[color="RoyalBlue"]This anti-Obama stuff is going to be pretty rare and valuable in a few years.

I will link the other relevant thread concerning anti-Obama merchandise in a few moments.

By CHRISTY HOPPE / The Dallas Morning News
choppe@dallasnews.com

AUSTIN – The vendor who sold a racist pin at the Texas Republican Party convention last weekend in Houston apologized today and said he had no intention of creating the firestorm that has ensued.

“It’s just been crazy,” said Jonathan Alcox, who runs republicanmarket.com and had buttons and other items for sale at the GOP gathering. “The point is we made a mistake. I realize that now. And I apologize.” [color="Red"]NO, YOU DIDN'T YOU IDIOT...YOU JUST LACK A BACKBONE LIKE MOST REPUBLIKHANS.

The Republican Party of Texas announced today that it will donate to charity the $1,500 it received for leasing the booth to Mr. Alcox. The offending pin stated: “If Obama is president…Will we still call it the White House?”

The Dallas Morning News wrote about the pin being sold Saturday on its Trail Blazers blog and posted a picture of the pin. The story drew attention from several national news sites and blogs Tuesday and caused a firestorm of reaction, particularly at Texas GOP headquarters. [color="Red"]WHY WOULD IT CAUSE A "FIRESTORM" AT GOP HQ? SOMETHING DOESN'T SMELL RIGHT.

In a telephone interview from Florida, Mr. Alcox acknowledged the controversy but said it was unintentional.

“Obviously, it’s been offensive to people. It was not meant to be that way. We’re into humor - not racism,” Mr. Alcox said.

He said that he is neither Republican nor Democrat and that “there’s no agenda here.” He also runs a site offering Democratic merchandise, democratmall.com, and sells at Democratic gatherings.
Also Online

Trail Blazers blog: Write your own slogan for the Texas GOP

He said after the blog post, his Web site was hacked, he was threatened, and the Texas Republican Party – his biggest customer -- said it would never use his services again. He received so many abusive calls that he had to disconnect his phone. It’s the strongest reaction he’s gotten in 17 years in the business, he said.

Mr. Alcox said he made 12 of the pins after seeing a comic strip where Barack Obama was standing in front of a sign saying “The White House,” with the building behind him. Mr. Obama is depicted thinking, “That’s the first thing we’ll change.”

“We just changed it around a little bit and everyone went crazy. I was shocked,” Mr. Alcox said.

He said after having a conversation with a black man who called him about the blog post, he came to understand more about the nerve he had hit. AGAIN, NO FUCKING BACKBONE.

He said the Houston convention was the first time he had offered the pins, and he intended to see how they sold before putting them up on his Web site. He sold four pins – two of them to a reporter from The News.

Texas GOP spokesman Hans Klingler said the state party is sending a letter saying in “very strong terms” that Mr. Alcox need not apply to sell items at any further state GOP events.

He said that the party, while approving the lease to the vendor, was unaware of offensive merchandise being sold there.

The Republican Party is still determining which charity will receive its donation.

Mr. Klingler said he and party leaders believe the pin is distasteful and they hated that it was being sold at their event, which he said was upbeat and dedicated to unity.

SOURCE