job except for getting caught sending out racist emails from work. Otherwise she's just fine.
If Sherri worked for me, she would be one more in the unemployment line this morning.
I would have pinched her really hard on the back fat part of her upper arm too.
NAW...give her a hawg bite on the back fat part of her upper arm...leaves a bigger bruise...used to give those to my sisters...
They loved it.
Just one more piece of evidence that Republican on average are scumbags and racists.... You absolutely never see any democrats putting this kind of racist stuff out... Republicans are a party of bigots from another era. They are really just a southern party now and this reflects it.
Trust me, regarding racist incidents, we're keeping score. The GOP is dead to a tremendous majority of Black Americans for generations to come.
In fact, Republicans can feel free to openly use the N-word. It won't change the rock bottom position they are in with African Americans.
Maybe the two black Republicans will now wake up and see they've been had.
But it's s career move to shut the fuck up.
and the poster WAS pretty funny, you gotta admit...
Not worth losing any money, power, or prestige over.
So, silent they remain...
Funny? Really?
Hahaha... black people have black skin and it's impossible to photograph them...
Nope. Doesn't work for me.
Funny how exactly...please elaborate in great detail, the humor in this racist BS.
I think Nangleator was just expressing how the racist would find this funny, but of course we would not.
as was I.
and further it is the sign of a crude and small mind. Its derogatory and immature. Funny it is not.
But then I don't laugh when people set kittens on fire either.
"you gotta admit..."
Uhhh, speak for yourself buddy, I doubt many of us are chuckling at this secretly. I can handle some crude humor, but no, I do not think it is "pretty funny". You may want to reevaluate some of your values and get out more if you actually think that's funny.
That image is not a "photo of President Obama." It is a jigaboo cartoon. This is the 21st century, and anyone connected to a public official who would go near a joke like that should be immediately dismissed. The fact that Senator Black doesn't get that is beyond appalling.
after a scathing reprimand like that. I hope she's polishing up her resume.
Really, it's almost an "atta girl" with a small asterisk.
Has Steele made a comment about this yet?
The thing is that if you were Sherri and sent this garbage out, you know all the people you sent it to agree with your point of view. So no matter what sort of slap on the wrist she got, she's still who she was when she hit "send".
ROFLMAO. Steele's is a figure head. He's a house N******. Sorry for that but it's true and not meant to be racist.
the GOPers aren't going to listen. He's not just a joke to Dems/liberals/progessives; he's also a joke to Repubs.
Nope, the Tennessee Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum will soldier on firm in their belief that this was all just a case of falling afoul of an email policy and sending the offending poster to the wrong people. Idiots.
Steele just shook his head and giggled, "That Massa sho' is a card!"
Not if I have to be polite.
If I do decide to speak up, it will be anything but.
to describe how angry and sad I am when people are not only racist but take the time to come up with this s**t and circulate it. The fact that she wasn't totally humiliated over it by the Senator just shows that she secretly condoned it. It makes me physically sick.
Woooooaaaahhh nah.... hold off Senator Black, don't be too hard on the little frau! One would think she mixed the wrappers on some candy in a bowl as a prank.... you are a disgrace!
This is a prime example of which African Americans like myself can never take the GOP seriously. This woman should have been fired for her actions. She did not apologize for this racist email, but instead said she hit the wrong button. So, in fact, she meant to send this email using state property. By her own admission, she should be terminated.
http://blackpoliticalthought.blogspot.com
Exactly....she meant to send it out to the freaks on the good 'ole boy list in the department. This is not over by any means. It's a no brainer that someone, somewhere in Redneck Haven, TN., should demand to see the "right list."
Freaks....the lot of them.
I thought the term freaks was a good thing...
these people ain't freaks...they're racist fucktards!
You are right. The GOP is a dying breed, as they should be. They cannot accept that rich white men can and shall be challenged on every level, all the time. Some of us white folk (and American Indian, as I am a little bit) are no longer their pawns.
She should have been fired on the spot. Period.
maybe she should just Go Forth...and never return.?!
this would be a fitting PUN-ishment! Ha!!!
Go forth and don't multiply!
Too late for that, at least in Sen. Black's case - she's already got several kids and grandkids.
And, here's a surprise - she teaches Sunday School at her Lutheran Church. Just spreading her Christian values of brotherly/sisterly love and inclusion, I'll bet.
to be a sunday school teacher, AND a senator...one or the other lady!
Had she sent out an anti NRA email, I bet she would be gone by now.
Is this the same person who said she sent it out to the wrong email list? Because, you know, that tells me she thinks there's a correct one, which is more fucked up than the original transgression. This woman needs to be thrown under several buses.
Goforth has no right collecting a check from the state. The citizens of Tennessee pay her salary. If I was from Tennessee (and not a racist from Tennessee) I would demand she be fired because I don't want my hard earned money going to support a racist.
Morning all:
Only skimmed the comments, so may have missed it. Does anyone happen to know about the right list?? She sent it to the wrong list, well.......who the hell are the people on the "right list?"
Are no doubt people on the right, (not correct), side of things. You know: Neocons and narrow minded, bigoted assholes. Like those aren't one in the same.
I just assume they are all Repukes since it's repuke office, yes?
But we know that Goforth is a racist and we know that Black isn't upset about the racism, just the missuse of email. We also know that most racists are Republican so I don't think it's an irresponsible conclusion, even if it's not exactly scientific.
missuse of email."
My guess is she is probably more upset that a Republican staffer to whom the email was sent leaked it to the public.
Isn't the Volunteer State home to the GOP candidate for the RNC chairmanship who sent out the CD with "Barak the Magic Negro" on it as a gift to sway frellow GOP RNC members to vote for him?
I've tried. I always get to wound up in my disgust that such people exist and I end up getting rude and personal. It's a failing of mine.
It's because you know you're talking to a brick wall. That's frustrating to anyone. I have a feeling that Sherri's job is safe with Ms Black no matter how many complaints she gets.
I'm the same way Margaret, but what the hell, we should inundate their emails. Over load their servers. Just keep it brief and try not to cuss. I'm pretty proud of myself because I emailed both of them and refrained from using the word "bitch".
So did anyone else on the "wrong list" complain about receiving this email?
(which I read elsewhere was mostly Republican Senate staffers) leaked it to the media.
how in the "reprimand" she says that she shouldn't be sending racist emails using the state's email system. She should be saying it's wrong to send that kind of thing on ANY email. Whatever.
of this story. According to a post at Think Progress (which in turn links to another story with more of Black's comments -- http://blogs.nashvillescene.com/pitw/2009/06/sen_diane_black_casts_herself.php ).
Black said that Goforth's disgusting and racist doesn't reflect "her (Black's) views." As proof, Black points out her own experiences as a nurse in other countries, such as Haiti, where she (Black) worked with "black-skinned people."
Unbelievable!
Plus, her last name is Black so I guess that should count for something too.
I guess that since some of her relatives are "Blacks" this gives her a pass to tell N****** jokes.
If the people of Tennessee tolerate and except her defending this obvious bigot, than I guess it was racists like her that like her in office.
I have gotten worse reprimands than that during yearly job performance reviews and still received a salary increase.
I'm surprised Senator Black didn't provide instructions on creating a yahoo or hotmail account for sending future racist emails.
Much bigger fish to be fried here. Don't waste a second on this. It's no surprise that this stuff still exists, and your outrage is ineffectual.
Think about what you just said. Unbelievable.
fry ALL the racist fish--small, big and inbetween! it's NOT to be tolerated.
That I can endorse. No racism and no tolerance for the same.
You're just a coward...and probably racist.
retract that.
If you ignore that funny sound coming from your cars engine it's not going to go away it's going to get worse.
Think about that statement and replace "funny sound coming from your cars engine" with "racist remark from racist"
This is a big fish, a racist fish.
... as the earliest post by a concern troll ever in this site.
So congratulations are in order I guess...
and a troll from Texas at that. Makes him/her a race relations expert.
I've said it before and I will say it again. DO NOT lump all Texans together. There are some sane people here. When you do that you sound just like the stupid person who sent the email.
Thanks
On yesterday's thread on this topic, people from the "south" said the same thing about generalizations. It's juvenile to assume that all people in or from one region are the same.
I'm a liberal, progressive whatever and I live in Texas. Please stop insulting me.
get a grip, and then remove the chip (from your shoulder).
You'd be mad also if someone made assumptions about you that are not true.
And yeah, that shit pisses me off. When you say that you are not better than that woman...oh yeah, I mentioned that.
Let me remind you that Texas gave us W.
UGH! He's about as Texan as my Siamese cat.
Also gave us Ann Richards and Molly Ivins. Snap!
Unfortunately we gave the nation Ronnie Raygun.
for that one...
Given that they gave us Lieberman and Dodd to wash that turd down, I get the feeling they are not sorry at all...
if Gov. Perry gets his way and Texas secedes from the Union...we won't have to worry about getting any more like W. At least, from Texas.
sherri.goforth@capitol.tn.gov
sen.diane.balck@capitol.tn.gov
sorry
diane.black@capitol.tn.gov
Just sayin' It's way easier than posting a whole different comment to correct a link error. Just FYI. :)
Why is Diane Black like a moped?
They're both fun to ride until your friends find out.
?
That's right, ricky, people think your moped is dorky. And it is.
which I drive regularly to Vespers. But then I was the first on my block to own a Vegamatic. I just love that Ron Popeil and all his useful products.
I still use it for hawt dates!
Bought them in 2003 with the wood block case and still going strong for $39.95
... after the reprimand they met privately and yucked it up on how funny the email was and that she wrote the reprimand only to satisfy those who complained.
Agree, probably a case of CYA
a CYA. It looked like Black simply read the State of TN. Appropriate use policy for state Information Systems (IS). It was obvious in the email that it was a CYA, for the record, with absolutely NO personal commitment or outrage behind it. Racists make me vomit.
The so called reprimand was practically a pat on the back. Instead of demanding the staffer be fired I would be calling my senators demanding Senator Black be censured.
and pretended I was Republican in TN (close, my in laws live there) who has strong family values. I used that to connect to not wanting to raise my kids to believe it was okay to be a racist and a bigot who demeans the president of the greatest country in the world.
i went the ol' more flies with honey route...
I have a 13 month old daughter. This will be the route I take. She knows my sister (they used to work together), so I'll let her know who I am and how this disgusts me.
I just moved to her district. I've met Black before, and she's just as disgusting as the rest of the Republican caucus in Tennessee. They just won the majority in both houses, and they are in the process of ruining our state. Also, I've seen her house - huge McMansion on the lake in the most exclusive gated community in Sumner County. I'll be contacting her later today to tell her how I feel about this. I don't know that it will do any good. In my new neighborhood, there is a biracial couple, about whom I hear racist comments from other neighbors. Sadly, racism is alive and well in Tennessee.
She lives in a subdivision called "Fairvue Plantation". The slave quarters are still standing there.
Just blech.....
Nothing else is apt.
real classy.
and say I really don't care whether this woman keeps her job or not.
Yes I think Regis and Kelly is on. Hurry Greg! Apathy like yours is killing the country.
I knew someone would insult me for being truthful.Congratulations on being the one.
Apathetic to the feelings of those that are different than you...then it's not so much and insult, as it is callin you out on your indifference to racism, now is it?
you really nailed me..ouch.
Dear Sherri,
This is just so I don't catch anymore flak. That's a bad girl...baaaaaaaaad girl.
Sincerely,
Diane Black
Those who are in a position of power, and who have the chance to help end racism, but do nothing when faced with demonstrated racism of a subordinate, are most surely racist themselves.
Senator Diane Black (R) is as much of a racist as is her employee. Shameful... but oh so predictable.
you beat me to it.
Otherwise, her Sherri wouldn't have imagined the emailed photo would go unremarked.
I'm waiting to see how long it will be before Sean Hannity jumps all over her for this one. As much time as he has spent going crazy over Letterman's Palin joke both before and after both apologies, surely he'll have some pretty strong words for Senator Black and Ms. Goforth.
If not, I would like him to explain how a comedian telling a joke merits more fury from him than an elected senator and her staffer.
Still waiting...
Harry Reid take note. That's how you write a strongly worded letter...
you shoulda heard the one they told about you!
Check the movie 'Idiocracy', its about the GOP's first 'black' president.
the 'angry white vote' is looking uglier and uglier just about everytime they open their mouths.
Keep THEM talking!
And tell her thanks for driving in another nail into the GOP coffin.
Thank you Ms. Black.
Dear Senator Black,
Regarding the future employment of Sherri Goforth who we know sent that filthy email from a government computer, it is obvious that she must be terminated. I say that because I am sure that you as a representative of the Republican Party do not want to appear to be hypocritical. We know that the right wing would like to see David Letterman removed for a bad joke so it follows that a staffer for a Republican Party government official should be terminated for sending vile racist email from a government owned computer originating from a state Senator's office. We could never expect the left to fire a comedian whose job it is to make jokes, however out of line they may be, yet support a right wing government employee for sending hate using government equipment originating from a Republican state Senator's office. This simply cannot stand. I will look forward to the day that this staffer is looking for new employment outside of your office so that the right wing do not look as if they can say one thing and do another. It would also be a good thing to release the people who Ms. Goforth sent this email to so that we may be able to check to see if this racist email communication is wide spread or an isolated incident. Let's put the Patriot act to work since the NSA have made it clear that it is acceptable to open anybody's email. If they can open Bill Clinton's email I'm sure there would be no problem having a look see at Ms. Goforth's recipient list.
Thank you for your time and understanding,
Sincerely,
Captain Kangaroo
I love your suggestion about using the Patriot Act to determine what else is on Ms Goforth's computer. Very clever!
lol!
The staffer originally apologized only for sending the e-mails to the wrong people, not the content of the e-mail.
When small minded individuals are surrounded by thier own ilk, these kinds of siuations are perfectly understanding to them.
..is a bit of a stretch in my opinion. You're overly sensitive if you're offended by this.
The letter of reprimand seems appropriate for the 'offense'.
Nothing here...........move along please.
I realize you're trying to stir the pot here, so I shouldn't respond. But that "joke" was about as offensive as it gets. And it's not funny.
If it were sent by my racist uncle, I'd roll my eyes, delete it and maybe write him a nasty reply. But this WAS FROM THE OFFICE OF A U.S. SENATOR. No excuses.
I don't want to see anyone lose their jobs (call me a limp-wristed liberal) but Senator Black should've placed this person on a two week leave of absence without pay. At the very least.
......I just don't see it. There are much bigger fish to fry (issues) than this.
I think making an issue of this is petty at best.
Why would a bigot fire a racist? Seems to me if your a republican, this type of this is commended isn't it?
...what it boils down to. She condones it and probably even had a good chuckle. Yeesh. Heehawing morons.
The penalty is that you will be fired, but I'm not firing you. Ah, the smell of mendacity in the morning...smells just like BS.
I know because I came from the central Californian SJ valley where much humor there is deeply rooted in racism, and it is also no coincidence that the majority there are GOP. This kind of thing is not uncommon by ANY stretch of the imagination. In truth, the person who sent this out may not have even meant to do anything but make her colleagues laugh... but you see, THIS is exactly the subtle kind of (seemingly harmless) racism that keeps the deep seated segregation of a race alive.
Well said, Loath. Well said.
That kind of overt racism should be terms enough for dismissal.
The GOP 3 ring circus 're-branded' 'reborn' and 'repulsive'.
Dear Senator Black,
Your letter to Sherri Goforth was well written and quite convincing. Thank you for writing it.
I do, however, have one problem with the wording and her continued employment with your office:
"Also, as we discussed, no communication that is derogatory regarding any minority should be sent from this office or that employee will be subject to termination of employment from my office."
My question, after having read your forthright letter to Goforth, is, why have you not gone forth and fired her? I mean, from your own words, she violated a communication rule that you established and, therefore, according to your letter, must be terminated. Correct?
I know you will do what needs to be done to remedy this matter and to clear up any ambiguities that I, and many others, have regarding this sensitive matter.
Thank you for your service and honesty to our country,
Mark Prime
Senator Black
Although I am not from your state, I have read the news reports concerning the very racist e-mail and picture perpetrated by your staffer Sherri Soforth.
I am of the opinion that no one in public office, and no one who works for a public official who represents all the people and not just the white race should engage in racist 'humor' about another race. Ms. Soforth should be removed from her duties immediately. She has no place in your staff and should be fired immediately. Your explanations have been weak, and truly undeserving of your office.
It probably lost the sting after it was translated from the original German.
As much as I'd love to see this ignorant fool sent packing, and as much as I hate to admit it, Sen. Black probably is taking the right approach.
It's easy to say "Off with her head!" in this situation. But what if the derogatory email had been about Bush, or Cheney? Would you think firing is appropriate then? Probably not - and you'd probably say she has a right to her own opinion.
Does anyone here really want people fired because of what they think, or because of their opinions?
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