Politics

Ex-DNC flack tweets claims of racism, politics after Zimmerman acquittal

Neil Munro White House Correspondent
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Former Democratic National Committee spokesman Brad Woodhouse fired off an incendiary stream of tweets late Saturday night suggesting that racism and politics prompted the jury to acquit George Zimmerman of all charges.

At 11.23 p.m., Woodhouse – who left the DNC job two weeks ago – retweeted a message claiming that the jury was racist.

“I think in post-Obama America its easy to forget race matters still matter. Zimmerman was innocent the moment they sat an all white jury,” said the original tweet from Cornell Belcher, a Democratic-affiliated African-American political strategist.

At 10.25, Woodhouse broadcast a tweet suggesting that Zimmerman was acquitted of killing Trayvon Martin because he is not black.

“RT @ryangrim: Does anyone honestly believe Trayvon would have been acquitted if he had shot Zimmerman and told the same story?”

Ryan Grim is a reporter at the Huffington Post.

Zimmerman is a Hispanic who voted for President Barack Obama in 2008.

When asked by The Daily Caller for a comment, Woodhouse responded “you’re a douche bag.”

He elaborated in a Sunday morning tweet, saying “Daily Caller is such a piece of
shit partisan rag they attacked me as a DNC spox – where I haven’t worked in weeks.”

Woodhouse left the DNC two weeks ago. He’s now president of Americans United for Change, which describes itself as a progressive advocacy group.

In the run-up to the 2012 election, Obama used a televised appearance in the Rose Garden to highlight the racial angle in the controversy. “You know, if I had a son, he would look like Trayvon,” he said following a reporter’s question.

The suggestion of racism was complemented by a numerous claims by Democrats that GOP politicians were trying to suppress African-American voting. In November, African-Americans turned out to vote for Obama at near-record levels, helping him to win reelection despite the terrible economy.

Zimmerman’s vote in 2012 has not been publicized.

During his trial, Zimmerman’s defense team introduced evidence and witnesses suggesting that Martin, aged 17, used drugs and carried weapons, assaulted Zimmerman and pinned him to the ground. The evidence included damage to Martin’s clothes, which suggested he was sitting on top of Zimmerman when he was shot.

At 11.07, Woodhouse suggested that politics led to the not-guilty verdict. “RT @stevenlwalker: Elections have consequences. Voting matters – EVERY office, EVERY election,” he tweeted.

The original tweet came from Steve Walker, deputy national political director for the Democratic party. In his user profile, Walker declares that he is a “Believer in respecting & empowering ALL esp. communities of color & LGBT people.”

Zimmerman’s mother was from Peru.

Woodhouse continued his tirade by retweeting a suggestion that the National Rifle Association was responsible for Martin’s death or Zimmerman’s acquittal. “@iankoski: Email I just received: ‘This is what happens when you let the NRA write your state’s gun laws’” said the tweet from Ian Koski, communications director for Democratic Senator Chris Coons.

Many Democrats hate the NRA which has successfully persuaded most Americans and the Supreme Court that politicians, including progressives, can’t ban private ownership of guns.

Koski followed up his own tweet with the suggestion that racist voters helped establish Florida’s self-defense laws. “See, like SCOTUS said, the Voting Rights Act isn’t necessary any more,” Koski tweeted at 10.54.

Twenty-six minutes later, Woodhouse retweeted a comment from Michael McAuliff, “senior congressional reporter” for the Huffington Post. “So in FL, if you don’t like the way someone looks, you can challenge them. And when they get angry and you get scared, you can kill them,” said McAuliff’s tweet, and Woodhouse’s retweet.

At 10.45, Woodhouse retweeted a message that suggested that the verdict — which was handed down by by six women, following an extensive and public trial, and more than a year of investigations and reparations — was unjust.

“Exactly RT @MrMikeBlake: Where is the respect for life? Where is the justice? Where is the common sense?” said Woodhouse’s retweet.

In 2012, Democrats, including Woodhouse, tried to boost Obama’s support among women by claiming the GOP was waging a “war on women.”

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Neil Munro